“Welcome home, my lord.”

That evening, Marquis Jared Peyton returned home later than usual.

He had been busy with work at the palace, and with the second princess’s wedding approaching, he also had to prepare to receive envoys arriving from various countries across the continent.

“Where is Estelle?”

“She is in the study, my lord.”

This was not only a national event, of course — it was also the wedding of his son.

Even after returning home, the work never stopped. Jared immediately went to see his wife, who was tirelessly preparing for the wedding in his stead.

“Has she eaten yet?”

“No, my lord. I saw the head maid taking her meal to the study earlier.”

“Good.”

Estelle Peyton, his wife, was an exceptionally driven woman. She was so passionate that she sometimes forgot things she considered unimportant, such as eating meals. There were even days when she forgot to eat, despite not being particularly busy.

So, when Jared heard that she had eaten that day, he let out a small sigh of relief before heading towards the study.

The room had originally been intended as the lord’s study.

It was unusual for the lady of the house to share such a space, but Jared had willingly allowed Estelle to share it with him.

She could manage her numerous responsibilities more easily there, and he could keep an eye on her throughout the day — it suited them both.

He knocked softly before entering.

Inside, he found his beloved wife still seated at her desk, writing intently.

“Have you eaten, my dear?”

“Oh! You’re home?”

As he stepped inside, she lifted her head and her face lit up. Despite her age, she still had the air of a young girl. Removing her monocle, she rose from her seat.

“When did you get back? Dinner?”

“I’ve eaten. And you?”

“I ate too. Anna nagged me so much today.”

Estelle pouted playfully as she admitted she had eaten only because the head maid insisted. Her expression was so charming that Jared took her hand and gently drew her into his arms.

“Then we should reward Anna.”

“She’ll love that.”

Estelle said with a soft laugh, still nestled against him.

Jared kissed her forehead. These moments after work—holding her, listening to her cheerful chatter like a songbird—were the moments he treasured most.

Then, effortlessly, he lifted her and sat down with her on his lap on the sofa.

“Oh, really—you’ll hurt yourself one day.”

“You’re still light as a feather, Estelle. Are you eating well?”

The two of them — once the protagonists of a romance that had shaken the entire Empire — still looked as romantic as ever, even though their children were now grown up and married.

Estelle Peyton sat naturally on her husband Jared’s lap, and wherever one went in the mansion, the two of them could be seen holding hands, embracing or whispering affectionately to each other.

Estelle was still shy, yet utterly in love with her husband. She leaned against his chest and let out a soft giggle.

“You’re the only one who’d call me a feather.”

“I don’t lie. You know that.”

A tender, peaceful silence followed, the kind of moment you wish could be frozen in time.

Jared gently brushed his fingers through his wife’s hair and then suddenly spoke.

“By the way—Duke Ambrose visited today.”

“Oh my. Truly? Whatever for?”

He was a son-in-law whom she had hardly seen since the wedding.

Jared occasionally met Duke Ambrose for business reasons, but Estelle rarely left the mansion unless necessary, so she had only seen her son-in-law during the wedding preparations.

Therefore, it came as a shock when he suddenly appeared.

“Nothing’s wrong with our Rene, is there?”

“No, nothing like that. He simply came because he had something to ask.”

Jared shook his head as he recalled the unexpected message from his son-in-law.

Stroking Estelle’s hair, he told her what had happened: how Duke Ambrose had said he felt his heart shifting towards Ariadne, how flustered the man had looked, and how he had offered to resolve the pressure from the Council himself.

When he had finished, Estelle lifted her chin proudly.

“Hmph. Of course he should. Do you know how charming our Rene is?”

“It’s a relief he’s finally come to his senses.”

Jared agreed with a laugh.

Yes, she was their daughter, but Ariadne possessed an irresistible, almost magical charm.

Unlike their three sons, she had the power to make them want to listen to her with open hearts and minds.

Estelle loved her sons just as much, but Ariadne had a certain something that the others lacked.

‘The kind of child whose mere presence makes one smile.’

That was how they had come to understand her.

Estelle’s lips pursed indignantly.

“Honestly. Men really are all fools. How could he not realize something so obvious?”

“True enough. Every man—myself included—has his foolish side.”

Jared replied with a gentle laugh.

Estelle tilted her head back, smiling as she looked up at him.

“So? Did you give permission? About that condition.”

At her question, he answered with a calm smile.

“Of course. There was no reason not to.”

He had set that condition solely to protect Ariadne, ensuring that she would always have a way out if she were ever in danger.

It was, in truth, an unfair burden to place on the duke for the sake of their daughter.

“But the duke said his heart has begun to move, didn’t he? And this is exactly the outcome we had hoped for. Naturally, the condition should be removed.”

To be honest, leaving it as it was weighed on my conscience.

Jared added with a wry smile,

“I couldn’t very well send our daughter off like she was being sold.”

“And you’re right to think so. At the time, it was the best we could do.”

From the outset, it was Estelle who insisted on setting that condition. Compared to the immense benefits Kieron Ambrose gained from marrying Ariadne, the Peyton family received almost nothing in return.

What’s more, Ariadne was the only one who showed any affection in the relationship.

Jared and Estelle had spent countless sleepless nights worrying about it. Any parent would feel anxious in such circumstances.

Therefore, even though they knew it was unfair to the duke, they imposed the condition that, if he did not love their daughter, he must never lay a hand on her.

“But hearing that it caused complications for him… it troubled me. Especially with the Council rising up in protest.”

“And why is the Council behaving that way?”

Estelle exclaimed, her fists clenching.

“After taking so much money from us!”

The amount paid to the Council was nearly equal to what had been used to support Kieron himself.
An entire fortune had gone into the hands of barely twenty people who controlled the fate of a noble house.

And still, blinded by power, they had done something they should never have done.

“I plan to contact the Ambrose Council soon. Especially after hearing what Rene told us.”

“You mean, how the Council never restored the Duke’s authority? The children said they wondered if that was why the duke resented Renée.”

It wouldn’t have been surprising. They had provided so much support, yet nothing had changed.

The duke had never seemed interested in marriage in the first place — truth be told, it was a marriage of convenience forced upon him.

Who wouldn’t resent such circumstances?

Estelle could understand the duke to a certain extent, but that didn’t mean she viewed him favorably. After receiving so much support, he should have shown at least the bare minimum of courtesy. Instead, he had been cold and distant towards not only his wife, but her entire family too.

Honestly, under normal circumstances, that alone would have been reason enough to end the marriage long ago.

“Rene begged us, so we endured it, but honestly—he was really, really terrible. You know that, right?”

“I know, Estelle. Do you think my mind was any different?”

Jared stroked her hair, smiling ruefully.

How could he have liked a son-in-law while watching his daughter suffer? He had merely weighed which choice would be best for Ariadne.

And when the duke came to him—mustering the courage to confess his feelings—that had mattered, too.

“When he asked whether the condition was still valid, I truly had to think about it. It was infuriating, you know—three years of marriage, and he claimed he’d never once considered their relationship.”

Jared thought back to the moment when Kieron first approached him with the question. There had been no hesitation in his voice. At first, Jared had wondered whether the duke really had the nerve to play with his daughter’s feelings.

However, the more Jared observed Kieron, the clearer it became that he was nervous. In fact, he was utterly unlike the composed, intimidating man he appeared to be in the palace.

So Jared shifted his perspective.

Instead of letting his own frustrations and grievances guide him, he chose to prioritize the feelings of the young couple.

“Let’s watch over them. It’s time they work things out themselves.”

“I understand. All parents can do is wait, I suppose.”

Estelle let out a soft, tired sigh and leaned into his embrace.

Jared drew her closer and rested his head gently against hers.

“May they find the same quiet happiness that we have found.”

Once celebrated as the romance of the century, the trials they had overcome were no different to those faced by any other couple.

Now, the two of them silently offered a heartfelt prayer for their daughter’s and her husband’s happiness.