Serena, who had diligently obtained the contract, silently wrote her name on the signature line and handed it over, despite the chilly atmosphere.

“Here.”

Although Magnus was in a terribly bad mood, he swallowed a sigh when he saw Serena unexpectedly signing and handing it over without resistance.

“I’ll go to the imperial city tomorrow and submit this to the relevant department.”

“Do as you please.”

Once she got what she wanted, Serena wasn’t interested in the man before her anyway.

She hadn’t been interested since childhood.

No matter how delicious someone else’s rice cake looks, you shouldn’t touch it.

“Ah, you’re free to date as you like.”

Serena said as she stood up without any lingering attachment after finishing her signature.

‘It would be good if you find a new relationship soon.’

It wouldn’t be good for the position of duchess to remain vacant for long.

Magnus was taken aback by Serena’s goodwill.

He hadn’t expected such words to come from her mouth.

While claiming to like the crown prince, Serena had always found it terrible when Magnus met with other young ladies.

Once, she had caused quite a scene by cutting up a young lady’s clothes with scissors in the middle of a banquet hall, simply because Magnus had picked up something the lady had dropped.

After that, young ladies would scurry away as if they’d seen a cockroach whenever Magnus came near.

He didn’t appreciate that kind of attention either, but being treated like a cockroach was an exception.

That felt quite disgusting.

Because Duke Magnus von Kelahinum had never been treated like that before!

Even objectively speaking, he had quite a masculine and handsome face, good manners, strength, and even power and popularity.

Yet he had fallen to the status of a cockroach in an instant!

Magnus couldn’t forget the humiliation of that time.

“……”

Thinking about it made him unpleasant again, and he frowned.

“What? Are you planning to cut up another young lady’s clothes with scissors?”

So Magnus asked back with a sharp voice.

“Hmm….”

Serena let out a small sigh.

She didn’t know she had gone that far. After pondering for a moment, she decided to do what she needed to do.

She walked briskly towards the sofa where Magnus was sitting.

She approached him closely as if she was going to sit next to him, and Magnus swallowed hard, tensing his eyes at her sudden behavior.

He had been slapped by Serena a few times during their fights.

Thud.

Thump.

She suddenly let her legs give way and knelt beside him.

“W-w-what, what are you…!”

Magnus was startled.

What on earth was this strange behavior? He gasped in shock, holding his breath.

Not content with just that, he moved his hips, slowly retreating backward.

Uncharacteristically, he even stuttered.

Pamel’s mouth beside him was already wide open, looking as if his jaw had dropped.

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh!”

Pamel couldn’t help but inhale sharply and make a loud noise.

A butler should be like a shadow, quietly staying by their master’s side, quickly providing what’s needed when it seems necessary.

One who understands the master’s intentions without being told and moves like their hands and feet.

No matter what difficulties or tough situations arise, or how hopeless things seem, one should not show their emotions.

Having been the head butler since his 20s, he thought he had been perfect until now.

But today, he realized his mental and physical training had been insufficient.

Because he felt like his heart was going to stop and drop.

“…Pa, Pamel.”

Magnus now had a frightened expression.

“I think it would be best to call a doctor.”

He said with a very serious face. Pamel nodded in agreement.

Serena opened her eyes wide at those words.

“Are you sick?”

“…It’s not me who’s sick, it’s you.”

“…Me? I’m fine. Am I injured somewhere?”

Serena examined her sleeves and limbs here and there.

She blinked as she suddenly noticed a faint cut on her wrist. Serena looked up. Magnus seemed to have noticed it too.

‘…Huh?’

What is this, again.

No matter how you look at it, even if you stand on your head, it’s a trace of self-harm.

And quite a few times at that.

However, it doesn’t seem to have gone deep enough to cut an artery.

“You, that…”

She slightly lowered her sleeve.

The atmosphere became strange.

Serena decided to finish what she had aimed for first.

Because she now saw her chance to gain the upper hand.

‘He’s already half convinced.’

She was an adult tainted by the dirty society that doesn’t miss opportunities.

“For doing that to your siblings, and for interfering with your new romance.”

“…New rom–, I’ve never done such a thing!”

“Anyway…”

Serena pulled down the corners of her lips and lowered her line of sight.

She quickly wrote a novel in her head, weaving together several pieces of information.

A teaching assistant is, after all, a god of storytelling who must use a few facts to diligently weave together a new story to elicit sympathy and forgiveness for the professor’s insignificant broken promises, tardiness, and other mishaps.

Her social skills, which had been crumbling like grains of sand scattered in the desert, instantly came together to form a magnificent sand castle as opportunities poured in.

“I must have been too hard on myself. After the carriage accident… I was lonely. But, during the time I was alone in the annex, I realized. I was making a big mistake. I was taking out my frustrations in the wrong place.”

Serena lifted her head slightly, then lowered it again, looking regretful.

She deliberately lowered her eyes and tensed the area around them. Her expression became quite pitiful.

‘Strike first for victory.’

An apology is something to be pushed and received when the other party isn’t thinking about it.

‘If I can quickly gain sympathy and get a response, it’s a win.’

She thought that she would be an excellent member of society when her usually fragmented social skills functioned properly.

She had no sense of responsibility, and there was no reason for her to apologize either.

But she was used to apologizing without reason.

“……”

Because, usually, she had actually done something wrong only about once out of ten times when she had to apologize.

Magnus’s pupils shook as if there was an earthquake.

He was trying to think now.

‘Not a chance.’

Serena clasped her hands together.

Flinch!

Magnus now lost where to put his eyes. He couldn’t even bear to look at her.

“You’re an excellent person, aren’t you? You’re good with a sword, have good grades, you’re a duke, and you have many friends. Unlike me…”

“……”

“So I guess I was jealous. But, going after those kids… Ah, it wasn’t right. I went too far. I regretted it, but I was afraid to apologize…. Being alone gave me courage. So I decided to stop now.”

She spoke very submissively. She wasn’t arrogant or overbearing, nor did she seem to be sneering or trying to avoid the situation immediately.

Unbelievably, she seemed very sincere.

And because she didn’t appear servile either, Magnus furrowed his brow.

Serena hesitated a little, as though she was pulling out stories she had been hiding one by one.

Her voice came out slowly.

It was all calculated behavior.

“…You.”

Magnus was shaken by those solemn words.

“I’m going to ask for forgiveness from the Crown Princess soon too. I know how much you hate me. I know you can’t stand the sight of me. You must have wanted me to disappear all this time. I didn’t have the courage like you…”

Magnus looked into her eyes. You can tell if a person is lying by looking into their eyes.

After all, goodness is revealed through the eyes.

Serena recalled the time when she was suddenly thrown into the forest one day, shivering from cold and hunger, searching for herbs without knowing anything.

She remembered the time when she was so hungry that she tried to catch a rabbit but was outwitted and went hungry.

She recalled the time when she finally peeled tree bark and boiled it in water from a puddle to eat.

Of course, she also remembered nearly becoming human barbecue when a monster spotted her during that time.

And lastly, she recalled the memory of Lemerun taking away her meager salary for lodging fees and returning with just a couple of ice creams.

Instantly, her eyes grew hot.

Was it because she was sad?

No.

It was because she was so furious and felt so shitty that her heart felt like it was going to burst just thinking about it.

Crunch.

She clenched her fist tightly and thought of Kim Chul-soo and Lemerun passing by over her tightly closed eyelids.

It was the moment when her anger exceeded its limit.