It was a name that kept cropping up, as though people could never tire of mentioning it.

From the moment she disappeared, the vassals had campaigned relentlessly for her to become the next Duchess.

But Rian had never considered marrying her, not even for a moment.

In his view, their refusal to give up was pathetic.

“What exactly makes that young lady superior to Dearlin?”

As far as Rian was concerned, aside from her status as the daughter of a marquis house, there was nothing particularly exceptional about her.

“Lady Katrin is the most highly regarded lady in high society. Her beauty and flawless etiquette are famous throughout the Empire, and she would manage the Grand Duke’s household perfectly.”

“Beauty, etiquette, and the approval of high society.”

Rian let out a faint scoff.

“If that alone is enough to make Lady Remer worthy of becoming Grand Duchess, then I must say I’m rather disappointed, Count Halbern.”

Valmont and the other vassals, who had believed their reasoning to be flawless, could only blink at Rian’s strangely relaxed demeanor.

“Dearlin achieved all of that the moment she debuted in society. Even so, you still believe the Marquis’s daughter is better than her?”

Upon hearing these words, the vassals were reminded of the days when Dearlin dominated high society.

No matter how famous a socialite might have been, none of them could compare to her.

Even Katrin of House Remer had been just an ordinary young woman back then.

“You people are remarkably greedy. Back then, you claimed it did not matter who I married.”

Everyone understood the meaning of Rian’s words, and the vassals turned red with embarrassment.

At the time, he was so desperate to forget Dearlin that he thought anyone would suffice. If he had known that those words would haunt him so much, he would never have said them.

“It seems this conversation is over.”

“Your Grace!”

“My decision will not change.”

Rian placed the pen in his hand onto the desk.

The sound was light, yet strangely heavy, and the vassals realized any further words would be meaningless.

“Just as you swear loyalty to me, I expect you to show loyalty to the new mistress of this house as well.”

It was exactly what he had told Simon and Sophie.

A warning.

And an order to leave.

With no means of achieving their goal, the vassals were ultimately forced to leave Rian’s office.

It was a complete disaster for them.

Katrin of House Remer had been their carefully chosen candidate for Grand Duchess.

Ever since the former Grand Duke purged the vassals, their influence had steadily weakened over three generations. Katrin was supposed to be the key to restoring their power and keeping the Grand Duke under their control.

Not only was the Marquis of Remer one of the Grand Duke’s most important business partners, he was also closely tied to the vassals. He had promised that if Katrin became Grand Duchess, he would help strengthen their authority and restore their influence.

But then Dearlin returned.

If she had belonged to a powerful family, they could have targeted her relatives instead. Unfortunately for them, her family had fallen into disrepute long ago, leaving them with nothing to exploit.

They believed the Grand Duke would never find her.

After her marriage, they assumed she had become nothing more than a closed chapter in his life.

But the Grand Duke found her anyway.

Their downfall was the result of a terrifying obsession — a man’s obsession that refused to let her go.

“What are we supposed to do now?”

The moment they stepped out of the office, the vassals raised their voices in frustration.

“Think of something, Count Halbern!”

“There’s no other way to stop this marriage!”

Unlike the other vassals, who looked ready to k*ll Dearlin on the spot, Valmont remained remarkably calm.

It was difficult to imagine that he was the same person who had opposed Rian so vehemently just moments earlier.

“I may not approve of it, but as His Grace said, she was once a lady acknowledged throughout high society. Even the former Grand Duchess treasured her, so I suppose all we can do is trust her.”

In response to Valmont, the other vassals struck their chests in frustration before leaving him.

Although they all came to the same conclusion — that they could not accept Dearlin as Grand Duchess — they had different reasons for doing so.

Valmont cared only about the honor and reputation of the Grand Duke’s household. If his lord, Rian, was not going to bend his will, Valmont had decided that he would accept it.

“Count Halbern…”

The person Valmont encountered after being left alone was Dearlin herself.

She appeared to have just returned from a walk, a folded parasol resting in her hand.

“It has been a long time, Lady Dearlin.”

Since they were not strangers to each other, Valmont greeted her lightly.

“I didn’t realize you were at the estate, Count.”

From the awkward and uncomfortable expression on her face, Valmont realized immediately that she must have encountered the vassals on her way back.

He didn’t need to have witnessed it himself to picture exactly how they had treated her.

“I heard the news from His Grace. Congratulations on your marriage.”

“Ah… thank you.”

When Valmont not only brought up the marriage first, but even bowed respectfully to her, Dearlin’s surprise was unmistakable.

“You will become a fine Grand Duchess.”

Now that he had chosen to follow Rian’s wishes, further opposition would only create pointless conflict.

At this point, all he could do was support the anxious-looking woman standing before him.

“…Count Halbern, do you not oppose this marriage?”

After a long moment of hesitant silence, Dearlin finally spoke.

Valmont met her gaze directly.

She was nothing like the young Dearlin he remembered.

Back then, although physically frail, she had been bright and full of life. Now, her tendency to shrink into herself was painfully evident.

Then again, the atmosphere at the Grand Duke’s estate could hardly be described as welcoming.

Not one of them — not the butler, the head maid or even the servants — was truly on her side.

In such an environment, it was only natural that she should end up this way.

“Even if I opposed it, this is not a marriage that can be undone.”

“B-But…”

“As long as His Grace desires it, this marriage will never be called off, Lady Dearlin.”

Valmont spoke to her with cold, merciless honesty.

“I… suppose you’re right. Thank you for your words, Count Halbern.”

Barely managing to finish speaking, Dearlin excused herself first.

Valmont watched her retreating figure as she walked back toward her bedroom, then let out a long sigh.

“Haah…”

Once the wedding preparations were in full swing, countless rumors inevitably spread throughout high society.

Like a carefully orchestrated play, these stories became increasingly exaggerated and malicious with each retelling.

Ultimately, Dearlin was the only person to truly suffer from them.

Rian was the only person capable of protecting her. However, knowing how cold and indifferent Rian could be, Valmont could not help but wonder whether he would protect her properly.

During their conversation, even Dearlin herself had seemed reluctant about the marriage.

Even if she had wanted the marriage, enduring the vicious scrutiny and attacks of high society would never have been easy.

Because this marriage had been forced upon her, her future seemed even bleaker.

Pressing a hand firmly against his throbbing temples, Valmont finally left the estate.

All he could do was hope that his master, a man whose thoughts no one could ever fully comprehend, would not treat her too cruelly.

***

News of Rian and Dearlin’s marriage spread instantly throughout the capital.

So did the story of how Rian ruined Dearlin and Arthur’s wedding, only to take her back to the Grand Duke’s estate afterwards. With each retelling, the tale became increasingly dramatic and exaggerated, turning into the perfect scandal: a former lover who destroyed another man’s wedding, only to take the bride back to the Grand Duke’s estate.

A former lover who destroyed another man’s wedding.

The Duke of Sinaster marrying another man’s bride.

It was exactly the kind of sensational story that people loved to gossip about.

Before long, the marriage had captured the interest of not only the nobility, but also the common people.

“To think you’ve occupied the front page for several days straight now. Congratulations, Duke.”

The Emperor burst into hearty laughter as he alternated glances between Rian and today’s newspaper headline.

The sight was irritatingly smug, but Rian did not particularly mind.

“It is all thanks to Your Majesty.”

No matter how one looked at it, it was true that he had only been able to marry Dearlin because of the Emperor.

“Well, thanks to the chaos you caused, even the temple has started watching my mood carefully now. Seems we both profited from this, wouldn’t you say?”

That was also true, so Rian did not bother denying it.

For a brief moment, he recalled the time he had stormed the temple while leading the knights of House Sinaster.

“The High Priest must be terribly disappointed.”

At the Emperor’s words, Rian’s gaze darkened instantly.

“Rian Sinaster! Repent before the Goddess. If you repent even now, the Goddess may yet forgive your wandering.”

Those had been the very first words the High Priest spoke upon seeing Rian arrive at the temple with the knight order behind him.

He was sick to death of hearing them.

“Although everything worked out this time, it would be best to avoid further conflict with the temple from now on. At this rate, you may truly incur the Goddess’s wrath.”

Rian let out a low, cynical laugh.

“I have already obtained what I wanted, so I feel I could endure the Goddess’s wrath a hundred times over.”

If he had truly feared something as vague as divine wrath, he would never have started this in the first place.

Having realized that sincere faith had become meaningless, the prospect of the anger of an abstract deity no longer frightened him.

The Emperor shook his head.

Even now, it was difficult to accept that the only person capable of making a man who didn’t fear an omnipotent god weak was the lover who had abandoned him in his youth.

“Honestly… do whatever you want, Duke.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“That aside, the King of Orva is currently imprisoned in the imperial underground dungeon. Since you were the one who captured him, you should go pay him a visit.”