“Madam, please wake up!”

A shake of her shoulder made Regina open her eyes suddenly. Instead of Grey holding a parasol over her, it was Dain staring down at her with irritation in her eyes.

“I’ve called you so many times, but you just wouldn’t wake up! Skipping meals and medicine all the time isn’t good for you!”

‘I’m the one who will be scolded later if this continues.’

Her muttered complaint was barely audible – just loud enough to be heard, but quiet enough to be denied. If Regina pressed her, Dain would just widen her eyes and insist, “I never said that.”

“What time is it?”

The sunlight streaming through the window felt far too strong to be early morning. Sure enough, Dain’s reply made Regina’s heart sink.

“It’s 8am, ma’am.”

‘Have I been unconscious all day?’

Regina was dazed and a voice echoed in her ears like a hallucination.

“You can never leave me.”

A voice that was nightmarishly terrifying – and diabolically seductive.

And those cold eyes that had watched her face with pleasure as he kissed her.

A cat playing with a mouse under its claws never thinks it’s going to get bitten. Grey was the same.

From the moment they had met, he had been certain that his wife – so hopelessly devoted – would never leave him, not even in death.

For Regina, that belief felt like utter desperation.

“Where’s Grey?”

“He left about half an hour ago.”

“Out where?”

“How would I know?”

Even if she knew, she wouldn’t say. That mischievous, innocent face said it all.

“Oh, and ma’am? This – this is the letter you wanted delivered yesterday, isn’t it?”

The letter in Dain’s hand looked familiar.

But something had clearly happened – burn marks marred the writing, as if someone had pressed lit cigarettes to the paper.

“Did you do that?”

“Of course not! It was like that when I found it. Someone had just crumpled it up and left it on the bedside table, you know?”

Dain looked down at the letter with a pitiful expression and clicked her tongue.

“So the master is busy, huh… sigh.”

The way she stopped just short of openly criticising him made it all the more insidious.

“You really must learn to watch your mouth.”

“Huh? What do you mean all of a sudden?”

“How long do you think you can get away with treating people like they’re stupid? You sly thing.”

Snapping back at her without holding back was strangely satisfying.

‘Why had I ever bothered to hold back before?’

“Oh no, ma’am. That was a bit harsh, don’t you think? What have I done wrong? You must be sensitive because you’re not feeling well.”

‘Ah. So that’s how you want to play it.’

“Just wait a moment. I’ll call the doctor for you.”

“Not the doctor. Bring Melanie.”

The name of Melanie, the head maid who managed all the servants on the Cabil estate, came sharply from Regina’s lips.

“What do you need Head Maid Melanie for?”

“I said get her.”

Regina didn’t explain or ask for understanding. This wasn’t how the lady of the house was supposed to behave.

And it would be ridiculous to stoop to the level of arguing with a mere maid.

It was the head maid’s job to discipline insolent servants.

Dain began to sweat nervously at Regina’s steady, stern expression.

“Madam, was I perhaps too casual with you?”

Changing tactics, Dain tucked her shiny hair behind her ear and offered a sweet smile.

“If I was, I sincerely apologise. I must have gotten carried away with missing you while you were ill… and forgot to keep the proper distance.”

Her act was so obvious it was almost laughable. Still irritated, Regina pressed again.

“You said you were worried about me?”

“Of course I am! You have no idea how heartbroken I was while you were in bed. I even blamed myself for not taking better care of you before.”

“…”

“You can ask any of the other maids. While you were unconscious, I stayed by your side and cared for you with all my heart. Every morning I washed your body and prayed for you to wake up.”

The way Dain pursed her lips as if embarrassed to say such things was ridiculous.

Regina couldn’t help herself – she scoffed in disbelief.

“Try lying a little more believably. Every morning, huh?”

“Don’t be ridiculous with your lies. Every morning, you say? More like every three days!”

“W-What?!”

“Even so, don’t you think bathing someone in freezing water in the middle of winter is a bit much? And using the leftover water when you are done?”

By this time, Regina was so weak that she’d almost died.

Dain, who had pretended to know everything, turned pale in an instant.

“M-Madam…”

‘How did she find out?’

Could it be that her body hadn’t moved but her mind had been awake all the time?

It seemed impossible.

But the conviction in Regina’s gaze was so solid it felt like you could touch it.

The moment fear and suspicion flickered across Dain’s face as she instinctively took a step back-

“That’s what I heard.”

“P-Pardon?”

“Exactly what I said. Another maid told me about your work habits, Dain. And from what I’ve heard, your so-called ‘devoted care’ doesn’t seem to hold up.”

Was she just bluffing? Or was it true?

Dain was confused.

The truth was that she had neglected Regina, assuming that she would die anyway. She hadn’t even bothered to hide it.

‘But the thing about the baths—how could anyone else know about that?’

Regina watched calmly as Dain reeled.

Her shocked expression, still unable to settle, had turned as pale as a swan.

It was hard to believe that she was the same woman who had once grabbed Regina by the hair and submerged her in cold water like a rag doll.

“How much longer do I have to look after this half-dead corpse? It’s disgusting. Makes my skin crawl!”

Of course, now that the ‘corpse’ had risen again, it would be horrible.

Regina stifled a bitter smile and issued a quiet warning.

“You might think everyone in this house is on your side… but maybe—just maybe—there’s someone here who actually wants to do what’s right. So be careful how you act.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am… I understand…”

“Now go. Bring Melanie.”

Dain’s face twisted in a mixture of fear and shame, but in the end she bowed her head and left.

***

Grey was a colour that was neither white nor black – a shade of indecision.

Perhaps he resented being given such an ambiguous name.

Grey always preferred things to be clear and certain.

Grey always preferred things to be precise.

Numbers that lined up perfectly, without a single misplaced decimal.

Sapphire cufflinks that were as sharp as a ruler.

Black walnut that wouldn’t show a scratch after a few hammer blows.

Quarterly management reports from the most able financier, Finley Brixton.

But kissing Regina wasn’t like that.

Her tear-stained lips tasted salty and sad.

And as his tongue plunged deeper, tangling with hers, there was a faint sweetness – like the lingering trace of a candy that had long since melted.

And then there was the scent of her skin and the dizzying softness of their joined flesh…

Well.

Even if he used every description in the world, he still couldn’t explain the confused, sticky, complicated taste.

“My lord. My lord, are you listening?”

A hand waving in front of his face snapped Grey out of his thoughts.

Finley Brixton – red-haired and hamster-faced – was staring at him with furrowed brows.

“What is it?”

“What is it, you ask? This is all your fault!”

Finley stood in front of him, his arms crossed and his tone accusatory.

He was not only Grey’s advisor, but also the head of the Bank of Cabil, Grey’s financial institution.

A trusted confidant of the richest man in the Empire –

And yet Finley looked anything but pleased.

“Is it true? That Lady Regina has asked for a divorce?”

Please tell me it’s not true, his expression said.

But Grey answered crisply.

“It is true.”