If only he had known then. Chewing on useless and pointless regrets, Kais traced with his eyes the spot where Lariella used to crouch.

What had Lariella been so diligently cultivating? Only now did he wonder. But hidden behind the rose vines with their lush blooms, he couldn’t clearly distinguish what Lariella had been tending.

Unable to make out what was what even by sticking his head out the window, Kais decided to go out to the garden directly. He was concerned about the plant Lariella had left behind, which seemed like a reflection of himself.

Exiting the building, Kais walked toward the inner garden.

The wide flower bed was full of colorful flowers, each showing off their vibrant appearance. Finding what he was looking for in front of the rose vine visible from his office window, Kais tilted his head slightly and looked down at it. A strange clump of plants with only green leaves hanging abundantly on pointed stems without any flowers.

What on earth is this……. a flower or a weed?

He couldn’t identify it no matter how he looked at it.

“Willis, go call the gardener.”

Kais gestured to the head butler who was following him like a shadow.

Shortly after, the surprised gardener rushed over and bowed his head before Kais. Having worked here for years without ever directly facing the Duke of Elmano, the gardener shrank his shoulders and didn’t know what to do.

“Yes, D-Duke. P-please speak.”

Kais pointed with his fingertip at the plant that Lariella had been cultivating with such care.

“Does that not normally bloom?”

“Ah, no, it does. It’s a plant called ‘Latia,’ and it produces very splendid crimson flowers.”

“Then why does it look like this?”

No matter how he looked at it, there were only leaves in abundance with no sign of flowers forming.

“Well, the Duchess……”

The gardener, who had started speaking, suddenly covered his mouth with a startled expression.

It seemed the news that the Duchess had declared the marriage invalid and returned to her family had reached even the ears of the gardener who spent all day digging in the garden.

Kais nodded with a hardened face.

“Speak freely.”

“Yes……. well, um……. the Duchess planted seeds she brought from the Polar territory herself, but because the soil and weather are different here than there, the flowers seem to be taking longer to bloom. Still, the stems have grown strong and healthy, so flowers will appear someday.”

Even after hearing the gardener’s answer, Kais continued to furrow his brow with dissatisfaction, so the gardener, watching his reaction carefully, cautiously added:

“Um……. if it displeases you to look at it, shall I just pull it out?”

At that, Kais glared at the gardener with fiercely raised eyes. He looked ready to strike down the gardener for saying such a thing.

“Pull it out? How dare you!”

Kais threatened the gardener with his teeth clenched.

“If anyone pulls that out, both his head and yours will be pulled off together. And if it withers or dies, you too will meet the same fate. So take care of it with all your heart. Understood?”

Thoroughly frightened by Kais’s threat, the gardener nodded repeatedly.

“Yes, yes! Of-of course. H-how could I not?”

The gardener hurriedly picked up a large watering can from a cart nearby. Seeing this, Kais extended his hand toward the gardener.

“Give it here.”

Taking the watering can from the gardener’s hands, Kais began watering the plant for the first time in his life. Very carefully, just as Lariella had done in this spot. With the hope that she would return and tend to him, who was withering away, like this.

But his quiet and solemn moment didn’t last long. A group of maids passed by, chattering loudly from beyond the cypress trees that were planted tall and dense like a fence.

“I heard she wasn’t leaving on her own but was actually being driven out.”

“If she couldn’t consummate the marriage for over a month, she should have left on her own earlier. She really had no sense of propriety.”

“She poured all that expensive perfume all over her body and wore all sorts of indecent nightgowns, making such a fuss, and now look what happened to her.”

“I knew this would happen from the beginning. How could someone from the countryside ever be suitable as the mistress of Elmano Castle?”

The maids, never imagining that the Duke of Elmano, who was always sitting inside his office window, would now be watering plants beyond this tree fence, passed through the garden chattering as usual.

Hearing these words clearly from beyond the cypress trees, Kais momentarily doubted his ears.

He couldn’t believe that in his castle, servants who served him would dare to look down on and insult his wife so freely.

“Willis, are those people really referring to the Duchess?”

Willis was extremely embarrassed, but he couldn’t give an answer different from what they had heard.

“Yes, it seems so.”

Instantly, blue flames flared in Kais’s gray-blue eyes.

He turned his head and glared at the gardener who was trembling with his shoulders hunched.

“Tell me. Has this sort of thing happened often?”

The maids showed no hesitation in insulting Lariella. The way they gossiped among themselves looked very familiar. These people hadn’t just mentioned Lariella once by chance. They had always gone around humiliating her like this.

Having become accustomed to hearing such careless talk, it was no wonder the gardener could so easily suggest pulling out the Duchess’s plant.

Sure enough, the gardener confirmed his suspicion, trembling with both hands.

“Y-yes, th-they did it frequently.”

“Even when the Duchess was out here?”

“W-well……. yes, th-they did.”

Hearing the gardener’s answer, Kais exhaled a long breath that had grown hot with anger.

Like that, within Lariella’s earshot, deliberately so she would hear.

The thought that Lariella had heard all this made his anger rise unbearably to the top of his head.

When he considered whether these were the only such insolent ones, and whether Lariella had been properly respected as the mistress of this place by such people, Kais finally understood why Baron Polar had left those words.

‘The elders of our household, relatives, servants of the mansion, villagers, everyone who knew Lariella cherished and liked her—did the people here treat Lariella that way too?’

Now he knew the answer.

No, they hadn’t. Such people would never have cherished or liked Lariella, nor properly served her as their mistress. Yet he had comfortably thought he had fulfilled his role simply by providing the Duchess’s room.

While he was merely watching the top of Lariella’s head from behind closed windows, Lariella had been enduring all sorts of humiliation here alone.

Kais now understood what he needed to do. What he should do first to avoid repeating his foolish mistakes.

“Willis.”

He commanded in a cold voice that showed no mercy.

“Capture all those who just passed by, tie their tongues and limbs, and throw them in the dungeon!”

* * *

Just as Kais returned from the garden and sat down at his desk, the office door burst open.

The person who entered with loud footsteps was Worklan.

“What’s this I hear? That Lariella returned to the Polar territory. Is that true?”

Worklan, who had visited the Adwick territory for a few days to see his father Bator, heard the shocking news as soon as he arrived at Elmano Castle. So he rushed straight here without even unpacking.

He knew why the groom couldn’t bed his bride, had somewhat recovered his lost memories, could get his c*ck up just fine now, and thought everything was finally resolved so the consummation would go smoothly. But now the bride was gone.

Worklan was so dumbfounded he couldn’t even manage a hollow laugh.

“Why does trouble always happen when I’m away? So? You just let her go? Why didn’t you stop her? You could have just said you’d consummate the marriage immediately. Are you really going to invalidate this marriage? What exactly are you planning to do? Don’t just sit there—go after her right now. Go and bring her back.”

Kais, who had been quietly listening to Worklan’s stream of words, replied coldly,

“The consummation isn’t the only problem.”

“Huh? Then what else is the problem?”

There were many problems, far too many.

The biggest problem was that he hadn’t known there were so many problems all this time.

The words Baron Polar had poured out at him weren’t just angry venting. They were all reasons why Lariella had left this place, and problems he must solve if he wanted her to return.

Only when he could confidently answer all the questions Baron Polar had thrown at him could he beg forgiveness from Lariella, the beloved sister of that stubborn lord who protected his small territory.

Realizing this was the last chance Baron Polar had given him, Kais grew anxious.

First, he needed to know exactly how Lariella had lived in Elmano Castle.

Kais immediately thought of someone who could tell him.

“Worklan, go bring Lariella’s lady’s maid. Right now!”

His voice was as urgent as his anxious heart.

Marie had started working at Elmano Castle because a lady’s maid was needed for the new duchess. But now that the duchess was gone, and therefore a lady’s maid to serve her was no longer needed, she was planning to return home and look for a new job.

But Marie, who had been packing her belongings with tears streaming down her face, couldn’t go home. Instead, she was dragged to the small reception room where she blankly watched the Duke of Elmano behaving strangely.

The Duke of Elmano had abruptly ordered her to bring all the perfumes, scented oils, and anything fragrant that the Duchess had used. So Marie brought dozens of bottles to the small reception room.

The Duke arranged them all in front of him. Then he opened each bottle lid one by one and sniffed them.

The sight looked quite bizarre, but since no one explained the reason, Marie could only sit blankly and watch this strange scene.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Elmano picked up the thirteenth bottle and opened the lid. He brought his nose to the bottle opening again, sniffed it, then frowned severely and waved his hand.

“Remove it!”