Ariadne, Kieron, Princess Sylvia and the others only managed to sleep a little during the night. They had to discuss the next steps and devise a way to contain the situation.

Ariadne’s suggestion that Izell Boutique remake the dresses with the help of an additional designer was accepted without objection. Realistically, it was the most practical solution and the only viable option.

The plan was to entrust the task to the most skilled artisan currently sponsored by the Derayan family.

Fortunately, Count Derayan’s definition of ‘art’ was broad; otherwise, finding a designer willing to work through the night would have been almost impossible.

Everyone present, including the staff, was given strict orders to remain silent.

Kieron and Sylvia personally spoke to the knights assigned to track down the thief, urging them to keep quiet, too.

Every knight admired Kieron Ambrose, the battlefield hero, so appealing to their sense of honor was worth a try.

Conveniently, the unit dispatched tonight comprised knights who held Kieron in high regard.

Sylvia also returned to the palace before dawn to prevent rumors from spreading. The longer she stayed outside, the more suspicious it would seem — at least according to Heide reason.

“It’s best if Sylvia returns to the palace quickly. We’ll keep you updated on everything.”

They couldn’t afford to cause any unnecessary speculation. Such rumors could easily lead to a bigger scandal.

With that, Sylvia left first.

The remaining four continued to discuss countermeasures and relay decisions back to her.

It was only after sunrise that Sylvia, still anxious in the palace, and the others, still considering better ideas, finally stopped exchanging messages.

“Let’s head back for now. We’ll leave the rest to Izell and the designer.”

Jade nodded, and so did Kieron.

Ariadne, who had been half-asleep for a while, answered with a yawn.

“Let’s split up for now and meet again this afternoon. Jade and I need to choose new bridesmaid outfits.”

“Alright. I’ll contact the boutiques our family sponsors. They should have a few premade pieces set aside.”

Jade nodded at Ariadne’s words. There was enough time and manpower to remake two damaged dresses, but none to recreate the bridesmaid attire, so they planned to use ready-made pieces.

“It’s best if they’re unreleased designs. It’ll be troublesome if someone recognizes them.”

“Obviously.”

Jade said with a faint laugh. Once the discussion concluded, the four rose from their seats.

“See you later, Rene.”

“Mm. You two be careful on your way.”

“See you later, Rene.”

While the three of them exchanged a few final words, Kieron stepped ahead, opened the door, and asked a passing employee to prepare the carriage outside.

When the others moved to leave, he spoke to them.

“Then, get home safely.”

“…Please take good care of Rene.”

“Of course.”

Kieron nodded in agreement to Heidel’s suggestion and the four of them quietly went their separate ways, moving as discreetly as possible in case they were spotted.

The Ambrose couple left first.

Ariadne was less energetic than the others and had repeatedly fallen asleep. They had agreed to leave one by one to avoid drawing attention, so Kieron and Ariadne boarded their carriage and headed home ahead of the others.

She had asked his permission to rest, and slept the entire way back.

Watching her sleep, Kieron found himself wondering whether he should tell her not to go out again that afternoon.

She looked utterly exhausted.

Once they returned to the estate, he suspected that she would fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

With that thought in mind, he instructed the coachman to slow down.

The carriage rolled along in a quiet, unhurried rhythm until they finally arrived home.

Even then, she didn’t wake, and Kieron simply sat there, watching her in silence.

Only then did he realize that he had never truly looked at her like this before — quietly, without expectation or judgement.

Whenever he had watched her before, there had always been some calculation at the back of his mind, some measure of how far she might go.

He had observed her, yes, but he had never simply looked at her. As he sat beside her, he suddenly felt foolish.

Despite insisting that marriage was a burden and that he didn’t want to get married again, he had never taken the time to care for or understand Ariadne.

Due to his negligence, things had escalated to the point where she had put divorce papers in front of him.

Divorce among nobles was rare, but not impossible, and with a family as supportive as hers, she certainly had no reason to hesitate.

He thought of the bold way she had confronted him with the papers not long ago, and a bitter smile tugged at his lips.

Once was enough. He wouldn’t let things deteriorate to that point again. He could respond to the Marquis’s unreasonable demands and insults directly. There had never been any reason to take such things out on Ariadne.

Judging by her expression at the time, she hadn’t even been aware of them.

He might not love her as much as she loved him — at least not yet — but if he wanted to avoid a divorce, he had to try.

His conclusion was simple: stop overthinking, stop clinging to pointless pride, and just do what needed to be done.

If he behaved like an ordinary husband and showed a reasonable amount of care and effort, they could probably live together without too much difficulty.

Still lost in these thoughts and watching her sleep, he noticed Derrick outside the carriage window. He had clearly sprinted over, as he was out of breath.

Kieron cast a final glance at the sleeping Ariadne, then stepped out of the carriage.

“What is it?”

He closed the carriage door behind him as he asked.

“Is the lady still asleep?”

Derrick cast a glance inside the carriage.

“Yes. Did you need to speak with her?”

“No, rather… it’s just that…”

Derrick looked uneasy—restless, even.

Kieron was about to ask what was going on when Derrick spoke first.

“A short while ago, a box arrived.”

“A box?”

When Kieron asked who had sent it, Derrick said that the box bore no name, only a large ‘R’.

As it had not been delivered by post, it was impossible to verify its origin.

The moment Kieron heard this, he almost instinctively understood.

The person who had ordered the infiltration of the boutique, the theft of the groomsmen’s attire, and the destruction of Princess Sylvia’s dresses could be none other than Lorelei.

How blatant. He had expected as much, but hadn’t thought she would be so obvious about it. She hadn’t even bothered to hide her involvement.

A bitter laugh escaped him.

He let out a short scoff and thought that he should inform Heide and Jade immediately.

“Was the thing inside… clothing?”

“Y–yes. Clothes, and a letter.”

Derrick produced the letter from inside his coat and continued speaking.

“The contents were strange, and since Jay said the outfit originally belonged to the Derayan young master, I thought I should wait for Your Grace… just in case…”

“So you came looking for me because I didn’t return.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Kieron listened and unfolded the letter Derrick handed him.

[To the esteemed Duke Ambrose,
A wedding is always most beautifully adorned by the families of the bride and groom, don’t you agree?
With that in mind, I’m sending you this outfit. I sincerely hope you wear it at Sylvia’s wedding. After all, we’ll be the ones to bring the celebration to its grand finale.
Yours, R.]

“‘Yours,’ my foot.”

That was the first thing he said after reading it.

Ridiculous. Finale or not, the wedding belonged to the bride and groom. They were the only ones who should shine that day.

He folded the letter carelessly and looked back at Derrick.

“Who knows about this?”

“For now—the servant who brought the parcel, myself, Jay, and Herald. Everyone else simply thinks a strange package arrived.”

Derrick spoke, then looked at Kieron with a worried expression.

“But, Your Grace… the intruder who attacked the boutique last night—has that person still not been caught?”

“Not yet. But I suspect it won’t be long.”

He lifted the letter lightly between his fingers. It wasn’t the culprit that mattered—it was the one behind the culprit.

Either way, now that he knew the true instigator, they had to inform Princess Sylvia quickly. But if he sent someone directly, Lorelei might grow suspicious…

“What is that?”

A voice suddenly came from behind them.

Kieron turned—and saw Ariadne leaning slightly out of the carriage window, peering at them.
She must have woken at some point.

He met her still-sleepy eyes.

“When did you wake up?”

“Just now. Since the moment Your Grace started waving that letter around?”

Ariadne greeted Derrick, then closed the window and stepped down from the carriage. Kieron escorted her as she descended, then handed her the letter he held.

“You’ll understand once you read it. They said a package arrived this morning.”

“A package?”

“According to Jay, it’s the groomsman’s outfit for Young Master Derayan.”

“No way.”

Ariadne’s expression turned doubtful at Derrick’s words, but once she read the letter, her brows drew together sharply.

“Is… is this actually real?”

“It must be.”

At his reply, Ariadne furrowed her brow even more, as if turning something over in her mind. Then, suddenly—she let out a short, sharp laugh.