“There’s a limit to how much I can tolerate.”

He muttered softly, furrowing his brow. But Chloen had no intention of backing down.

“Tolerate who? Me or you?”

“Chloen!”

Melvin, who was waiting outside, burst in at her raised voice. His jaw dropped at the sight of the entangled couple.

“What on Earth…!”

It happened in a blink of an eye. It took less than three seconds for her angry lips to make contact with Edmund’s.

As a dumbfounded expression overtook his face, his pupils dilated in disbelief.

“What the—what are you doing?”

Edmund snapped back to reality and quickly backpedaled.

‘Ugh… if this were real life, I’d be buying a lottery ticket right now.’

Unlike the flustered Edmund, Chloen savored the moment. For a brief second, the sound of victory bells rang in her head.

“See? You should’ve listened when you had the chance. I’ve only proven my point. Ah, you’re here, Mr. Aide. Were you shocked?”

“Uh, h-huh? Yes, yes.”

Edmund wasn’t the only one who was stunned; Melvin gaped at the intimate spectacle before him, repetitively echoing his confirmation like a broken cuckoo clock.

“Why are you always pushing me? Even in the eyes of our wise and just aide, do you think I’m pretending?”

As Chloen said that, she smiled and brushed back a lock of hair. Meanwhile, Edmund was still in shock, clutching his stolen lips.

“Oh my, why is your collar so wrinkled?”

Pretending as if nothing had happened, she straightened his disheveled tie and brushed off Edward’s crumpled collar. His eyes seemed to shoot lasers at her.

“Ha, you’re going to pretend you don’t know?”

The sharp look felt like it was scratching the surface of her skin. Facing Edward’s raw expression, a wave of guilt washed over Chloen.

“That’s why I told you not to mention divorce. How many times did I say I wouldn’t do it? Why can’t you just trust what I say that we had to end up in this terrible situation?”

Feeling stung, she wavered for a moment. After all, not only did she grab him by the collar, but she also stole a kiss.

‘I didn’t plan on rushing things like this, but I like this unexpected turn of events.’

“Your Grace, are you alright?”

Melvin, who was observing, approached Edmund cautiously.

“Don’t make a fuss. Just leave.”

“But your face…! Let’s go back to your room. It’s best if you two keep your distance for a while.”

Melvin glanced at Chloen before whispering to Edmund, who nodded in agreement.

As they moved past her toward the door—

“Wait! Stop right there.”

At the sound of her energetic voice, both men looked back.

“Is there something else?”

“I want to tell you why I don’t want a divorce. Will you listen?”

“I won’t.”

Ignoring Edmund’s quick refusal, she continued.

“First, you’re extremely handsome. Second, you’re wealthy. Third, you have a great body. Fourth, you have no messy relationships with other women.”

Edmund avoided eye contact as if slightly pleased and stayed put.

“Fifth, you’re ambitious. People need ambition, right? Sixth, you’re strong, not just strong but a sword master. And finally, you’re a tsundere. That makes it all the more intriguing. You’re aloof yet affectionate. Isn’t that right, Melvin?”

“Uh… Yes, that’s true.”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Melvin nodded in agreement.

Gaining confidence, Chloen made a bold move: she cheekily winked at Edmund.

“You’re really out of your mind.”

Edmund mumbled to himself and hurriedly left the room.

“Where are you going? Honey, Edmund! We’re not done talking. Why do you always have to leave first? Hey!”

In the wake of her unanswered shouts, the two towering men vanished from sight. She slumped down, defeated.

“Ha, I guess I’m screwed.”

The situation had escalated, and it was too late to turn things back.

“Guess I’ll just count the days until I’m kicked out, huh?”

With a bitter smile, Chloen laughed at her predicament.

‘But I did steal a kiss, so doesn’t that make me the winner?’

“What should I do for a living if I leave…? Would he at least give me some money? Or should I grab some jewelry beforehand?”

As she was mumbling to herself, Sasha entered the room.

“Did you get to talk with the Duke? I did try to drop some hints yesterday, but he just wouldn’t believe me no matter how many times I said it. He seemed to want a face-to-face discussion with you.”

The chatty maid had no clue about the dire situation that was about to unfold.

“Sasha… you better pack up, too. We have to leave since I brought you here. Oh, do you have any money? Well, jewelry’s not a bad option, either.”

“What are you saying? Jewelry? Wait… are we getting kicked out?”

Sasha’s lips quivered as she tried to finish her sentence.

“How about securing a sizable settlement from the Duke instead? My salary won’t amount to much. Just when I thought I was getting a little accustomed to this place, to have to go back… the heavens are truly indifferent.”

“Enough, stop talking.”

Chloen frowned at Sasha, who was on the verge of tears.

“Is that so? Phew, that’s a relief. After all, living well is a blessing for both you and the Duke. Speaking of the Duke, I saw some scratches on his face and neck.”

“…”

“Did he bump into something? But then again, you wouldn’t care less, right, Madam? You’ve never been bothered even when the Duke was hurt.”

Feeling uneasy at Sasha’s comment, an uncomfortable silence lingered for a while.

“Oh, are you hungry? I brought some light snacks. The Duke asked me to give them to you.”

Sasha cautiously handed her a dessert fork, and Chloen felt a pang of complex emotions.

* * *

“I can’t shake it off, it keeps bugging me.”

Chloen mumbled to herself as she rolled over to the other side. Her body turned uncomfortably again, barely even feeling the cool summer blanket.

It kept nagging at her. Even though she hadn’t done anything, Sasha’s offhand comments were stuck in her head.

‘You’ve never been bothered even when the Duke was hurt…’

Being indifferent to your husband’s injuries was harsh, even for a loveless marriage.

She curled up her body and rubbed her fingers anxiously. Her grown nails were sharp.

“I wonder if he got treatment for those scratches…”

She twirled her neatly arranged hair around her finger and mumbled. It was always like this. She’d regret it only after she messed up.

‘At this rate, I might actually end up separating from my husband.’

She sighed without realizing it.

“Goodness, you’ll worry yourself into an early grave, Madam. You’ve been like this for hours. Why don’t you go see for yourself?”

Sasha, shaking a feather duster, tossed out the suggestion.

“Go… myself?”

“Yes. From what I’ve seen of the Duke’s personality, he probably didn’t even treat that minor wound. This could be a wake-up call for him to realize that you’ve changed. So why not go and treat his wound and clear up the misunderstanding?”

“Ugh, the one who misunderstood should sort it out. I’m the victim here! Isn’t it enough that I’m always treated like a liar? It’s so unfair.”

Feeling wronged, Chloen bristled in response. For a moment, a heavy silence hung in the air. After some hesitation, Sasha cautiously broke the silence.

“Um… I can kinda see where the Duke is coming from.”

“You understand him?”

“Well, it’s easier said than done, but you can’t remember anything from before the accident. But anyone who saw the two of you before that would think the same way.”

“…”

“Everyone knew how much you despised the Duke. And amnesia? I didn’t even know such a condition existed! To be honest, I still find it hard to believe.”

Sasha glanced at her as her sentence trailed off.

For a moment, she felt as if she’d been smacked on the head, leaving her in a daze.

Contrary to her well-meaning present self, the real Chloen—before the memory loss—had despised and loathed Edmund profoundly. The thought that she could change her stance overnight was almost unbelievable.

“Ah, I’ve talked too much again. Sorry. I’ll leave now. Rest well.”

In the continued silence, Sasha bowed her head quietly.

Only then did it sink in. It wasn’t just her who had to adapt to sudden changes.

It was true for everyone else in the Duke’s household, including Edmund.

“Sasha, can you help me?”

Clearly, a major reorganization was in order.

* * *

“Duke, you’re wounded!”

“Stop making a fuss.”

Melvin was not as calm as Edmund seemed.

Far from a couple’s spat, his wife, who wouldn’t even meet his gaze, had suddenly grabbed him by the collar. On top of that, he had heard a confession, or rather, something that was not quite a confession about why they couldn’t divorce.

‘And was that all? To shamelessly kiss… me in front of my aide…!’

What on earth was going on in the Duchess’ head?

Both Edmund and Melvin were puzzled by Chloen’s transformed behavior over the past few days.

“What on earth is wrong with her…?”

Sneakily, Melvin sidled up and casually brought up the earlier incident. As expected, no response came.

After a long pause, Duke Randolph finally spoke with a sense of resolution.

“We should move ahead with the plan.”

“But Your Grace, the Duchess is still not in her best condition. And the relationship between you two hasn’t exactly been great…”

“Hmm, if we let things go on like this, we won’t even get a chance to make use of her, and her value might completely diminish. I’m worried she might actually go crazy.”

“…I do agree that it’s impossible to predict her next move, and that she seems like a totally different person. But not everything she’s saying seems false. She did prepare the ‘Happy-Happy flowers’ as a sign of apology.”

Edmund’s eyes darted toward the desk. It was ironic yet amusing that he had brought the bouquet even in his flustered escape.

“The imperial power is weakening. Now’s the only chance we have.”

Edmund spoke, averting his gaze.

“How about… trusting the Duchess just this once?”

After a long hesitation, Melvin cautiously added his opinion.

Just as Edmund was about to speak, clearly annoyed—

Knock, knock!

Rapping on the door interrupted.