The clarity of my mind now made the assault from the Saintess seem almost insignificant. My thoughts were sharp, and my judgment was quick.

And I quickly realized that no matter what I said, Kyron wouldn’t take my side.

“…Ekette?”

The priests had probably already demanded money from Kyron. They’d have said something like, “Since your wife pushed the Saintess, pay us and we’ll let it slide.” It was predictable.

“What did the priests say?”

I wasn’t particularly curious about what the priests had said since I could already guess. What I was truly curious about was Kyron’s reaction.

Why was I even paying attention to his reaction? I had vowed not to care about such an indifferent husband, yet in this moment, I couldn’t help but care.

I wanted to read his expression, but as always, his crimson eyes revealed nothing.

“They said you pushed the Saintess, causing her distress, and demanded money.”

Kyron replied flatly, as though he were talking about someone else’s affairs. No anger, no concern for me.

“Touching the Saintess carelessly could escalate into a serious issue if the priests choose to pursue it.”

He believed I had pushed the Saintess. As expected.

“So, paying them off to keep them quiet might be the best course of action before it turns into a bigger problem.”

Paying the priests would essentially mean admitting my guilt. Even though all I had done was defend myself against the Saintess’s attack.

It was so easy to turn someone into a criminal. The priests, and even my husband, the Duke, were no exception.

“Still, before I pay them, I’d like to hear from you what happened.”

Kyron pressed me for an explanation.

I felt like a child who had done something wrong and was now trying to explain myself to a teacher.

What meaning was there in telling him what had happened? He would believe the Saintess’s words anyway.

I had no allies in the capital. It had been that way ever since our marriage. My only real ally was my maid, Lia.

Though I had accepted that reality, it was still disheartening to find myself cornered like this.

“If I tell you the Saintess attacked me first, will you believe me?”

“…The Saintess attacked you first?”

I knew it wouldn’t be easy for Kyron to accept what I was saying.

“Yes. The Saintess wanted something from me.”

“What could she possibly want from you?”

How much should I reveal? Even if it was someone else, I wasn’t sure how much to hide or disclose to Kyron. Because he was my husband, the line wasn’t clear.

“…It seemed like divine power.”

After a brief hesitation, I decided to confess.

“That’s hard to believe.”

Considering the incident in the cave and my encounter with the Saintess, it seemed likely that I did possess divine power.

Of course, from Kyron’s perspective, it would be hard to believe. Cases of divine power manifesting late in life were unheard of in the Empire. It was only natural for him to doubt it.

But even if it was hard to believe, I still wanted him to trust me.

Not anyone else—just him, my husband.

I knew it was a foolish hope.

I was angry with myself for briefly harboring such a naive hope. I felt ashamed.

“You don’t believe me, do you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m not feeling well. It’s hard to talk right now, so please leave me alone.”

“Ekette.”

It seemed like he wanted me to finish what I had started to say.

“I’m still overwhelmed. I need time to organize my thoughts.”

I turned my back to him and lay down.

After a moment of silence, Kyron’s sharp voice broke through.

“Suit yourself.”

I then heard the sound of his footsteps leaving the room.

Once again, I was alone.

My husband didn’t believe me. Of course, it was a situation that was hard to believe.

That was one thing, but what I hadn’t expected at all was the Saintess targeting me. This wasn’t in the original story. There was no reason for the Saintess to target me.

In the original story, I wasn’t even a significant character. I barely appeared at all.

As if being unwell wasn’t enough, I was now being driven into a crisis.

To make matters worse, the Saintess was still an absolute figure in the Empire. Even though the temple’s influence had waned, the Saintess herself was still beloved.

If the Saintess was targeting me, there was no escape. Not when even my husband didn’t believe me.

If I truly was in danger, I might have to put my “golden spoon” life on hold.

Living a life of luxury was a luxury in itself during a precarious situation like this.

“Ugh, my head hurts.”

The situation had become a tangled mess. Was my dream of enjoying a wealthy life slipping further and further away?

But right now, what bothered me even more than my fading dream of luxury was something else.

An inexplicable hope toward Kyron kept creeping in.

Why did I keep holding out hope for such an indifferent man? Why did I keep searching for affection in his eyes?

His eyes.

As I thought about them, a memory surfaced of Kyron appearing whenever I was unwell.

How he treated me. The worry in his eyes when he looked at me.

That was the reason.

The reason I kept foolishly hoping was because of my husband, who always appeared when I was sick.

Because I wondered if there might be some hidden feelings behind his concern.

It was then.

Knock, knock.

A maid entered the room after knocking.

“Madam, you’ve received a letter.”

The maid brought a letter along with a small parcel.

“Who sent the letter?”

“It’s from one of your friends, Madam. It was sent to the Duke’s estate, and the servants there forwarded it here.”

A friend of mine?

I quickly checked the name on the envelope.

[Louie.]

Louie had sent me a letter.

We had met just a few days ago, so why send a letter now? It was probably a reply to the letter I had sent. If my memory serves me right, Louie was always kind and thoughtful. He must have written back quickly.

I immediately opened the envelope.

Unfolding the letter, I saw Louie’s neat handwriting filling the page.

[Seeing your condition broke my heart. To think you’ve been struggling in ways I didn’t know over the past year.
I should have visited the capital more often, but it seems I’m too late. From now on, I think I’ll visit more frequently.
Also, I couldn’t give this to you last time because everything was so hectic, but I have a gift for you. Your parents spent a long time deliberating and chose this for you.
I hope receiving this gift will bring even the smallest smile to your face.
When I think about it, you used to smile so brightly when we were younger, but now it seems that smile has faded. It seems His Grace the Duke cannot make you smile.
I wish we could go back to our childhood days.
This letter is getting too long. I’ll stop here.]

I read Louie’s letter, then went back to the beginning and read it again.

Louie had always been kind by nature, but he hadn’t been this affectionate toward a friend before.

Either way, my attention shifted to the gift my parents had sent.

It was a small, hard object about the size of my palm, wrapped in paper. I untied the thin ribbon and quickly unwrapped the contents.

The gift was a small music box.

A music box?

I turned the key, and the music began to play.

“Wow!”

As the music started, I let out a soft exclamation.