"Treat her. As quickly as possible."
"No matter how urgent, you should at least tell me what's going on."
"She suddenly collapsed, maybe from exhaustion."
Culrode examined Estelle with a serious expression.
"Why? She looks worse than during the blood test."
Claude scratched the back of his head.
"And what's with her cheek? Did a guest hit her?"
"Are you insane?"
Lennox, who had been roughly splashing water on his face, reacted sharply.
"So are you just going to say she's in bad shape and can't be cured? Is that all?"
"I haven't said anything yet. But yes, she's in bad shape. A full recovery will take effort."
Culrode spoke with confidence.
"I'll prescribe injections and medicine. In a few days, she should be able to get up."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Lennox handed over gold coins.
It was the consultation fee.
"Forget it. This much is simple, so let's call it a free service."
"There's no such word as 'free' in your life's dictionary."
"There can be exceptions now and then. Besides, your wife is also my business partner, so just let it go."
Culrode spoke as though he had no regrets at all—though his eyes, honest as ever, kept sneaking glances at the gold coins.
If that's how you're going to be, you shouldn't have said you wouldn't take payment in the first place.
Lennox pretended not to notice and tucked the coins back away.
Culrode administered the injection with practiced ease, then rose to his feet.
"That's all I can do. Oh, right—this one's on the house. Apply it to her cheek."
A small ointment jar traced an arc through the air.
Claude, having tossed the ointment to Lennox, left the room, and silence fell instantly around them.
"Estelle."
Lennox called her name in a low voice.
But she did not stir in the slightest.
"Why is it that you always…"
…fade, shatter, and break?
How many times in her life had it already been like this?
Even now, when he closed his eyes, the memories surfaced so vividly.
Estelle standing before Count Belonsa, all color drained from her face.
That fragile body shrinking before Mathias.
That face—smiling at him, saying she felt like she'd finally found someone reliable on her side.
Lennox scooped out a generous amount of ointment.
He had thrown away the gloves he always wore when he confronted Count Belonsa, so his hands were bare.
The sticky sensation wrapping around his fingers was more unpleasant than even when he touched demonic energy.
It felt as if he had touched something he was never meant to.
"Damn it."
But what truly should never have been touched wasn't the ointment.
Muttering curses under his breath, Lennox, without hesitation, applied the ointment to her cheek.
His technique was clumsy and awkward, yet he poured his heart into it, hoping earnestly that her wound would heal cleanly.
Again, and again.
***
A few days later, at Count Belonsa's estate.
"There's still no word from the Winterren Ducal House, correct?"
"Yes, none. Neither the Duke nor Lady Estelle—the Duchess—have gone out. Everything remains quiet."
Even after hearing the butler's reply, Count Belonsa's unease refused to settle.
"For now, go out and see."
Count Belonsa leaned back against the chair's rest.
His left hand was wrapped tightly in bandages, and in his right he held an ice pack against his swollen cheek.
Across from him, Mathias sat on the sofa in nearly the same state.
"This all happened because you ran your mouth recklessly, Father. Why did you have to say in front of them that Estelle killed her ex-husband?"
"What? Recklessly? How dare you talk like that to your own father!"
Count Belonsa frowned deeply.
He was already unsettled, worried that the Duke of Winterren might have learned Estelle's secret.
And yet his only son remained so infuriatingly carefree.
"Don't tell me…"
A very plausible suspicion suddenly flashed through the Count's mind.
"Did the Duke kill Estelle? Is that why everything's so quiet?!"
"Come on, the Duke has no reason to kill her. If it were me, instead of killing her I'd report her to the temple."
Even Mathias's argument had some weight to it.
"Father, I'm sure the Duke doesn't know Estelle's secret. That's why he hasn't exposed her."
Mathias was so relaxed because he truly believed that.
"Still, I can't shake this unease. If only there were a way to silence the Duke of Winterren forever…"
"Be reasonable. How would we ever kill someone as powerful as the Duke of Winterren?"
"When did I say anything about killing him? Useless—completely useless! If only Vera were here, she might have been of help."
The Count let out a long sigh.
"Should I send a letter to Vera?"
"Forget it. Don't trouble a child who's studying so far away."
"Either way, we have to stop Estelle before she spends all that money!"
The Count, dark circles from sleepless nights drooping all the way down to his jaw, muttered wearily.
"Yes… somehow, somehow it must be done… In the end, is that the only way left?"
As the Count whispered ominously to himself—
Bang!
Without even knocking, the butler burst through the door.
"M-My Lord! You must come at once!"
"What is it?"
"Someone from the Imperial Family has arrived."
"What? From the Imperial Family?"
The Count and Mathias rushed outside in a panic.
Waiting for them were imperial knights in full dress uniform—and Lennox.
Even Glesia was there.
The moment he laid eyes on them, the Count instinctively knew something had gone terribly wrong.
One of the knights spoke in a hard, official tone.
"Are you Count Grayson Belonsa?"
"Y-Yes. What brings you here?"
"We have come following a report. You are under arrest on charges of tax evasion. As there is risk of evidence being destroyed, we will begin a full search and seizure of your residence immediately."
"No, no… what are you saying?"
"What do you think I'm saying?"
Lennox replied.
"I'm saying this is the end for you."
Count Belonsa, trembling, stood before Lennox—who was looking down at him with arms crossed—and stammered:
"H-How… how did the Duke of Winterren end up bringing you here?"
"Isn't this my wife's family matter? I informed the Imperial Family myself that I would personally investigate every detail."
"Y-you…"
"I'll make sure this matter is handled thoroughly and precisely."
"Is this man Tia's father?"
Glesia suddenly stepped out from behind Lennox, giving the Count a scornful glance.
"You said he's not her real father, right? No wonder. They don't look alike at all."
Smack!
"M-my mistake…"
Glesia struck the Count's cheek with a force that was anything but light.
It was the same cheek that had already been hit once before.
"These days, my hands move faster than my mouth. You don't have any complaints about that being a greeting, do you?"
"N-no, not at all…!"
Smack!
"Oh dear, my mistake. My hand must be really happy to see the Count."
Before the Count could even respond, Glesia slapped his cheek again and again in quick succession.
The Count's face was already battered, yet he didn't dare utter a single protest.
After all, his opponent was from the Winterren house.
"Take him inside."
Leaving the Count in Glesia's hands, Lennox entered the mansion with the imperial knights.
He then addressed a flustered servant.
"Where is Estelle's room?"
"P-pardon?"
"She must have had a room here before the marriage."
"Y-yes, this way."
Following the servant, Lennox noticed a large family portrait hanging in the corridor.
The faces were familiar—Count Belonsa, Mathias, and Vera.
Estelle isn't here.
Even Vera had her own individual portrait displayed, yet there wasn't a trace of Estelle anywhere.
Not even of Estelle's biological mother.
It was as if their very existence had been erased.
"This is the room."
The servant opened the door.
"Estelle… lived here?"
For a moment, Lennox was at a loss for words.
"Yes. Lady Estelle resided here ever since she was formally entered into the family register."
In other words, this was the place that had contained all of Estelle's teenage years.
And it was far worse than he had expected.
"The worst…"
Even in broad daylight the room was dim, with no sunlight reaching it.
The wallpaper looked two styles out of fashion.
The bed was small, unfit for an adult woman.
At a glance, the whole place seemed thrown together just for appearance's sake.
So that day, when she left for the North without taking anything… it wasn't because she forgot. It was because she had nothing to bring.
There was no trace of her personality here at all.
Even the Winterren annex, where she had only stayed briefly, bore signs of her touch. But not this room.
As Lennox glanced around, he ran his fingers lightly across the nightstand.
Dust clung to them.
The Count said he knew of our contract. Which means he knew Estelle would return in a year.
And yet, even knowing that, they had left this place abandoned.
Just looking at this cramped little room was enough to understand.
Estelle had never been the beloved princess of House Belonsa.
And likewise, perhaps her previous marriage had never been something she truly wanted.
Crack.
Confronted with such a stark, undeniable truth, Lennox shattered the nightstand with his bare hand.
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