But if I had known he misunderstood my actions, I should have just told him the truth. My attempt to be considerate seemed to have made him feel worse instead.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that and mistakenly assumed things.”

“No, it’s my fault for not being honest from the start. I was told the Marquis of Yekerth and the Duke of Ferhaem have a friendly relationship.”

That was how the butler had explained it when first introducing them. I didn’t feel comfortable pressuring the Marquis of Yekerth by using the Duke of Ferhaem’s name either. I had no intention of leveraging my position as a duchess.

“That’s why I acted alone. The Duke of Ferhaem stayed out of it; it was only Pelanne Trading House and the Marquis of Yekerth who came into conflict.”

Pelanne Trading House distributed independently developed goods to both nobles and commoners. The reason Pelanne had rapidly become one of the most prominent trading houses in the empire was precisely due to their unique product development.

Thus, cutting off trade with Pelanne caused significant damage in many ways. Occasionally, nobles tried to pressure Pelanne by exploiting the fact that she was a commoner—but I, being a noble and now a co-owner, changed that.

Pelanne used me as a shield. Looking back on it now, she was quite clever. By giving me a share, she repaid her debt with a substantial sum while simultaneously placing me, a noble, at the forefront to reduce friction with other nobles.

“If you had told me, I would have made the Marchioness of Yekerth apologize for her rudeness. The House of Ferhaem doesn’t need to be cautious around the House of Yekerth.”

Yes. He definitely would have done that. He was fiercely protective of those close to him and became terrifyingly sharp toward anyone who harmed them. But that wasn’t what I wanted.

“If he had done that, would the apology have been sincere? Or would it have been forced? I didn’t do this just to hear an apology. I wanted to ensure she could no longer torment others.”

I no longer wanted to stand by and watch her harass powerless ladies or mistreat maids. To stop that, I had to strip her of her power.

“If Pelanne Trading House cuts ties with the Marquis of Yekerth, they’ll suffer quite a bit. The Marchioness of Yekerth became a central figure in high society precisely because she gained early access to Pelanne’s products and set fashion trends.”

And if I added that Pelanne would refuse to supply their goods to anyone still trading with the Marquis of Yekerth, people would abandon them frighteningly fast.

“She won’t be able to function as a power in high society anymore. Naturally, the ladies who once nervously watched her every move will finally feel at ease. Do I seem strange to you for saying this?”

After all, I always smiled brightly in front of him. I worried he might be frightened of seeing this cruel side of me. But Yezar gently took my hand.

“You were simply seeking your own way to resolve things, weren’t you? Recently, I heard from the butler that the maid you recently took in was unwell. I was told she was a maid who previously served under the Marchioness of Yekerth. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I was told that maid had suffered severe beatings before coming to you, and you were the first to notice her condition. The butler mentioned you looked deeply troubled, as if pondering something seriously. Weren’t you angry because someone suffered because of you?”

Anger… Perhaps that was it. Thinking about how the girl who once smiled sweetly at me had been punished so harshly that she was reduced to tears made me despise the Marchioness of Yekerth all the more.

Now, Lopi was officially a servant of the dukedom.

“You don’t seem strange at all. Your nature of always thinking of others first hasn’t changed.”

His deep blue eyes gazing at me were like a clear, deep lake—so clear one might mistake it for shallow, only to jump in and find it too deep to escape.

Facing the full weight of his trust, I could do nothing but smile.

“Thank you for saying that.”

“No. But there is one thing I’d like to say to you.”

“Yes? What is it?”

I looked at him with a soft, yielding expression.

“Please stop sneaking out through the window. Do you have any idea how badly you could get injured if you fell?”

I was about to confidently insist I was fine in response to his worried tone.

“It’s fine. As long as I land properly—”

“Julietta.”

He said it flatly, his tone oddly stiff. We had just cleared up our misunderstanding—wasn’t it supposed to go back to our usual routine of chatting and falling asleep? Why did the atmosphere suddenly feel so strange?

“I am angry that you don’t treat your own body with care. And I must also reflect on my own slowness for only now realizing you’ve been climbing up and down using just this single rope.”

“…Are you really angry?”

“Yes. So this rope is confiscated. And I won’t allow night outings for the time being either.”

That wouldn’t do. I was supposed to meet Pelanne again tomorrow.

“But I already made plans to meet her tomorrow—”

“I will supervise the meeting. I’ll also inform the knights to strengthen security.”

“Yezar! Weren’t we just getting along fine?”

“We did. But that was that, and this is this.”

He said it with a smile, but somehow it felt twice as frightening than usual.

My rebellious days ended the moment my escapade was discovered. Yezar truly informed the knights, increased security, and kept me firmly by his side.

“Yezar, I won’t climb through windows anymore, and I’ll tell you before going anywhere. Can’t you ease up on this strict security?”

The knights, who used to greet me warmly, now responded with blank expressions, making me feel quite uncomfortable. But Yezar remained utterly firm.

“Anything else, yes. But not this, my lady.”

So I gave up and tried to win over the knights instead. During the day, Pelanne was busy, and many visitors came and went—some of whom certainly recognized my face.

But the knights already knew what I had done.

“Every single knight already knows you’ve been jumping over walls as easily as climbing through a window. How else would our lord have ordered such heightened security?”

“Thanks to that, we’ve tasted hell. ‘How could you guard the lady and not notice this?’ they demanded.”

The look on their faces clearly said they’d been through hell, leaving me with no argument. I wrote a letter to Pelanne.

It explained that my husband had found out about my outings, so I couldn’t meet at night for now. I sent it by messenger hawk, and a reply came quite quickly.

Opening the letter, I found a lengthy lecture on my reckless behavior.

― I knew it. I mean no disrespect, but my lady—no, the Duchess of Ferhaem now—since you kept visiting at night, I wondered if the Duke of Ferhaem didn’t worry about his wife’s actions at all? Just look at the front page of the imperial newspaper; it’s obvious you two have a good relationship. That’s what’s normal. For now, please stay put.

How heartless. When our business first succeeded, you were the one sobbing about never forgetting this favor. People really shouldn’t change so easily.

Thinking this, I continued reading.

― And as you requested, we’ve completely severed all trade with the House of Yekerth. I’ve also informed the surrounding families who traded with them. They seem to be suffering quite a blow. So everything turned out as you wished. Instead of coming to see me, why don’t you spend some sweet, cozy time with the Duke of Ferhaem? I’ll end here since I’m busy developing our next new product!

After finishing the letter, I leaned back in my chair for a moment. Things had been resolved exactly as I wanted. Now I didn’t even need to come see her.

No more tedious back-and-forth trips cutting into my sleep.

“I suppose sneaking around wasn’t easy for me either. Maybe I should just stay put in the mansion as everyone keeps saying?”

Lately, I’d been so sleep-deprived that I couldn’t stop yawning. Maybe I should finally take a nap in the afternoon.

Ember knocked and brought Lopi before me, having just finished treatment.

“My lady, I’m sorry to disturb you. But this child insisted on meeting you right away to express her gratitude.”

The girl standing beside Ember looked much healthier, her complexion greatly improved.

“Are you fully recovered now?”

“Yes! The healers said I received treatment quickly thanks to you, so my wounds won’t leave scars.”

“That’s good to hear.”

I had been worried, thinking she suffered because of me. It truly was a relief.

“Um, my lady, do you happen to need my special skill?”

How clear and bright her eyes sparkled as she said that. Seeing this, I was certain she had learned something strange at the Marquis of Yekerth’s estate.

“Hmm. I don’t need it right now. Oh, since you’re here, let me say this—don’t worry about the Marchioness of Yekerth trying to harm you. She’ll likely be too busy with other matters to pay attention to you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So forget about using your special skill. Learn the duties of this dukedom and live comfortably here. Your pay will be higher than before, too.”

“Yes, my lady. I’ll serve you and this dukedom until I grow old and die!”

She really shouldn’t say such things so casually—especially with Ember standing behind her, her eyes gleaming like a predator eyeing its prey.