“Why are you going with me?”

Jaina, who had arrived at the office before Violet, looked at Cadel with a faint frown. After breakfast, when Amelie told her that Cadel was going to accompany her to the Grand Temple in two days’ time, Jaina demanded a full explanation and sent him a message straight away. He said he couldn’t leave his office at that moment and asked her to come to him instead. And so, she found herself standing there now.

“Why? I am your husband.”

“Is there anyone here who doesn’t know that? I’m asking why you feel the need to accompany me to the Grand Temple.”

“Because I’m your husband.”

When no proper answer followed, the crease between Jaina’s brows deepened once more.

Cadel continued signing the stack of documents piled beside his desk, speaking without pause.

“What if something happens after I send you alone?”

“It’s the Grand Temple. Nothing could possibly happen there—it’s a safe place.”

“And yet the Elim Tree in that ‘safe’ place is withering for no reason.”

“……”

“And the holy power of the saintesses in that same ‘safe’ place has disappeared.”

Cadel’s hand, which had been steadily moving across the papers, paused for a moment.

He lifted his head and looked at Jaina.

His striking beauty, utterly useless in a moment like this, caused her expression to stiffen almost imperceptibly.

Now that she thought about it, perhaps eighty per cent of the reason she had fallen in love with him in the first place was his flawless face. Otherwise, how could she have loved a husband who was so brazen as to defend another woman before his own wife?

She still remembered the first time she had seen him, wondering if a man could truly be so impossibly handsome. His beauty was overwhelming; she could not look away. That first impression had etched itself into her heart, leaving it fluttering for a long time afterwards.

‘It’s that face. That face is the problem.’

That sinful appearance, capable of bewitching anyone, was undoubtedly to blame. Then again, perhaps the real problem was her weakness in the face of it.

For a moment, Jaina wondered if she was the kind of person who would fall helplessly for handsome men. But then she remembered the equally handsome face of the spirit of light and quickly dismissed the idea.

“Do you like red?”

Their eyes met as he asked the question, and Cadel’s gaze drifted to the dress Jaina was wearing.

She raised an eyebrow at this unexpected remark and then remembered Violet’s claim that Cadel disliked the color red. Instead of answering, she returned the question.

“Do you dislike red?”

If it were a color that reminded him of painful memories, he certainly wouldn’t have offered a compliment, no matter how polite. Yet Cadel had said without hesitation that red suited her. This made her wonder if Violet had lied.

She wanted to find out.

“Not particularly.”

The denial came at once.

“I’ve never had any real interest in colors.”

Her face stiffened instantly.

“Oh my, why would you wear that color? It’s the one Lord Cadel dislikes most.”

“What do you think of this dress? Lord Cadel truly likes navy. He seemed a bit down today, so I chose the color he prefers.”

“Goodness, why does Your Highness insist on wearing only the colors Lord Cadel dislikes?”

“Oh my, of all colors, you chose that one. Wasn’t Lord Cadel uncomfortable at breakfast?”

Realizing that she had been manipulated by Violet’s lies all this time made her blood surge with hot anger.

At the time, she hadn’t been able to ask Cadel a single question. That was why she had never verified those claims. Violet must have known that and lied to her without hesitation.

“The ring.”

The words slipped from Jaina’s lips before she could stop them. She had suddenly wondered if he had ever given Violet a ring.

Other accessories were one thing. But a ring carried meaning. If he had given her one—

“A ring?”

Cadel looked at her, puzzled.

“Ah…”

It was only then that Jaina came out of her reverie. She was not alone with Cadel in the office.

She closed her mouth and glanced at Adil, who was writing diligently amid the towering piles of documents. Then she spoke again.

“It’s nothing. There’s something I want to ask, but let’s talk about it later—privately.”

“Of course. You can ask me anything. I’ll answer whatever you wish.”

Cadel nodded readily.

Jaina asked him a question—one so harmless it could have been spoken even in Adil’s presence.

“Is there any color you dislike?”

“Well. I told you—I’ve never paid attention to things like that. Though…”

‘Though…?’

“At least I know that red suits you.”

For a split second, Jaina’s expression stiffened.

“It suits you. Though, I doubt there’s any color that wouldn’t.”

“—Cough!”

At that moment, Adil, who had been working diligently at his desk, cleared his throat awkwardly. He was clearly startled by Cadel’s remark. When Cadel and Jaina turned to look at him, he hastily cleared his throat and buried his face in the stack of documents again.

‘What is wrong with this man?’

Jaina narrowed her eyes at Cadel, unable to fathom what possessed him to say such things.

“What.”

Cadel looked at her.

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you making that displeased expression?”

“Because you’re saying strange things…”

“What’s strange about it? I’m merely stating a fact.”

“……”

“It suits you—any color. In truth, since you’re the one wearing it, the color itself hardly matters. You’re the one who shines.”

“C–cough!”

Adil coughed again, and Jaina stared at Cadel in disbelief.

Her face began to flush gradually.

The word ‘shine’ sent a wave of heat all the way to her neck, and she felt foolish for reacting this way, even though she couldn’t explain why. Struggling to appear unaffected, she asked him as calmly as possible.

“What is this, all of a sudden?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you saying things like that to me…?”

She had no idea what his intentions were, but the fact that she felt such a strong emotional response to every word he said was not a good sign.

Nor was it a good sign that her heart had begun to pound just because she had asked whether Violet had lied in the past.

Pressing her fingers firmly against her temples as though a headache were coming on, Jaina spoke.

“No, never mind. More importantly, let’s settle the matter of you coming to the Grand Temple.”

“That’s exactly why I’m working like this. So that it won’t be a problem if I’m away for a while.”

“I’m telling you, there’s no need for you to come with me.”

“Why not?”

“Why is there a need?”

When Jaina openly frowned in protest, Cadel stared at her for a long moment before giving the same answer as before.

“I’m your husband.”

“Incredible.”

She looked at him in disbelief, wondering how he could possibly think that was an appropriate response.

Cadel glanced briefly at Adil before saying something even more astonishing.

“I’ve known it from the start, but…”

“…Known what?”

“You’re still beautiful when you’re angry.”

“Cough! Cough—cough!”

Adil began coughing violently, as though he had choked, while Jaina’s expression twisted more severely than ever.

‘Did something go wrong with his head when he regressed?’

***

Violet hurried toward the office. The moment she reached it, the door flew open without warning, and she instinctively stumbled back in shock.

“Don’t say ridiculous things. You should remain here—”

Jaina, who had just stepped out through the door Cadel held open, stopped mid-sentence when she noticed Violet.

“Why are you so desperate to keep me away?”

Cadel asked Jaina with clear displeasure. Violet stood stiffly, her eyes darting back and forth between them.

‘What is she doing coming out of the office?’

The Grand Ducal Office was not a place that just anyone could enter. It housed the North’s most important records, as well as confidential documents from the Imperial Palace.

Only Cadel, his aide, and a select few trusted guards were allowed in.

He had warned her more than once not to come near it. And yet she continued to visit. Each time she knocked, Cadel would pause his work and step outside to meet her. No matter how busy he was, he would walk beside her and listen to everything she said until she had finished.

She cherished those moments far too much.

Even after being told not to come, she stubbornly returned again and again. Of course, she often convinced herself that it was because she had urgent business to discuss.

Violet’s gaze slowly shifted to Jaina, who was now standing at Cadel’s side.

That woman did not belong there. Not like this. Someone like her had no right to be in a place that Violet believed should have been hers.

As this thought took hold, the glare she fixed on Jaina seemed to burn with open fury.

“I believe I told you not to come anywhere near the office.”

The chill in Cadel’s voice made Violet look at him immediately. He was looking at her with raised eyebrows, and her heart sank.

It was the expression he wore when he was truly displeased.

“I—I only…”

She had meant to tell him that she had come because she wanted to say something. However, as soon as Jaina started to walk away, Cadel followed her.

Violet was left standing there, unable to finish her sentence, and forced to watch them walk away.

“If you’re not trying to keep me away, then what is it? Why won’t you let me come with you?”

As though Violet did not exist at all, he trailed closely behind Jaina, pressing her with questions.

“It’s obvious. You should remain at the grand ducal castle and protect the people of the North.”

“They’re already well protected. It’s not the Northerners entering a den of black magic—it’s you.”

“I’ll be traveling with the countless knights you insisted on assigning to me. There’s no need for you to worry.”

“How can I not worry?”

Watching the two of them walk away, bickering like a well-matched couple, the color gradually drained from Violet’s face.

‘What is this…? What is going on?’

This made no sense.

By nature, Cadel was cold and distant towards women. In truth, he didn’t speak much, whether with men or women. However, he would occasionally show a hint of mischief or teasing when he was with Adil — the one person he trusted and the one friend he truly cherished in a fundamentally distrusted world.

He had every reason to be wary of others.

When he was a child, a servant he had trusted — someone he had followed without hesitation — had abducted him.

“Would you stop following me?”

“I’m following my wife. Is that a problem?”

“Unbelievable.”

Violet stared at Cadel, whose eyes were brimming with playful amusement as he looked at Jaina.

Her grip tightened around the hem of her dress. An uneasy tide rose within her, swelling higher and higher.

‘No… that can’t be… It can’t be.’