That noble from the capital—wasn’t he called Duke Lucart?

With his arrival, the construction process sped up significantly, but it also became much safer and more comfortable to work. On top of that, they were paid more than the originally promised wages.

And yet, neither the laborers working on the construction nor the so-called designers who lingered around seemed particularly pleased about the duke’s presence.

Well, that was only natural.

Normally, the highest-ranked people they encountered were the chief designers or the head engineers. When those two were present, it was uncomfortable, but at least no one felt intimidated.

But this duke—he was someone so high-ranking that even catching a glimpse of his face was as rare as plucking a star from the sky. Just hearing the news that he had arrived was enough to make everyone tense up and straighten their backs.

Maybe thanks to that—or perhaps because of it—the construction of the trade ship was completed flawlessly, to the point that no one could find a single fault in it…

The man shuddered as he recalled Duke Lucart coldly and meticulously pointing out the mistakes of the chief designer with an expression as blank as a mask.

The older man, unaware of the man’s thoughts, noticed his odd expression while drinking beer and seemed offended.

“Is there something wrong with my beer?”

“No, not at all. I just remembered something unpleasant. More importantly, does the lord being wrecked have something to do with that high-ranking man?”

“Of course. You’re sharp. Honestly, who else around here could have disposed of our lord—I mean, our former lord, the count who ruled this port city—so decisively?”

“No one. Every surrounding territory depends on this port, after all.”

As the man agreed, the older man suddenly leaned forward and lowered his voice.

He had said it didn’t matter if they talked loudly, but he still didn’t like the idea of his own words reaching other ears.

“That lord committed some massive corruption. I don’t know all the details, but it seems he embezzled an enormous amount of tax money over the years. On top of that, there are rumors he was involved in smuggling.”

“Wow, he dodged taxes—something scarier than death itself? No wonder he got wrecked.”

As the man responded, picking up a steaming skewer, the older man glanced around.

“What are you looking for?”

The man, following suit and scanning his surroundings, flinched as the older man suddenly leaned in even closer.

However, when the older man lowered his voice even more, nearly whispering, the man couldn’t help but listen, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“You seem like a smart guy, so I’ll tell you—but don’t go blabbing about it anywhere.”

“My lips are sealed. Don’t worry.”

“Ahem. Taxes aside, the smuggling rumors… well, it’s said that he was actually kidnapping commoners and selling them somewhere!”

The man was so shocked that the skewer he was chewing on dropped from his mouth.

Now that he thought about it, there had been whispers at the trade ship construction site—though people tried to keep it quiet—about workers from nearby territories receiving news of missing family members.

My god… Could those missing people have been kidnapped by that wretched lord and sold off somewhere…?

Seeing the man’s horrified expression, the older man finally leaned back and cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Ahem. Anyway, if you’re done eating, it’s time to pay up. And just in case, I’ll remind you again—don’t go spreading this around.”

“Paying… Ah, right. I’ll pay now.”

As the man fumbled in his pocket for his coin pouch, he suddenly recalled the last words of a coworker who had worked closely beside him.

“My younger sibling has gone missing. The lady of our territory has personally stepped forward to help, so… they’ll come back, right? They have to. My sibling is just an innocent child…”

That coworker, even with a hefty sum of money in hand, hadn’t looked happy in the slightest. He had skipped the farewell gathering and hurried back to his hometown instead.

Leaving the skewer stall, the man glanced at the lord’s castle—now under new ownership—and muttered a curse under his breath.

“Oh? You’re out too?”

Spotting an acquaintance, the man quickly approached and lowered his voice.

“The former lord here was completely crushed, wasn’t he? Not just for tax evasion, but… can you believe it? He was kidnapping people…”

As the saying goes, rumors travel a thousand miles without feet.

The story of missing commoners—a case the emperor had tried to suppress—began to spread from person to person.

It was the very day Greuga and Lucart’s perfectly crafted trade ship safely floated upon the sea.

***

“Welcome.”*

Catherine greeted Theron with a casual nod, meeting him again after a long time.

In the past, she would have arranged a grand welcoming ceremony just for his visit to the Sillion estate. But now, she had not the slightest intention of doing so.

A welcoming ceremony? More like she should be scolding him, demanding to know where on earth he had been and what he had been doing all this time.

Irritated, she picked up her teacup, only to feel her frustration ease slightly as she noticed the bracelet on her wrist shining with a dazzling light.

“It’s been a long time since we last met, so I want to look my most beautiful.”

Despite hearing her words, which carried not even a speck of sincerity, the Marquis of Sillion either failed to notice or felt the need to act regardless. He readily provided her with a new dress and accessories.

As a result, she was adorned with so many jewels that there was not a single spot on her body that did not shine.

He’s an annoying man, but at least he’s useful for securing funds.

Catherine stroked the most expensive piece among her jewelry—the necklace—and stared at Theron with eyes as lifeless as a dead fish. The sight of him drinking tea with the impeccable posture one might find in an etiquette manual only made her dislike him more.

Theron was not unaware of her sharp gaze. However, as always, he ignored it.

Whether it was the gaze full of obsession from before or the hostile glare now, neither held any real significance to him.

If things had followed the course of 『Re.Vil.Bre』, Theron would have been intrigued by Catherine’s completely changed attitude.

However, as someone who already had another woman in his heart, he did not care in the slightest how Catherine had changed.

As soon as their teacups were emptied, Catherine abruptly got to the point.

“You didn’t send the annulment papers.”

“I had more urgent matters.”

Hearing Theron’s indifferent reply, her irritation flared.

‘Oh, I see. So there were things more urgent than breaking off the engagement.’

“In that case, shouldn’t you have at least given me a heads-up?”

Her voice was sharp enough for anyone to notice, and only then did Theron narrow his eyes and properly look at her.

“I should have? To you?”

“Yes. To me.”

“Why?”

“What? As a basic courtesy between people, of course.”

Before she could even finish speaking, Theron cut her off.

“For someone who so unilaterally demanded an annulment, talking about courtesy seems rather inconsistent.”

His sharp remark left Catherine speechless and even more infuriated. Her face flushed red with anger, but Theron did not stop.

“I cannot report every single detail of my work to you. There are matters you must not know, and even those you could know are not something I feel the need to inform you about.”

“I never asked you to report to me! I just wanted a simple message—something like, ‘I’m busy with other matters, so the annulment might be delayed’!”

“As I said before, there is nothing I need to say to you about my work. The same goes for the delay in the annulment. Just because you ask for something doesn’t mean I am obligated to comply.”

Theron’s entirely logical argument left Catherine at a loss for words. She clenched her teeth, feeling the heat of anger burning in her chest.

“I am not beneath you.”

“I know. But that changes nothing.”

A grave silence settled between them.

If this were the pre-possession Catherine, she would not have been able to endure the silence and would have spouted various words to fill it. But not now.

She was too busy controlling her anger to even look at Theron properly. If she did, she would only get angrier, and there would be no way to vent that frustration.

Whether she struggled to suppress her rage or not, Theron nonchalantly continued.

“Do you still want the annulment?”

“Yes.”

She wanted to snap back, “Not anymore!” out of sheer spite. But Catherine had to annul the engagement.

There was no telling what would happen if she clung to a man who would eventually belong to someone else and frame her as the villainess.

“I see. So you haven’t changed your mind.”

Judging by his calm reaction, he must not have met Julia yet.

If he had, there was no way he would be this composed.

Catherine, quick to assume the worst, failed to realize something.

Theron had meticulously ensured that the reason for the annulment would be solely attributed to her—Catherine Sillion—and not himself.

And that, in order to prevent even the slightest blame from falling on him, he had deliberately provoked her as much as possible.

“If you insist, I’ll send the annulment papers today. However—”

He paused briefly, then spoke slowly, enunciating each word as if to etch them into her memory.

“This annulment is entirely by your will.”

“Send them today.”

Not grasping his intent, Catherine, filled with resentment, responded exactly as Theron had wanted.

With an almost imperceptible smile, Theron downed his freshly poured tea in one go and stood up.

“Then let’s end our meeting here. The annulment will be processed within a few hours.”

“Well, how very generous of you. I suppose your urgent matters have been resolved?”

Even as Catherine sneered until the very end, Theron remained indifferent.

“It has nothing to do with you.”

With that, he promptly left.