The servants all gossiped about the new Baron and his wife who had engaged in passionate lovemaking the night before the funeral mass.

Aaron, who didn’t match a dissolute lifestyle at all, had gone mad with l*st, his eyes rolling back. Or perhaps they pondered whether his father’s death had been such a shock that he resorted to such eccentric behavior.

And not just any woman, but one who had cast a sinister curse that pushed his father-in-law into the abyss of death.

Some lamented, wondering what charm Lucilia possessed that could instantly bewitch Aaron, who had previously been as immovable as a rock.

Some said that even during the mourning period, couples could share a bed and should refrain from sharp criticism, while others clicked their tongues, saying this was going too far.

“Honestly, I think we should understand the young master. How much must he have suppressed his instincts to act like this? Once the reins came loose—oh my! It’s embarrassing to even talk about.”

“Let’s say the bedding got soiled. But why tear the blanket? And they say the bed broke too?”

All sorts of speculations ran wild about what kind of movements could cause such damage.

Following the testimonies of servants who entered and exited the Baron’s bedroom, Lucilia joined in, adding fuel to the embarrassing gossip.

Lucilia broke into a sweat pretending to limp when she didn’t need to. It was due to Aaron’s advice that she would arouse suspicion if she walked normally.

As he predicted, it was indeed effective.

Everyone who saw them blushed and gave the Baron couple sidelong glances with strange looks.

The gazes were so explicit that she couldn’t even remember how the mass for the previous Baron’s peaceful rest had proceeded.

After the mass ended, the atmosphere changed dramatically as if it had never been solemn.

As soon as they returned from the temple, Aaron once again took Lucilia to the bedroom.

By this point, people began to question Aaron’s character.

They cursed him for being blinded by carnal desire, regardless of his father’s death.

* * *

A few days later, Rombon urgently sought out Aaron. However, Rombon’s steps entering the study were not hurried.

He cautiously narrowed the distance, checking if he might be interrupting their intimate time.

Aaron frowned fiercely.

“What are you going to blabber about now?”

“Should I… report later?”

“Are you joking? You rushed here because it’s important information, right?”

“I received information that His Holiness the Pope has come to the Tudra temple, but… well, it seems like something you could know about later.”

After finishing his report with wordplay, Aaron, who had been absorbed in redeploying Tudra’s forces, put down his quill pen.

He had ordered a search for the connection between the priest and the Pope, but there had been no significant results so far.

But for him to come on his own feet—what kind of scheme was this?

Aaron was irritated by the Pope’s actions, who had blatantly barged in despite their surveillance of the temple.

“He came to Tudra suddenly with war imminent? And in person?”

“Should we continue to monitor him?”

“No. We’ll also act openly. Tell him I’ll visit tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

At the same time, Colon was having a private conversation with a priest.

“At first he treated Lucilia coldly, but now they say he’s desperate to have her?”

In private, regardless of being the Pope, he was incredibly vulgar.

Unaware that the priest was secretly frowning, Colon rubbed his white beard with his index finger.

“I heard he took her side since the kingdom’s founding celebration banquet… Looking at it now, isn’t she truly a bewitching woman?”

“Indeed. If it were me, I would have preserved her purity out of respect for her time as a saint.”

“Who would have known? Who could have guessed she would spread her legs so easily?”

“It’s also surprising that she has wrapped the stone-like Aaron Artnal around her finger.”

They had no interest in a normal marital life and were rushing with fire in their eyes to find ways to tarnish their reputation.

Colon pulled up the corners of his mouth viciously.

“Are the preparations going well?”

“Don’t worry. We’ve been cautious to avoid the Baron’s eyes all this time. No one will suspect anything. But, is it okay for you to visit so publicly?”

“Being public creates justification. Am I a rat that I should sneak around?”

“Haha! Of course, of course. Who else in this world is as innocent and pure as Your Holiness? Isn’t that why you came so quietly, refusing a grand welcome? We will send you off luxuriously when you leave.”

Anyone watching would truly think he was a man who shunned luxury.

Colon nodded with satisfaction, drained his wine in one gulp, and wiped the red liquid from his beard with his hand.

“I’ll send you with the Baron when he departs for war, so prepare thoroughly without any gaps.”

“Trust me. I will certainly live up to Your Holiness’s expectations.”

* * *

Lucilia was troubled from the morning at the thought of meeting the Pope.

She was more reluctant to face Colon than the dangerous battlefield.

But Aaron didn’t care at all.

As if boasting about the lingering effects of last night’s lovemaking, Aaron, with his upper body completely bare, ordered the maid.

“Go call the butler.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

The maid who heard his husky voice bit her lip.

How embarrassing it must be when not only his expression but also Aaron’s voice exuded a moist heat.

While the maid who had been combing his hair left, Lucilia also had to swallow her embarrassment.

It was already shameful to spread rumors about intimacy they hadn’t had, but now he was calling Hans to the bedroom.

As soon as the door closed, a complaint flew out.

“You could have asked the butler to come to the study.”

“That would work, but I always strive for perfection. Please understand.”

“Then at least put on some clothes quickly.”

“If I wear clothes, the picture won’t be perfect.”

Aaron was uninhibited, as if he alone had grown accustomed to the embarrassing situation.

When Hans entered the bedroom, Lucilia stood as far away from Aaron as possible. Practically sticking to the wall, she prayed that Aaron would just have a proper conversation with Hans.

If he unnecessarily embraced her or threw intensely romantic words, she might want to bite her tongue and faint from sheer embarrassment.

Aaron, who could see through her shallow thoughts, let out a small laugh and gazed at Hans.

“With all the various things happening lately, I forgot. What happened with the investigation into the greenhouse fire?”

At that moment, Lucilia’s body flinched unnecessarily.

Aaron deliberately pretended not to notice and waited for Hans’s answer.

“We’re still investigating, but… we’ve asked around for witnesses without progress. Since we can’t touch the pergola for fear of damaging it, there are certainly limitations.”

“That’s true.”

Still, Aaron couldn’t bring himself to order a thorough examination of the pergola. Though it had already burned, it was his mother’s keepsake and shouldn’t be damaged further.

He couldn’t t*rture all the servants just to catch the culprit either. He had considered replacing all the household staff, but that too would be equally troublesome.

Soon, the troubled look that crossed Aaron’s face disappeared in the blink of an eye.

“Is that so? Then it might be best to bury this matter here.”

“I apologize. It’s because of my incompetence.”

“It’s already happened, so who can we blame? It’s fine, you may go.”

“I apologize once more. I will be careful not to neglect the management of the mansion in the future.”

Hans’s shoulders dropped by a hand span as he turned to leave.

Lucilia sat back down at the dressing table, cutting through the tense atmosphere. No, before she could sit, Aaron turned her around and smiled.

“Now tell me.”

“M-me?”

Her heart skipped a beat, feeling caught off guard by his sudden pressure to confess.

Though it seemed he already knew, Lucilia initially feigned ignorance.

“I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“About the greenhouse fire.”

“The greenhouse?”

“You read something through someone’s eyes, didn’t you? Who’s the culprit?”

Lucilia awkwardly pushed back the fine hair that had fallen onto her forehead, stalling for time.

Judging by Aaron’s demeanor, it didn’t seem like he would bury the fire incident as it was.

She had reservations about making a full confession.

And that was…

“Speak up quickly.”

His stern tone made all the thoughts she had been organizing in her head fly away.

Lucilia stopped weighing the situation and tucked her fine hair behind her ear.

She had no choice but to speak as it came to mind.

“There’s a maid named Bessie.”

“Bes…sie?”

Reciting each syllable while searching his memory, Aaron eventually narrowed his eyes, not knowing who she was.

Lucilia was secretly pleased that he couldn’t recall another woman’s name.

Of course, he might not know an ordinary servant.

When had her feelings for Aaron deepened so much?