The hem of her robe brushed against the stairs as she descended to the first-floor hall. The entrance was dim with only a few candles lit, and two people stood in the center.

One was a man. Neatly dressed, his posture was low and he looked like a servant.

And the person standing beside him was a woman.

At a glance, she wore the attire of a noblewoman. Not only the coat flowing along her body’s lines but even the gloves on her hands were elegant. 

However, her face was completely hidden beneath a hat with a thick veil. The hat was pressed down so deeply that one couldn’t even sense her gaze.

Vardi was breaking out in a cold sweat inside.

He didn’t know exactly who this guest who’d come in the middle of the night was either. The problem was simply that she was a young woman. That’s why he hadn’t rashly let her in. But at the worst possible moment, Adeline had come down herself.

Now he could neither dismiss her nor admit her on his own authority.

Adeline stared at them quietly, then approached first as the lady of the house. Her steps were calm.

“I don’t know why you’ve come to this mansion in the middle of the night, but I am Adeline Belliche, the lady of this house. May I ask your name?”

The man who looked like a servant stepped back and said nothing. Like a folding screen, he maintained thorough silence.

The woman was also silent.

That silence stretched long enough to feel quite stifling.

But Adeline didn’t avert her gaze until an answer came. She endured the stillness and waited for the other party.

Suddenly the woman slowly raised her hand and lifted the veil slightly.

She possessed luscious golden hair with slightly more red tones than Adeline’s. And even in the darkness, her violet eyes were exceptionally clear.

The moment she recognized that face reflected in the candlelight, Adeline’s breath stopped.

Shock passed across her face without a sound.

Adeline forgot to breathe.

Eva Lorenz…

It didn’t take long for the name to surface.

She was the mistress cherished by William, the King of Krauben. Though of foreign origin, she was the cousin of Count Russell, a royalist. And she had a five-year-old son.

A child born from her relationship with William. The king’s bastard.

Because that child existed, her brother Leopold’s position had become even more difficult.

King William did have a daughter and a legitimate heir son with his queen.

But he’d sent the daughter away in a political marriage, and his only son had died of an epidemic at age twelve. So William had wanted a son with his queen after that, but for a long time couldn’t fulfill that wish.

Because William’s queen had fallen gravely ill after losing her son. The queen, who for years couldn’t even move about, was practically nonexistent.

In the midst of this, last year William had officially registered the bastard he’d had with Eva as the queen’s son, without even obtaining the sick queen’s consent. So Eva’s son had nominally become a “prince.”

Adeline had never had a deep conversation with Eva Lorenz. They’d only encountered each other twice at official functions.

But because she was an unforgettable beauty, that face remained vivid in her memory.

But why was such a woman here?

Why Eva Lorenz…?

Why had she come looking for Kailen of all people?

Adeline’s mind raced, but she couldn’t grasp any connection at all. Foreign aristocratic society? Political dealings? Interests between the royal family and the Belliche family? Nothing connected clearly.

While she stood frozen in a daze, it was Eva who spoke first.

“It seems it will become more troublesome if I continue standing outside like this.”

Her voice was clear and resonant.

She was excessively confident, like someone who’d completely forgotten her position.

“May I come inside?”

Adeline lowered her gaze briefly, then raised it again.

Since that woman was Eva Lorenz, she couldn’t leave her standing here. 

Whatever the reason, it wouldn’t be good for Kailen if anyone saw. The sight of the king’s mistress standing at his mansion’s entrance in the middle of the night, no less.

“…Come inside for now.”

Adeline postponed judgment about this situation itself. Why she’d come, that reason could be asked later. First, they needed to avoid people’s eyes. She took a short breath, then turned to the head butler.

“I’ll guide the guest myself. Head butler, you may go.”

“My lady…”

Vardi opened his mouth with a troubled expression, but Adeline shook her head.

It’s fine. I’ll handle it myself. That’s what it meant.

She turned toward Eva Lorenz with the will to push forward.

“This way.”

The two headed to the second floor.

While climbing the stairs, Adeline’s mind spun dizzily. Questions piled up like a mountain.

Why did you come here?

At this hour, why here of all places?

No, before that—what’s your relationship with Kailen?

Have you two known each other for a long time?

Where did you meet?

Why are you connected to my husband…?

But none of those questions made it past her lips. This night, this mansion, this position—being seen by anyone would be the worst.

Adeline climbed the stairs in silence with her lips pressed tight. And when they reached the second floor and turned left down the corridor—

There, Kailen stood.

He’d just showered and wore only a loosely tied robe. His hair was still wet, not fully dried. He’d clearly come out looking for Adeline when she wasn’t in the bedroom.

And his gaze captured both Adeline and the woman beside her simultaneously. In an instant, Kailen’s expression froze completely.

It was cold.

No, it was chillingly cold to the point of being eerie.

Since their reunion, Kailen was someone who rarely showed emotion on his face. But his current expression was filled with unconcealed anger and wariness.

Seeing that face, Adeline’s confusion deepened.

Why is he making that expression? Don’t tell me… is he really connected to this woman somehow?

She’d simply admitted a visitor into the house as the lady of the household. This was also her proper duty. 

Yet in this moment, she had no idea why she should have to ramble out excuse-like words. She’d done nothing wrong.

The person who should explain was him.

Nevertheless, she opened her mouth, unable to withstand Kailen’s sharp gaze.

“…The head butler came. He said there was a guest looking for you.”

The corridor was dim, and the light from the wall lamps flickered faintly. Beneath it, Kailen’s expression remained frozen. From tension, Adeline’s heart pounded more fiercely.

She moistened her lips briefly, like choosing her words.

“You were washing, so… I went down.”

The words ended there. After that, they didn’t come easily.

Adeline’s large green eyes wavered with anxiety. Unable to voice the questions, she asked countless questions with her eyes alone.

Why did this woman come looking for you?

Why at this hour?

Have you met this woman before? Where?

Her lips were parched dry, and her throat felt rigidly stiff. Even swallowing once felt too overwhelming for her right now.

Kailen looked at her for a moment, then composed his expression like nothing had happened. So naturally, it felt even more cruel.

He approached with his long legs, one step, two steps. Water dripped from the ends of his wet hair, and as he drew closer, a faint soap scent wafted.

“I see. Then I’ll guide the guest from here.”

He glanced down at Adeline in passing and added:

“You go to the bedroom.”

The moment those words ended, Eva Lorenz stepped forward.

Eva Lorenz, who’d maintained silence, wore her hat pressed down, so her expression couldn’t be seen in detail. But one thing was certain—she was confident.

Kailen bowed his head slightly. Like politely escorting a lady.

“Let’s go to my study.”

Adeline watched the scene with eyes that found it hard to believe.

Why does this look so familiar? Why is he so smooth in dealing with her? Like it wasn’t just once or twice.

Why won’t you give me any explanation at all?

Eva Lorenz glanced over Adeline as she passed. Very briefly. Yet that gaze felt piercing.

Eyebrows drooping slightly beyond the veil. Red lips holding a faint smile. And violet eyes floating so calmly, far too calmly.

Those eyes… felt like they were pitying her.