Late that night at the Everett estate, the head butler hurried down the corridor to the Count’s study.

The Count was still seated at his desk, preoccupied with the estate’s budget, and had not been able to leave, even at such a late hour. He listened as the butler leaned in and whispered what seemed to be a grave report.

“Someone is digging into the orphanage in Rosedale?”

Although he spoke calmly, the tension in his hand, which was resting on the desk, was clear to see.

“Yes, my lord. We have confirmed that a former employee of the orphanage kept copies of certain documents. They were retrieved immediately and burned. The individual who duplicated and stored the orphanage’s records has been placed under house arrest.”

“You did not detain them on charges of leaking confidential documents?”

“If we arrest them for leaking confidential documents, it would amount to admitting that the copies are authentic.”

“I see.”

When he closed the orphanage years ago, he burned all the original documents himself. The mere existence of copies had briefly unsettled him, but upon hearing the butler’s explanation, he exhaled quietly.

Copies would bear no official seal. Even if someone were to present them as evidence, he could simply dismiss them as forgeries.

‘Who in the world is looking into that orphanage?’

The Count pressed his thumb firmly against his temple. The papers in front of him no longer held his attention.

The orphanage had long since been closed down. Nowadays, few would attempt to investigate it again. In fact, there was only one person who would.

“The Duke of Fraser.”

The moment he spoke the name aloud, his face twisted. The duke had discovered something.

No—he was trying to.

“What does he think he’ll uncover now?”

An uneasy feeling crept into his heart and consumed him. He searched for the cause of this sudden turn of events.

The Count of Everett was the kind of man who, when faced with trouble, would rather delay and hope that time would resolve things than take responsibility. This time was no different. Countless explanations came to mind, but none felt certain.

“What is it this time?”

At that moment, the Countess entered the study. Having seen the head butler leave so late, she had probably guessed that something was amiss.

The Count did not answer at once. He was reluctant to recall the incident from the past when, due to his hot-headed and reckless nature, the Everett family had nearly faced a serious crisis.

“Is this about the orphanage?”

The Countess asked the question as though she already knew the answer. One look at her husband’s expression told her all she needed to know. Unlike the indecisive Count, she preferred to grasp situations quickly and resolve them promptly. She pressed him for details.

“You don’t know who commissioned the investigation?”

“We tried to trace it, but nothing turned up.”

“Then it must be the duke.”

The Countess fell silent for a moment, lost in thought, before speaking again.

There were only a handful of people in the Empire capable of concealing their identity while investigating the long-forgotten history of an old orphanage. Even fewer of those people would have had any reason to suspect that something was hidden within such an ordinary place.

Despite allowing the engagement to drag on for so long, it seemed that he had never truly abandoned his suspicions of them.

Her mind drifted back to the difficult beginnings of that betrothal. Amelia had demanded the engagement in return for saving his life, and the Duchess had agreed. Yet even arranging the ceremony had been fraught with tension, largely because of Logan’s resistance.

“Don’t let it trouble you so much.”

“How can I not? If he uncovers the truth—”

“Don’t frighten yourself before anything has happened. Think about it calmly. Even if the Duke of Fraser suspects us, what else could he possibly discover?”

The Countess interrupted him smoothly.

“James Fraser is dead, and the orphanage closed long ago. Any ledger he may have obtained would be nothing more than a copy of uncertain origin.”

She folded her fingers one by one as she listed her reasons.

“Don’t be anxious for no reason. Nothing has been proven yet.”

Even if he harbored suspicions, he had no means of proving them. The important thing was not to allow themselves to be intimidated by the duke, who had made it clear that he was investigating the orphanage.

“You’re right. I was being overly sensitive.”

The count released his tension and let out a breath of relief.

“But if we leave things as they are, the duke may eventually uncover the truth.”

The countess placed her hand over her husband’s lined one.

“What do you mean?”

“The child.”

The maid they had brought into their household. At her words, the count’s face hardened.

“If that child disappears, then no matter how deeply the duke digs, the truth will never come to light. Now is the time to deal with her.”

The Countess lowered her voice as she spoke.

She was the child whose life the Count had allowed to be spared due to his indecision. On the day they believed everything had been erased, she returned, alive and defiant, as if mocking their attempt to bury the truth. They had forgotten her name and her past.

She was the seed of sin that should have disappeared with the mansion that burned down that day.

“For Amelia’s sake, at the very least.”

The countess thought of their beloved youngest daughter, Amelia.

“Amelia has already carried far too much. Your mistakes, and the lies we had to tell to survive.”

Her voice was firm, as if she were making a vow, and it did not waver at all. She reprimanded the Count for his hesitation — for promising to take care of everything yet dragging things out without ever making a proper decision.

“Now it is her turn to be happy. As the wife of the Duke of Fraser, she is admired by all.”

When it came to her daughter, she could be crueler than anyone. If it meant her child could live happily, she would repeat the sins of the past as many times as necessary.

She believed that was what parental love meant.

“I will not simply wait any longer.”

Until now, they had kept a low profile and waited for the duke’s suspicions to fade, in the hope that he would approach Amelia of his own accord. However, they now realized that they had to act before he made the first move.

The count was unable to speak; he merely looked at his wife. Taking this as consent, the countess rose slowly.

“I suppose I must prepare to go to the capital.”

***

Upon receiving his mother’s message, Logan wrapped up his affairs and returned straight to the estate.

It was already late, well past the hour for dinner. Instead of the dining room, he made his way to the drawing room, softly lit by a small fire.

“Have you eaten?”

He asked casually, as though nothing were amiss.

“Is the rumor circulating in society true?”

Scarlett brushed aside his question and got straight to the point. She shot him a sharp look, knowing he was well aware of the reason for her summoning him but was trying to gloss over it.

“I hear you’ve taken in a maid from the Everett household.”

Certain that he would otherwise feign ignorance, she broached the subject of the rumors she had heard at the tea gathering.

She recounted everything she had heard, including the rumor that he was keeping a maid of uncertain background by his side, and how these rumors had begun to circulate among the noblewomen. With the wedding approaching, talk like this would damage not only Logan’s reputation, but hers too.

“If these rumors are false, you must correct them immediately. With a marriage ahead of you, such gossip benefits neither you nor the Everett family.”

Deliberately using the formal title instead of Amelia’s name, Scarlett continued. It was an old habit that surfaced only when she was deeply displeased.

“I was meaning to speak to you about something as well. This works out.”

Logan looked at his mother, who had bypassed the usual pleasantries and gone straight to the heart of the matter.

He knew that what he was about to say would only serve to irritate her further, rather than calm her down. Nevertheless, he wasn’t going to back down.

“I intend to break off the engagement with the young lady of the Everett family.”