“Why did you give Martiana the divorce papers without my consent?”

Drisena drew in a sharp breath the moment she heard the question.

A chill ran down her spine. She had never expected him to confront her so directly about the divorce papers.

Of course, she had anticipated that he would ask her about them. Martiana had left the estate, and he had summoned her because of it.

But there were degrees to such expectations, weren’t there?

At most, she had assumed he would ask why matters had escalated to this point. Why Martiana had left. Why she had failed to stop her.

She had prepared herself to answer those questions.

But—

‘The papers?’

He skipped everything and went straight to that?

And that look in his eyes—

‘How fierce.’

It was as if he wouldn’t overlook the slightest slip of the tongue.

Perhaps he truly wouldn’t.

She had never seen him display that expression before.

Drisena’s sons had always been gentle.

They were devoted to their parents and usually respected her wishes.

In truth, during her years at the ducal estate, there had been very few real conflicts.

The only time they had ever truly clashed was over his marriage.

And now that same son was glaring at his mother.

Over nothing more than a single document.

“I gave her the papers? Who told you that?”

After swallowing hard, Drisena folded her arms and fired back a question.

The air in the narrow annex felt tense as she spoke in a sharp tone.

Siliar’s reply was no softer.

“It doesn’t matter who told me. What matters is why you did it.”

“If you speak to me in that tone, I won’t feel inclined to answer at all. Who would want to open their mouth in front of that face?”

Drisena poured water into the teacup before her. Her movements were refined, elegant from long habit—yet the gaze she fixed on her son was piercing.

“You are not someone who fears my expression, Mother. I do not wish to drag this out. Why did you do it?”

“Because it was necessary.”

Setting down the teapot, Drisena tapped lightly against the table.

Siliar’s eyes followed the movement.

“Necessary? What could possibly require fabricating a divorce I clearly refused to grant?”

“It was within the lady of the house’s authority. Did you not entrust that to me?”

“That is exactly what I’m asking you to explain.”

“Ramelata was coming.”

Each exchange quickened the tapping of her fingers against the table.

Drisena lifted her teacup and leaned back against the sofa.

“The Countess of Pumilum was the reason?”

“Yes.”

“She’s bringing money — what else could I do?”

Drisena thought to herself, inhaling the scent of the tea. But she couldn’t say that out loud. So she continued quietly.

“To be precise, it was the child who came with her.”

“The child?”

“Yes. Your nephew. If a child were running about this estate, how do you think she would have taken it?”

She didn’t mention Martiana at all.

Just ‘she’.

Drisena tilted her head slightly as she spoke.

Every word that followed had been carefully chosen. She had long anticipated that Siliar might question her about the divorce.

This was why her explanation flowed so smoothly.

“It would have hurt her. And doesn’t the child bear a slight resemblance to her? Even if it had been any other child, it still would have been painful for her. So what choice did I have? I thought it would be better for her to stay elsewhere for a while — at least while they are here.”

“And for that, you gave her divorce papers? With my signature forged?”

“How else would you have got her out of the room she’s been locked in for five years? Do you think a minor excuse would have worked? If it had been that easy, I would have sent her away a long time ago.”

“Mother!”

When Drisena admitted, rather bluntly, that she would have sent Martiana away, Siliar’s voice rose sharply.

As though he had just heard something he could never have imagined, he began to tremble, his hand braced against the sofa.

The look he gave his mother was dangerously sharp.

Nevertheless, Drisena did not stop.

The situation was in her favour now.

From the moment she used the child as an excuse.

Siliar had always faltered at that word: ‘child’.

It was his most tender wound. He avoided dwelling on anything connected to it.

On more than one occasion, this weakness had enabled her to avoid conflict.

She intended to do the same now.

If that was what it took to protect herself, she would press against her son’s scar.

“It cannot be undone now. I’ve already sent the divorce papers to His Majesty. Do not think to reproach me. I endured for five years. I waited long enough. In fact, I was relieved she signed so readily. Now that it has come to this, you should—”

“Let me say this again.”

“…What?”

“I will not divorce her.”

Siliar spoke evenly. Then he ran a hand through his hair, stood up, and took a step towards the wall.

This abrupt movement showed his frustration at speaking to someone who wouldn’t listen. In truth, he had no desire to stay any longer. He had already heard everything he needed to.

Drisena disapproved of her son’s sudden movement.

“You say you won’t, but it makes no difference. Did you not hear me? I sent the papers to His Majesty—”

“That matter has already been handled on my end.”

Siliar’s voice cut cleanly across hers.

“Do not concern yourself with it.”

“What? When!”

This time, Drisena sprang to her feet. She had never imagined her plan would be cut off at its root.

“Why would you destroy it? She said she wanted a divorce too! Why throw away a perfectly good opportunity?”

“An opportunity you wanted, Mother! Are my words worth nothing to you?”

“That’s rich coming from you!”

Their heated breaths filled the narrow drawing room.

At some point, the tension had escalated beyond control. Things had not been this volatile when Siliar first arrived.

“I’m not ignorant of what you want. But there are things I can concede—and things I cannot.”

“What?”

“Do not force a divorce on me. And if you intend to bring up household authority again, you may step down from managing it.”

“What? What did you just say?”

Drisena’s mouth opened in astonishment at the sudden declaration.

It was a bolt from the blue.

Being removed from her role as household manager meant that she would no longer have access to the estate’s finances.

She had always been careful not to take too much at once, but the small amounts she had taken over the years had quietly accumulated. When Ramelata’s allowance wasn’t enough, that had been her reserve fund.

And now he intended to take that away, too?

“By whose authority?”

Drisena stamped her foot and advanced toward him.

“Who has been running this household all this time? And now you cast me aside like this? How can you?”

“You’ve carried the burden long enough. Consider this your rest. You’ve done more than enough.”

“Siliar!”

Drisena cried out his name, almost shrieking.

Siliar did not so much as blink. For someone who dealt with criminals and desperate people every day, this display meant nothing.

“Oh—and for the time being, I suggest you refrain from going out. If you are to receive investigators, you won’t have time for social visits.”

“Investigators? Why would I—”

“You admitted it yourself just now. Forging a document is a serious crime. Especially one submitted to His Majesty.”

“You… you wouldn’t dare report your own mother?”

“There’s no reason I wouldn’t.”

Siliar turned back to face Drisena. The look in his eyes was far darker than when he had first entered the annex.

“But this time, you should be grateful for His Majesty’s leniency.”

Without the King’s mercy, she would already be in prison.

Had the decision been Siliar’s alone, that would have been the outcome.

As Chief of Security, he could not, in good conscience, overlook a crime just because the perpetrator was a family member.

Even now, he was barely restraining the fury inside him.

He had felt it from the moment he learned that Drisena had handed Martiana the divorce papers.

He first heard about it from Martiana herself, but even then he doubted it. She wouldn’t interfere in her own son’s marriage, would she? She wouldn’t have gone that far, would she?

‘D*mn it.’

To be struck from behind like this!

Only the King’s intervention meant that things were as they were.

His Majesty had chosen to overlook the forgery, telling him to get his household in order first.

How humiliating it had been!

He doubted he would ever be able to hold his head up high in the king’s presence again.

In the process, he had ended up treating Martiana unfairly.

“You are also forbidden from visiting the places you frequent. If you violate this, the Guard will intervene. Keep that in mind.”

“Wait—how do you even—!”

“And you will apologize to Martiana.”

With that, Siliar drew a long breath and turned away.

A storm of emotions churned in his gaze as he left Drisena behind.

***

Meanwhile, Martiana—