Recently, Ariadne had found herself sinking deeper into her own thoughts.

Whenever she fell silent and slipped into that quiet space within herself, she sensed a faint return of order — just a little.

It was as if she were mending a heart riddled with holes and torn open, buzzing like a disturbed beehive. For a brief moment, the surface would lie still.

But, of course, that stillness never lasted. It was only ever held down for a moment before rising up again, just as restless as before.

“My Lady. Are you all right?”

Jay had been asking far more questions than usual: how Ariadne felt, whether she was all right, and whether anything hurt or caused her discomfort.

Ariadne felt grateful, yet also guilty.

When she was a child, Jay devoted every day to caring for her fragile health.

After the wedding, Jay spent years tiptoeing around her impossible husband’s moods, never enjoying a single peaceful moment.

So Ariadne offered her a gentle smile and tried to ease her worries.

“Thank you, Jay. And… I’m sorry.”

“Huh? My Lady, why would you ever say sorry? You’ve done nothing wrong!”

“It’s just… you’ve suffered so much because of me.”

At her apologetic smile, Jay scoffed.

“My Lady, really! Where else would anyone find a mistress as good as you? How is any of this ‘suffering’? Everyone does this!”

Don’t worry about me, worry about yourself, please!

Jay sighed and placed a warm teacup into her hands.

“By the way, my lady—someone from the boutique came earlier. They ended up just going back.”

“What?”

The warmth of the cup disappeared the moment Ariadne tensed up. She had requested the boutique — or rather, her father, the Marquis of Peyton, had done so on her behalf.

With her brother’s wedding approaching, he said that they should wear something elegant together.

He hadn’t given her anything since her own wedding, but he was finally nudged into offering her at least a dress out of guilt.

Jay had relayed this message, along with the appointment date, to Kieron. Everything had been settled.

And he sent them away?

The fragile calm she had managed to maintain shattered at once.

“Jay, you delivered the message, right?”

“Yes. You weren’t home, so I handed it to Master Herald. He said he’d give it to His Grace.”

Jay looked genuinely perplexed.

Herald had confirmed that the message had been passed on.

So why had this happened?

A spark of heat flared to the top of Ariadne’s head as if her father’s kindness had been tossed aside and trampled on.

“Where is His Grace right now?”

“Um… I’m not sure, but I think he’s in his office. I heard he had no external schedule today.”

“Then let’s go to him.”

The teacup that had provided her with some relief just a little while ago was now completely unwelcome.

Ariadne put down her teacup and got up at once.

However, she did not move with her usual soft, unhurried steps.

Anger fueled her stride as she lifted her skirts and marched towards the door.

“M-My Lady!”

Jay gasped and hurried after her; she had never seen her mistress storm out like this.

“Are you going to confront him? Shouldn’t we at least check if His Grace is there before—?”

“I don’t think I’m capable of thinking that far right now, Jay. If he’s not there, then so be it—
but I have to go.”

Anxious, Jay hurried after her, but Ariadne could think of only one thing: she needed to confront him immediately.

After all, it was her father’s goodwill at stake. He had invested so much in this marriage and in House Ambrose, and he had apologized for not being able to provide her with more. At least he wanted to give her a dress.

She had sent his request exactly as she had received it, ensuring it would be conveyed properly.

Had he ignored it?

“My lady, b-but perhaps he was busy—?”

“Yes. That’s possible.”

He could have been busy. Yes, given his usual schedule, that was entirely possible. But if that were the case, he should have told her.

At the very least, he could have passed on the message to her through Derrick, saying that someone from the boutique had come but didn’t want to keep them waiting.

Yet he hadn’t said a word.

Even after she came home, he didn’t send anyone to inform her.

They already lived like strangers who barely shared a roof and now he couldn’t even relay something this simple?

Before she could analyze whether this was a misunderstanding, she was already furious.

Ariadne lifted her skirt to her ankles and practically ran.

The servants she passed in the hallway stared at her, wide-eyed, but she didn’t notice any of them.

“My lady—goodness, my lady!”

Jay hurried after her, but Ariadne no longer had the mental capacity to worry about her.

She had never experienced anger like this before, never anything so all-consuming that it seemed to consume her from the inside out.

In truth, she had rarely felt anger at all before, only minor irritations that she blamed herself for. But now she was furious enough to tear everything apart.

He had already taken and enjoyed so much, and yet he still dared to dismiss this small gesture of goodwill?

He could disregard her if he wished, but he had no right to disregard her father.

With that fire raging in her chest, she stormed towards his office. She knocked once, pushed the door open, and entered before he could respond.

“So in this part—ah, my lady?”

Herald, who had been in the middle of explaining something, turned towards her, looking startled.

She scanned the room: Herald was holding documents and had stopped speaking mid-sentence, while Kieron was leaning on his desk with raised brows, clearly displeased.

Seeing that irritated face made something erupt in Ariadne’s mind.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“…What?”

Kieron’s voice snapped back at her but she was already past the point of listening.

That was why Ariadne began hurling raw, unfiltered accusations at him.

“I asked if you’re in your right mind. After taking so much from my father, you’re now openly disrespecting him?”

Kieron’s expression hardened at her cutting words.

Herald, drained of color, stared at his mistress in shock.

The Ariadne they knew would never have said this, no matter the circumstances. She would never intentionally wound Kieron’s pride.

Both men were aware of this, and Ariadne knew they were aware of it. But right now, she just wanted to hurl everything that had hurt her at him. She wanted him to feel even a fraction of the hurt she felt.

“Ariadne Ambrose. You barge into my office out of nowhere and start spewing nonsense? Are you still half-asleep?”

Kieron was not someone who could be easily overpowered. He frowned as he snapped back, his tone bordering on ‘Are you insane?’

Yes. She supposed she must be.

A bitter smile twisted her lips.

“Unfortunately for you, it’s not nonsense, and I’m fully awake. And if we’re really comparing who’s lost their mind—don’t you think it’s you? I’m seriously beginning to question whether you’re in your right mind at all.”

“Watch your tongue, Ariadne Ambrose.”

Her voice was cynical and her tone sharp, and her face was full of contempt.

Kieron had never seen her like this before. He didn’t know how someone who seemed so gentle could become so calculating when angry — she was a true Peyton through and through.

“Watch my tongue?” That’s rich. And what about you? Have you not crossed a line?”

“…”

“How could you ignore something that my father put so much thought and heart into?”

“…”

“I heard you just sent the boutique staff back!”

Ariadné’s voice came out like a scream.

At that, Herald—who had been inching backward the whole time—froze.

***

To be honest, Kieron was rather taken aback.

Ariadne had charged at him like a furious horse or bull, accusing him out of the blue and questioning his sanity. Only now was she revealing the reason why.

However, after hearing it, he understood her even less.

Someone from the boutique had come on the Marquis’s orders?

And she was this angry just because he sent them back?

“Why is that a problem? There are plenty of clothes, and the one they asked for wasn’t home. So I sent them back. Why is that something to get this angry over?”

“Oh. You don’t even understand why it’s a problem. So that’s why you so blatantly dismissed my father’s goodwill? Because you already took everything you wanted from him?”

“I told you to watch your words.”

He tried to keep his voice steady, but it was clear that she hadn’t heard a word.

Jay, who had followed her in, quickly shut the partially open office door in a panic. Then she froze, unable to move any further.

Had she always been like this?

Kieron tried to remember if she had ever displayed even a hint of this kind of temper during their marriage.

No matter how far back he searched, he couldn’t recall a single instance.

Certainly not over something her father had sent, and he had turned away.

“If there’s a misunderstanding, shouldn’t we clear it up? And if something upsets you, shouldn’t we talk about it instead of shouting? What exactly does yelling fix?”

“Oh, really? Then maybe, if you didn’t want to hear me shout, you should’ve done things properly. I clearly told you it was my father’s goodwill, his sincerity—and asked you, even if it was inconvenient, to have at least one outfit tailored. Was it really that difficult to spare a little time? How long does it take to have clothes fitted?”

Ariadne trembling with fury.

Meanwhile, Kieron was too shaken by the barrage of direct hits to regain his footing.

Was this really the Ariadne he knew?

He stared at her in disbelief before running a rough hand through his hair.

“Are you sure that employee was sent by the Marquis? Shouldn’t you have told me something like that beforehand?”

“I did tell you! Don’t you dare say I didn’t! I showed you the whole letter my father wrote – how could you not have seen it? Do you really expect me to believe that?”

While the two of them argued, Herald stood to the side looking pale and restless, his face twisted with guilt.