“Were you… living with that kind of treatment all this time?”

As soon as Kieron had left, Hermes spoke in disbelief. This was not only because of Kieron’s icy demeanor, but also because Ariadne had not responded.

The other brothers reacted no differently. Hermes’s expression had hardened in a way she had never seen before, and Heidel looked as though he might chase after Kieron and kill him on the spot.

“His Grace isn’t always like that. Only when… when anyone can tell I acted without thinking.”

But Ariadne was grateful for her brothers; she wasn’t burdened by them.

Although it would have been a lie to claim that Kieron’s reaction hadn’t hurt her, she understood why he had reacted that way. She also realized that she had made a mistake.

She had hoped the matter could be dealt with quietly, but her brothers’ sudden arrival had made things more complicated. Nevertheless, she had spoken carelessly.

“Rene. Even if you were at fault, that kind of attitude isn’t acceptable.”

With a long, weary sigh, Hermes gently reprimanded her.

“Under circumstances like this, anyone would be furious.”

No matter what was happening, no one — least of all a husband — had the right to treat their wife that way.

“We’ve always cherished you. You know that.”

That goes for our parents too.

Hern finally opened his mouth, his voice heavy as ever but unmistakably edged with anger.

“We didn’t send you here to be treated like this.”

“I know what you mean, brother. And I truly am sorry.”

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for.”

When Ariadne’s face fell, Hern’s own stiffened with even more anger.

“We can’t leave you here any longer, Rene.”

“Brother…”

Hern was the most rational, level-headed brother among them. He was not someone who would make decisions blinded by emotion—yet now, he looked as if he had completely lost his composure after seeing how his sister had been treated.

“I agree. Mother will be heartbroken.”

“Brother Del…”

Then Heidel added his agreement, going even further.

He insisted the situation was absurd no matter how they looked at it.

“This is clearly Duke Ambrose’s fault. Yet he blames you? And right in front of us?”

“But I was at fault brother. I acted without thinking. I shouldn’t have taken a family matter and let it reach outside.”

When Heidel growled in fury, Ariadne tried desperately to calm her down.

No matter how she tried to dress it up, the truth remained the same: it was her mistake.

While there was nothing wrong with wanting to resolve the situation, she had drawn Peyton into Ambrose’s internal affairs.

She couldn’t let Kieron suffer the consequences because of her.

She looked at Hermes, silently pleading for help, but he shook his head, too.

“I don’t agree with their conclusion, but Rene… what he just did was a gesture that ignored even us, members of the marquis’s household.”

“That’s an exaggeration, Brother Hes. He was only pointing out my mistake.”

Ariadne shook her head in response to Hermes’s words, desperately trying to convey her feelings.

All she wanted was to protect Kieron from harm. She felt sorry that he couldn’t enjoy what was rightfully his because of her and their marriage.

She had never imagined that things would spiral out of control like this, though.

She looked at her brothers pleadingly, but they all shook their heads.

“Rene, the easiest way to belittle someone is to ignore them in front of their loved ones. Do that, and it’s not just that person you’re dismissing, but everyone around them too.”

“Once someone gets used to being treated that way, they start to believe it’s normal. They, and the people watching, slowly become people who can be ignored.”

“But you, you do not deserve to be treated like that. Not ever.”

Hermes, Herm and Heidel spoke one after another. Heidel, who finished last, nearly spat the words out; his face was distorted with anger and hurt.

Despite his rough exterior, he was the softest of the three, and knowing his sister was in that situation wounded him deeply.

Listening to them one by one, Ariadne finally burst into tears.

“Thank you… really… I—I think I’m a very lucky person…”

“We only want you to be happy, Rene. Just as we were happy because of you.”

“Our silly youngest. You deserve far more happiness than this.”

“Don’t cry over something like this. People might think we’re the ones who upset you.”

Surrounded by her three brothers — the gentle Hern, the mischievous Hermes and the blunt yet deeply loving Heidel — Ariadne cried tears full of gratitude, sorrow and affection.

She wished that Kieron had people like this, too.

***

“Are you sure it’s all right to leave Rene behind?”

Hermes asked anxiously. He kept turning toward the direction of the ducal estate even from inside the carriage, clearly worried about the sister they had left behind.

“Rene is an adult. She’s not a child. Forcing her to change a decision she made herself isn’t right.”

Hern shook his head. He spoke evenly, but his eyes kept flicking restlessly toward the window as well.

“In any case, now that we’ve confirmed the duke’s circumstances, we can report everything to Father. He’ll take care of the rest.”

Heidel spoke with a calm but unmistakably troubled voice.

He let out a quiet sigh.

“What could Rene possibly be thinking?”

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the two older brothers darkened with worry.

Ariadne had not come with them. She had chosen to remain in the duchy to support Kieron. If she left too, she said, there would be no one left to support him.

She also asked them to warn their father to be wary of Princess Lorelei.

“Rene must have her own plan.”

“Right. Even now, that sweet girl worries about others before herself. Which is why you, Heidel, shouldn’t forget to relay Rene’s warning to Princess Sylvia.”

“I’ll take care of that without you having to tell me.”

When Hern forced himself to speak calmly, Hermes let out a long sigh and nodded.

‘Be cautious of Princess Lorelei.’

In other words—Lorelei was already moving, threatening the ducal estate in an effort to seize even greater power.

If she managed to get her hands on Kieron Ambrose—the war hero himself—she would gain overwhelming public support.

“I never liked Princess Lorelei, but I thought I had to show loyalty because she’s a member of the imperial family…”

Hern, captain of the Imperial Knights, let out a long, heavy sigh.

Since Heidel had not yet married the princess, Hern was the brother closest to the imperial household — and the one who had observed the quiet power struggle within the imperial family more closely than anyone else.

Before becoming heir to House Peyton, he had been entrusted with protecting the imperial bloodline.

In his view, Princess Lorelei had always been the strongest candidate for crown princess, yet utterly unfit to rule.

She had a volatile temper and an excessive need for dominance; her interests revolved solely around flaunting her status.

None of those traits belonged on a throne.

Had Princess Sylvia not deliberately held herself back out of consideration for her older sister, she would have stood out far more.

In Hern’s opinion, Sylvia was far better suited to being emperor.

Then again, perhaps it would be Prince Daniel — still young, but gentle and steady. It was too soon to evaluate him fully, but he showed promise nonetheless.

Hern’s already low opinion of Lorelei sank further still when he heard that she had set her sights on the House of Ambrose, resulting in Ariadne being hurt.

Beside him, Hermes and Heidel nodded grimly in agreement.

“Father told us to be loyal to the imperial family, so we’ve played along all this time. But now… I don’t think that’s necessary anymore.”

Anyway, this brat’s wedding is coming up soon.

Hermes jerked his chin toward Heidel.

Heidel frowned at the gesture but said nothing, only muttering quietly.

“I’ll inform Sylvia.”

“And let’s refrain from visiting Rene for the time being. She said herself she wouldn’t leave, but I don’t think our presence does her any good.”

Hern turned to his brothers and gave one more instruction. For their youngest sister’s sake, they should avoid visiting for now.

The three of them—having witnessed firsthand how unwelcome they were at the duke’s estate—sighed and reluctantly agreed.

“But we can still meet her outside, right?”

“As long as the duke doesn’t see you.”

“Honestly, Ambrose seems incredibly insecure.”

‘An insecure man…’

At Heidel’s remark, both Hern and Hermes frowned.

Among men, that was the very worst kind to deal with—and of all people, their sister had married one.

“Did Mother say she would keep an eye on Rene for the time being?”

“She said she instructed Jay. Rene’s maid.”

“If it’s Jay, we can trust her. Quick-witted, fast on her feet—and most importantly, she adores Rene.”

“Then let’s watch closely for now and prepare for the worst. Rene may decide she wants to come home.”

The three brothers each let out a heavy sigh, then nodded, renewing their determination.

“Then I’ll start by finding a skilled lawyer.”

“I’ll prepare the documents needed for asset division.”

“And I’ll look into House Ambrose. There’s a chance the duke won’t let Rene go.”

Thus, the three of them divided up the responsibilities and began preparing for the arrival of their baby sister, even drafting plans that included stripping Ambrose’s secret vault clean if Rene ever decided that was what she wanted.