“Stop what? Did you not see how happy Rene looked just now?”

But Jade shook his head firmly.

There had been a brief moment in the past when he had wavered, but lately, whenever he saw the expression on Rene’s face, he knew that nobody could bring themselves to say such things to her.

Not when she smiled so brightly and insisted that she was finally all right.

Recently, more and more people around him had started talking about Ariadne.

Heidel, of course:

His fiancée, Princess Sylvia.

Even Princess Lorelei and Ariadne’s brothers, whom he met from time to time, all said the same thing.

They all talked about Ariadne. They said how unhappy she was. They gently and insistently urged him to believe that only he could make her happy.

Perhaps he should take action.

He couldn’t tell whether they were saying such things because Renée had been visiting him often to prepare for the wedding or if they genuinely believed he was best suited to Ariadne.

Either way, he had no intention of doing anything about it.

After all, Ariadne was a kind and thoughtful woman who never made decisions without reason. If she had chosen Kieron, there must be reasons that Jade simply wasn’t aware of.

In fact, he suspected the truth was far simpler: they just didn’t know each other well enough.

Not yet, at least.

Anyone who saw how she looked standing beside her husband would never have dared to suggest otherwise.

She shone next to him. She looked the most at ease and content there. Even if her marriage wasn’t going smoothly at that moment in time, that was still where she looked happiest and most suited. And yet they wanted someone who had no claim or right to her?

It was absurd.

Jade sank back onto the sofa and waved a dismissive hand.

“Renée made her choice. So she’ll handle things her way.”

As the wedding drew closer, Heidel became increasingly restless. He began to say things that were completely out of character for him.  He rambled nonsense about entrusting his sister to Jade, even though she was perfectly capable of living her own life.

The same man who had never once considered divorce was now encouraging Jade to persuade his sister to consider it. And every time Renée stopped by, Heidel pressured him to ‘catch her quickly’.

Heidel genuinely believed that his sister and closest friend were the most suitable couple in the world for each other. But Jade couldn’t begin to understand why he was interfering in someone else’s marriage when his own wedding was imminent.

He let out a sigh and shook his head.

“So stop here, Heidel. What will you do if Renée finds out?”

“Renée is mine to protect. Don’t think that far ahead—just make up your mind.”

“What mind? You’re the one who needs to stop. Do you want her to resent you?”

Jade tried again to dissuade him, but Heidel ignored every word. He simply pressed him harder, demanding Jade decide what he planned to do.

Jade could only stare at his friend, unable to comprehend him.

“Your feelings for Renée are real, Jade. And you’re just going to bury them?”

“Get a grip, Heidel. If you truly care about Renée, then you don’t shove my selfishness onto someone who’s finally happy.”

Why did he keep raising this issue with Ariadne?

The most important thing in any relationship is the feelings of the people involved, and it was clear that they had no such intentions.

Even if Heidel wanted to think politically now that he was marrying a princess, Ariadne’s husband was still one of only two dukes in the entire empire.

Although the duke maintained a neutral stance and had yet to exert significant influence, a ducal house far surpassed a count’s family in terms of influence, which stemmed solely from the arts.

Jade looked at his friend with genuine bewilderment.

“I have no intention of doing anything with Renée, Heidel. I believe the best way to care for her is to watch over her and support her. Satisfying my own selfish desires at the cost of hurting her? I won’t do that.”

He was unwavering. If he could help her at all, it would only be when she wanted it — not a moment sooner. Beyond that, the best thing he could offer was to be someone she could rely on.

For this reason, he no longer wanted to discuss this with Heidel. He could only hope that his friend would come to his senses soon.

“So stop hiding and eavesdropping whenever Renée visits me. Aren’t you even embarrassed at the thought of her finding out?”

He clicked his tongue quietly.

Heidel let out a sharp, incredulous breath.

“You’re lecturing me now?”

“It’s advice. Friendly advice, if you like.”

Leaving his baffled friend behind, Jade walked out of the room with a long, heavy sigh.

When would Heidel finally come to his senses?

***

After her conversation with Jade helped clear her head, Ariadne went straight back to the ducal estate.

She had originally planned to visit Jade and then go straight to the marquessate, but she now realized that she needed to speak to Kieron again first.

She could always seek her parents’ counsel once she had organized her thoughts. With this in mind, she arrived at the estate.

“Welcome back, my lady.”

It was Derrick who greeted her.

Derrick—who was always buried in internal affairs and served practically as Kieron’s second-in-command—was someone she rarely met face-to-face. Seeing him waiting in the lobby made her wonder if something had happened.

“Is something going on at the estate?”

“Pardon? No, my lady. Nothing at all.”

“Then why…”

She was about to ask why he was out in the lobby if nothing was wrong but the question itself felt rather odd. It wasn’t strange for the chief steward to welcome the duchess at the entrance.

So she swallowed the question and gave a small, awkward smile instead.

“Is His Grace in his office?”

“Ah—no, my lady. His Grace is in the rear garden at the moment.”

“…His Grace? In the garden?”

What did that even mean?

Kieron, who lived as though being shut in his office was the only pleasure life had to offer, was in the garden at this hour?

Unable to hide her surprise, Ariadne blinked.

“Is he entertaining a guest?”

“Yes, my lady.”

Derrick answered politely to the question she had thrown out only half-seriously.

Ah—of course.

As expected.

There was no way Kieron would leave his office without a reason.

Thinking it was only natural, she placed her foot on the first step, intending to head upstairs.

“When the guest leaves, please let me know. I’ll be in my room.”

“Of course, my lady. However…”

“Are you not curious who the guest is, my lady?”

Derrick’s sudden, pointed question stopped her in her tracks.

Was she curious about who the guest was?

She, who had hardly ever asked where Kieron was and rarely wondered what he was doing, was supposed to ask about the person he was meeting now?

Yes, there had been a time when she wanted to know everything about him, but not anymore.

Not even a little.

The question was so unexpected that she could only blink wordlessly.

“My apologies, my lady. It seems I’ve troubled you with an unnecessary question.”

Seeing her confused expression, Derrick quickly backed off.

He bowed slightly, still impeccably formal, and asked her to forget what he had just said, that he had overstepped the mark and meant nothing by it.

“I beg your pardon. Please don’t think too much of it.”

“I don’t know why you asked, but yes—I won’t dwell on it.”

Ariadne waved her hand dismissively.

After glancing once more at Derrick, who was still standing with his head lowered, she turned and continued walking up the stairs.

But even as she went up, her mind turned.

‘What was he hoping I would say?’
‘And who on earth is visiting that Derrick would ask something like that?’

She said she wouldn’t think about it, yet the more she tried not to, the more it gnawed at her.

Ariadne glanced back at Jay following close behind and whispered softly.

“Jay. Could you find out who came to the estate?”

“Yes, my lady. I’ll check. Shall I also find out where His Grace is in the garden?”

“Mmm… no. I don’t think we need to know that.”

Ariadne nodded slightly and stepped into her room.

Only after ensuring that she needed nothing more did Jay quietly slip back out to carry out her instructions.

Although she had only been told to find out who the visitor was, Jay also intended to find out where the duke was.

Her lady might want to know later. Besides, if she was honest, Jay was curious herself.

Who could possibly draw the Duke of Ambrose, who practically lived in his office, out into the garden?

Depending on who it was and where they were meeting, she might be able to guess the purpose of the visit.

So Jay wandered through the hallways, searching for someone who could tell her what was going on at the estate.

And then—

“I think I know why my lady is so beautiful.”

Jay stopped.

Again?

She realized she had walked right into the same line of thought and backtracked mentally before focusing on the voices ahead.

A group of maids had gathered by a window, chatting excitedly as they stared outside.

“I nearly fainted when she came in earlier. I mean—it’s true what they say. People line up across the Holy Empire just to see her face. Honestly, I’d line up too.”

“I know, right? And that painting… gods…”

Several maids had gathered by the window and were exchanging comments as they looked outside.

Jay instinctively ducked behind them when she recognized that whatever they were talking about was precisely the information she needed.

Holding her breath, she crept closer, silently positioning herself behind the maids as they continued to gossip.

She listened.

“Look at the marquis and his lady. How can two people look so perfectly matched?”

“I heard their sons are incredibly handsome too. Well… with parents who look like that, of course they would be.”

“Remember when all three of them came together last time?”

“Huh? They all came at once?”

“Yeah! Just a little while ago. You didn’t see? It was—well, let me tell you…”

As Jay listened, she no longer had any doubt.

They were talking about the Marquis and Marchioness of Peyton.