After comforting Aila and sending her back to the banquet hall first, Roina went looking for Bleon.

She wanted to discuss their sister’s situation, but he was nowhere to be found.

‘I’m sure I saw my brother near the path leading to the rear garden.’

Just as Roina was about to return to the banquet hall in dismay.

“……!”

Her expression suddenly hardened as if encountering a completely unexpected situation.

The man and woman standing and conversing in one part of the colonnade were none other than Conrad and Daphne.

Though it wasn’t the first time she had seen them together, Roina felt an ache near her heart.

‘If fate were predetermined….’

They looked so good together that one might think they were meant for each other.

Like gods from mythology, they appeared brilliantly radiant.

Feeling as if she had become an intruder, Roina swallowed a bitter smile.

She was about to deliberately take a detour to avoid entering their line of sight. Until Daphne spotted her and stopped her.

“Oh my, the duchess has arrived.”

“……”

Daphne welcomed Roina with no trace of the hostility she usually showed her.

With a thoroughly relaxed smile, the woman seemed to want to flaunt her presence with Conrad.

Having seen through Daphne’s intentions, Roina barely suppressed a hollow laugh and approached them.

“Were we blocking the entrance to the banquet hall?”

Despite the woman referring to herself and Conrad as “we,” Roina showed no reaction and shook her head.

“No, not at all.”

At that moment, her eyes met her husband’s, and she swallowed a shallow sigh while avoiding his gaze.

For some reason, she couldn’t look at him.

She suddenly felt a wave of fatigue and was about to enter the banquet hall directly.

“Go in first.”

Conrad’s low, deep voice reached her. Wondering if she was truly being a nuisance, Roina slightly furrowed her brow.

Seemingly quite satisfied with the current situation, Daphne raised the corners of her lips faintly and answered.

“Yes, Your Grace. The duke and I will—”

“I was talking to you, Lady Clovis.”

“What…?”

As if unable to believe what she had heard, Daphne looked at Conrad with eyes spreading with bewilderment.

The man, who had maintained an indifferent expression, tilted his head obliquely and asked.

“Do I need to repeat myself?”

“……”

Daphne firmly gripped the hem of her dress with both hands as if trying to suppress her anger.

Then she gave a look as if asking why she had to leave.

But when Conrad showed no reaction, the woman soon composed her expression and said.

“Very well. Then I’ll go in first.”

After quietly watching Daphne’s retreating figure entering the banquet hall, Roina swallowed dryly and turned her head.

Her gaze became entangled with the man who was staring at her intently.

‘Why did he send Daphne away?’

Despite having harbored feelings for Conrad for a long time, Roina still found it difficult to gauge his intentions.

Silence flowed between the two for a while. After moving her lips, she casually spoke.

“Is it alright to send her away like that?”

“What do you mean?”

In contrast to his emotionless voice, Conrad’s face showed some puzzlement.

Deliberately letting go of the numerous thoughts swirling in her mind, Roina answered coldly.

“It seems I interrupted before you two finished your conversation.”

She was inwardly surprised by the curt voice that flowed out unintentionally.

‘What am I doing right now….’

Conrad’s behavior, which seemed to take her side, was enough to confuse Roina.

Hadn’t she repeatedly reminded herself not to get excited since it would mean nothing to him?

‘Yes, I know it best.’

That the more she loved Conrad, the more miserable only she would become.

Roina turned her gaze away from the man who was looking at her with a somewhat hardened expression.

Then Conrad exhaled a short sigh and said.

“I don’t understand why you would say such a thing.”

His face showed clear signs of displeasure.

Roina bit her lower lip firmly. Her throat tightened, but she tried to speak as if nothing was wrong.

“I didn’t intend to disturb you two.”

“Disturb? What are you talking about?”

The man raised one eyebrow as if somewhat bewildered.

His demeanor seemed to deny any relationship with Daphne, causing a self-deprecating smile to spread across Roina’s lips.

‘You don’t have to do that.’

After hesitating for a while, she looked at her husband directly with her violet eyes.

For some reason, she felt that now she could handle any answer from him.

“Conrad, there’s something I want to confirm with you.”

“Go ahead.”

At his voice, no different from usual, Roina calmly continued.

“You said you regret marrying me, right?”

“……”

At that moment, Conrad’s expression turned coldly frigid.

His cold reaction seemed to substitute for an answer.

Finally facing the reality that she could not stand beside him, Roina felt an ache near her heart.

Tightly clenching her hands, she added with a deliberately faint smile.

“At least while I’m your wife… you shouldn’t have told the lady that.”

However, she couldn’t hide the resentment in her voice.

The man, who neither confirmed nor denied her words, had an indescribable look in his eyes.

Then, running a hand through his hair, he softly asked a question.

“How do you know that?”

“Because I heard it directly.”

Conrad, slightly tilting his head, asked with narrowed brows.

“You heard it directly?”

“I happened to overhear your conversation.”

“Has your memory… returned?”

To his repeated question about how much of her memory had returned, Roina answered with a bitter smile.

As she entered the banquet hall first, Conrad, left alone in front of the colonnade, exhaled a deep sigh.

“What are you….”

The man’s face, with furrowed brows, clearly showed signs of dismay.

He suddenly recalled the memory of that day he had forgotten.

˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

While handling work in his study, Conrad looked with an indifferent gaze at the visitor who had come without notice.

She was Daphne Clovis, with whom he had once exchanged marriage talks.

Though they had known each other since childhood due to their fathers being close friends, they had no particular friendship.

In Conrad’s eyes, Daphne was merely a greedy woman coveting the position of duchess.

‘There couldn’t be a more troublesome existence.’

Despite her sudden visit being somewhat rude, Conrad didn’t impose any particular restrictions.

After all, the late Duke and Duchess Asheter had hoped for their son to get along well with Daphne.

Moreover, it was true that he had received help from Duke Clovis when he ascended to the ducal position.

Therefore, he merely maintained a formal, courteous attitude.

Thus, Daphne Clovis never became a significant figure to Conrad.

Though he had once used Daphne out of a sense of betrayal toward Roina, it was merely a shallow relationship for mutual benefit.

That was all. Except for official occasions, he had no reason to associate with her.

‘Yet to behave so inappropriately, it’s truly surprising.’

Since he had an appointment with Duke Clovis today, Daphne’s visit instead of the duke was unexpected.

Raising an eyebrow obliquely, Conrad soon asked in a dry voice.

“What brings you to the ducal residence?”

As if anticipating his reaction, Daphne smiled brightly and handed him a document envelope.

“I brought documents related to the investment agreement on behalf of my father.”

At her words that she had visited the mansion in place of the busy Duke Clovis, Conrad’s brow twitched slightly.

The matter wasn’t even urgent, and Daphne’s intention in personally visiting the ducal residence seemed clear.

She was still coveting the position of the Asheter family’s lady.

Judging by how she had isolated Roina, who was nominally the duchess, in society, her determination seemed firm.

‘Everything about her is irritating.’

Conrad, who had no intention of giving up the position beside him, found Daphne’s attitude merely laughable.

He tried to cut off the conversation with an emotionless voice.

“I see. Then I’ll call a maid for you.”