In the tranquil room, where nothing could be heard but the sound of breathing, Chloe gazed blankly outside.

A fierce snowstorm was raging beyond the window. It was nothing like the occasional snowfall of her hometown during winter. The northern blizzard was powerful enough to freeze a person solid in an instant.

‘I wonder if he is all right.’

As Chloe admired the picturesque scenery, someone suddenly came to mind.

Her husband — a man powerful enough to remain unscathed by a calamity of this magnitude.

More than ten days had passed since he left on an expedition to subjugate magical beasts. If he failed to return by today, half a month would have passed since he left the estate.

Unconsciously, she placed her hand against the window and flinched at its icy touch. When she hastily pulled her fingers away, dark fingerprints remained on the glass.

The immaculate window was so clear that it appeared almost invisible, without so much as a speck of dust. The fingerprints staining its surface were its only imperfection.

Just like Chloe within House Arhen.

She stared at the unsightly marks until frost formed over them once more.

Through the narrow patch of visibility no wider than the length of a finger, she could see figures riding forcefully against the blizzard.

The man at the very front.

The one riding a jet-black steed.

He was bearing the proud banner of House Arhen: Kallis Arhen.

The head of House Arhen and Chloe’s husband was returning to the land of heroes.

‘That is…….’

With an unfamiliar woman.

***

A celebratory banquet was held at the estate to commemorate the head of the family’s return.

However, rather than appearing happy, the members of the household welcoming the duke home looked solemn.

Chloe, who had eagerly awaited her husband’s return, was no exception.

“……That was definitely a woman, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. And she was riding in front of the master…….”

How dare they mention the head of the family in such a vulgar conversation?

Chloe ought to have reprimanded the insolent servants who had forgotten their place and behaved so disrespectfully.

Yet she could not bring herself to do so.

After all, even she was utterly preoccupied with the subject of their conversation.

‘……A woman.’

This was not the first time that Kallis had returned from an expedition with someone in his company. He often brought refugees back with him, claiming to offer them protection.

However, the woman accompanying him today was different.

Unlike those who had come before her, she had travelled with Kallis. Not only had she ridden his horse, but she had also been cradled protectively in his arms.

Who was this woman to receive such exceptional treatment?

‘Perhaps there were no spare horses.’

That could not be. If that had been the case, Kallis would have ordered another knight to escort her.

If not, then…….

‘No. What am I thinking?’

Her foolish thoughts were beginning to spiral.

Chloe forced them aside. Ignoring the anxiety repeatedly assailing her, she resolved to focus on the banquet about to begin.

“It has been a while, everyone.”

Amid the rampant speculation, the guest of honor finally made his entrance.

Pretending that nothing was amiss, Chloe rose from her seat. She approached him calmly, then grasped the hem of her dress and curtsied.

“I am relieved to see you have returned safely.”

Now that she had offered her greeting, it was Kallis’s turn.

The kiss he would ordinarily have bestowed without hesitation did not come. Her pale hand, left suspended awkwardly in the air, twitched repeatedly beneath the unbearable silence.

‘……Why?’

Following ‘that incident’, Chloe and Kallis’s relationship deteriorated completely.

Nevertheless, they continued to observe all the ceremonial customs required at official events and formal greetings. After all, they still had their duties as head of the family and wife to fulfil.

But what about now?

He could not bring himself to observe a custom expected not only between spouses, but also between any man and woman meeting for the first time.

It did not take Chloe long to discern her husband’s intentions.

Someone was slowly approaching from behind Kallis.

Even before the woman came into view, Chloe knew who it was.

Supported by a maid, she approached with a gait that could only be described as crude. Although she had changed into splendid clothes, they could not conceal the traces of her impoverished life.

Nevertheless, the woman was exceedingly beautiful.

Her cheeks were reddened by the cold. Her body was thin from inadequate nourishment. Even her long, unkempt hair hung loosely down her back.

“Kal!”

Her warm smile, as though it held the summer sunlight, and her gentle voice as well.

Everything about her.

‘Ah…….’

There was no mistaking it.

That woman was “the one” who belonged to Kallis Arhen.

***

“M-Madam? Which one would you like?”

A woman’s voice filtered into Chloe’s muffled ears. As her hearing cleared, so did her vision.

Coming to her senses abruptly, she looked ahead. Two necklaces had been laid out in front of her reflection in the mirror.

Come to think of it, she had been in the middle of preparing for the evening banquet.

As she grasped the situation, her eyes went dry. Cracks finally formed in her habitually gentle expression.

Two necklaces rested in the maid’s hands.

She had prepared them several days ago in anticipation of tonight’s dinner.

Despite her husband Kallis’s dislike of her, Chloe had continued trying endlessly.

It was not because she hoped he would love her or see her as a woman, as he did ‘that woman’.

She had merely hoped he would treat her as a fellow human being.

However, judging by the disrespect he had shown her today, it seemed that Kallis did not even regard her as human.

“……Just choose whichever one you like.”

How humiliating that she had continued trying without realizing!

Shifting her gaze from the necklaces as if she had grown weary of them, Chloe murmured her answer.

Suddenly entrusted with the decision, the maid studied her expression cautiously before selecting the diamond necklace.

The lavish necklace settled around Chloe’s slender neck, concealing her haggard appearance somewhat.

“Let us go downstairs.”

Chloe usually paid meticulous attention to every detail of her appearance, but today she left without checking herself over one last time.

When she went downstairs with her maid, the dining room was empty.

Had he always been someone who could arrive late?

After staring at the empty seat at the head of the table, Chloe quietly took her place.

“…….”

However, something felt strange.

Even after a considerable amount of time had passed, Kallis was nowhere to be seen.

“……Madam, shall we serve your meal first?”

He still had not appeared even half an hour after the appointed dinner time.

By then, the butler approached and asked her the question.

“That is all right. I will wait a little longer.”

Holding her empty stomach, Chloe shook her head.

Then, about an hour after the agreed time, laughter could be heard in the distance.

The two of them laughed together for quite some time, clearly finding something very funny. Yet the instant they spotted her, their expressions stiffened.

Kallis even glanced uneasily at the woman beside him.

It was only then that Chloe realized that Kallis had deliberately arrived late for dinner. They had been waiting for her to eat alone and leave.

“The meal has already been prepared. Please, take your seats.”

Chloe concealed the cracks in her heart. Not wanting to appear weak, she smiled and calmly invited them to sit.

“Come, let us sit.”

Without saying anything more, Kallis took the seat at the head of the table. He remained preoccupied with the woman beside him.

Having hoped for at least a hint of an apology, Chloe suddenly felt hurt.

“……And who might this lady be?”

Before the meal was served, Chloe attempted to start a conversation during the idle moment.

“Why ask when you already know? She is a guest I brought here.”

“You did not even introduce her to me earlier today.”

Chloe recalled the first time she had met the woman.

She had run towards Kallis, calling him by an affectionate nickname, but froze on the spot the instant she saw Chloe.

When two people met, it was only polite to introduce oneself. At the very least, Kallis should have introduced his guest.

Yet the man and woman remained silent, as though they had coordinated their actions in advance.

Now was the time to find out who the woman was.

“Um…….”

At that moment, the woman who had merely been blinking silently finally spoke. Her delicate, lilting voice resembled the song of a nightingale.

“My name is Helena.”

Helena.

It was a name Chloe knew all too well.

A name that had followed her like a brand, almost as though it were her own middle name.

Once she heard the confirmation, her mind turned cold. Her heart, which had been pounding rapidly, suddenly slowed.

“……It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Helena. I am Chloe Arhen.”

Upon hearing Chloe’s name, Helena’s face darkened immediately. Kallis, who had been watching his beloved, turned a resentful gaze towards her.

After considering what she might have done wrong, Chloe came to a bitter realization.

Helena resented the new name that Chloe had acquired.

She even despised the title of ‘Arhen’ that Chloe bore.

‘……It seems they hate everything about me.’

Chloe already knew it, but was reminded once again that she was merely an obstacle in their way.

She fell silent and picked up her cutlery. The moment she stopped trying to join in, the conversation between the three of them stopped too.

The meal continued, with Chloe excluded from the conversation. Helena and Kallis remained immersed in their own world, too busy enjoying each other’s company to notice.

Whenever a new dish was served, Kallis explained its ingredients and origins. He even painstakingly cut every piece of meat and vegetable for Helena, who was inept with a knife.

Chloe was forced to witness their nauseating display until dessert was served.

“Helena will be staying here from now on.”

It was around the time Chloe halfheartedly finished her meal, barely swallowing any of the food.

Kallis, who had not spared her a single glance throughout dinner, finally spoke to her.

‘No.’

At that moment, Chloe sensed the warning signs.

Anxiety engulfed her.

Looking around, she saw the members of House Arhen gathered nearby. Though they pretended to pay no attention to the conversation, they were undoubtedly listening to every word.

“I hope you will treat Helena kindly.”

At his next words, Chloe bit her lip. The sharp edge of her teeth pressed into the flesh until the metallic taste of blood spread across her tongue.

‘No. No. No.’

He couldn’t bring himself to say those words.

It was not just because of the pain they would cause Chloe.

Too many people were watching.

For her dignity and the sake of their past, Kallis had to swallow his words.

“She is the woman I love.”

But…….

The Kallis she had loved remained selfish to the very end. The cruel reality he uttered drove Chloe to the edge of a cliff.