Carlo was watching Lea in the greenhouse with a savage smile.

Even amid the beautiful flowers blooming everywhere under the soft lighting, his lovely wife was undeniably eye-catching.

Her face, filled with smiles after drinking who knows how much wine, appeared hazy rather than vibrant. Her eyelids slowly closing and opening again seemed unable to keep up with the speed of her thoughts, causing him to let out an involuntary laugh.

His anger was boiling, yet the moment he saw her innocent appearance, he already felt a tightness in his neck from wanting to hold her small, soft body in his arms. Even he was amazed at himself.

…Was he going mad?

One of Carlo’s eyebrows arched upward as he questioned himself.

His wife had no idea how he had been since she left Novahans.

The urge to abandon training and everything else just to rush to St. Berte to see her had surged through him dozens of times a day.

But he had made every effort to listen to her, not wanting to worry his innocent wife who feared he might get in trouble because of her….

“Ha…?”

He should have firmly forbidden her from drinking alcohol around other men.

Whether male or female, he couldn’t tolerate anyone being close to her, regardless of the reason.

Had he been too casual, mentioning it only in passing?

Perhaps she thought a wine tasting would be fine.

If he said something now, she would look up at him with those moist eyes full of resentment.

Faced with such a clear expression, he knew he would end up softening his anger without saying even half of what he intended to.

Yet regardless of his intention not to hurt her, her face—looking at him with wide eyes like a kitten—always brought his blood to a boil, nearly severing his reason. Even now, sadistic desires seemed to simmer disgustingly in the depths of his stomach.

Just as he approached slowly, trying to suppress his anger, Dillan abruptly stood up from his chair.

“……”

At the same time, Carlo’s icy gaze sank menacingly.

“Is that bastard holding my wife’s wrist? Surely not?”

Joseph, who had been guarding the entrance to the greenhouse and was startled by Carlo’s sudden appearance, flinched as he followed him, unable to erase the tension from his face.

“I apologize. I had checked the seating arrangement in advance to prevent such incidents and made sure there was ample distance between them….”

“At this rate, he might touch more than just her hand.”

Joseph looked up urgently at the Grand Duke, shocked by his crude response, which sounded even more vulgar than his usual biting remarks.

Nobles who were leaving the glass greenhouse for a brief rest spotted Carlo and started to greet him, but quickly slipped away quietly after noticing Joseph’s signal that it would be better to leave.

They chose to discreetly exit, thinking they shouldn’t interrupt the couple’s time, especially since the Grand Duke’s gaze was fixed on the Grand Duchess without the slightest movement.

However, some people belatedly remembered that Mariette and Dillan hadn’t come out, but Joseph completely closed the greenhouse door, making it difficult for anyone to guess what was happening inside.

“Your Highness….”

Joseph unconsciously lowered his voice as he called to his friend, chilled by the Grand Duke’s eerily calm gaze.

“I should cut it off.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“That bastard’s arm, for starters.”

“Pardon…?”

“I need to teach him what happens when he covets my woman.”

“You’re joking, right? Though Sir Dillan is Count Azanie’s adopted son, he’s known to the world as the Grand Duchess’s brother. You wouldn’t make such a decision, and even as a joke….”

“You still think I have that kind of morality left in me?”

Joseph’s spine tingled at Carlo’s calm tone, and he opened his dry lips again.

“But Your Highness….”

“Is that not allowed?”

As Carlo asked so compliantly, Joseph watched the back of his lord and longtime friend passing through the arched rose vine tunnel, wondering if he was in his right mind.

He concluded that while the Grand Duke wasn’t normally like this, no—actually, he had always been this arrogant, but falling in love had made him even more blind to everything else.

Yes, there were certainly times when no trace of morality could be found in Grand Duke Carlo, just as he had said.

Though he maintained an almost indifferent observation in all matters, he was also born with a cruel temperament that mercilessly plunged his sword into the hearts of those who displeased him.

He didn’t discriminate based on who his opponent was.

Such frenzies didn’t occur often with him, but anyone who had seen him on the battlefield could predict his tendency to become chillingly ferocious once he lost control.

Joseph had to follow him with an ominous feeling that the Grand Duke might do something unpredictable, not on the battlefield but here.

“How did you get here?”

However, Joseph’s steps had to stop abruptly at the Grand Duchess’s puzzled voice.

His gaze remained fixed on his lord’s back as he reached the table where Lea and Dillan stood, past the rose vines.

“Am I interrupting?”

Joseph couldn’t see the Grand Duchess’s face as it was blocked by the Grand Duke’s large frame, nor could he see Carlo’s sneering expression, but he instinctively knew.

“Of course not!”

The Grand Duchess’s voice, mixed with laughter directed at Carlo, was bright and cheerful.

“Do you know how worried I was when you didn’t reply to my letter? Did you rush here just to surprise me? Really? Truly?”

“……”

“Hm?”

Joseph realized that the beast-like man, ready to tear out Dillan’s throat with his sharp teeth, had paused at the mere sight of his wife’s outstretched arms.

“You came because of me, right? Didn’t you?”

“Ha….”

Joseph could hardly believe his ears when a weak sigh escaped from Carlo, who would normally maintain a languid facade while unhesitatingly revealing his murderous gaze.

Eventually, the Grand Duke willingly bent down to the Grand Duchess’s delicate arms.

“Why else would I come here?”

Before he could finish speaking, the Grand Duchess jumped up and embraced his neck with a feather-light movement.

Her face, blooming like a white forget-me-not, briefly appeared over Carlo’s broad shoulder, and Carlo sighed once more before wrapping his thick arms around her.

Joseph couldn’t believe that the fierce killing intent had extinguished like a flame at just her small gesture toward him.

“……”

Having watched over Carlo for so long, this scene before his eyes was so bewildering that he unconsciously took a deep breath to release the shock that had flown into his head.

Though he had vaguely known it, now it seemed completely clear.

His lord was perfectly captivated by his wife.

Enough to willingly give her his everything.

And as if he would never regret it.

“Don’t the two of them make a lovely couple?”

When Mariette spoke as they left the greenhouse, Dillan, who had been walking ahead, stopped.

“Did it seem that way to you?”

“I’m not interpreting things as I wish—I’m simply stating what I saw.”

Dillan stared at Mariette, who didn’t avoid his gaze despite his gentle expression.

Knowing that she was the wife of the Edenchetter branch manager of Langchester Bank and one of the influential ladies in social circles, Dillan thought that Mariette might not be as gentle as rumors suggested.

“Of course. I also thought they seemed particularly close.”

“Right? You must have been concerned about those groundless rumors circulating, but I hope everything gets resolved properly now.”

When Mariette smiled brightly, Dillan deliberately nodded in agreement.

“Yes, I think so too. But since the Grand Duchess hasn’t recovered her memories yet…”

Dillan trailed off and pretended to thoughtfully stroke his chin with a serious expression.

“It’s true that I’m worried about what lies ahead. So we must watch carefully. Of course, I appreciate your concern for us. I’ll see you again when the break is over, madam.”

Dillan greeted Mariette with a polite smile.

As soon as he turned around, his face hardened as he recalled the chilling gaze he had encountered in the greenhouse. The deep murderous intent and arrogance directed at him as the Grand Duke held Lea.

But what he couldn’t forget even more was how Lea had shaken off his hand and immediately reached out to the Grand Duke as soon as she saw him.

“If only she would recover her memories.”

Then he would never again see that look of contempt.

Yes, that would happen, but….

Returning to his temporary office assigned during the charity event preparations, Dillan loosened his cravat, unable to shake off his stifling feeling.

“Hoo….”

Strangely, he couldn’t rid himself of this choking sensation.

He had thought she was merely pretending not to know him because she was acting as if she’d lost her memories, but she had truly changed into a different person. It felt awkward and unsettling, which was why Dillan found himself lingering around her more than necessary since taking charge of the charity event.

Since young Lea had entered the Azanie mansion and been brainwashed, Dillan had been the only one she could lean on during years of *buse.

Of course, he had never properly cared for her or paid her any attention.

It was just that the tyranny of the rest of the family was so severe that Lea alone mistakenly thought of him as her ally.

That misunderstanding had allowed him to easily manipulate her, so he hadn’t needed to pay her much attention….

“D*mn it, when exactly will those memories return? How can I make them come back?”

The issue was his feelings about Lea’s transformation.

He had thought he was simply being stubborn about Lea, whom he had considered insignificant, acting like a different person, but what he was doing now….

“No way.”

Could it be jealousy?

But if that were the case….

Dillan ran his hand through his hair and looked down at the tabloid on the table, which contained gossip questioning the romantic relationship between him and Lea.

So far, nothing had happened between him and Lea, but come to think of it….

“Wasn’t she mine from the beginning…?”

“Who told you to drink?”

At Carlo’s indifferent tone, I forced my drooping eyes open.

He had seated me on his lap and said I had to keep my arms around his neck until he finished all his questions.

To think this was punishment.

But why should I be punished? I didn’t do anything wrong.

However, his hand supporting my waist felt reassuring, and his jealous, angry face was puzzling yet secretly pleasing. The warm greenhouse air made my body languid, so I found no reason to refuse this position.

“Aren’t you going to answer?”

“Mmm….”

My thoughts had slowed down, making it difficult to come up with an answer quickly. I licked my dry lips with my tongue, feeling his gaze quietly settle on them.

My heart pounded unnecessarily as I finally managed to form an answer in my mind and put it into words.

“I didn’t drink on purpose—it was a wine tasting.”

Being in the greenhouse definitely made the alcohol spread faster, yes.

“You could have spit it out.”

“I didn’t know that. I only found out later. And…”

“And?”

“I didn’t know you were coming….”

Just as my arms were about to fall from lack of strength, he caught them and placed them back on his shoulders, indicating I should keep embracing his neck.

Then he looked at me and pulled up one corner of his mouth crookedly.

“Ah…. You mean if I hadn’t come, you wouldn’t have been caught being drunk? Is that it?”