Aila nodded resolutely as if steeling herself.

“If it helps you, sister, of course I should!”

To her younger sister who was making a solemn resolution, Roina carefully added.

“And about this matter……”

If she could hide it, she wanted to conceal her condition from her father.

If the fact that she had lost her memory reached the marquis’s ears, he wouldn’t just sit by and watch.

Their father was someone who moved solely for wealth and power, stopping at nothing.

When Roina trailed off with a worried expression, Aila seemed to understand her concern and readily spoke up.

“Don’t worry. I won’t say anything to Father or our brother.”

“Thank you so much, Aila.”

Wearing a faint smile, Roina decided to first hear about the past three years from her younger sister.

Not content that could be found in gossip magazines or newspapers, but observations as someone close to her.

“Sister, do you remember the imperial capital banquet on your coming-of-age ceremony day?”

At Aila’s question, Roina stiffened and tried to hide her flustered state.

“Yes, I remember it.”

“Not long after that, an imperial decree came down.”

Roina knew this much. She had confirmed it through past newsletters and Conrad.

‘However, if there’s something questionable……’

It was the point that the emperor, who couldn’t possibly not know how to revive conservative forces, had united Asheter and Würetti.

To say it was simply to check progressive forces seemed inconsistent.

Even without uniting the two families, conservative power could have been consolidated through unions between conservative families.

‘Though I can’t know the detailed circumstances……’

She thought perhaps some kind of deal had been made between the emperor and her father.

Perhaps the emperor, caught in Marquis Würetti’s trap, had announced the union of the two families with the force of an imperial decree to cover up the matter.

Since her younger sister seemed to know nothing about the hidden aspects behind the political marriage, Roina nodded.

It seemed she would have to investigate directly.

“Were there any other incidents?”

At those words, Aila’s expression subtly hardened. Then, seeming to gauge her sister’s reaction, she continued her explanation.

“Other incidents…… there were some.”

After the union of the two families that seemed incompatible, Roina was said to have completely disappeared from the social circles where she had occasionally appeared.

Roina wasn’t unaware of this either. Society had called her the ‘unfortunate duchess in seclusion.’

Soon Aila clenched both fists tightly and flashed eyes filled with venom.

“I swear I won’t let that woman get away with it.”

At her younger sister’s appearance as if she might immediately tear someone’s hair out, Roina looked puzzled.

“That woman? Who are you talking about?”

“It’s all because of Lady Clovis!”

Hearing the completely unexpected name that followed, Roina’s face rapidly hardened.

As if her thoughts had stopped, she slowly blinked her eyes.

The name that came from Aila’s mouth was the name of a woman she knew.

‘Daphne Clovis? Why that name……?’

As an ominous premonition flashed through her mind, Roina urgently asked.

“Lady Clovis?”

Aila hesitated several times before finally revealing what had happened before.

“That woman…… completely isolated you from social circles.”

Perhaps because she was hearing an unpleasant story, Roina’s eyelashes trembled slightly.

‘She isolated me……?’

Daphne was a woman at the center of current social circles and had once been the most likely woman to become the next mistress of House Asheter.

The current empress of the Noxtan Empire was the eldest daughter of House Clovis, and Daphne was dominating social circles with such family backing.

As Roina remembered, the marriage proposal between Conrad and Daphne had been almost a foregone conclusion.

But as could be seen, it ultimately wasn’t pursued.

‘Because Conrad married me due to the imperial decree.’

Daphne, who had lost the position of the next mistress of House Asheter overnight, was said to have made no effort to hide her blatant hostility toward Roina.

To the extent of isolating her from social circles.

Even though no one in social circles was unaware of that open secret, Roina’s situation didn’t change.

Conrad, who couldn’t possibly have been unaware of the matter, also didn’t intervene at all.

At the devastating past events, Roina felt her mouth go dry and her insides burn.

From the start, a man whose only feelings toward her were contempt and hatred would have no mercy left to show.

She had somewhat expected Conrad’s indifference.

Nevertheless, hearing about her situation from someone else still wasn’t something she could get used to.

‘I wouldn’t be important to you at all.’

As her eyelids grew hot and throbbing, she closed her eyes tightly and opened them.

She could see herself throughout their married life, hoping alone, getting angry, and ultimately blaming herself.

“Anything else…… I mean, were there no other incidents?”

“That’s all I know.”

Though she asked about other matters, Aila only showed an apologetic expression.

It was because she couldn’t receive news of Roina’s well-being after she secluded herself in the ducal residence.

Having no choice, Roina tried to change the topic to shift the subdued atmosphere.

“Come to think of it, your debutante ball is approaching, isn’t it?”

Since her younger sister had been eagerly awaiting that day since childhood, she surely thought she would be delighted.

But contrary to expectations, Aila made an indifferent expression, then put a cookie in her mouth and crunched it.

“Yeah, the house has been a bit noisy about that.”

“The house is noisy?”

When Roina tilted her head obliquely, her younger sister let out a long sigh.

“Marriage proposals have piled up at home over the partner issue. I’m really annoyed to death, you know?”

“I see.”

It seemed Marquis Würetti was using his head like he had with his first daughter, trying to set a higher price for Aila in the marriage market.

Of course, the spirited Aila didn’t seem to be taking it lying down.

Somehow word had spread that the youngest daughter liked baby’s breath, so every young man sending marriage proposals was sending baby’s breath bouquets as gifts.

‘I prepared baby’s breath without knowing that.’

When Roina’s gaze naturally turned to the vase on the table, Aila, noticing this, waved her hands in surprise.

“Oh my, you didn’t misunderstand, did you? What you give is naturally an exception, sister!”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

At her younger sister’s flustered appearance, a faint smile spread across Roina’s lips.

Aila glanced at her, then hesitantly opened her mouth.

“Sister, will you come to my debutante ball?”

“Of course, I’ll naturally make time to go.”

Only then did Aila brighten her blue eyes and show her characteristic lively expression.

Roina gently patted her smiling younger sister’s head. Hoping she wouldn’t lose this smile if possible.

※※※

As news spread that Roina would be hosting the ducal family’s banquet, various gossip magazines continuously poured out articles about her.

Reading the most eye-catching headline among them, Roina wore a smile close to a hollow laugh.

The Abandoned Duchess’s Return!

“Well, it’s not wrong.”

She roughly skimmed the sensationalized articles with her eyes and placed them on the study desk.

Yet thinking of her father who would be satisfied upon receiving this news, she felt somewhat relieved.

According to Sophie, Marquis Würetti, worried about his daughter who stayed only in her room, had visited the ducal residence several times.

Each time, he surely would have heard unpleasant things.

‘Father won’t have any particular contact for a while.’

Roina began examining documents again in her study. She was gradually learning the work with Donovan’s help.

After some time passed, to catch her breath briefly, she checked the invitations that had come for her.

Lately, invitations sent by nobles had been piling up in Roina’s study.

This began after rumors spread that she, who had been secluded only in the estate, was re-entering social circles.

Of course, Roina had never officially announced her intention to return to social circles in earnest.

Nevertheless, seeing the rumors spread, someone had definitely spread those rumors intentionally.

“Someone who would want my position to become solid……”

It would obviously be her father, Marquis Würetti. Only then would it be easier for him to use his daughter.