Entering the room, the curtains fluttered in the bleak wind and rain.

For a moment, Daphne was seized by a strange feeling.

What is this?

The instant she took her first step, goosebumps rose from head to toe.

Humid air touched the tip of her nose.

Daphne hurried to the wardrobe where she’d stored the medicine. The lock was in place, unlike usual.

No. Something was different.

An ordinary person wouldn’t have noticed that strange change, but to Daphne, who could remember everything she saw and heard, it was a clearly perceptible change.

The lock she’d used before had tiny scratches on it. Traces inevitably left from unlocking and locking it repeatedly.

But the lock she saw today was completely new. No scratches were visible.

There was only one conclusion.

Someone had tampered with this lock.

And in this mansion, only one person could do such a thing—Duke Astaire Seyfried.

Could he have discovered the contraceptive medicine?

Daphne hurriedly unlocked it. The cold click had never felt so chilling.

Creeak.

Along with the sound of the old wooden door opening, the secret inside was unsealed.

As expected, there was nothing.

Daphne reached in and searched every corner of the wardrobe. No matter how much she looked, she couldn’t see the small medicine bottle.

“As I thought…”

Her deeply sunken blue eyes shook helplessly with anxiety and unease.

So Astaire had figured out the secret of that medicine bottle after all.

He’d taken that medicine.

The moment that thought struck her, a sense of despair washed over her—that everything was ruined now. Thinking that all her secrets were in Astaire’s grasp, she couldn’t bear it any longer.

In this mansion, there wasn’t a single day she could breathe.

No, within his grasp.

She had to end this marriage quickly.

‘I need to leave Astaire somehow.’

At this rate, he would destroy her someday.

Daphne slowly closed the wardrobe door and turned around. The hem of her changed indoor dress fluttered in the wind. When the cool breeze touched her bare skin, her body trembled.

“There’s still a problem.”

Daphne muttered quietly.

The Grand Duchess was no longer in a position to help her.

Astaire still seemed unaware of the code written in that letter, but now that even the medicine bottle had been discovered, it was only a matter of time before he figured out the secret.

“Head butler.”

Daphne went downstairs to find the head butler.

“The Grand Duchess hasn’t sent another letter yet, has she?”

“No. I checked the mailbox this morning as well, but there was nothing addressed to my lady.”

“Have you heard anything about the Grand Duchess coming up to the capital?”

“No. I haven’t heard anything in particular.”

The head butler asked with a puzzled expression, wondering what was going on.

“It’s nothing serious.”

Daphne answered casually to reassure him. Then she turned away and thought.

Perhaps the Grand Duchess wasn’t choosing not to come to the capital—she couldn’t come.

For instance, Astaire might have interfered.

Or he might have assigned someone to monitor his own mother from behind.

A normal person wouldn’t do such a thing to their own mother, but the Astaire she knew was more than capable of it.

Then the only remaining method was…

To use someone else.

Not her own person, but the Grand Duchess’s person.

She needed to contact the Grand Duchess through another channel somehow.

“Come to think of it, there was that maid.”

Daphne muttered to herself where no one could hear.

The maid, Ada.

At first, Ada hadn’t liked her much—someone who’d gone from being Duke Seyfried’s ward to becoming the Duchess. She used respectful language and did all the work assigned to her as a maid, but still expressed with her whole body that she found Daphne distasteful.

It was understandable. Ada had been a maid serving the Grand Duchess for a long time. Since the Grand Duchess disliked her, naturally Ada, who was practically the Grand Duchess’s right hand, wouldn’t like her either.

But the situation had changed. Moreover, if it was the Grand Duchess’s order, Ada might help her.

Daphne pulled the bell cord to summon the head maid, hoping that would be the case.

“Yes, my lady.”

“Can you bring Ada here?”

“…That girl?”

The head maid asked back with a puzzled voice.

The head maid couldn’t have been unaware that Ada’s attitude toward Daphne had been consistently insolent.

Fortunately, after Astaire married Daphne, the Grand Duchess, who had been staying at the ducal estate in the capital, obtained a separate house and moved out. Along with her, Ada, who had been the Grand Duchess’s right hand, naturally lost influence among the maids.

And most of the existing maids were generally favorable toward Daphne. In that atmosphere, Ada, who still followed the Grand Duchess, was naturally being subtly ostracized among the maids.

“I need Ada.”

“…Understood.”

Doubt still lingered in the head maid’s eyes, but either way, it was the Duchess’s order.

The head maid brought Ada shortly after.

Daphne quietly looked down at the young maid, Ada, who was a head shorter than herself.

Ada kept her head deeply bowed, but still exuded an atmosphere unfriendly to the Duchess with her whole body.

“Lift your head.”

At the cool command, Ada raised her head.

“There’s something I want to ask you to do.”

At those words, Ada’s eyes widened.

Like she was wondering why, of all people, she was being given work.

“It’s the Grand Duchess’s will.”

The moment she took out the Grand Duchess’s letter, Ada’s eyes changed instantly.

From distrust of Daphne to loyalty toward the Grand Duchess.

“…Yes. Just leave it to me.”

From Ada’s eyes, Daphne was certain.

At least Ada wouldn’t betray her and could safely convey her intentions to the Grand Duchess.

After finishing her instructions to Ada and coming downstairs, Astaire was sitting on the sofa.

Their gazes collided.

Seeing Daphne, Astaire tapped the seat next to him, indicating she should sit beside him.

But Daphne didn’t approach him. Then Astaire didn’t press further either. He just smiled.

“Don’t tell me you forgot?”

“What?”

“Today is ’that day.’”

Astaire was fully dressed for the first time in a while, wearing a black tailcoat he rarely wore. A red brooch on his left chest suited him remarkably well. Even Daphne, who no longer liked him, had to admit that much.

“Today, we were supposed to go see an opera performance.”

Daphne quietly bit her lip.

She hadn’t thought Astaire’s words were serious.

“Are you serious?”

“Why, is that a problem?”

“I heard the trading company has been quite busy. I understand you recently received another export order from the imperial palace.”

“Ah, that.”

Astaire drew out his words like he’d just remembered. He adjusted his jacket once more and stared at Daphne with cold eyes.

“But what does that have to do with you?”

“…”

“I’ll handle my own work. You don’t need to worry.”

Astaire stared at Daphne with a cold sneer.

Daphne didn’t avoid his gaze either.

The two locked eyes for a long while, like they were in a fight where whoever looked away first would lose.

The air pulling from both sides grew taut. Like it might burst at any moment.

“Why are you acting like this lately?”

“What do you mean?”

“…You’ve changed.”

Astaire had definitely changed.

Daphne didn’t believe people changed overnight.

There was such a thing as an unchanging essence in this world.

That had been advice she’d painfully heard from Astaire in the past.

Though she didn’t love Astaire, she at least agreed that much was true.

That people’s essence doesn’t change.

“People change.”

But now, Astaire was saying something different with the same mouth.

Daphne stared at Astaire with suspicious eyes.

“Stagnant water rots.”

“…”

“And I don’t want to rot away.”

Astaire spoke as he rose from the sofa.

One step, two steps. With his long legs, just two steps were enough to reach Daphne.

Why was this?

Strangely, Daphne couldn’t move her legs.

She should back away from him, but she couldn’t.

So she had to offer her cheek to Astaire.

“Shall I say it again? People can change.”

Astaire spoke while cupping Daphne’s cheek with one hand. Like he was holding the most precious flower petal in the world.

Daphne had no choice but to look up at him. Once again, against her will, she was trapped in his green eyes.

She bit her lip slightly. The metallic taste of blood tingled on the tip of her tongue. After moving her lips briefly, she spoke in a sunken voice.

“No. People don’t change.”

“Watch how I change from now on.”

For a moment, Daphne was shocked.

Something inside her heart felt like it had lost its counterweight and was falling endlessly to the floor with a thud.

What was this feeling? If Astaire changed, should she be pleased?

The answer was ‘no.’

Since she’d decided to leave him anyway, there was no reason to be swayed by him anymore.

Then why was her heart pounding like this?

“I don’t really want to see it.”

Daphne spoke while taking a half-step back. Being close to this man’s breath felt dangerous to her.

She wasn’t curious about what the changed Astaire would look like anymore.

…Really.

“Anyway, get ready and come out.”

Astaire, laughing like air escaping, willingly let Daphne go. He let her in his cage go out for a while.

She would return eventually anyway.

Astaire was certain.

“I’ve already reserved seats. Seats others are desperate to get, and it’s an opera performance you like.”

“…”

Looking to the side, a maid preparing to dress her was standing awkwardly in the corner.

Daphne silently swallowed a sigh and approached the maid.

Come to think of it, this might actually be an opportunity.

Through Ada, she’d arranged to meet someone else who could contact the Grand Duchess in the capital.

The meeting place was the Metropolitan Theater where they’d watch the opera performance. The contact time was also, coincidentally, right after watching the opera with Astaire.

After uncomfortably watching the performance with Astaire.

Then she could secretly slip away and convey her intentions to the Grand Duchess through the person Ada had connected her with.

The Grand Duchess had definitely said she would help with the divorce.

Of course, she couldn’t ignore the possibility of Astaire finding out. So she had to move carefully somehow.

While calmly drawing up plans in her head about what to do, Daphne dressed up and changed clothes with the maid’s help.

* * *

In the middle of the capital, the Metropolitan Theater.

As it was a performance featuring the Empire’s most famous opera singers in large numbers these days, the theater entrance was crowded with people.

“This way.”

Of course, Duke and Duchess Seyfried, classified as VIPs, naturally received the theater manager’s utmost hospitality and could move through a quiet corridor.

Astaire and Daphne sat side by side.

It was a private box seat with curtains where only the two of them could be. Moreover, the finest champagne and crackers were laid out for them to enjoy during the performance.

But neither of them showed any interest in food or drink.

Finally, the curtain rose on the performance.