The vases placed at regular intervals in the corridor were filled with white maia flowers that she was said to like. The butler had caught this detail when the duke mentioned it in passing.

The problem was that all the servants preparing these things wore stiff expressions.

A woman who had burned down a cathedral and been imprisoned in Adif Prison for five years was setting foot in the House of Reynes.

To the servants filled with pride in working for a historic ducal house, Janet Wilton was truly a public enemy.

Naturally, no one was preparing things gladly. Everyone was working out of duty to ensure the ducal house remained flawless, to show what a perfect fortress this place was.

Letsy Maya, a servant who had worked for the ducal house for two generations, was no exception. She was even assigned the role of personally attending to the duke’s fiancée.

“She burned down a cathedral, so she must be someone who can’t control her anger.”

Letsy said in a resentful voice as she patted the pillow, smoothing out every wrinkle in the cover.

Watching from behind, another servant named Beji grabbed Letsy’s arm, raised her up, and solemnly held both her shoulders.

“If that witch ever lays a hand on you, tell me!”

“And then what? You’ll scold her?”

“Yes!”

“You talk big, don’t you?”

“Well… I told you, right? My sister works at some baron’s country house in the south. I’ll ask her to arrange a position for you.”

“Beji! I’m never leaving the capital.”

Never. Letsy murmured as if making a vow. So she would never give the witch any reason to find fault with her, and she would prevent that person from burning down this mansion.

While they were talking, they heard a commotion outside. Letsy and Beji rushed to look out the window.

In the distance, the Duke of Reynes’ carriage was approaching. The witch was probably inside.

Letsy swallowed hard and hurried downstairs.

The duke who got out of the carriage seemed to have urgent business as he entered the mansion without looking back.

It seemed a bit suspicious for someone in love, but they decided to interpret it as him being conscious of the servants’ gazes.

After him, a woman in a flowing white dress stepped out of the carriage.

From her gently closed lips to her slightly downcast eyes. She looked truly elegant. But one shouldn’t be deceived by such appearances! Why was her skin so pale and sickly? She might really be a witch.

The head butler Huon greeted her respectfully. It was Letsy’s job to guide her to her room on the second floor.

Letsy led the witch skillfully with her back straight and her gaze slightly lowered.

“You must be tired from your long journey. I hope you rest well.”

“Thank you.”

“Is there a particular scent you prefer? I’ll spray it gently on your bed before you retire.”

“That’s fine.”

She was a type that made conversation quite difficult, but she seemed easy enough to serve. No, what if she was the type to say everything was fine now but later bark about why there was no scent? That would be more troublesome….

Thinking this, Letsy discreetly observed the woman walking down the corridor.

But something seemed odd.

It was a movement that would be hard to notice if you weren’t paying close attention, but Letsy was quite perceptive.

The way she put strength into each step seemed familiar somehow.

Letsy glanced behind once more. And then she finally remembered where she had seen that movement before.

At her cousin’s house who got married a few years ago. It resembled her three-year-old nephew.

Why is she walking like that? Do witches naturally walk that way? Could she have strapped oil cans to her thighs? While caught up in these unnecessary but not entirely groundless worries, they arrived at the room.

“I’m not sure if the room will suit your taste.”

As Letsy opened the door, Janet entered and briefly surveyed the interior. The room was somewhat dark with the curtains drawn. As Janet looked around, she seemed to spot something and moved toward it.

“Is there anything I can help you with, Miss?”

“I need to light a candle.”

Janet picked up the matchbox placed next to the candlestick.

Light a fire? At her words, Letsy momentarily froze. And instinctively made a mistake.

“Wait!”

She ended up snatching the matchbox from Janet’s hand.

“……”

Only after doing it did Letsy realize what she had done. Her face turned pale.

“I, that is…!”

But even more surprising was Janet’s reaction. As if she thought Letsy might hit her, she raised her hands to cover her face the moment the matchbox was taken.

It happened so quickly that one might wonder if they had seen correctly.

Janet had already lowered her hands and was looking at Letsy with a calm gaze.

Had she seen wrong? Perhaps she was just brushing hair from her face?

But that fleeting expression was a bit different from someone looking at a rude servant. It was more like….

“You’re going to light the candle for me, right? Thank you.”

Janet’s soft voice broke Letsy’s thoughts.

“Yes…? Ah, yes! I’ll light it right away!”

Letsy hurriedly ran to the candlestick attached to the wall between the windows and lit it.

During the simple task of lighting candles in several places, she recited the words of God silently with her lips to clear her mind.

When she turned around again, Janet was walking slowly toward the bed with an empty gaze.

Before Letsy could offer to prepare comfortable clothes, Janet climbed onto the bed, curled up, and lay down. Strangely, that posture seemed familiar to her, and Letsy found herself opening and closing her mouth before finally leaving the room quietly without saying anything.

Letsy was overcome with a strange, unsettling feeling.

Janet’s curled-up back resembled something other than a witch.

A dead person. It was similar to that.

***

“You did tell Janet to have breakfast earlier, right?”

Around 10 o’clock, as he went down to the dining room for a late breakfast, Rihanel asked Flan, who was reporting on today’s schedule.

Janet Wilton was in this house. That fact alone made him feel nauseous, and he had barely slept.

He really didn’t want to face her first thing in the morning.

“Ah, Your Grace, Miss Janet….”

“Damn it.”

Rihanel suddenly stopped walking, causing Flan to nearly bump his nose into his back. But rather than that, falling backward and cracking his head would have been preferable.

Flan tilted his head back as far as possible to avoid disaster.

After catching his breath and looking ahead, he saw that Rihanel’s gaze was fixed on something.

It was Janet, sitting at the table looking in their direction.

If it was so uncomfortable, he could have turned back, but Rihanel wore a sour expression as he trudged to the table and sat down. Flan shrugged once and turned to leave the dining room.

Sunlight streaming through the wide windows reflected off the magnificent chandelier, filling the large dining room. Rihanel stared quietly at the gleaming silver cutlery, and Janet stared intently at Rihanel.

Unable to bear the silence, Rihanel spoke first.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Yes.”

Finally, Rihanel looked at Janet properly.

Her lips and cheeks were full of vitality even in the morning, suggesting she had slept well. Well, she had gone to bed early and only came for breakfast at this hour.

Trying to swallow tens of thousands of sarcastic remarks that were rising up, he slightly tilted his eyes as if to say speak. He had just put a water glass to his lips.

“Are you going to marry me, Rihanel?”

“……!”

At the sudden question, Rihanel almost spat out his water. She truly was a shameless woman. Having arrived here just yesterday, she was getting straight to the point?

But he swallowed the water calmly and spoke.

“It seems you know the choice is mine.”

“It’s a choice with an expiration date. If you don’t give me an answer soon, I’ll have to find another way.”

What? One of Rihanel’s eyebrows rose sharply.

The meaning of ‘another way’ was clear.

It meant she would find another nobleman to marry. There was no other way to interpret it.

“You really are… like a merchant.”

Rihanel’s voice turned cold. The blue eyes looking at his fiancée were filled with a chilling aura.

A tense atmosphere that could make one’s hair stand on end enveloped the table.

“Everyone, leave us.”

At the duke’s command to leave, the servants quickly emptied the dining hall. When all small noises had disappeared, Rihanel leaned forward, revealing his intensified anger.

“Do you think any noble would accept a criminal like you?”

“……”

“It seems you’ve forgotten your place while in prison, but right now your value in the marriage market is worth less than this water glass. Taking you is a burden, a deficit. Has the flower garden in your head grown too wild?”

Rihanel paused briefly after pouring out his words.

As if waiting for him to finish, Janet’s tightly closed lips opened slightly.

“That’s fortunate.”

What on earth?

“Even though my value has fallen so much, you’re not saying you won’t marry me.”

“……”

“Rihanel, you must have reasons to marry me too, right? Otherwise……”

Janet’s golden eyes stared intently into Rihanel’s eyes. As if trying to penetrate his inner thoughts, as if trying to make him spill all the emotions he had hidden away.

And then she asked a question that twisted his insides.

“Rihanel, do you still like me? Enough to want to marry me?”

Rihanel rose roughly from his seat.

He simply couldn’t listen to this nonsense. Who likes you? Who could like a filthy, demonic woman like you?

“……Don’t act so disgusting. Have you forgotten what you did to me?”

Rihanel clutched the tablecloth tightly and pressed out each word. Janet looked at him quietly, then nodded as if she understood.

“Yes. I know how much you hate me. So…… you must have another reason.”

……She really was an exhausting woman. Indeed, having a meal with her was an impossible task.

“I’ve lost my appetite, so I’ll leave now.”

Rihanel straightened up and began to walk away. He glimpsed Janet taking a sip of white wine.