Herald had never intended for this to happen.

In truth, it had never even occurred to him.

Why would he ever dare come between his lord and his lady?

They were barely a couple in name alone.

They avoided each other far more than they saw each other, and when they did meet, they were so cold and distant towards each other that Herald often wondered if they had silently agreed to act as though the other simply didn’t exist.

In a situation like that, the last thing they needed was him making matters worse. And yet… somehow, that was exactly what had happened.

A frustrated groan rose within him, and he resisted the urge to claw at his hair.

“What letter are you talking about? I never received anything.”

“Oh, you didn’t? And now you’re saying you simply forgot? Unbelievable. Then are you claiming I handed that letter to someone who doesn’t even exist?”

“Calm down! I need to figure out what happened too!”

Her accusations were justified, but each word tore at her husband like a blade. Herald knew that the lady’s heart must be shattered, too.

He kept glancing between them, desperately trying to find an opportunity to speak.

He had to stop this fight.

Immediately.

But—

“Figure it out? You mean look for it? What, did you throw it away? Or did the letter magically disappear into the ground?”

“Ariadne Ambrose. That’s enough.”

“If I sent something to Your Grace and it never came back, then obviously you mishandled it. Isn’t that right?”

‘No, Stepping in now would be practically suicidal.’

Herald’s lips twitched silently as he exchanged a troubled look with Jay, who stood rigidly nearby.

“You delivered it… right?”

Jay mouthed the question silently and nodded towards Kieron. But Herald couldn’t answer her. Even to him, the mistake he had made was catastrophic.

“Y–Your Grace…”

“I really can’t stand this anymore! I’m leaving for my father’s estate today—just so you know.”

“I recall agreeing that we would go together. Didn’t you agree to that as well?”

“Your Grace? My lady?”

“Is this really the time to argue about agreements? When you’ve effectively insulted my parents? That’s what this is!”

“Your Grace!”

The one who finally brought the argument to a halt was Jay. She shouted—loud enough to cut straight through the storm. Both of them froze, startled into silence, and turned to look at her.

“Not me—Herald has something to tell you both.”

Herald silently thanked every divine being for Jay’s presence. Even though this was a humiliating moment, at least he wouldn’t have to suffer alone and keep the confession to himself.

Feeling their eyes return to him, Herald slowly exhaled.

“I… I apologize, Your Grace. And my lady. I did receive the letter and message you sent, but… I forgot to deliver them to Your Grace.”

“…What?”

“I—I’m sorry! I remember thinking I absolutely had to deliver it, but… when I checked, the letter was still on my desk…”

Herald’s confession froze the entire room.

Kieron, who had been bombarded with accusations for reasons he did not understand, stood stock still, his expression wiped clean, looking at Herald.

Ariadne, who had thought Kieron had deliberately ignored her father’s gesture, also stood motionless, her face etched with shock.

“So… you’re saying I was just berated for something I didn’t even do?”

“I… I did tell Your Grace, though! I told you the boutique would be coming. It’s true I should’ve confirmed the schedule again, and for that I apologize, but—”

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Herald insisted that he had spoken to Kieron about the visit and that he had simply failed to deliver the letter.

Kieron frowned, trying to summon the memory. Meanwhile, Ariadne clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white.

When Herald first spoke, she had panicked, thinking she had made a terrible mistake. However, upon hearing that the schedule had been conveyed, just not the letter, the anger she had tried to suppress returned with a vengeance.

So, in the end, it hadn’t been Herald who had forgotten.

It was Kieron.

Knowing how meticulous her husband was about work, Ariadne could only conclude that he had either deliberately dismissed the letter or considered it too insignificant to remember.

Otherwise, why would Herald look so stricken and guilty?

Ariadne scolded herself for feeling guilty about snapping at him in the first place.

“So it’s Your Grace’s fault, then.”

“M-my lady, I still failed to—this is my mistake too—”

“Your loyalty is admirable, Herald but, there’s no need to shield your master from his own negligence.”

This was Kieron’s doing. He was the one who had belittled and dismissed her father’s goodwill. He would deny it, of course. But his attitude told her everything she needed to know.

Finally, Ariadne understood exactly where she stood in his life. Kieron Ambrose had never prioritized Ariadne Peyton, not once. He hadn’t even cared enough to remember. To him, she was just the duchess. Nothing more.

The moment this truth sank in, the conclusion she had long avoided became impossible to escape.

“I’ll go to the boutique alone. You’ll just say you don’t have the time anyway.”

“…Ariadne. I can make time for that.”

“It’s already too late, Your Grace. If you were going to make time, you should have done it yesterday. I even left the estate so it would be easier for you. I can’t possibly trouble you to make that effort twice.”

Although she spoke without bitterness, her words cut deep.

There was no fixing this.

Kieron wasn’t going to change — not for her, and certainly not for their marriage. He wouldn’t make time.

He never had.

It was time to end it.

Without hesitation, Ariadne turned her back on him.

She was done wasting her time.

***

“What exactly happened here? Explain.”

Kieron glared at his aide, barely containing his fury.

What on earth was he talking about? Letters? Schedules?

Trying not to picture his wife walking away from him as if she had no intention of ever coming back, he pressed Herald for answers.

But the aide only kept apologizing.

“It was my fault for not confirming it again, Your Grace. You even told me to remind you later…”

“I told you that? When?”

“Last week, Your Grace. The day after Madam entrusted me with the letter. The same day you sent your reply to Her Highness.”

Upon hearing Herald’s words, everything finally fell into place.

It was the day he had sent that letter to Princess Sylvia, formally declaring his political support. He had braced himself for the uproar it would cause and prepared for the Elders’ response.

It was also the day, just before all that happened, when he clashed with Ariadne and forced himself not to think about anything that wasn’t absolutely essential.

Why did it have to be that day of all days?

Kieron pressed a hand to his forehead and shut his eyes tightly.

This was going to be a headache.

The Marquis would certainly hear about it.

Considering he believed that Kieron genuinely wanted to get along with his daughter, the Marquis would be bewildered, perhaps even suspicious, wondering if Kieron’s words had been nothing but polite deception.

But the truth was simple: She had rejected him first.

Ariadne was far too sensitive about the idea of consummation, attaching unnecessary emotions to something that, fundamentally, was a marital duty.

It was as though it could only happen once every wound in her heart had been healed and every grievance resolved.

Kieron still couldn’t understand it.

All married couples hurt each other. Yet most did not treat it as a sacred rite requiring perfect harmony beforehand. What unrealistic fantasy had she built around it?

But that had nothing to do with the matter at hand.

In the situation with the boutique, he was undeniably at fault.

With a long, resigned sigh, he placed his order with Herald.

“Adjust my schedule. I’ll go with her tomorrow.”

“…Your Grace, wouldn’t it be better not to go?”

Herald asked carefully. He suggested that approaching Ariadne at this time would only make things worse, and that it would be wiser to give her space.

This would have been true if it were only the two of them involved.

“And what do you expect me to say to the marquis if I don’t go?”

It was the Marquis’s goodwill that had caused this entire problem. Naturally, he was now caught up in it. Once he heard about it, as he inevitably would, Kieron couldn’t simply sit back and hope the issue would go away.

He rubbed his temples and instructed Herald to check Ariadne’s schedule. Hopefully, this would smooth things over. He truly didn’t want any more conflict.

What benefit was there in constantly clashing?

When two people live together, mistakes are bound to happen. That’s normal. But did every misstep have to be scrutinized?

Did every moment require dissection, and did every passing emotion demand soothing?

Wouldn’t it be better to just carry on?

Who lived happily every single day?

He had never seen a couple like that, nor could he realistically imagine such perfection existing.

People compromised.

That was how everyone got by.

No one examined every tiny irritation or passing disappointment in painstaking detail.

That was why Kieron had resolved to speak with her the following day, to make their marriage smoother and more tolerable.

Something just a little better than what they had now.