“No, Father. We agreed not to talk about that.”

“Did we? Did I say that?”

In response to the Marquis’s playful remark, a burst of lively laughter swept through the room. Everyone was chatting and laughing, completely at ease.

Kieron, however, was struggling to keep up, managing only a stiff, awkward smile in imitation of their laughter.

He had been like this ever since they set foot inside the estate.

The moment he and Ariadne arrived, her family had surrounded them, warm, cheerful and affectionate, and simply getting used to their warmth had been overwhelming for him.

It wasn’t as if he stood there frozen like an outsider.

He greeted everyone politely, exchanged a few words, and answered questions about how he had been lately.

But that didn’t mean he could suddenly feel at home among them. To him, the Peytons were still just his wife’s family — people he didn’t know well yet.

Nevertheless, since Ariadne had been glowing with happiness since they arrived, he tried desperately to hide the twitch at the corner of his mouth and forced himself to blend into the joyful atmosphere.

Around them, conversations flowed easily, filled with light-hearted jokes, familiar teasing, stories about each other’s daily lives and shared hobbies, as well as little memories that only close-knit families would know.

It was all the kind of chatter he couldn’t naturally join in with, yet he listened quietly, doing his best for her sake.

He simply couldn’t keep up.

Having been raised by distant parents and strict grandparents who only cared about their own gain, he was completely unfamiliar with an environment like this, which was warm, loud and overflowing with affection.

It was all too new for him to adapt to so quickly.

So Kieron kept his eyes on Ariadne.

Whenever he saw how happy she looked, he felt—just for a moment—as if he might belong here too.

Completely unaware that anyone was watching him, he did everything he could to avoid drifting away from the group.

The Peytons were subtly giving him opportunities to join the conversation, offering him gentle openings here and there.

However, he wasn’t the type of person who could easily pick up on every cue or slip naturally into the flow of their chatter.

Still, he tried.

He kept trying because he understood that this was their way of welcoming him.

They were his wife’s family — people he would continue to meet — and he genuinely wanted to learn how to fit in.

He had just begun to make a little more effort when—

“Your Grace, are you all right?”

Ariadne sat down beside him and took his hand gently in hers.

Everyone else was chatting amongst themselves. But when their gazes met, he felt as though the two of them were alone in the room.

As this sank in, the loud laughter ringing in his ears faded.

The frantic pressure inside him eased.

He nodded as he looked at her.

“I’m fine. You don’t need to worry.”

“If it gets too much, you have to tell me right away, all right?”

Ariadne watched him, her gaze tender yet worried. If only she knew how much her touch, her expression, and her quiet concern calmed him.

Kieron gently brushed the back of her hand with his thumb before looking forward again. The conversation around them continued as before.

Hermes was grumbling, seemingly for the hundredth time, and his older brother was scolding him once more.

Strangely, this noisy, unfamiliar scene brought Kieron a sense of comfort.

In this world that he still didn’t quite understand, Ariadne was always beside him, steady and reassuring, never letting go of his hand.

For the first time since setting foot on the Peyton estate, he felt that perhaps he belonged there. His tension finally eased, and instead of just holding her hand, he intertwined their fingers.

Once he did so, the loud chatter no longer felt overwhelming.

He no longer felt out of place; in fact, he found himself wondering what amusing stories they were talking about and was eager to listen in.

With that small shift in his heart, everything became easier.

He realized almost without noticing that he was beginning to find his place among these people, slowly learning how to adjust.

He didn’t see the change in himself, but Ariadne did.

Seeing her husband, who had been anxious all day and unable to join in, now wearing a faint, gentle smile filled her with warmth.

Of all people, Ariadne knew how lonely his childhood had been.

She understood how challenging social situations were for him, and how much greater an emotional effort he had to make compared to other people.

She understood him deeply.

Because she understood, a quiet sadness sometimes settled in her heart.

Perhaps it was because she wanted their married life to be filled with nothing but happiness. Or maybe it was because she wished he could experience warmth the way others did.

Whatever the reason, one thing had never changed: she wanted him to experience genuine warmth and the feeling of belonging to a family.

That was why she had been looking forward to today so much. But suddenly, she realized she had overlooked something important.

By bringing him here, she had repeated an old mistake.

What felt natural to her didn’t necessarily feel natural to him.

She had hoped he would simply accept what was normal in this household, but she hadn’t considered that he might need time, guidance or tenderness to adjust to things he had never experienced before.

What was obvious to her was not obvious to others. She had learned this lesson over the past three years, yet still hadn’t fully applied it.

A wave of regret washed over her as she looked at Kieron, who now seemed far more at ease than before. He was no longer struggling to join the conversation. Instead, he was simply listening.

Ariadne had forgotten something important: she needed to take part in order to feel comfortable, whereas he preferred to observe from the sidelines initially.

Once again, what came naturally to her did not come naturally to him.

Realizing this, she silently cheered him on as he began to relax and blend into the atmosphere at his own pace.

She hoped that, in time, they would settle into each other’s lives as easily as breathing.

***

“Oh—Father. Has the matter regarding Princess Lorelei been settled yet?”

Kieron’s opportunity to join the conversation arose after they had finished their meal and moved on to tea.

After Hermes began discussing the importance of political awareness for businesspeople, he asked the Marquis about Princess Lorelei.

The Marquis glanced at the Duke of Ambrose before setting his teacup down.

“Nothing has been finalized, but the noble council is still discussing it.”

“At this point, shouldn’t a decision be made already? Princess Sylvia’s wedding has ended. It’d be cleaner to resolve the matter before she returns from her honeymoon.”

The noble council was always painfully slow. This was not because they valued deliberation, but simply because they were slow to act.

Kieron nodded at Hermes’s words, thinking to himself that he agreed.

Whenever he attended those meetings, his head would throb from all the pointless chatter, and it seemed he wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

The Marquis of Peyton also wore a wry smile.

“Don’t worry. Everyone thinks the same. It’s only been two days since Heidel left.”

Heidel and Sylvia had left for a country renowned for its resorts.

Just travelling there and back took two days, and even two weeks wouldn’t be enough to properly explore the area.

They said that their honeymoon would be a long one, so there was no need to hurry the sentencing process.

“I agree with Brother. If it were me, I’d be furious to come back and find things unresolved.”

Yes, that was indeed the issue. Even if the honeymoon was long, unexpected circumstances could cut it short.

If Sylvia, who had returned in high spirits, found the criminal who had threatened her and her loved ones sitting comfortably at home instead of in prison, her gentle temperament would surely turn sour.

Ariadne let out a deep sigh, echoing Hermes’s concern.

“We can’t hide it forever, Father.”

“She’s right, Father-in-law. It’s better to handle it quickly.”

Hern and Dalia joined the conversation.

As the discussion turned towards the idea of finding a swift resolution, Kieron felt a flicker of confusion again.

Even if all their children were involved in politics, was it really normal to talk so openly about such sensitive matters?

Nevertheless, he found this conversation undeniably useful.

“…Is His Majesty hesitating?”

It was unusual for him to speak up in such a setting, but he voiced the thought carefully.

Even if the noble council was slow, once the true decision-maker gave the command—

“Let it be so.”

—nothing would be delayed.

If everything was still stalled, there had to be another reason.

Every gaze in the room shifted to him. Some looked surprised; others looked as though the possibility hadn’t even occurred to them.

For a moment, Kieron wondered if he had said something wrong.

“You’re correct, Your Grace. Yes—the emperor is hesitating.”

He quickly realized that he was right. The Marquis of Peyton nodded gravely. As expected, His Majesty was wavering.

Last week at the palace, Sylvia mentioned that the Emperor still seemed to harbor a lingering attachment to Lorelei.

For some reason, he was delaying her sentencing, perhaps out of fear of his first love or because he was reluctant to admit he had been wrong. This hesitation was probably what had led to the current stalemate.

Kieron spoke again.

“Has anyone understood His Majesty’s intentions?”

“No one. His Majesty hasn’t said a single word. And because he confined the princess to her own quarters instead of a prison cell, no one knows what he’s thinking. Some are even whispering that he may be considering restoring her status…”

Restoration? Absurd.

She’s never had any real power; she’s just been playing pretend all this time. What restoration could there be?

Kieron scoffed quietly at the thought.

It seemed he would need to visit the Imperial Palace soon to request an audience with His Majesty.