“Yes, I came to see her! Let’s talk alone, Elena. Right now!”

The scene devolved into chaos.

With all three of them talking at once, Astrid felt a pounding headache begin to throb at her temples. She pressed a hand to her temple and let out a faint groan. Sensing this, Caleb suddenly approached and grabbed her wrist.

“…!”

Astrid hadn’t yet pulled her wrist away when Caleb placed his large hand on her forehead, his expression grave as he scrutinized her face.

“Why does your face look like this?”

“…Ha.”

“If you’re feeling unwell, we should call a physician immediately…”

“The audience can wait until dinner. Until then, let’s have a truce.”

“Astrid…?”

“I’ll prepare a separate reception room for Lady Elena and Lord Chase. Matilda?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

At Astrid’s signal, Matilda hurried over and knelt. Astrid instructed her to escort the two to a room and prepare refreshments. With a glance from Elena, Chase, who had been subdued like a domesticated beast, obediently followed her.

After the storm passed, the awkward silence between the duke and duchess remained. Letting out a long sigh, Astrid spoke resolutely.

“What is the relationship between Marquis Chase and Elena?”

“Relationship? There’s no relationship at all…!”

Caleb’s sharp retort faltered mid-shout. He caught sight of Astrid, her gaze unusually sharp and her lips pressed into a thin line.

It was a rare sight, but anyone could tell at a glance that she was angry.

“…I’m sorry.”

Without waiting to argue, Caleb apologized first. At that, the tension in Astrid’s furrowed brows melted away as if it had never been there.

“I don’t want an apology. I want to know what’s between them.”

“That’s…”

“Of course, I understand this may be an uncomfortable question for you, as Elena’s lover. But I need to know. As Cliff’s mistress…”

“That lunatic!”

“…Pardon?”

Astrid’s face froze in disbelief at Caleb’s sudden expletive. Caleb raked his hand roughly through his hair and sighed.

“Marquis Chase. That guy is a lunatic. He’s nothing to Elena, and she’s nothing to him. Ever since he first met her at her debutante ball, he’s been chasing after her—asking her to marry him.”

“Then, is he a suitor?”

“A suitor? Not at all!”

Startled by the sudden rise in volume, Astrid’s eyes widened, and Caleb muttered a curse under his breath.

“A suitor…? That guy isn’t someone you could associate with such a decent term. Ever since Elena debuted, even while she left home to live as a mercenary, he’s been relentlessly chasing after her.”

“…Oh.”

A familiar sense of disappointment enveloped Astrid entirely.

He seemed genuinely angry, likely fearing that Chase might cause harm to Elena.

‘Even though you acted like a generous wife, saying it’s fine to love Elena. And now, you’ve allowed Marquis Chase into the castle…’

She worried about what Caleb might be thinking.

‘Surely, he doesn’t think I’m deliberately troubling Elena out of jealousy or that I invited Marquis Chase here on purpose, does he?’

That must not happen. Even if it wasn’t love, she didn’t want to lose the basic human trust between them.

“Is Marquis Chase a dangerous person? If so, I’ll assign guards to ensure he can’t approach Elena—”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

Cutting off Astrid mid-sentence, Caleb gave her an incredulous look.

“Huh?”

“Do you think someone like him could lay even a finger on Elena? If she wanted, she could take him down in an instant.”

“Then why…?”

“Absolutely not.”

“…So, what exactly are you saying?”

It was an incredibly strange way to communicate.

The more they talked, the more it felt like she was being dragged into a labyrinth. If he wasn’t worried about Elena’s safety, what could be the reason for Caleb’s anger?

It seemed too extreme to chalk it up to mere dislike of Chase. Caleb, despite appearing impulsive and unrestrained, knew how to stay within bounds.

As a lord, a husband, and a knight commander—this was the Caleb Astrid knew until now. Yet, since his return, everything had changed.

It made her doubt if she’d ever truly understood him at all. From one thing to another, everything about him was a mystery.

“Never be alone with him in my absence. No, don’t even let him near the main estate. Do you understand, Astrid? ”

“But why…?”

“He’s a persistent devil of a man. He once chased Elena all the way to the eastern continent after she fled. Moreover, he doesn’t hesitate to use dirty tricks to achieve his goals.”

“…I see.”

“Nothing good comes from associating with someone like him. I’d love to have him kicked out immediately, but… I know I can’t win against your stubbornness.”

Stubbornness? Caleb’s choice of words etched a slight crease into Astrid’s otherwise smooth brow.

‘You can’t win against me?’

Unknowingly, Astrid let out a small laugh.

“…Since when have you been so compliant with me?”

“I don’t want to be hated anymore. I think I’ve had enough.”

His response to her slightly sarcastic question was surprisingly earnest.

“…Ha.”

At this point, she suspected he was enjoying playing with her emotions. But instead of arguing further, Astrid chose to defuse the situation.

It wasn’t the right time to start picking apart everything.

“…Must it really be this way?”

Despite claiming he couldn’t win against her, Caleb’s expression remained thoroughly displeased.

“I’ll get him to promise not to cause any trouble as a condition for staying. Trust me, I have it all planned out.”

Her tone was calm, as if she had already made up her mind.

“Sigh…”

Caleb ran a hand through his thick black hair, tousling it roughly.

He couldn’t imagine what kind of plan she had to deal with that lunatic. He didn’t want to know and just wanted Chase gone. However, when Astrid was this adamant, he found it hard to resist.

Did this little woman even realize the power she had over him? That her words and expressions could sway the mighty Grand Duke Cliff himself?

She probably didn’t, but unfortunately, there was no way to explain it to her right now. Caleb had no choice but to admit defeat.

“…I don’t like this.”

“No more than I do.”

Caleb had no option left but to silently close his mouth.

***

“Her Grace has assigned a temporary residence for Marquis Chase. I’ll escort you there after tea time. Dinner is at six, and we’ll send a servant to fetch you then. Now, I’ll leave you two to talk.”

After setting the refreshments, Matilda bowed politely and exited with the maids.

Elena and Chase sat across from each other in the guest drawing room, their expressions hardened to a terrifying degree.

“Did it really have to come to this?”

“Didn’t you expect this would happen?”

“…Sigh.”

Elena let out a deep sigh, reaching for the glass of water on the table. She drained it in one go, leaving not a drop, and then placed it down with a firm clink.

With a look of resolve, she fixed Chase with a cold glare as he sat across from her.

“You and I ended things five years ago. I chose the life of a mercenary and made it clear that I had no intention of becoming the lady of a marquisate. No, more importantly—”

“…”

“Chase, I don’t love you. The one I love is… Caleb.”

“…”

Chase’s face momentarily twisted, but he quickly regained his composure. His expression was so calm that it bordered on cold, devoid of any visible emotional turmoil.

“You promised. You said that if I ever found someone I truly loved, you’d step aside. I’ve been alone until now, but that’s no longer the case. I love Caleb. So please… get out of my life, Chase.”

Suppressing the harsh words bubbling inside her, Elena spoke firmly. Chase stared at her intently, as though trying to uncover even the slightest hint of a lie.

“Elena, all I’m asking for is one week. Surely I deserve that much time to end this long chapter of my life. I need to see for myself if you and the grand duke are truly in love and if he’s the kind of man who can handle someone like you.”

“Why should you be the one to judge—!”

Elena’s face twisted in frustration as Chase suddenly grabbed her hand. She tried to pull away, but his grip was immovable, like a magnet locked in place.

“I told you, just give me time. Don’t push me any further. Because if you do, I might go back on my word to let you go when you found someone else to love.”

“…You’re insane.”

Shaking her head in exasperation, Elena turned away sharply. Chase’s lips curled into a faint smile, his gaze tender despite her anger, as if he couldn’t help but find even her fury endearing.