“Your Highness.” 

In the Grand Duchy of Ilmos, few addressed her as Your Highness or Her Highness instead of Lady. 

Elliope quickly wiped the expression from her face and slowly turned her head. 

“Your Excellency.” 

Theodor entered, holding a bottle of wine despite it being the middle of the day. 

Behind him, Lady Taleon – the baroness and head maid – gave Elliope a cold look. She was carrying a tray of snacks, probably to accompany the wine.

The Baroness placed the snacks on a table in the corner before leaving with an air of indifference. 

“It’s cold.”

Theodor muttered, as if blaming the chill of the waiting room. 

Elliope quietly pulled her cloak tighter around her and asked.

“I thought you were with Miss Marte.” 

“Charlotte is checking the goods for delivery.”

Elliope turned her eyes back to the window.

“What about the other duties…?”

“You tell amusing stories, Your Highness.” 

Thud. 

The sound of Theodor placing the bottle of wine on the table broke the silence. 

“If there’s anything urgent in the Grand Duchy right now, it’s the matter of your husband.”

“…”
“The Ambassador must have called for you by now, right?” 

“So where is the Ambassador?”

“He suddenly came down with a stomach ache. That’s why I’ve come to see you instead.” 

“There is no need for you to…” 

“Because of what Kallian Elsen has done in Nahir, the Grand Duchy now has quite a headache. How dare he go near Nahir without permission from the Imperial Family or myself?”

Theodor said, a crooked smile playing on his lips. 

Elliope looked at him indifferently before replying. 

“And what trouble is that?” 

It was the Imperial Family and the Grand Duchy that had dragged their feet and avoided responding to Kallian’s proposal – if anyone was to blame, it was them.

A week’s ride on horseback was enough to travel between the capital, where the Imperial Family resided, and the Grand Duchy of Ilmos. Kallian had waited a reasonable amount of time in the Duchy before leaving for Nahir. 

The Imperial Family must have known of his intentions long before he reached Nahir, yet they chose not to respond. Had they merely delayed responding, the matter could have been dealt with within the Grand Duchy of Ilmos – but even Theodor failed to respond. 

Until the day he left for Nahir, Kallian had gone to the Duke’s residence every day, waiting for an answer that never came. 

Just like Elliope had waited endlessly for her wedding in a previous life, standing all day without a solution was nothing new. But this time Kallian had no intention of putting up with such treatment.

That was why Kallian had chosen to go near Nahir – it wasn’t his fault. 

‘It’s because of you.’ 

If Kallian had gone there because of Theodor’s inaction, then the resentment Elliope felt, already built on old grievances, only deepened. 

“If you want to resolve this, do so. If you don’t, don’t – just find another way to compensate.” 

“Wasn’t it your side that refused the compensation we requested, Your Highness?” 

It was obvious that he was referring to the matter of the harem women. Elliope didn’t even bother to response. That had never been part of the compensation.

Judging by Kallian’s reaction, he probably thought the same. 

Theodor let out a deep, mocking laugh before asking sarcastically. 

“So this is all my fault?” 

Without waiting for an answer, he put down what he had been holding – a wine glass. Pouring the wine he had been drinking straight from the bottle, he turned his gaze to Elliope. 

“Now that I think about it, you’re right. It is my fault that my subordinate rushed to Nahir, and everything that happened there is my responsibility as well.”

Elliope’s brow furrowed slightly. It was unusual for Theodor to admit his mistakes so directly. He was never one to admit his mistakes so easily. 

“Exactly. It seems that Seor will want to settle this matter soon.”

“…”
“If what happened there was my fault… then I will take responsibility and handle the matter of the Crown Prince of Seor’s injury. For example…” 

His gaze, reminiscent of the one he had when he first suggested she become a concubine, swept briefly over Elliope. 

“Perhaps by bringing Kallian Elsen before a military tribunal.” 

At these words, a sharp gleam flashed into Elliope’s cold eyes. Theodor caught it – and from the way his expression changed, he seemed to find it exciting. 

“So, instead of giving the order yourself as Duke, you plan to let Viscount Elsen take the fall?” 

“Viscount Elsen is my subordinate, practically an extension of myself. If he is punished, it’s as good as punishing me.” 

Theodor’s twisted reasoning – his ability to spew such sophistry only at moments like this – was utterly despicable. 

Having finished his words, he made a silent, expectant gesture. 

“Let’s discuss this properly. Come and sit down, Your Highness.”

“…”
“Hurry up.”

As Elliope approached Theodor, she briefly entertained the thought of smashing the wine bottle and using the shards to stab him. 

As she sat across from him, his eyes locked on her, studying her intently. She could feel his gaze tracing her long lashes, lingering on her sharp jawline, accentuated by her recent lack of proper food, before drifting down to her collarbone and cleavage. But he didn’t stop there. His gaze continued to sweep over her small hips and thighs with disturbing deliberation. 

As she tried to withstand his scrutiny, Theodor suddenly changed the subject.

She bit the inside of her cheek, forcing herself to meet his gaze as Theodor suddenly changed the subject. 

“Good. How’s life in the Grand Duchy?”

“…”

“It must be very different from life in the capital. Also different from when you were a maid.”

“…” 

“Kallian must treat you well, huh?” 

When Elliope remained silent, Theodor continued as if he did not need her answer. 

“When I first saw you, you looked like a woman raised in the wild. You knew nothing of manners or etiquette, and you had the audacity to turn up as a bride in a black dress.” 

Theodor took a slow sip of wine, tilting his head slightly as his gaze returned to Elliope, lingering on her. 

“Now that I look at you, you seem more like a lady.” 

“You called me here to discuss my husband, yet you pry into my personal affairs?” 

Elliope cut him off sharply. Theodor merely raised an eyebrow before replying with a grin. 

“Is it improper for a lord to be curious about the circumstances of his loyal servant’s family?” 

“…”

“Tell me, Your Highness. How is life here? What do you like and what do you dislike?” 

“Are you really that curious?” 

“Yes.”

Elliope swallowed a bitter laugh at his immediate reaction. Memories of dining with him, or sitting across from him as the Grand Duchess, flashed through her mind like déjà vu. 

Theodor had always hated it when she spoke. The very act of her speaking was enough to make him lose his appetite. He would abruptly push back his chair, retreat to his room or – on worse days – throw everything within reach in a fit of rage. 

‘And now he claims to be curious about me.’ 

A hollow emptiness settled in her chest, similar to the one she had felt when she first heard talk of becoming a concubine. 

But this time there was no curiosity, or even the slightest interest in understanding his incomprehensible behaviour. 

All she felt was anger and irritation.

“Why don’t you answer me? I feel like you’re just cold to me.

“I’m not interested in you and I don’t want to tell you anything about myself.”

At these words, Theodor’s temples began to throb with anger.

“You seem to have forgotten, Your Highness. It was I who should have been your husband. It was I who understood your immorality and shame with great tolerance.”

“Then why don’t you ask for Princess Leanne now?”

“What?”

At this point there was only one thing Elliope was curious about regarding Theodor.

“I’m not the princess you wanted after all, am I?”

“…”

“Shall I tell you what you should have done when the Imperial Ambassador came? Would that make you feel better?”

Elliope tightened her grip on the hand resting on the table.

“When the Ambassador arrived, you should have been angry with him. You should have angrily asked how they dared to deceive a loyal servant of the Empire and send a fake princess.”

“….”

“If you hadn’t been swayed by the 50 million gold and had questioned them properly, the Empire wouldn’t have underestimated the Grand Duchy.”

“Underestimated…?”

“Isn’t that right? The Empire underestimates the Grand Duchy – that’s why they didn’t send Princess Leanne.” 

Elliope’s sharp retort came quickly. 

“You allowed Viscount Elsen to arrange our marriage. But now that you’ve seen the financial gain at stake, you suddenly see the marriage as a mistake and hesitate! 

Bang!

Before Elliope could finish, a loud crash echoed through the room. 

Theodor, unable to contain his anger, shot up from his chair and kicked it aside. The violent sound filled the room, but Elliope was unfazed. She held her head high, standing firm against his fury. 

Anyone else might have flinched – but not her. 

Theodor’s violence might cause her physical pain, but it would never break her spirit.

“Ha.”

Theodor, who had been pacing the waiting room, kept muttering something.

“Right. I have to hold back.”

“…”

“If I don’t restrain myself, who will? Isn’t that right? Yes, it is. That’s the charm of it. Making someone lose their mind.”

As Theodor continued to mutter incomprehensible words, he turned his gaze to Elliope. His eyes seemed somehow out of place, sending a shiver down her spine.

“Yes, I admit it, Your Highness.”

“….”
“After hearing your words, I am considering the possibility of bringing Kallian Elsen to trial.” 

The same threat, the same twisted logic – repeated again. 

Unspoken frustration pounded relentlessly in Elliope’s chest. She wanted to demand that he had lost his mind, to ask what kind of Duke – one responsible for an entire realm – would so easily abandon his duty to protect his own knights from outside pressure. 

A sharp, visceral urge welled up inside her. 

She wanted to slap Theodor. Kick him out.

‘How did the conversation end like this?’

“If you don’t like it, drink this.” 

Suddenly, Theodor pushed the wine glass across the table towards Elliope. 

The moment her steely gaze locked on him, his lips curled into a smirk. 

“Drink, Your Highness.” 

He took a step closer, his looming presence casting a shadow over her. 

“Right now.” 

The wine glass was brought to her lips, his fingers pressing against them with deliberate force, still gripping the glass. 

“If you don’t want your precious husband, Kallian Elsen, to stand trial…”