“How about asking Master Jade? If you’re going to serve as a bridesmaid, you’ll be standing with him, after all.”

That was the point at which Kieron began listening.

The moment he heard that Jade Derayan would be standing beside Ariadne as a fellow bridesmaid.

“Should I? Well… I guess Jade would know. He’s familiar with these things.”

“Of course! I’m sure he’s attended plenty of weddings. He’d know far better than I would.”

Ariadne agreed without hesitation.

This meant that she and Jade would meet.

Together.

Had Princess Sylvia intended that as well?

Kieron could no longer guess the true reason why she had insisted that Ariadne become her bridesmaid. He himself often hid multiple meanings within a single move on the battlefield, but…

Societal strategies were different — far more intricate, tangled up in subtle glances and smiles.

For a man who had only ever dealt with swords and arrows, women’s calculations were infinitely more difficult to fathom.

Had Silvia included some hidden scheme involving Ariadne and Jade Derayan in all this?

A quiet, battlefield-honed k*lling intent crept into his eyes as he stared at the door, listening intently.

“I should write to Jade. I’ll ask him to meet as soon as possible.”

“If you write the letter, I’ll deliver it right away. I heard he’s been busy lately.”

“Really? Busy?”

“Yes. When he and Young Master Heidel met the other day, I asked his coachman about it.”

Ariadne’s voice sounded bright and cheerful.

Earlier in the drawing room, she had looked as if all the world’s darkness had settled on her shoulders; now, however, she sounded happy talking about Jade.

Was talking about Jade really that delightful for her?

Kieron forgot entirely why he had come.

He just listened and frowned.

“Since when did you ask that? You’re amazing, Jay.”

“Of course! At the time, my lady said she didn’t want to be a bridesmaid, but I thought, ‘What if she changes her mind?’ There are lots of things you’d need to ask Master Jade about. I’ve only ever seen bridesmaids from afar, so I don’t know much either.”

“You really are amazing. Thank you, Jay.”

Their voices sounded warm and lively. The gloominess of the drawing room had completely vanished and Ariadne sounded delighted.

He was desperate to open the door and ask her if she really intended to meet that man.

Was she willing to risk the family’s honor by doing something like that?

But her cheerful voice made it impossible for him to move.

“I’ll write the letter right now, then. You’ll head out immediately?”

“Of course! There’s still time before dinner. I’ll be quick. The Derayan estate is close.”

“I’ll write it now. Just a moment.”

The door would probably open soon.

Kieron clenched his fists, stood frozen for a moment, then turned away.

Jade Derayan.

Again.

Whenever he was troubled by something, whenever something felt wrong, that was always the name he ended up hearing.

It was a name that unsettled him and made him angry.

Was there some kind of curse tied to the name Jade?

With his expression set firmly, Kieron strode quickly down the hall. If he stayed any longer, he would start suspecting Ariadne and Jade Derayan all over again.

The last time he went out with Derrick to investigate, they found nothing — not even the slightest trace of wrongdoing. He had even felt foolish for doubting her. He had never seen her alone with Jade. Besides, he didn’t think she was the kind of person who would commit adultery.

However, even the mere possibility was enough to earn her severe condemnation from the Elders and the public, which was why he had questioned her so harshly at the time.

But he had never truly believed that she could give her heart to another man.

Just… a little… perhaps… maybe…

These were quiet, unwelcome thoughts that he kept buried deep.

Kieron didn’t realize that his unease was actually caused by something far more painful: the fear that he no longer mattered to her the way he once did. A familiar ache still lingered inside him — a quiet, anxious fear of being abandoned again.

“I’ll be back soon, my lady!”

A faint voice rose from the distant corridor.

An overwhelming sense of annoyance surged through Kieron.

Kieron ground his teeth, quickened his pace and walked straight out of the manor.

***

“His Grace is… gone?”

Night had already fallen.

Ariadne had eaten dinner with Jay after she returned from visiting Jade. She was about to lie down, relieved after hearing Jay’s report, when Derrick came rushing in.

“Yes, my lady. They said His Grace returned to his office after escorting the princess out, but after he left the office… no one has been able to find him anywhere.”

“Did you check the places he usually goes? Anything nearby?”

“His Grace mainly stays in his office or the training hall on the estate. But he wasn’t in either location…”

Derrick was practically hopping with anxious agitation. He knew he was worried about his master, but he wasn’t a child. Was it really necessary to pace around like that?

Ariadne looked out of the window, feeling strangely indifferent.

Outside, the sky was pitch black. Surely a grown man knew people would worry if he wandered off at this hour? More importantly, why had he left without saying anything?

A familiar headache returned and she pressed her forehead.

“Did you check the stables? He might have ridden out.”

“All the horses were still there. It seems he left on foot, which is even more worrying.”

Did he leave on foot?

Even for a trained warrior, it would have been hard to travel far on foot.

The Ambrose estate covered so much land that leaving without a horse would have been difficult.

After a moment’s thought, Ariadne instructed Derrick to search the estate thoroughly, inside and out.

“If he didn’t take a horse, then he might still be somewhere on the estate grounds. Did you check the gardens and the rear grounds as well?”

“We searched everything from the entrance to the lobby and the interior of the manor, my lady, but we haven’t checked the rear grounds yet. We only checked the training hall area—we haven’t gone farther.”

“Then search the rear grounds, too. And post someone at the main gate, just in case. If he left and comes back, make sure he has no trouble getting in.”

“Understood, my lady.”

As Ariadne calmly gave instructions, Derrick bowed with a steadier expression than when he first rushed in. She found it strangely fascinating that the disappearance of a grown man could cause so much worry.

She had received similar attention in the Peyton household, but that had always been because she was unwell — a girl who might collapse, catch a fever, scrape a knee, or become bedridden from the slightest chill.

Because of that, there had always been at least one servant and one family knight at her side.

Whenever she went out, even for a moment, she always informed two or more attendants of exactly where she was going.

But all of that had been because her body was frail. Her parents and the household had never shown the same level of concern for her strong, healthy brothers.

Once, Hermes had even been out all night without a single family member noticing.

Days later, he casually mentioned that nobody had asked him where he was, so he hadn’t thought to tell them.

Seeing strong, capable men act so anxiously was completely unfamiliar to her.

Kieron Ambrose was a war hero — a man whose instincts were sharper than those of most seasoned soldiers, someone who could handle almost any ambush.

So what exactly was there to worry about?

“You can go now, Derrick. I hope His Grace returns soon.”

But that was only her perspective.

Derrick’s expression made it clear that he didn’t agree with her at all.

If Kieron didn’t come back tonight, she could picture the worry on his seasoned face.

“Thank you, my lady. I’ll be sure to inform you the moment His Grace returns.”

“Oh—no, you don’t need to. It’s fine as long as he comes back.”

Just as Derrick bowed and was about to leave, he offered something she absolutely did not want.

Ariadne hastily refused, and Derrick blinked in confusion.

“But wouldn’t you want to know, my lady?”

“No. Really, it’s all right. He’s His Grace, isn’t he? He’s strong, skilled—of course he’ll come back safely.”

She waved a hand as if it were nothing, but Derrick still looked deeply puzzled.

As though he couldn’t understand how the duchess could be so unconcerned about the duke’s wellbeing.

“But my lady, still—”

“He comes and goes whenever he wants. I’d rather not concern myself with it, so truly—you don’t need to tell me.”

Derrick’s expression fell at her words.

Kieron had always been that way: never telling her where he was going, when he would return, or what he was doing. He left when he wanted, returned when he pleased, and did whatever he wanted.

It made no difference to her whether he was home or not, or whether he came back late or went elsewhere.

From the very beginning, he had preferred her not to concern herself with him at all.

“It’s really fine, so don’t worry about it. Go keep searching. Even if I’m not concerned, I’m sure you won’t be able to sleep if His Grace doesn’t come home.”

The only way she could put Derrick’s mind at ease was to stop worrying about him.

Ariadne smiled as she saw Derrick off. Yet, strangely, he maintained that dark, troubled expression until the door closed. There had even been a flicker of guilt in his eyes.

Still, she didn’t mind in the slightest. After all, it was Kieron who had left without saying anything, not Derrick.

She was doing exactly what he had always wanted from her: withdrawing all interest, attention, and expectation. Even if he had gone out to meet another woman, she simply could not care less.

Ah.

No, perhaps that was going a little too far.

A faint pain tightened in her chest, so she pressed her hand over it and shook her head lightly. But still… if he truly preferred someone else to her—

— then she could always step aside in whatever way suited him best.

There was no point clinging to someone who clearly didn’t want her. Yes, perhaps she lacked perseverance and gave up too easily.

But Ariadné was not strong.

No one knew that better than she did.

Managing to get this far with a husband who had never particularly liked her had taken everything she had.

So now, she would let it go and sleep. For tonight, at least, she needed to stop thinking. There were many other things she had to consider, and she wished the night would pass more quickly.

She pulled the blanket up and gently closed her eyes.