“Where is she.”

Carlo’s low voice echoed through the hall.

“You’re back?”

Just as I rose from my chair with delight, Carlo spotted me first and strode in with large steps.

The moment my eyes met with his fiercely flickering blue gaze, I instinctively knew he was angry.

Has he already received a report about December?

“Well…”

“Where are you hurt.”

He grabbed me firmly and quickly examined my entire body, scrutinizing me intensely.

I thought he was angry because he had discovered how I’d been deceiving him all this time…

He held my face and inspected it thoroughly, pushed back my hair to check my shoulders and neck exposed above my dress, and rolled up my sleeves to look for wounds on my arms.

His genuine concern made my heart sink, and I froze still as he examined me.

After confirming I wasn’t injured anywhere, he gripped my shoulders and lowered his head.

“……”

I could feel him grinding his teeth and suppressing his rough breathing, making my heart pound violently.

“Joseph. Why did you leave the Grand Duchess alone?”

However, when the sharp light in his blue eyes turned toward Joseph, I snapped back to my senses.

He released my shoulders and turned his body, his expression ice-cold. I quickly rushed forward to block his path.

Joseph was already kneeling beside us.

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

“No! I asked him to do it. Joseph and Medlin didn’t want to follow my orders, but I insisted. It was all my doing!”

When I quickly defended him, Joseph flinched and looked at me.

Carlo’s darkened expression was terrifyingly frightening.

His eyes looked capable of easily snapping anyone’s neck.

I understood why everyone feared him so much.

My breath caught and I struggled to speak, but I couldn’t let others suffer needless harm because of me.

I mustered my courage and firmly grasped his collar.

“It’s true. No one did anything wrong. They actually came running when I called and protected me.”

“That’s their duty.”

“I know. But still…”

“You could have been hurt.”

“Even so.”

“……”

He frowned deeply, apparently irritated by my words.

“It happened because I asked them to give me space.”

“Why did you do that?”

“…I wanted to know what I had done.”

He glanced at me as my voice trailed off, then cast his gaze into empty space.

Perhaps trying to calm his anger, he took a deep breath that made his shirt swell.

He soon removed my hand from his sleeve and captured it within his own.

“…This is maddening.”

As I hesitated at his unexpected words while he held my hand, he asked:

“What did you want to know?”

“If I did something wrong before, I wanted to fix it.”

“……”

“That’s why I did it. I wanted to find out. I wanted to correct what I could.”

“……”

“Joseph helped me. So did Medlin and everyone else who went with me.”

I continued awkwardly.

“So I’m grateful to them…”

“……”

“…I’d appreciate if you didn’t make me feel more sorry.”

As I finally finished speaking, I heard a belated sigh from above my head.

Glancing up, I saw Carlo looking down at me with a complicated expression.

His blue eyes, which had been frozen in icy paleness, were gradually deepening in color.

“…You always take others’ side.”

“……”

“I can’t stay angry.”

“What…?”

“You win.”

He adjusted his grip on my hand and sighed deeply again.

“You too, get up.”

At Carlo’s voice, Joseph, still kneeling, hesitated and looked up at him.

Joseph soon bowed his head gratefully and stood up.

When I sighed with relief and looked at Joseph, Carlo seemed displeased and led me to the area with a table.

“I have something to tell you.”

I carefully spoke as I watched his hands pulling out a chair for me to sit.

“Have you eaten dinner?”

Though I needed to bring up December, he asked a completely different question instead of answering.

I stared at him blankly and shook my head.

“Not yet.”

“Then let’s talk while eating.”

He patted my head with an inscrutable expression and headed to the chair opposite mine.

“Can I talk now?”

I cautiously broached the subject while watching him eat dinner.

Carlo glanced at me briefly and continued cutting his steak.

“What is it.”

Sigh… Now that I was trying to speak, the words wouldn’t come out.

I forced my lips to move, to say what I had been practicing all day while Carlo was finishing his schedule from the papal office meeting to his return home.

“…Actually.”

If there were words that couldn’t be received positively no matter how beautifully they were dressed up…

“I embezzled money.”

Embezzlement would be one of them.

I looked at him while bitterly uttering the word I had finally managed to say.

Not only had I helped with the attack that caused trust issues for his honor and business, but now embezzlement too.

If I were Carlo, I would be sharpening my knife against myself.

“I know.”

What?

“I already confirmed that matter.”

Seeing him put steak in his mouth while responding so nonchalantly, I was dumbfounded.

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

“Then why…”

“I was organizing other things first, and only confirmed the December situation three days ago.”

“Ah…”

“Is that what you wanted to tell me?”

“Yes.”

When I belatedly nodded, he took a sip of wine.

“Before losing your memory, it seems you did everything you could.”

“……”

“Why did you say you had no money?”

I was certain that everything had been sent to Count Azanie, but having no memory, I couldn’t answer truthfully.

“…I wonder. But I really am penniless…”

“Pay it back.”

“What?”

Of course I had planned to do so, but seeing him speak so coldly, as if he had been waiting for this, made me feel a little sad and quite anxious.

“Um… I don’t have any money right now?”

“When did you ever have any?”

“…Never, I suppose.”

“So.”

“I’ll pay it back somehow. Really.”

Whether in my past life or current one, I still had to earn money desperately.

Forget happy endings and secrets of birth—I might die just working before any of that happened.

I didn’t even know how much I had embezzled yet, but it was clearly no small amount.

Lea, you bad…

Causing all these problems and then just leaving your body behind.

“You look indignant?”

“Since I have no memory, yes, a little.”

“Still, you must pay it back. It’s what you did.”

“Of course. Anyone would say I did it.”

Carlo watched me mumbling dejectedly and smiled faintly.

It looked like the carefree smile of a wealthy, corrupt businessman.

My appetite and taste for meat had completely vanished, but knowing it was right to keep my stomach full at times like this, I diligently cut my steak.

Still, I’m a grand duchess.

The amount of money I could earn wouldn’t be small, right?

Finding some comfort in my current position, I chewed each piece of steak thoroughly.

“So, I was thinking of going to December frequently for a while.”

“What?”

He stopped cutting and stared at me.

His slightly furrowed gaze looked very displeased.

“…I need to work.”

“Who told you to?”

“It’s my responsibility.”

He returned to a composed face and spoke coldly.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“You want to go back after suffering such humiliation? What if something happens again?”

“That won’t happen now. And I want to do my part.”

“Forget it. Don’t think about going out.”

“I have to go. I already promised I’d go tomorrow.”

He leaned back in his chair with an irritated expression.

“You still want to go even after I’ve said this?”

“I must. And in a way, this is all for your benefit.”

“How is this for my benefit?”

“I need to work to earn money!”

“…What?”

“Money has to be earned to be repaid. You told me to pay it back.”

At my answer, he let out a hollow laugh and picked up his knife again.

“Ah… Using me as an excuse to go out?”

“Please assign people to accompany me. I’m scared to go alone.”

“You’re not asking me to go with you?”

“You’re busy.”

“Of course I am.”

“That’s why I’m trying to handle it on my own.”

“……”

I had already heard from Norbert about how many appointments he needed to fulfill.

Knowing he had to work without a moment’s rest, how could I shamelessly ask him to come with me? That would be truly inconsiderate.

Carlo stared at me for a moment, then raised one corner of his mouth crookedly.