It must be a lie.

There’s no way she would go on something like a date with the man who had tried to kill her.

Finishing his reminiscence with gritted teeth, Adriel quietly looked at the knights awkwardly standing behind the collapsed, exhausted knight.

“Those who want to spar, step forward.”

The knights simultaneously averted their gazes, moving with such coordination that they must have planned it beforehand.

“No one?”

“……”

“You there.”

“……?”

The knights desperately poked at the waist of a knight who was pretending not to hear Adriel’s voice.

He’s calling you, you.

Realizing he could no longer pretend not to hear, the knight turned to face Adriel with a pale face.

“Did you call me…?”

Just as the knight reluctantly gripped his sword, seeing Adriel resume his stance…

“Lord Adriel.”

A clear voice that didn’t match the training ground filled with dust and sweat rang out.

The knights all turned their heads at once and saw Cynthia standing at the entrance to the training ground.

Seeing the Saintess, Adriel lowered his sword and greeted her.

“What brings you here?”

At his consistently stiff greeting, Cynthia let out a deflated laugh, thinking that people really don’t change easily.

“Actually, I came because I have news to share. I was just coming back from meeting Lady Rosemary.”

At Cynthia’s words, Adriel blinked slowly.

“Are you saying the Lady came to the temple?”

A different light appeared in Adriel’s previously mineral-like red eyes.

Reading Adriel’s gaze which seemed to ask where Rosemary was now, Cynthia thought.

How can Rosemary not notice when it’s so obvious?

She could easily imagine Adriel living in regret and tears, unable to confess even once, watching Rosemary end up with another man.

Cynthia’s gaze toward Adriel had already turned pitying.

“She graciously offered to help catch the person who was following me.”

She did?

After confirming the question on Adriel’s face, Cynthia continued her explanation.

“She said this: that she needs someone who can act on her behalf.”

Adriel’s pupils slowly began to dilate as he looked at Cynthia in confusion.

You’ve realized what I meant.

Cynthia let out a soft chuckle.

“So I wanted to ask you a favor. Would you be willing to talk with Lady Rosemary?”

***

In the drawing room of the temple.

Sitting across from Adriel, I awkwardly sipped my tea.

After staring at each other for a long time, I couldn’t bear the awkwardness anymore and spoke first.

“You came after hearing from the Saintess, right?”

“That’s right.”

I quietly sighed as I heard Adriel’s answer.

I didn’t expect Cynthia would bring Adriel.

Honestly, it was a bit uncomfortable.

During our last meeting, he was strange too, but I had also snapped at him without realizing it.

I deliberately shook off the awkward feeling and cleared my throat.

“Um. I’ll just get straight to the point. Benjamin, every Friday…”

“Is it true?”

“Pardon?”

I tilted my head at Adriel’s sudden question. Then Adriel asked me again with a serious face.

“You told me last time. With Marquis Berto, da…”

Da?

What is he trying to say?

While I was waiting for the rest of his words, Adriel gritted his teeth as if he couldn’t bear to say it, then barely managed to spit it out.

“Da… that you went on a date.”

Date?

“Ah…”

Come to think of it, I did tell that lie, didn’t I?

I just blurted it out in anger.

I awkwardly scratched my cheek.

“Well, about that…”

Although it was embarrassing, I needed to clear up his misunderstanding, so I hesitantly said.

“Actually, that was a lie.”

At that, Adriel’s thick eyebrows shot up.

“A lie, you say?”

Under his sharp gaze, I turned my head away, pretending not to notice.

“Well… I was actually invited to a tea party by Lady Berto and went there. But when you suspected me as if I had been plotting something sinister with Marquis Berto…”

“When I suspected you?”

“In anger…”

“In anger, you did that?”

Seriously, why do you keep repeating what I say in such a scary way?

I wanted to protest, but since I was the one who had lied, I just nodded.

Adriel continued to stare at me with his sharp gaze. But a moment later, I heard a sound like “ha” from across from me, as if all his energy had drained away.

Glancing at his face, he looked somewhat dejected but also strangely relieved.

As I sat quietly without saying anything, Adriel, who had been staring at me, asked.

“What happened between you and Marquis Berto after you left the temple?”

Huh? Didn’t I already tell him at the Imperial banquet?

While blankly staring at Adriel, I belatedly realized.

Ah, he’s asking about Lucian’s proposal.

Come to think of it, that day I only explained to him why I returned to Count Ferial’s mansion, but didn’t tell him about the other things.

Because I didn’t have a chance to have a long conversation with him after returning to the Count’s mansion.

“Well, you see…”

I explained what had happened with Lucian, just as I had done with Cynthia.

That after returning to Count Ferial’s mansion, Lucian suddenly came and proposed, and that I still didn’t know his true intentions.

And that I was also using Lucian for my own purposes.

“May I ask what your purpose is, my Lady?”

Just as Cynthia had asked me, Adriel also asked for my reason.

“It’s difficult to explain right now.”

I tried to move on by answering that I would tell him later after everything was resolved.

But Adriel’s expression was strange.

“Do you now dislike even speaking with me?”

What? No, how did it come to that?

And why does his expression look so pitiful?

Seeing this side of him for the first time, I quickly shook my head.

“What? That’s not what I meant…”

“Then why don’t you want to explain it to me?”

No, I said I can’t right now, not that I don’t want to.

As I quietly stared at his sorrowful puppy-dog eyes that I couldn’t understand at all, I covered my face with my hands.

Using that face to look at me like that is cheating.

Ugh…

After contemplating, I finally sighed and confessed.

“Because I want revenge.”

“Revenge… Who do you want to take revenge on?”

I removed my hands from my face and looked at Adriel. Then I revealed my purpose.

“On all these wretched people in this household.”

Volume 2 End