“….”

Kairos headed for the bedroom with heavy steps.

Hazel was in his arms. Hazel, who was sleeping so soundly that she did not even stir, turned her body towards his embrace, as if she were used to it.

“…Hmm.”

As her cheek touched his chest, Kairos stopped walking for a moment before he resumed his steps again towards the bedroom.

A maid who was just passing by near the bedroom froze at the sight of the two. When he gestured towards the door, the maid nodded and carefully opened it.

Bang.

The door closed, and the bedroom became dark as the light from the hallway was blocked. Hazel did not wake up even when Kairos laid her down on the bed.

He gazed at her face as she slept and carefully caressed her white cheek with the back of his hand.

Hazel, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion, was peaceful. Hazel, who was sleeping with her eyes closed, was no different from before. He wished that she would tell him the answer with those pretty lips. How could he be loved by her again?

He looked at her like that for a long time before leaving the bedroom hours later.

* * *

The person Kairos sought was Annie.

He had first looked for Ginger, but he had given up after she had started shivering and fainting, so Annie was the next best option. She was the woman who had come to the Ferrarium as a friend.

He had Sid find out a few things, but they were not very useful.

As Kairos had expected, this woman had helped Hazel, who had run away—from the capital to Pyronthe, from Pyronthe to Castalt. She knew everything, down to the fact that she had stayed in the village of Devosh and spent a month in Mabel.

On top of that, she had even used the alias Levian Nishitar.

Days that were so ordinary. He could not find the cause from that. So he had no choice but to ask her directly.

“Tell me everything that happened in Mabel for a month, without missing anything.”

Annie tried her best to remain calm. However, with Kairos in front of her, her teeth were chattering, and she didn’t know what to do with her fingertips. Above all, it was difficult to withstand the murderous aura that seemed to suffocate her.

Where was the figure of Noah Edith that Hazel had mentioned before she ran away? It seemed like it would be impossible to find him even if he peeled off all the layers.

In addition, those eyes weren’t the eyes of an ordinary person at all.

Was it true that the man in front of her had presented gifts and told the woman that he loved her? She thought she had experienced many scary and dirty things in her life, but it seemed that she was helpless in front of the real thing.

It did not seem like he would kill her because Hazel was there, but she could not help but feel terrified.

“…I told your subordinate everything.”

“That was things that anyone could have figured out.”

“…Then what?”

“What Hazel was trying to do.”

“I told you already?”

“Did she just look for a house, decorate it, and go to the beach?”

“Yes.”

Annie’s heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest, though she tried her best not to avoid Kairos’ eyes. She did not mention going elsewhere. No matter how good Kairos was, he would not have been able to find any trace of the migration preparations that had not even started yet.

She had been caught and was in trouble, and her life might even be in danger, but Annie’s professional spirit was to keep her clients’ secrets no matter what.

In fact, she regretted it a little.

She should have just finished the job of helping Hazel escape, and left when she received her payment. She could have taken on the migration preparations later when Hazel was safe and ready. Then, nothing would have gone wrong.

She regretted getting involved with Duke Hadid in the first place.

Although she had always successfully completed her assignments, she had failed miserably this time. Annie had been feeling lost about her work lately, and it was Hazel who had given her the troublesome assignment.

Accepting a job that anyone would have refused was an impulsive act driven by the turmoil within her. On top of that, she had unknowingly come to think of Hazel as a friend, even though it was common practice to cut off all contact and relationships with clients once an assignment was completed.

Of course, all contact with the outside world had been cut off.

The Duke of Hadid, who was known for his harsh treatment but generous rewards, might not always be so lenient with them. Rumor had it that he hated being deceived more than anything else and that he had never spared anyone who had done so.

That was why it was strange that Hazel was still alive and even more surprising that he had spared her. She was surprised and amazed. But what kind of answer did he want from her?

To be honest, there were no secrets to hide about Hazel’s life.

While the blade had yet to fall upon her neck, and she was resolved to keep the details of her escape plan a secret, she had nothing else to hide. She had answered all of his questions about her plans to flee in the first place and her life at Mabel’s.

The four of them had partied, tended to their small garden, gone to the night market, and decorated the house.

That was all!

What had Hazel done that was so extraordinary? She could confidently proclaim that it was nothing of the sort.

Kairos’ arms were folded across his chest, and his face was troubled as if he were struggling to decide whether to ask a question or not. Why was he taking so long to ask his question? What could be so monumental that it required such contemplation?

The Duke of Hadid was hesitating. This was unprecedented. Was he perhaps devising a plan to ultimately harm her? But surely he would have already known if there had been anything of the sort, now that he knew everything else.

Then again…

At any rate, Annie was witnessing an unprecedented phenomenon unfold.

“Or has someone come looking for Hazel in secret?”

“My lord? No one has come looking for her, and besides, don’t you already know everything?”

“I am asking if Hazel has asked anyone to keep her whereabouts a secret or to find her.”

“She hasn’t done anything like that.”

Wait a moment. Why was he asking her such a thing? Annie quickly added lest she incurred Kairos’s wrath.

“Not that I know of. No, not at all.”

It was at that moment that Annie distinctly saw a sense of relief wash over Kairos’ face.

It was as natural as breathing for her to read people’s expressions, given her profession. At the same time, she became convinced that the person he had asked about was a man, even if she knew nothing else about him.

‘So he’s asking if there’s another man!’

Had she given a slightly more ambiguous answer just now, her head might have been rolling on the floor, and Annie felt faint. In that instant, she wanted to congratulate herself for speaking up with such certainty despite the uncertainty of the moment.

“Then again…”

Kairos ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and frowned.

“There must not be a single lie in what you have said.”

With that, he left, his threat more terrifying than any other.

Annie was left alone in the room, shivering.

* * *

“Oh, come on.”

She was flabbergasted. She had been so worried about Annie, Edmond and Ginger that she had closed her eyes to rest for just a moment after being brought back to the mansion, and she had barely rested since.

It really had only been for a moment, but when she opened her eyes again, she was in bed.

Had she sleepwalked? Or had she gone to her room out of habit while half asleep? Either way, it was definitely not a good sign for her, so she hurriedly put on her dressing gown and headed for the study.

However, the moment she saw the broken doorknob hanging uselessly from the half-open door, she realized that she had not moved on her own. Surely, she had told the maid that she would not go to her bedroom!

That was only the beginning. Kairos’ tyranny did not end there. It continued the next morning, and at lunch and at dinner!

Every time she staged a hunger strike, Kairos spitefully used the people around her.

Each time, the servants looked at her with pitiful expressions as if their own lives depended on it. Each time, she had to swallow her boiling rage and fill her stomach.

How was she supposed to overcome this predicament?

More than anything, she felt that she had to see Annie, Ginger and Edmond with her own eyes.

She had heard nothing but “They are safe” and “They are resting in their rooms” from the maids, and the more she heard it, the more suspicious she became. That was because of his actions, which showed that he did not listen to a word she said.

At this rate, he would never show her the three of them. It felt as if things would just continue to drag on like this for a month, a year.

Fine, if hunger strikes didn’t work, she would have to change her approach.

But why was he so late today?

Hazel timed her entrance with Kairos’ arrival, having dressed and made herself up. He was entering the room. She could see the servants’ backs stiffen with fear.

Why hadn’t she noticed it before?

“Noah!”

Kairos’ head snapped up to look at her at the top of the stairs.

“….”

His eyes were wider than usual, and his expression was one of surprise.

“You must have had a hard day today.”

She forced a pleasant tone into her voice and started down the stairs. Her lips twitched. Kairos, who had been about to greet her with a gentle smile, stopped and tilted his head. His expression hardened instantly.

“…That will not do.”

At those words, she stopped dead in her tracks, one step from the bottom of the stairs.

“…I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“There will be no divorce.”

—