Why she couldn’t escape completely.

Why Astaire discovered her, and why Ada, the Grand Duchess’s person, got kicked out of the estate.

There was so much to explain that she couldn’t figure out where to start or how much to say—her mouth wouldn’t open.

“You must have a lot to say. Same here.”

And the Grand Duchess saw right through Daphne’s psychology.

A sharp gaze stabbed her like a needle.

It definitely hurt, but Daphne maintained a blank expression without distorting her face.

“If you were going to run away, you should have done it properly.”

Daphne quietly agreed with her words.

“If I’d known you’d come back with Astaire like this, back then I should have…”

The Grand Duchess’s hand trembled. The emotion in her eyes was vivid fury.

Daphne could tell what came next without hearing it.

She’d heard similar words before.

“Back then, even if it meant collapsing, I should have somehow stopped your marriage!”

“I must have been insane then. Bringing someone like you into the Seyfried ducal family.”

“……”

“So I gave you a chance, and now you shamelessly come back?”

“Grand Duchess.”

“You stupid thing!”

Now so angry her face turned red, the Grand Duchess took a step closer to Daphne. Just before Daphne could back away from the suddenly narrowed distance, startled—

Smack—!

Yellow stars sparkled before her eyes.

The world flashed bright, then returned to normal vision. Daphne belatedly realized her right cheek was burning.

Daphne stared at the Grand Duchess blankly, holding her struck cheek.

She couldn’t believe what she’d just done.

No matter what, there were lines in this world that shouldn’t be crossed.

“Grand Duchess.”

“I should never have let someone like you into our family!”

She felt the same way.

Someone like her should never have entered this house.

Since coming to the ducal estate, she’d never slept peacefully for even a moment. She’d only been anxious because of Astaire.

Back then, and now.

The estate she’d returned to on her own feet remained cold, desolate, and unkind.

“What is the meaning of this!”

That’s when it happened.

Slam!

The door opened and Astaire entered.

The Grand Duchess’s face, flushed with excitement.

Daphne’s right cheek, even redder.

The clever Duke understood the entire situation.

“What is going on here?”

At first, a flat, blunt voice flowed from Astaire’s mouth.

But the burning fury deeply layered beneath was something anyone could detect.

Enough to make even Daphne and the Grand Duchess flinch.

“……”

No one in the room dared answer the Duke’s razor-sharp voice.

“I’m asking! What is going on here!”

His voice burst out roughly, scraping his throat. Daphne looked at Astaire in shock.

This was the first time she’d seen him shout. The first time she’d seen him display such vivid, red fury.

This man had always been calm even when angry.

That man had now changed.

Because of her.

“Daphne, come here.”

Astaire practically pulled her shoulder. Due to their significant height difference, Daphne had to practically nestle against the man’s broad chest.

“…Let me go.”

Daphne suddenly felt miserable.

She didn’t want to show him such an ugly sight.

She had nothing to say.

Actually, she still couldn’t gather her wits. Her hands trembled with deep humiliation. How could she strike her cheek like that, no matter what?

Was this truly the dirty hypocrisy of nobles? They didn’t even see those beneath them as equals. An existence worth less than even the pets nobles kept.

That’s what she was now.

Treated as less than human.

Right.

It was her fault for trusting the Grand Duchess.

The problem was herself—trusting the Grand Duchess, staying still like a fool, then leaving Astaire blindly.

She’d decided to change, but she still hadn’t changed at all.

“Haha…”

Meaningless laughter leaked between her lips.

Right now she must look like a crazy woman to Astaire and the Grand Duchess. But she didn’t care what that woman thought.

“Are you okay?”

Astaire approached and began examining her cheek. Daphne shook her head violently and shook off his hand.

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine at all!”

Astaire’s voice grew louder. He was also extremely agitated now.

“I’m… fine…”

Daphne tried her hardest not to cry. But it wasn’t easy.

Her eyes grew hot. Her vision blurred, and hot liquid flowed between her eyelids.

Daphne quickly bowed her head. Then she pushed him away with all her strength and left the room.

“Daphne!”

Even when Astaire called her name from behind, she left frantically.

She didn’t even know where she was going.

How long had she run like that?

She didn’t hear the footsteps persistently following behind her.

“Daphne.”

As expected, it was Astaire.

Daphne tried to quicken her pace to escape from him.

But the man caught her quickly.

“Daphne!”

“Let go!”

The Duke’s hand gripped her delicate wrist tightly. After trying to shake it off and finally giving up, Daphne whirled around to face him.

Astaire’s face entering her vision looked distorted through moisture.

Daphne hurriedly lowered her head. She didn’t want to show him her hideous face.

“Look at me.”

Astaire gently lifted her chin. Daphne tried to shake it off somehow out of shame, but the man’s grip was stronger.

“It’s okay.”

With his other hand, he gently wrapped around the back of her neck. Front and back. Daphne was caught by Astaire, unable to do anything.

Embarrassing.

Shameful.

She wanted to die.

Indescribable emotions whirled like a storm. She felt she’d only feel better if she left this d*mn place right now.

She was tired of seeing this man now too.

Tears flowed endlessly down her cheeks.

“Daphne.”

Astaire spoke her name in an indecipherable voice.

Daphne wanted to tell him not to even call her name.

When were they ever close enough to call each other’s names in such affectionate tones?

This was all because of the Duke’s d*mn play.

“I won’t ask how this happened.”

Astaire said quietly. Looking at her face, he wore an utterly emotionless expression.

No.

Looking closely into his eyes, Daphne discovered his green eyes had sunk lower than usual.

No matter how well a man hid his expressions, as long as he was human, he couldn’t hide his eyes.

“…Stop it.”

Stop it all now.

She was already too exhausted to speak the words that had risen to her chin.

“I’m tired. I want to rest.”

“Can’t you tell me what happened during that time?”

“You already know, Your Grace.”

Daphne snapped coldly.

“Isn’t it… cowardly to pretend you don’t know now?”

Words rushed out with rough breaths.

Astaire couldn’t not know. How much the Grand Duchess hated her. How much she wanted to remove her from this house.

Knowing everything, Astaire had forced through their marriage under the mask of love because he needed her.

Only then did Astaire quietly close his mouth.

Then, Daphne felt conflicting emotions.

Would she feel better if he knelt before her and begged for forgiveness?

She didn’t know. Daphne didn’t even know what she wanted.

“Please move aside.”

Holding back tears as she spoke, the Duke blocking her path slowly moved aside.

Passing by, Daphne saw herself reflected in his eyes.

A woman seemingly covered by all the world’s shadows.

A miserable woman.

A pitiful woman.

At least, she didn’t want to look pitiful and miserable to Astaire.

This time too, she’d shown him an unseemly sight.

That fact pushed Daphne further toward the cliff’s edge.

* * *

Astaire didn’t bother following Daphne upstairs.

Instead, he just stood watching until her small body gradually grew distant and became a single point.

And when his wife finally disappeared completely.

Astaire turned his head to the person before him.

His mother. Grand Duchess Daniela Seyfried.

The moment their eyes met, she flinched and trembled. Looking at her, Astaire smiled coldly.

“To Mother, is my wife just easy prey, while I’m an endlessly fearsome existence?”

“Astaire, I—!”

“I don’t need excuses!”

His voice rose high enough to pierce the ceiling.

The Grand Duchess trembled, seeing him clench his fist so hard his veins bulged.

Sometimes, even though he was her son, there was something chilling about Astaire.

She had the intuition that she’d touched something she shouldn’t have.

“No further discussion is necessary.”

After growling low, Astaire called the head butler who’d been quietly standing by.

“Head butler.”

“…Yes, Your Grace.”

The sound of the head butler swallowing seemed unusually loud.

And the order flowing from Astaire’s mouth was none other than—

“Clear out the Grand Duchess’s room immediately.”

“…What?”

The head butler gasped in shock. As he stood unable to do this or that, Astaire finally exploded and shouted.

“Didn’t you hear me, head butler? I said remove all the Grand Duchess’s belongings from this house immediately!”

“Yes, I’ll do so.”

Even the head butler who’d worked in this house for decades was so shocked he nearly hiccupped. But at Astaire’s razor-sharp voice, he quickly bowed his head. One wrong move and not just the Grand Duchess but his own head would fly.

“Astaire! Must you go this far with your own mother!”

“And what about you, Mother!”

The Duke’s voice scraped his throat and shot out sharply. A cry close to a scream.

“Must you go this far with my wife!”

“I’m so sick of this, really!”

The Grand Duchess, who’d paused, shot back in frustration.

“What do you even like about that girl to bring her into this house?”

As expected, they were a tenaciously similar mother and son.

“At first I thought you were keeping a dog.”

At his mother’s description of Daphne as a dog, Astaire nearly lost his mind.

“Only dogs look pretty despite poor bloodlines.”

“Don’t tell me… you said that to her face?”

“Would a dog understand human speech?”

The Grand Duchess sneered.

It didn’t end there.

“Well, that aside.”

“……”

“But no matter how cute a dog is, it’s problematic to take it to bed with you, isn’t it?”

Astaire felt dizzy.

He realized this was what it felt like when so much fury rushed in that your vision turned white.

Just then, seeing servants coming down with the Grand Duchess’s belongings, he ordered without hesitation.

“We’ve brought them, Your Grace.”

“Burn it all.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear? Burn it.”

Now his eyes blazed vividly.