It wasn’t surprising as she had expected it. She quietly watched Jane, who was trembling.

“Where is Edward?”

“Your Highness…”

In the past, she would have been angry at Raphael. But now, she felt rather calm.

“Never mind. I need to see His Grace.”

There was no way Edward would still be holding onto the letters. Even if she took them, Raphael wouldn’t bat an eye.

“Your Highness, if you go like this…”

Ann and Jane couldn’t stop her and followed her anxiously. If he blocked her from going out… there was only one way.

“Your Highness? What brings you here?”

“I’m here to see His Grace, the Grand Duke.”

“Ah… His Grace is…”

Why were all the Siegfried servants so bad at lying? She could clearly see Raphael behind the door, but Edward blocked her path.

“Is he busy?”

“Yes, he is.”

Amelia scoffed at the answer, which seemed almost rehearsed. It was clear he intended to avoid her.

“Then there’s no need to report it.”

“What… do you mean?”

Edward’s brown eyes, which she thought were indifferent like his master’s, wavered. Raphael was undoubtedly watching everything from inside.

“I’m going in.”

Ignoring the tense Edward, Amelia opened the door and walked in. As expected, Raphael was sitting at his desk.

Bang.

The door closed behind her, leaving just the two of them in the room. Despite the suffocating silence, neither of them spoke. They just stared at each other.

“You’ve been managing all the correspondence addressed to me.”

“It’s my duty to protect you.”

Duty. Yes, it was all about duty. The obligations and responsibilities tied to the archaic institution of marriage.

“Imprisoning your wife in the castle and cutting off all external contact?”

“…”

He was keeping her trapped for a ridiculous reason. What if she no longer had that scent? Would he go back to being cold?

“I need to meet someone. Allow me to go out.”

She had to meet Master and ask for help. If it was Master… he could help her evade Raphael.

“Who?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“I have the right to ensure your safety.”

Now he was talking about rights. Ignoring her throbbing headache, Amelia continued.

“I have relationships too.”

“Do I not know about these relationships? You’re not going to meet the Marchioness Blake, are you?”

His voice grew increasingly dangerous.

“Are you telling me to let you go meet another man?”

She didn’t understand why he was saying this. It was as if he thought she was going to meet a hidden lover.

“It’s not like that…”

Of course, she was meeting a man, but it was strictly business. Her relationship with Master was not like that.

“Do you know? You’re too defenseless.”

“…Maybe it’s because Your Grace is exceptionally skilled.”

Anyone would seem defenseless in front of him. Raphael was being completely unreasonable.

“Absolutely not.”

His tone was firm, as if nothing could change his mind.

***

She tried pleading and even got angry several times after that, but it was useless. It only provoked his anger. Even the excuse of meeting a woman didn’t work. Emila was Raphael’s person and would come to the Grand Duke’s castle at his word.

Sneaking out was impossible, and even a brief outing was not allowed. Nothing was possible. She was tired of asking him for permission to go out. His answer was always the same.

Rights and duties. Responsibilities and obligations.

“…”

As she quietly sat in the garden drinking tea, she could feel Ann and Jane’s anxiety. They were more scared when she was quiet nowadays. She couldn’t stay like this forever. Amelia avoided him day and night.

It was a peaceful daily life, if one could call it that. To an outsider, it might seem like an enviable, problem-free existence. But inside, it was a disaster. It was like walking precariously on broken glass that had shattered long ago.

“Could you call His Grace for me?”

“What?”

Amelia smiled faintly at their startled reactions and shook her head. She wanted to convey that it wasn’t what they thought, but she lacked the strength. Avoiding Raphael Lloyd Siegfried in the same house was not easy.

“It’s just a tea time request.”

Seeing the maids sigh in relief at her words, she realized how much they had been on edge. But this would be the last time.

If it was all about duty and rights, then she just needed to step out of that system. Once she made her decision, her mind became surprisingly calm. The overly extravagant garden had long since become familiar. She didn’t expect to see the flowers bloom here again…

“What whim made you call me today?”

“You’re here.”

She hadn’t expected to see this man’s face for so long. She thought everything would be resolved quickly.

“If you’re going to request to go out again…”

“No. I just wanted to have tea and talk with Your Grace.”

She wasn’t sure if she could actually swallow the tea.

“Is there a problem?”

“…No, there isn’t.”

Problem. To this man, her desperate situation was just a problem.

“So, you don’t plan to go out today.”

“No.”

“Good choice.”

If she said anything more, she felt she wouldn’t be able to calm down. Amelia quickly drank her tea. The bitter taste seemed to tell her to get a grip.

“Is this childish game finally over?”

Raphael’s words made her heart, which she had barely calmed, churn again. A game. Her desperate struggle was just a game to him.

“A game?”

“Thanks to you, I haven’t been bored these past few months.”

Duty, responsibility, rights—she didn’t understand any of it. Amelia barely managed to hold the teacup with her trembling hands. She felt like she might spill the tea all over the table.

“It’s been very entertaining.”

“…”

“Isn’t it enjoyable to have tea time that you requested for the first time?”

How could it be enjoyable? This man truly didn’t understand why she had been avoiding him. Would it have been easier if he had treated her like the old Amelia? If he had looked at her with disdain and disgust, it might have been easier. If he hadn’t been so obsessed with her.

“I have a request for Your Grace.”

“Say anything.”

His tone was seemingly generous. Why did he seem in such a good mood today? Raphael Lloyd Siegfried and Amelia Seraphin were complete opposites. It was more accurate to say they were different species. He was a predator, and she was a delicate prey.

Even now, she was scared that his large frame might overwhelm her. At the same time, she was tormented by the desire to be devoured by him. She had already fallen for this dangerous and beautiful man.

“Please divorce me. I will raise the child.”

Despite wanting to leave him, she couldn’t bring herself to ask for a divorce. The law favored him. Raphael wouldn’t agree to a divorce. It was all just an excuse. She simply didn’t have the courage to completely leave Raphael Lloyd Siegfried.

If it was all about duty and rights, ending the marriage would lift those obligations. It wasn’t a marriage born of love anyway. She was the one who asked for the divorce, but her face in the teacup looked pitiful, as if someone had forced her to say it.

“…”

It was a complete defeat. She had lost her will to fight.

“I promise I’ll never appear before you again.”

This was more of a promise to herself. She had practiced this line many times, but her voice still trembled.

“…Where are you planning to go?”

“I’ll leave the empire and go somewhere else…”

She was momentarily startled by Raphael’s terrifyingly crumpled face and his fierce, growling tone. He hadn’t lost his composure even when she tried to escape. Now he looked as if he might leap out and strangle her.

“If you go somewhere else, I’ll erase that place from the map.”

“…”

“If you go to another man, I will kill him.”

His voice was so chilling that her fingertips trembled. The shadow cast over her blocked out the sunlight.

“So, whether you live or die, stay by my side.”

In place of the sunlight, there were his golden eyes, burning more fiercely than the sun.