Genevieve recalled Florence from her memories as Lea’s voice echoed in her ears.

The two women resembled each other in a peculiar way.

“I still can’t agree. Please release Merverly O’Toole.”

On the day when Lea, who should have been killed in the Conz River, stood alive before her, the girl demanded the right to verify the fake culprit they had hastily arranged.

“I need to confirm something with my own eyes.”

The way she spoke while looking at her without blinking reminded Genevieve exactly of Florence from her childhood.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I cannot speak now.”

If she had just sat quietly and accepted everything as given, everything would have ended peacefully, but she insisted on getting to the bottom of things!

“If I bring this up, once again someone innocent will come forward or be brought in claiming to be the culprit. This time they might even create all the characteristics of the criminal and force a confession.”

As if innocent people shouldn’t suffer because of her!

Genevieve’s eyes widened eerily as she mulled over Lea’s words.

Florence had been the same.

Genevieve tried framing head maids and maids she disliked to create distrust between Florence and the Haringham household staff, but Florence never fell for it easily.

That foolish girl was so kind that she couldn’t let anyone suffer from misunderstandings. Whenever servants found themselves in trouble, she would always identify the cause-and-effect relationship and clear their names.

“Genevieve, it’s not good to talk about others like that. You have many good qualities. I hope you won’t damage those good qualities with what you just said.”

And this foolish girl…

How dare this dull-witted Florence speak to her that way?

What was wrong with talking about those lowly maids?

Wasn’t it natural for a grown lady to be laughed at when making mistakes during tea time?

How could slightly mocking others be such a big problem?

What had she done wrong to deserve such advice?

“You weren’t kind after all, Florence.”

Everyone had been fooled.

Genevieve murmured as if facing the light rose-colored hair she had braided and adorned with accessories.

‘Hypocrite!’

She pretended to treat her as an equal while keeping her by her side, but she must have seen her as an inferior.

Otherwise, she couldn’t have said such things.

“I’m grateful for your help, but I don’t understand how you could… make such a request. That’s not something I can give up, Genevieve.”

That was Florence’s answer when Genevieve earnestly asked her to give up Maximus.

Despite knowing how difficult it had been for her to ask, Florence refused to consider her efforts at all.

Not something she could give up?

After acting like she would give her anything…

A vulgar woman who chose a man, worse than a street pr*stitute.

“Don’t touch the Grand Duchess?”

Genevieve snorted as she ground her son’s shouting through her molars.

People said they couldn’t kill Lea when she was young because she was a child.

Now that she was an adult, they said she shouldn’t be killed because of the Grand Duke.

“I need to kill her before Maximus returns. I must prevent them from meeting.”

She had ordered a search of all famous travel destinations, both within the Empire and abroad.

Maximus, unable to accept that Florence and his daughter had died, kept wandering outside his estate like a man with wanderlust.

Still, being a righteous person, he wouldn’t have gone anywhere strange, and as a wealthy nobleman, he most likely traveled to places where he could rest comfortably.

“Of all things, the Grand Duke had to interfere.”

She hadn’t anticipated the Grand Duke falling head over heels for his wife, but once things started going awry, he ended up overturning the entire established order.

He was openly monitoring the imperial palace and pressuring Genevieve through the charity event venue selection to create the impression that she recognized the Grand Duchess.

And he seemed to have made some deal with the Emperor, but with access to the Emperor’s bedroom blocked, she couldn’t even figure that out.

“The social season will begin soon.”

After the charity event, parliament would convene and the formal social season would begin in earnest.

Although Grand Duke Carlo had been reluctant to show his face, it was obvious he would bring Lea out this season.

He seemed like a man willing to do anything to firmly establish her position.

What if she happened to meet Maximus when he returned from his travels?

“So the most urgent task is to separate the Grand Duke from that wench.”

She would first remove the solid fence protecting her.

Without the Grand Duke by her side, Lea could be easily killed.

The day she stopped Maximus as he was about to board a carriage with Florence holding their child remained vivid in her mind.

Back then, she had secretly trembled with excitement until news arrived that the carriage had plunged off a cliff. She had pinched her thigh to suppress her laughter while ordering a thorough search for the carriage carrying the mother and daughter.

What is this…

Someone is stroking my forehead.

It felt exactly like the warm touch that caressed my head when I came here before.

So soft and light, like the brush of a feather, making me wonder if this might be a dream.

Unlike the feeling of a person’s caress, there was no weight to it, making it strangely poignant. I couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes.

“……”

Then a cool air settled heavily beside me.

My faint consciousness barely clung to my closed eyelids.

“Is this… a dream…?”

As I forced my heavy eyelids open, I caught a glimpse of Carlo.

He couldn’t possibly be here.

He had left for Keddenshire at the Emperor’s summons and needed to return to the Novahans Islands after finishing his work.

It would be much faster to go directly to Novahans than to stop by St. Berte, so there was no reason for him to come here.

“If it’s a dream.”

The voice in my ear was low and calm.

Carlo’s figure, leaning against the pillow with the pale blue dawn behind him, looking down at me, seemed so dreamlike that I thought perhaps my subconscious had conjured him.

“If it’s a dream… that’s good.”

“Did you miss me?”

“Mmm.”

“Mmm?”

Ah… this man is persistent even in dreams.

I blinked my barely open eyes blankly before slowly closing them again.

It seemed to be just before morning, and I wondered how much I must like Carlo to be dreaming about him.

I should dream a little longer.

“Very, much, quite… terribly…”

I must have mumbled half of it, forcing the words out.

From the other side came a sound of laughter, weak like a sigh.

“If you miss me that much, why is it better that this is a dream?”

“If you came here… how tired… mmm, you must be. Better to just go. If you’re tired… I feel sorry too…”

“Why would you be sorry?”

“…Because I can’t take care of you.”

“……”

“You’re busy, and I have nothing I can do for you…”

I half-buried my face in the pillow.

I should sleep more until Medlin comes.

That frustrating feeling from my past life when my eyes would open just a minute or two before the alarm rings comes flooding back.

If I bury my whole body in this soft bed and seek deep sleep, I’ll be able to fall deeply asleep again.

And dream of my husband longer.

“No trap could be more fearsome than this.”

An incomprehensible statement rang above my head, then strong fingers worked their way through my hair, slowly stroking it.

“Yet seeing how this makes me smile, there must be something wrong with my mind.”

That touch was quite different from what I felt earlier… the excessively light and tender sensation.

“Just from seeing you.”

The large hand that returned after stroking my hair persistently and firmly rubbed my cheek.

“How is this possible…”

My eyelids slowly moved and twitched at the clear sensation.

“I only meant to see you briefly and leave, but I can’t.”

The familiar upturned corners of his mouth flashed across my hazy vision.

My eyes snapped open.

“……”

“……”

It really was Carlo.

I stared at him blankly, unable to believe it.

As our eyes met, the languid half-smile on his lips slightly lifted.

“Wake from your dream, Lea.”

He cupped my cheek with his hand and gently brushed away the stray hairs on my forehead with his thumb.

“Your reality now should be only me.”

His hand suddenly slipped under my waist, turning me to face the ceiling.

At the same time, he had somehow claimed the space above me and was looking down.

“You already have my dream.”

“……”

“That seems fair enough.”

His blue eyes, bearing the same refined light as his composed tone, rested quietly on mine.

I seemed to be reflected in the deep blue abyss surrounded by silence as we gazed at each other.

It created the illusion that somewhere in those depths lurked a hunger and thirst I couldn’t fathom, a ferocity that seemed ready to snap if touched, crouching low.

“……”

Tension rapidly consumed me from head to toe.

Is it okay for us to be like this?

“Um, we’ll… just kiss… like in the drawing room…?”

I stared at him, barely blinking.

“I don’t think we set any limits on that.”

The scene of him smiling mischievously as he made me tremble after saying he would only kiss me flashed through my mind.

Yes, if it’s just that, like back then… wouldn’t that be better?

But he, who had been looking at me calmly, lowered his gaze arrogantly.

“No.”