It was undoubtedly a misunderstanding.

He had never considered Violet in relation to his marriage, not even for a moment. In fact, he had regarded her as irrelevant to the matter. This was precisely why he had responded so indifferently when she had misunderstood him earlier. He offered no explanation or clarification, simply letting her believe what she wanted and letting the matter pass.

“In any case, Her Grace—the Grand Duchess—has been remarkably lenient toward Lady Violet, considering she is of common birth.”

After his earlier outburst, Adil belatedly tempered his tone and spoke more cautiously.

“And to be honest… I hesitate to say this, but I too have found it somewhat uncomfortable that Lady Violet calls you by name.”

Cadel emerged from his thoughts and looked at him.

“She may have been granted a viscountess title through Your Grace’s favor, but she is still the daughter of your wet nurse. There is not a single person in this castle who does not know that.”

“…….”

“From the standpoint of the other servants, such obvious favoritism cannot sit well. And on top of that, she calls you by name. Tell me honestly—what servant addresses their master so freely?”

“You know it’s different. Violet is—”

“I know. That’s precisely why I’ve overlooked it.”

Adil explained that he had remained silent about the way Violet sometimes overstepped the mark in public and acted as though she were the mistress of the estate because he understood the nature of Cadel’s relationship with her.

“But, Your Grace, even if I can overlook it, the Grand Duchess cannot.”

“…….”

“Look at what has already happened. She asked to sleep in separate bedrooms because she couldn’t bear the thought of her husband not sleeping with her in their marital bed on rainy nights. Yet when Lady Violet is reprimanded, you immediately take her side.”

“I did not defend her.”

“Yes, you did. From my perspective, that was exactly what you did. How do you think Her Grace must have felt?”

Adil’s voice was firm.

Cadel’s expression tightened.

“Please, while I am still your wife, do not subject me to such humiliation again.”

Only now did he begin to understand what Jaina had meant by ‘humiliation’.

Leaning back in his chair, Cadel furrowed his brow.

He realized that he might have acted rashly in going to see her.

“Even when we first met, she took issue with that. And this time, she scolded me severely just for calling you by name.”

“I’ve grown so used to calling you Lord Cadel that it just slips out. I truly don’t mean it.”

“It feels as though Her Grace the Grand Duchess hates me terribly. If this continues, I might be mistreated for no reason….”

There was a time when Jaina slapped Violet across the face over what seemed like a trivial matter.

Violet claimed that Jaina had hit her just for being there. Disturbed by her account, Cadel told Jaina not to behave in that way.

Jaina’s expression at that moment was as though the sky itself had fallen on her.

The memory returned now, heavy and unpleasant.

Cadel straightened in his seat and let out a long, weary breath.

‘The past is the past. What matters is the present.’

Whether it was a curse or a blessing that she had returned with all her memories intact was hard to say. This time, he was determined not to lose her.

When he first went to the Empire to find her — the woman renowned for having the strongest divine power — and proposed, she simply nodded, her face calm and impassive.

That first impression had stayed with him.

Over time, it had grown quietly and steadily within his heart until it had become immense — until it had become love.

Yet he had never truly voiced that love. Due to the circumstances, he ended up hurting her — her, who had once had no choice but to love him.

Nevertheless, he had always believed that their hearts were bound together.

‘Perhaps… I was mistaken.’

Turning his head, Cadel stared out at the snowstorm raging beyond the window.

“Adil.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Then how should I remedy today’s mistake?”

***

Violet curved her lips as she looked at Merian, the maid assigned to clean the third-floor bedchamber.

“Did Lord Cadel truly say that?”

“He did. The two of them started arguing so suddenly—I was shocked.”

“Ahaha.”

Laughter burst from Violet’s lips.

She had approached Cadel with the most aggrieved expression she could muster, feeling offended by Jaina’s attitude.

As if simply becoming Grand Duchess made her important! It was laughable. It was an empty title, nothing more.

“But was their quarrel truly because of you?”

Merian asked, eyes wide.

Violet nodded.

“She scolded me this morning for calling Lord Cadel by name, so I went and told him.”

“Ah….”

“But honestly, Lord Cadel… how could he go straight to Her Grace like that? It makes it obvious that I ran to him.”

“Well, His Grace must have done it because he was thinking of you.”

“I know that. I do. But he could have waited a little. It would have spared Her Grace the embarrassment.”

Violet brushed her brown hair back with her hand and let out another peal of laughter.

Then she winked at Merian.

“Don’t you think he makes it a bit too obvious?”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“That he favors me.”

“Oh… well. His Grace has always been that way.”

Merian offered an awkward smile.

It was no secret within the Grand Ducal estate that its master favored Violet. There was little point in denying it.

“Still, she is the mistress of the estate in name. I almost feel bad that Lord Cadel had to scold her because of me.”

Violet scrunched up her nose playfully and smiled.

Merian knew better.

No matter what Violet said, Merian looked as though she wanted to burst into a dance of delight. She had always been someone whose emotions showed plainly on her face.

“Haha… I suppose so.”

“Should I go and apologize?”

“What? To Her Grace?”

“Yes. Where is she? The artificial garden?”

“Ah, perhaps… But wouldn’t it be better not to go right now?”

“Why?”

Violet tilted her head slightly at Merian’s cautious tone.

“She must be in a foul mood after quarreling with His Grace. If you go now, you might only pour oil on the fire….”

“Ahahaha!”

Violet burst into loud laughter, clutching her stomach.

Merian’s face filled with confusion. As if tears had formed from laughing so hard, she tapped beneath her eyes with her index finger.

“That’s precisely why I’m going. These things must be crushed at the start, or they grow bold.”

Her expression turned cold in an instant.

“I need to make it clear that I am not someone she can treat lightly.”

***

“So, are you saying that we should first purify the Elim Tree at the Grand Sanctuary with divine power and confirm its recovery before moving on to the imperial palace?”

Jaina looked down at the paper Amelie had handed her and asked.

Amelie nodded once.

“Yes, the saintesses’ divine power must return first. Only then will they be able to re-establish the barrier and fend off the monsters attacking the Empire more easily.”

“I agree. No matter how hard I work, it would be impossible for me alone to eliminate all the monsters across the Empire and maintain the barrier.”

Jaina spoke thoughtfully, a faint crease forming between her brows.

“But are we certain that once the Elim Tree recovers, the saintesses’ divine power will return as well?”

“That is something we cannot know without trying. I cannot give a definitive answer.”

“You’re right.”

“However, the sudden loss of the saintesses’ power is surely connected in some way to the withering of the Elim Tree.”

Jaina nodded slowly.

She had thought the same. The Elim Tree, which had never withered before, had suddenly started to decay. It was only natural that such a change would affect those with divine powers.

The priority was clear: the Elim Tree at the Grand Sanctuary had to be restored first.

“Your Grace.”

Amélie called her name softly.

Jaina lifted her head.

Amélie’s gaze shifted towards the entrance of the artificial garden.

“The servant from this morning is approaching.”

“Ah—.”

The moment she saw Violet walking toward them, Jaina failed to conceal her irritation. Her brows drew together.

“Shall I stop her?”

Amélie asked.

As she had only recently joined the Grand Ducal household, she was unaware of the nature of Cadel and Violet’s relationship. Seeing her mistress looking uneasy, Amélie had instinctively become wary.

“No, it’s fine.”

Jaina answered calmly, turning her gaze towards Violet, who was closing the distance between them. Amelie, quick-witted as ever, gathered the papers from the table and took a step back.

“Your Grace.”

Violet bowed politely as she approached.

“It seems your memory is quite poor. I distinctly recall saying that I dislike having my tea time disturbed.”

“I apologize. I heard that Lord Cadel—no, His Grace the Grand Duke—came to see Your Grace, and I could not simply remain still.”

Violet lowered her gaze, looking regretful.

Jaina let out a soft scoff.

A look of displeasure flickered across Violet’s face for a moment, but she quickly recovered and bowed again.

“I truly apologize. I never imagined His Grace would approach you as soon as he heard what I said.”

Jaina looked at her steadily.

For some reason, Violet seemed to be in control. It wasn’t just because she had to look up at her. There was something more intangible at play — an emotional diminishment, as though she had been made small.

Just as Violet had suggested, Cadel had listened only to her and hurried to confront Jaina.

‘Truly… how tiresome.’

Despite travelling back in time, this feeling remained unchanged.

Hating someone was exhausting, and yet her dislike of Violet had not faded. Perhaps it was because she still had feelings for Cadel. Or maybe it was because Violet deliberately provoked her.

Ultimately, they were both responsible for the unpleasant, murky jealousy that coiled within her.

Jaina closed her eyes slowly, then opened them again.

‘I’m sorry, but I have no intention of repeating that pitiful past, Violet.’