The Emperor has issued a decree prohibiting divorce among the nobility. The decree states that the increasing number of divorce lawsuits and marital conflicts among the nobility have caused social unrest and that the Emperor was enacting this measure to quell the unrest and create a more exemplary noble society.

This was absurd. As if prohibiting divorce would solve the problem. It wasn’t like divorce hadn’t existed before. The decree was supposed to be temporary, but who knows how long that means.

It would be like that until the Emperor lifts the ban, apparently!

This was insane. Now, the Emperor was even interfering with my personal life.

As I was tearing my hair out, Kairos entered the room. I quickly gathered the unfolded newspaper and crumpled it behind me.

“….”

He stretched out his long legs and approached me, examining me closely. Even as he tidied my disheveled hair, I stood still, hiding the newspaper and pondering the divorce ban.

When I raised my head, our eyes met.

“….”

“….”

He was so tall that I could feel his breath when he bent his head. We stood like that for a long time.

Even after he finished tidying my hair, his hand lingered, touching my earlobe. His large hand wrapped around my waist, and the hand that had been hovering around my earlobe cupped the nape of my neck and rubbed it gently. His warm, sensual touch made my chin lift and my lips part.

Then, he lowered his head and tilted it to the side.

“Did you go to the capital?”

His lips stopped about an inch from mine.

“The capital?”

He only exhaled, and then he pulled back slightly.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“The lord chose these because he thought Madam would like them. They are all dresses that were prepared as limited editions by the top designers in Elkard!”

Lies.

“What about the dresses and jewelry that fill my closet?”

“That was a week ago.”

The date on the newspaper was yesterday. It was a lie.

Still, it was unlikely that he would have visited the Emperor for such a trivial matter. Originally, the Imperial Family and the Duke of Hadid were supposed to be at odds, to the point of wanting to kill each other. Inadvertently, I prevented that, and now they were in a relationship that was neither good nor bad, but certainly not good.

No matter how much the story has changed, they weren’t going to be on good terms!

Besides, no matter how much he doesn’t want to divorce me, would he go to such lengths? Not unless we were at each other’s throats. It was clear that I was just being annoying and not granting him a divorce, so there was no reason for him to go to such lengths.

However, the timing was just too suspicious!

Besides, this man has a history. He came to the Ferarium to catch me and has been here for a year. Out of the blue, there was a divorce ban, and yesterday’s newspaper was in my bedroom?

Anyone could see that it was placed there for me to see. There was circumstantial evidence but no hard evidence.

The man could visit the capital several times a day, even though others have to use the external gate to make the arduous journey. The man who installed that expensive personal portal in the basement of the mansion. I couldn’t easily shake off my suspicions.

Of course, he was filthy rich, so he’d have several.

With a sinking feeling, I pushed away his arm that was wrapped around my waist and took a step back. One of Kairos’ eyebrows twitched as he failed to kiss me.

“So you’re saying you didn’t go to the capital yesterday?”

“I was too busy to go.”

His nonchalant tone made my brow furrow involuntarily.

Okay, let’s say that was true.

“I get it, so get out of my way now. I’m still in my pajamas.”

I needed to burn this newspaper.

Instead of the hand hiding the newspaper, I raised one hand and pushed against his solid chest. He became interested in the newspaper behind me.

“Well, what are you hiding behind there?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“Give it to me.”

“I said it’s none of your business, didn’t I?”

I held the newspaper tightly and backed away, trying to keep it out of his sight. He was ridiculously tall. Every time he took a step closer, I had to take two steps back.

“Hiding it makes it even more suspicious.”

“No, it’s just paper, so…”

He snatched the newspaper away from me and spread it out for all to see.

“A divorce ban.”

I glared at him with suspicious eyes.

I was so annoyed. Was it really because of my mood? His expressionless face somehow looked slightly pleased, making it even more suspicious.

“I really don’t know anything about it.”

“What?”

“You just read it yourself.”

“The divorce ban?”

He repeated the same words twice, and my stomach churned.

“Yes.”

“I’m seeing this for the first time.”

He then handed the newspaper back to me, very gently.

“….”

“I also don’t know anything about it,” he said again, his words grating on my nerves.

“But we’re getting a divorce…!”

“Divorce.”

“….”

“No way. We have to follow His Majesty’s orders.”

“You’re following His Majesty’s orders?”

Since when? I could only believe what I saw.

“Of course, as long as I’m in the Imperial soil. What choice do I have? I’m just a powerless nobleman.”

…A powerless nobleman? Him? With a title for every occasion and more aliases than I could count? The sight of him pretending to be pitiful is laughable. It only made me more suspicious.

Unable to find any evidence, I glared at him.

“Then, since we can’t get a divorce, we’ll live separately. I won’t run away. I’m fine with a single-room house that’s falling apart.”

“What will my reputation be if rumors of a separation spread?”

“If you want, I’ll cover my face and go out. We can live like strangers until the order is lifted.”

“You don’t care about the hostages anymore?”

“This…!”

That b*stard. No, no. I shouldn’t stop him. If I stopped him here, I’d be the only fool.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and calmed myself down.

He gently stroked my cheek.

“I’ll be home early for dinner. Let’s have dinner together. I have something to tell you.”

“I’m not in the mood to eat dinner with you. If you have something to say, say it here.”

“No, I have to say it while having dinner with you. You can give me two hours, right?”

Huh? He asked as he persistently followed my gaze. It seemed he wouldn’t budge from this spot if I didn’t agree.

Why has he been acting like this since this morning? If I kept refusing, it seemed like the argument would go on for hours. And then he’d bring up the hostages again. I was tired. I was even more frustrated because I wouldn’t know where the three of them were if he didn’t tell me.

“Ha, alright. But only two hours.”

Only after he pressed his lips firmly on the back of my hand did he back down.

“I’ll be back early.”

His faint smile wasn’t amusing.

I turned my head away in anger.

* * *

Sid, who had become a zombie, staggered over and collapsed onto the table. He had barely managed to escape.

“Hey! I just cleaned it up, why are you messing it up there!”

At Emilta’s exclamation, he made a sullen face.

“Let me just be like this for thirty minutes…”

“Are you crazy?”

“Do you want to switch jobs with me?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Ha, I’m so tired these days. So tired…”

It was like he was really going to die.

Sid covered his face with his arms and whimpered as if he was about to cry.

“Hey.”

Whether she liked it or not, Emilta was annoyed by the fact that she had to clean the table again. It wasn’t like it was the first or second day of hard work, so why was he whining so much?

“Doesn’t she like jewels?”

“What?”

“Doesn’t she like dresses? What if it’s a limited edition? What if it’s the only one in the Empire?”

“You’re crazy.”

“Isn’t there a good way?”

“You’re talking about the Madam? What’s the problem since she came back?”

Emilta also knew about Hazel’s escape. However, she didn’t know as much as the attendants who were at the Viscount’s mansion.

It wasn’t something to be taken lightly, whether it was an escape or a runaway, as they had to hide even here, quite a distance away. She thought it was fortunate that she came back, but it seemed there were still many things to be resolved.

“Isn’t there a good way? If only I could turn back time a month, no, three months… Isn’t there a mage who can do that?”

“If there was such a thing, I wouldn’t have been friends with you five years ago.”

“….”

Sid was about to cry for real. She could see that Sid had lost a lot of weight. She didn’t know about anything else, but his face was not something to look at these days.

“Love quarrels should be resolved by the people involved, not by others.”

“Right now, it’s not a love quarrel. It’s almost a relationship breakdown.”

“Is it that serious?”

“…Well, how should I say it. The Madam has changed. She’s like a different person. It’s not just a cold wind, it’s like a blizzard. What should I do… She doesn’t seem to believe anything. She’s the embodiment of distrust.”

Judging from the fact that he kept saying “Madam,” it seemed serious.

“Wouldn’t it be better for the lord to just give in… Just bear with it a little longer. It’s not like he’s going to give up. Or tell him to find an excuse to stay attached somehow, or beg and beg, and then go on a trip to lighten the mood, depending on the situation.”

Emilta sighed and patted Sid’s back roughly.

“Will that work…”

—