Of course, she had heard about it when she was confined to bed in her previous life. The Viscountess had got into a hair-pulling fight with the mistress, and the servants had struggled to separate them.

Rosie summoned a maid to retrieve the fallen fan and return it to the viscountess, who was still standing there in a daze.

“By the way, there seems to be another rumor you haven’t heard yet. I thought I should tell you.”

“W-what sort of…?”

“I heard Lord Issuville has taken up gambling again… I couldn’t help but be concerned.”

The Viscountess’s face twisted at once at Rosie’s gentle tone.

At that moment, Rosie saw Ashley hurrying towards them and smiled faintly.

The malice drained from the viscountess’s face while Isabella, watching from afar, frowned.

“It seems the young lady is calling for me. I’ll take my leave. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.”

Ashley offered the Viscountess a brief greeting before quickly taking Rosie by the arm and leading her away.

Walking close to her side as a younger sister should, Rosie thanked Ashley.

“You stepped in at just the right time, my lady.”

“You didn’t look well, so I hurried over. Nothing happened, right?”

She was a genuinely kind and soft-hearted young lady. This only made Rosie worry all the more.

Lowering her voice, Rosie carefully sounded her out.

“My lady… about Viscount Russel…”

Ashley hesitated, then replied bitterly.

“I’m not seeing him. You were right. I’m going to wait and watch a bit longer.”

Apparently not wanting to dwell on the topic, she quickly changed the subject.

“But what was it you asked before? The thing about my brother.”

“Ah. I found out from someone else.”

After Rosie briefly explained, Ashley nodded.

“Sir Beisler was right. My brother actually doesn’t like going to war.”

“…Is that so?”

“Even if he’s called a monster… he doesn’t enjoy k*lling. Truly.”

Rosie let out a faint, bitter smile.

“I know. I know that too.”

Callios’ bloodstained past flashed abruptly through Rosie’s mind. Rosie had also been present when the brutal scene earned him the title of monster.

‘There’s no way I wouldn’t know.’

Watching her cautiously, Ashley fidgeted with her fingers, her expression dark.

“I… I want to apologize on my brother’s behalf for the way he spoke. I’m sorry, sister.”

“It’s all right. You don’t need to apologize for him.”

Rosie smiled and was about to change the subject when Ashley suddenly grabbed the hem of her dress. With a lost, innocent expression on her face, she bowed her head.

“I really am sorry….”

Those who should apologize never do. That’s just how the world works. Kind people end up apologising for things that aren’t their fault.

Rosie gently took her hand to reassure her that she was really OK, but Ashley suddenly went pale as she looked ahead.

Rosie’s expression cooled instantly.

“Ashley?”

It was Viscount Russell.

Meeting Ashley’s gaze, he strode towards them without hesitation.

“Why did you say we shouldn’t see each other? And why no reply? I was so frustrated I had to come.”

Rosie discreetly gestured to a maid who rushed over belatedly. Keeping her lips barely parted so that the Viscount wouldn’t notice, she spoke quietly.

“I told you to remove Viscount Russel’s invitation.”

“Of course I did, my lady.”

“Then he came without one?”

“It seems so, young madam.”

Was he mad to go without an invitation?

A sharp scent suddenly drifted by, causing Rosie’s delicate eyebrows to furrow.

‘And he reeks of alcohol…’

He must have had a drink to pluck up the courage to do it.

Rosie stepped firmly between Ashley and the Viscount, addressing him in a polite yet cold manner.

“I’m sorry, but entry without an invitation is not permitted. Please leave.”

Pushed back, Viscount Russel dipped his head hastily.

“I came because I have something to tell Ashley. Please be gracious, Duchess.”

“I have no such grace to spare.”

Rosie stood protectively in front of Ashley, shielding her from view. The unfamiliar strength of her presence caused the viscount to falter.

“B-but….”

“Do I look like someone in the mood for kindness, Viscount?”

Her expression turned icy and the Viscount hesitated. He stared at her as though she were a different person entirely.

“You’re very different from what I’ve heard. And from when I last saw you.”

“Different? That’s pleasant to hear. Now, enough flattery. Please leave.”

Rosie scoffed and signaled to the maid. The maid instantly understood, grabbed the viscount’s arm and pulled him towards the main entrance.

“We will escort you out politely.”

“Let go of me! How dare you—! Ashley! Come out and speak with me! If there’s a misunderstanding, we can clear it up!”

His outburst drew everyone’s gaze towards them, and Rosie’s brown eyes grew even colder.

She stepped forward and blocked his view of the trembling Ashley.

“How dare you raise your voice at a servant of the ducal house. Unless you intend to make an enemy of House Benedict, leave. Now.”

“S-still, just a moment…!”

“I told you to go.”

“You’re being too harsh, my lady! I can explain everything!”

Viscount Russell approached Rosie, looking both wronged and desperate. He pushed the maid aside who was trying to block his way, causing Ashley to cling to Rosie’s side and tremble.

The man before her was not at all like the gentle, warm person she had once known; he looked like a completely different person.

Rosie stepped squarely in front of Ashley and glared at him.

Her brown eyes remained calm, silently daring him to come closer.

At that moment, a broad, solid figure stepped between them.

“—!”

Startled, the viscount hiccupped and froze to the spot.

The man who had blocked his path spoke in a quiet voice.

“What kind of commotion are you causing in my house?”

Callios stood firm, his fierce gaze bearing down on Rob Beisler as though he were a threat. Rob Beisler, who was clearly drunk, had wandered over to stand in front of Rosie and Ashley.

The once lively ballroom fell instantly silent. Whispers rippled through the guests as they tried to understand what was happening.

Viscount Russel broke into a cold sweat and took a step back. Callios moved even closer, like a predator closing in on its prey.

“Duke Benedict, this is all a misunderstanding!”

“What kind of misunderstanding drives you to threaten my wife? Have you grown tired of living, Viscount Russel?”

Cold fury surged through Callios’s pitch-black eyes. His hand hovered dangerously close to the hilt of his sword, draining all color from the viscount’s face.

Meanwhile, Rob Beisler scratched his head, exhaled and glanced at the terrified nobles, who looked as though they couldn’t breathe.

This sort of tension belonged on a battlefield, not at a gathering of fragile aristocrats.

Just then, Rosie stepped forward and called to him quietly.

“My lord.”

“…….”

“Callios.”

Only then did the vicious gleam in his eyes shift slightly in her direction.

“I believe your intentions have been made perfectly clear. That’s enough.”

She would be the one cleaning up afterwards anyway. She didn’t want the situation to escalate any further, especially since she could feel her mother-in-law, Isabella, glaring at her from across the room.

“Please.”

Seeing that his forearm was as immovable as a stone, Rosie calmly urged him again.

The standoff continued for a moment longer. Eventually, he withdrew the deadly stare he had fixed on the viscount, though his intent to kill did not waver.

Seizing the opportunity, Pante Benedict stepped in hastily.

Arriving with the ducal knights, he proclaimed himself as though he owned the estate.

“There is no place for uninvited guests at a noble banquet. Remove him at once.”

However, the ducal knights hesitated, glancing at Callios for instructions. This was an unmistakable sign of who the true master of this house was.

Pante’s brow furrowed deeply and he gritted his teeth.

As if the outcome had been obvious from the start, Callios jerked his chin at the knights.

“Drag him out. And make sure he never steps foot here again.”

“Yes, my lord!”

The knights, who had not moved when Pante commanded them to, moved swiftly when Callios commanded them to.

They seized Viscount Russel and dragged him away. His struggles were in vain.

“Ashley!”

Ashley turned her head away when she heard his desperate shout as he was carried out. She couldn’t bear to watch.

It was something she would have to face eventually anyway.

As Rosie gently reassured her, Callios approached them.

He took Rosie’s arm firmly but gently and spoke to her in a low voice.

“Once the banquet is over, we need to talk.”

What now?

The nearby guests perked up and watched with blatant curiosity.

Rosie tried to appear unfazed, but her ears turned pink. She still wasn’t used to receiving such direct attention.

Where he was holding her, her skin felt particularly warm, as if heat was rising up it.

“What do we need to talk about?”

“What you said yesterday. Let’s talk about it properly.”

She had suggested that he abandon his quest to produce an heir and take another woman instead.

Even as he spoke, the deep crease on Callios’s forehead clearly showed his displeasure.

Despite his forceful tone, Rosie nodded lightly, unfazed.

“Very well.”

The murmuring gazes around them shifted in a strange way.

***

When the noisy banquet finally came to an end, the two of them found themselves alone in the bedchamber.

Rosie hadn’t been here in a long time. Unless they were sleeping together, she slept in a separate room.

While Rosie sat comfortably on the bed, Callios paced back and forth.

Lost in thought, he eventually raised his head.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said.”

She knew exactly what he meant by suggesting that he take a concubine.

There was certainly no shortage of women who wanted to spend the night with him. Many openly coveted the position of mistress, eyeing it greedily.

However, thanks to his reputation for being cold and impenetrable, hardly anyone dared to approach him.

He stepped close, lifting Rosie’s chin lightly between his fingers.

In a low, rumbling tone and with a deep gaze, Callios said.

“If you said that on a whim, I’ll pretend I never heard it.”