“Have a drink.”

“Thank you.”

As Arne drank the reta, her red eyes slowly turned to the Grand Duke. She seemed to have observed enough. It was time to shake the Grand Duke, and all the men of Renigrad.

Cedric, next to her, still had an arrogant look, confident she couldn’t change the Grand Duke’s mind.

‘Watch closely, Cedric.’

“This is really delicious. The reta, and the gift you sent, I was so grateful that I prepared a small token of appreciation.”

“A token of appreciation?”

The Grand Duke laughed. He had heard from Ella about the young lady’s situation. According to Ella, the young lady had been severely discriminated against at the ducal residence, had not even received etiquette training, and was very thin.

It was commendable that she had learned etiquette on her own, but such a young lady couldn’t have prepared a proper token of appreciation.

However, at that moment, a vivid light appeared in Arne’s calm, red eyes. It was the same lively gaze he had seen at the banquet.

“Please accept it. You’ll be very satisfied.”

Arne took out Judith’s letter and handed it to the Grand Duke. The smile on Calon’s lips slowly faded. His gaze lingered on the unforgettable handwriting.

“Judith.”

The Grand Duke brushed his fingers over the handwriting and then looked at Arne. His eyes were filled with many questions. Cedric’s eyes were the same.

‘So this was why she was so confident. She had a reason.’

Arne met Cedric’s gaze and smiled lazily. It was as if those sparkling eyes were telling Cedric that this was just the beginning.

‘Interesting.’

Cedric rubbed his chin and chuckled. No one in the empire had ever made the Grand Duke kneel. The only person who had made the Grand Duke kneel and offer flowers and a ring was Judith.

The Grand Duke’s voice trembled. He, who hadn’t trembled before a million soldiers.

“Where did you get this letter?”

“I found it while paying respects at Lady Judith’s grave. I sensed a magical device hidden in her grave.”

“There have been many memorial services, but no one has ever found it.”

“I am called a grand mage, after all.”

The Grand Duke laughed. Had she read his thoughts that she would be less useful than a servant due to her damaged core?

‘I did see her gaze correctly at the banquet.’

The Grand Duke fiddled with the letter.

“I think I saw a carriage from the Duke of Ronia’s family on the day of the memorial service. I thought it was the Duke or Duchess.”

“That was me. Thanks to the Duke’s permission, I was able to pay my respects to Lady Judith and meet Duke Xenon. It was an honor.”

“Duke Xenon?”

“Yes.”

Mentioning Duke Xenon made it seem unlikely she was lying. He was too significant a figure to lie about. Besides, Duke Xenon, who had received much help from Judith for the temple’s paternity test for his lost daughter, visited Judith’s grave every year.

The Grand Duke turned his attention back to the letter. As he hesitated, he reached for the seal of Renigrad.

Crack.

A strong mana resistance pushed the Grand Duke’s hand away. A rare look of surprise crossed his face. He looked at Arne as if seeking answers.

“There was a magical device not only in Lady Judith’s grave but also in the letter. Just a moment.”

Arne calmly placed her hand over the Renigrad seal, and this time the letter seemed to welcome her touch, pulling her hand in. One end of the red seal turned white and began to tear.

“If it absorbs Cedric’s spirit mana, the letter can be opened. If forced open, it will completely disappear.”

The Grand Duke muttered to himself as he watched the seal slowly tear.

“…Why did Judith set up such a device?”

‘I’m very curious too. There was no such device in Cedric’s letter.’

Arne had pondered for days. Why had Lady Judith left such a device only in the Grand Duke’s letter?

To the Grand Duke, who would do anything to read the letter.

‘Lady Judith cherished Cedric, so it must be a device to help him. But why make it so complicated?’

If she asked Cedric, he would quickly fill it with spirit mana and open it, but why make it so troublesome?

So she formed a small hypothesis. Perhaps the Grand Duke found it difficult to ask Cedric, and Cedric might not be willing to help.

And now it seemed that hypothesis might be correct.

A sharp gaze passed between Cedric and the Grand Duke. The tense silence was broken when Cedric took Arne’s hand and pulled it away.

“Lady, if I take my eyes off you for a moment, your mana depletes.”

His voice was sharp as he whispered into her ear, his arm around her shoulder and arm. The veins on his hand stood out as he placed it over Arne’s hand.

She let Cedric take her hand away. She also allowed him to check her mana core and refill it with spirit mana.

The Grand Duke’s sharp question was directed at Arne.

“How does Lady Ronia possess Cedric’s spirit mana?”

“Due to the cracks in my core, I became dual-core. Cedric has been doing his best to help me recover, for which I am grateful.”

The mention of dual-core made the Grand Duke close his mouth. Since she almost died due to Cedric’s mistake, even ten mouths wouldn’t be enough to apologize.

The Grand Duke silently stared at Judith’s letter. Only the edge of the seal had turned white, with most of it still red. He opened his mouth several times but eventually closed it again.

“……”

Arne watched the subtle tension between Cedric and the Grand Duke.

‘The rift runs deep.’

What would Judith, whom both the Grand Duke and Cedric loved, have wanted?

After her death, as the Grand Duchess of Renigrad and a holy knight who possessed the empire’s greatest wealth and fame, would she have desired wealth or fame?

‘She would have wished for those left behind to be happy. She would have wanted the rift between them to be mended, and for the Grand Duchy to be peaceful and serene.’

To read the letter, the Grand Duke would have to ask Cedric for help.

That single request would be the hardest thing for the Grand Duke, who had never failed to get what he wanted and feared not even the Emperor.

Seeing that the letter remained unread in her previous life, it seemed that the rift between them would remain unhealed this time as well.

‘I don’t know what the clue is, but I can find out gradually. Besides, if I see the Grand Duke often, we might become closer.’

“If Cedric is too busy, I can fill the spirit mana needed to read the letter instead. It would be an honor to assist the Grand Duke.”

“……”

“Of course, I won’t be able to fill it as sufficiently as Cedric, so it might take some time.”

Arne smiled brightly at Cedric, pretending to know nothing.

“I won’t overexert myself. Is that alright, Cedric?”

Reading the hesitation in Cedric’s eyes, Arne changed the subject. They all needed more time.

“Shall we eat first? I’m very hungry.”

“Let’s do that.”

With Cedric’s clap, the servants began to bring in the trolleys.

The servants soon looked perplexed. Every appetizer was piling up in front of Arne.

“Lady Ronia, eat a lot. You’re so thin, it’s concerning.”

The Grand Duke pushed his own appetizer towards Arne.

“I specifically instructed the head chef to pay special attention to the banquet.”

Cedric’s wine glass, which had been tilting, stopped at the sight of the Grand Duke’s unfamiliar behavior. The Grand Duke continued speaking as if he hadn’t noticed.

“I also told the head maid to decorate the banquet hall well, though I’m not sure if it suits your taste. I heard this style is popular in the capital.”

“The banquet hall is exactly to my taste.”

Cough, cough.

Suddenly, Cedric choked.

Arne and Cedric’s eyes met. At that moment, one of Arne’s eyebrows raised.

“What were you thinking about? In the banquet hall.”

“Nothing.”

Cedric resumed drinking his wine nonchalantly. A playful smile spread across Arne’s lips.

“It seems it’s not to Cedric’s taste.”

Cough, cough. The coughing didn’t stop.

“It’s quite to my taste, which is a shame.”

“It suits my taste too.”

“I was talking about the wine.”

Arne slowly drank her wine while looking directly at Cedric. A sly smile spread across her lips. Cedric’s coughing didn’t cease.

“I was talking about the wine too.”

“No, you weren’t.”

As the Grand Duke instructed the servant to prepare more wine, Arne leaned towards Cedric and whispered.

“You see, you shouldn’t tease people. Choking is your punishment.”

She handed Cedric a handkerchief with a satisfied smile. Cedric’s lips curled into a smile as he used the handkerchief.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

He couldn’t figure her out. She was unpredictable, and if given a moment’s lapse, she would do something unexpected. Yet, he didn’t dislike it.

Seeing the unfamiliar face of the Grand Duke and being provoked like this.

The Grand Duke personally refilled Arne’s empty glass.

“You have a good eye, lady. This wine has aged well in the northern oak barrels. It was Judith’s favorite. Do you like it?”

“I like it very much. You have many memories with Lady Judith. Your warm hospitality must mean that my gift was to your liking.”

“I am very pleased. Look at me, I should first thank you for finding Judith’s keepsake. Is there anything you desire?”

“It was a token of appreciation. It’s alright.”

“No, it’s not. I can’t compare a few dresses to Judith’s keepsake.”

The Grand Duke raised his right eyebrow sharply, as if it were a matter of pride. This trait resembled Cedric.

Arne’s eyes sparkled. There was something she really wanted from the Grand Duke. Something only he could give, and the key that would make Duke Ronia desperate to cling to her.

‘It’s customary not to refuse a gift from an elder.’

A graceful smile spread across Arne’s lips again.

“If it’s alright with you…”