The ducal couple, Ambrose and Jade Derayan, and Princess Sylvia and Heidel Peyton all kept their distance from each other, avoiding any meetings until the wedding day.

However, this didn’t mean that they were idle.

To avoid leaving a trace, Ariadne, Jade and Heidel only communicated with each other and never contacted Sylvia directly.

They had to coordinate Ariadne’s overall plan, as well as devise the detailed strategy needed to deal with Lorelei, the culprit who had stolen the bridesmaid dress.

While Sylvia tirelessly worked to lure Lorelei out of hiding, Ariadne helped Heidel with the wedding preparations in her place.

Everything had to appear to be proceeding smoothly outwardly, but quietly enough to make people wonder if something unusual was happening.

They walked that delicate line perfectly.

While the trio worked hard in silence, moving carefully behind the scenes, Princess Sylvia gathered information about Lorelei wherever she could, building her reputation among the public.

“I’ve already been working on it little by little, so it will be fine.”

And through all of Sylvia’s efforts, Kieron accompanied her. Heidel had been the first to suggest it—saying that, since they would soon be family, Kieron could lend a hand. Ariadne, too, had asked whether he could support Sylvia for the time being.

He declined Heidel’s request, but he agreed to Ariadne’s. He wasn’t particularly eager, but he accepted for his wife’s sake.

Sylvia didn’t seem thrilled to have him following her around either, but she allowed it, understanding that it was necessary.

“We received another report from the imperial palace today. Lorelei injured someone again.”

“Again…? Is she planning to make an enemy out of the entire palace at this point?”

“Who knows. Judging by her behavior, it certainly looks that way.”

Sylvia laughed briefly at Kieron’s comment.

Recently, Lorelei had been acting as if she already owned the place.

She wasn’t even crown princess, let alone empress, yet she was acting as if the entire palace were her domain.

“Honestly, if she was going to be like this, she should’ve lived according to her temperament from the very beginning. Why bother suppressing it all this time?”

‘She was going to end up like this anyway.’

Sylvia’s voice dripped with mocking amusement.

“And what’s the sentiment in the palace?”

“What sentiment? Everyone’s too busy groveling in front of her. Father doesn’t seem interested in interfering either.”

She let out a scoff, explaining that as long as Lorelei behaved well toward her younger siblings and stepmother, it seemed His Majesty considered that enough.

“How can he not realize that her lovely temperament will eventually turn on that cherished wife and son of his?”

“When people get older, they stop seeing things they used to see clearly, Your Highness. His Majesty is aging like everyone else.”

To Sylvia’s sharp sarcasm, Kieron responded in a calm, even tone.

She raised a brow and let out a mocking laugh.

“Isn’t that quite an irreverent statement? What will you do if I report it to His Majesty exactly as is?”

“A fact remains a fact, Your Highness.”

“Duke Ambrose, you’re surprisingly brazen, aren’t you?”

“I’ve taken note of Your Highness’s opinion.”

Sylvia spoke in a mischievous tone, but Kieron didn’t react at all, he replied steadily and flatly, showing no emotion.

No matter what kind of playful provocation she attempted, it was as if he had no intention of engaging. He seemed completely unaware that maintaining such a straight face only made things funnier.

Sylvia burst out laughing.

“Does the duchess even know how entertaining you are?”

“You are the only one who says I’m entertaining, Your Highness.”

“That’s not true. You’re very entertaining. Truly. The duchess doesn’t know?”

Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she asked the question, but Kieron remained silent. He had never considered himself entertaining, and he didn’t think Ariadne needed to know otherwise.

What was he to her?

Perhaps just someone who was somewhat helpless.

Ever since he had vaguely admitted that he struggled to recognize his own emotions, she would occasionally ask him how he felt at certain moments.

What he was thinking.

How he felt.

She would even ask if he could put any of it into words.

Sometimes, she treated him like a three-year-old child.

Not that he particularly disliked it.

Since he didn’t dislike the way she treated him, he saw no reason to let her know that he might actually be ‘entertaining’.

“So, are we going to meet Your Highness’s followers now?”

“Followers? They’re supporters.”

“Close enough.”

“You really have no sense of romance.”

The two continued their light back-and-forth as they headed towards the meeting hall, where Sylvia’s people were waiting.

The meeting place was an old mansion on the outskirts of the capital, known simply as ‘the Abandoned Place’.

***

“I didn’t expect that place to belong to your family.”

“Where? The ‘Abandoned Place’?”

Ariadne nodded as she looked at Jade.

It was an eerie, long-neglected house in the capital that was often used in children’s ghost stories to frighten them.

Learning that it belonged to the Derayan family came as a surprise.

Seeing the surprise on her face, Jade waved a hand as if it were no big deal.

“We’ve had it for ages. It was originally meant to be rented out, but it’s so far from everything that people eventually forgot about it. Tenants were hard to find because of the distance.”

But we still clean it from time to time.

Jade added that it was just an empty house, nothing truly frightening.

“More importantly, does His Grace know? That I’m here today?”

Jade looked around nervously as he spoke.

While Kieron was out with Princess Sylvia, Ariadne had invited her over for tea.

Kieron had already given his permission, he had told her she could invite anyone whenever she was bored.

Nevertheless, Jade seemed terrified that someone in the mansion might discover him.

‘Who exactly are you afraid will catch you here?’

Ariadne let out a small, helpless laugh at his needless anxiety.

“Of course he knows, Jade. He even told me to treat you well before sending you off.”

Ever since he started accompanying Princess Sylvia, Kieron’s life had become much busier.

Sylvia was determined to finish all her wedding preparations and unveil them on the big day.

This was why he was being dragged around day and night.

Although Ariadne had brought this situation upon herself, Kieron was always concerned about leaving her alone whenever he left the house.

Before heading out, he always told her the same thing.

“If there’s anyone you want to invite, call them anytime. And if there’s anywhere you wish to go, go wherever you like.”

Money, time, space — none of that mattered. She could do whatever she wanted during the hours he wasn’t with her.

A man like that would hardly object to her inviting Jade over, especially since he had become so much more accommodating lately.

Especially since he had become so much more accommodating.

He no longer reacted with coldness whenever she went out for bridesmaid preparations. At some point, that had simply stopped.

She waved her hand lightly to reassure Jade again.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. He goes out so often these days that he keeps telling me I can do whatever I want.”

“Really?”

“Of course. He takes such good care of me.”

She said it to comfort him, yet even as she spoke, Ariadne found herself thinking about how strange those words felt.

She was talking about how much her husband cared for and worried about her, truthfully, because that was how she was genuinely being treated.

A small, warm and sincere smile formed on her lips, and it couldn’t be ignored.

Seeing that smile, Jade couldn’t help but smile too.

She looked so much happier than before.

As if she were glowing.

“His Grace must be treating you well.”

“Treating me well?”

“Isn’t he? Just look at your face right now.”

Jade laughed when he spoke, causing Ariadne to blink and look mildly confused.

Was Kieron treating her well?

They talked far more than they used to, and she understood him much better now. However, she had never considered this to be anything out of the ordinary.

To her, that was simply how married couples were meant to be. It was just the natural order of things. But that didn’t mean Kieron hadn’t done anything to get them to that point.

He had sincerely worked to build what she believed to be the normal state of a marriage. He had put in effort every step of the way.

She was grateful, of course. Yet she had never viewed his efforts as anything out of the ordinary.

Perhaps this was because she had grown up in an exceptionally stable and loving family.

For Kieron, however, who hadn’t, all of this must have been unfamiliar.

Nevertheless, he tried to understand her and accept the way she lived. What came naturally to her required considerable effort from him.

Ariadne let out a soft laugh and nodded.

“Yes. He treats me well.”

“Good. You look happy.”

“Do I?”

‘Happy.’

Was she happy at that moment?

She asked herself the question. She had a husband who wasn’t particularly affectionate, but who tried to be. She had a future sister-in-law with grand ambitions. And a family who always supported her.

Wasn’t that enough?

Was there something more she wanted?

She searched for an answer, but nothing came to her.

From the outset, wanting anything more than this had seemed like a luxury she wasn’t entitled to.