‘Don’t act like that in front of me. It’s scary.’

Still, my time in this manor wasn’t wasted. I learned, at least a little, how to handle villains while living alongside them.

Though, to be honest, the only “villain” here is Sikar.

To quickly shift the atmosphere, I took Kian’s hand and stepped forward, offering the noble greeting.

“May your days be as radiant as the sun that brightens the world, overflowing with joy each day. I, Yura Blake, mistress of Blake Manor, humbly greet His Majesty the King.”

“At last, I meet you in person, Lady Blake.”

“It is an honor that you remember me, Your Majesty.”

Seeing Gillian nod slightly, I promptly introduced Kian next.

“And this is my son, Kian Blake. Kian, greet His Majesty.”

Introducing Kian made me a bit nervous. My heart pounded, fearing he might suddenly spark another flame like when he first saw Sikar—’So much coldness! This person is bad!’

I looked at Kian as if silently asking, ‘You can handle this, right?’ Thankfully, Kian smiled brightly like any ordinary child and said,

“It is an honor to meet Your Majesty. I am Kian Blake.”

Quite clever, isn’t he? Gillian seemed pleased, smiling warmly at Kian, then turned to me and replied,

“May your nights be as serene as the darkness that swallows the world, dissolving all worries each day. I regret missing your wedding, hence my visit. I hope my sudden arrival hasn’t inconvenienced you.”

“Inconvenienced? How could such disloyalty exist? We are deeply honored by Your Majesty’s visit.”

Was it my imagination? I felt Sikar just smiled at me.

“Knowing you think so kindly of me lightens my heart.”

“Shall we now proceed to the dining room? Though my skills are humble, I prepared dishes I believe Your Majesty enjoys. I hope they please you.”

“You flatter me. My tastes are not particularly refined.”

Truthfully, Sikar had directed the meal preparations, but while memorizing the descriptions beside him, I automatically learned Gillian’s preferences—eerily similar to Kian’s.

Gillian favored mostly meats—not spicy, but slightly salty and sweet. He especially loved beef tartare, which Kian also adored.

Thankfully, the meal itself passed quietly. Aside from Gillian occasionally glancing at Kian, everything seemed fine.

Until Gillian broke the silence.

“Lady Blake, when did you first meet the Duke? Since he didn’t invite me to your wedding, I’ve been very curious about your story.”

We’d already rehearsed this.

“I met him while searching for his grandmother.”

“I see. Come to think of it, she isn’t present today.”

Sikar answered that question.

“Grandmother is currently at the Reper Grand Temple for recuperation.”

“What troubles her? Had you hinted, I could have examined her myself.”

“I cannot burden Your Majesty with my personal affairs.”

More likely, Sikar simply didn’t trust Gillian—since he can’t view memories—and thus wouldn’t entrust him.

“Burden? Each time you speak like this, I truly feel hurt. I still haven’t forgotten the honor of standing beside you.”

Somehow, it felt like he was implying, ‘If you forget that honor, you become my enemy.’

Gillian smiled faintly, then turned toward me. I barely suppressed my shock, masking it with a smile.

“By the way, Lady Blake, your eye color is quite unusual. I’ve seen many brown eyes, but never black ones. If I may ask, where is your homeland?”

“Quite far from here.”

“Far away… I’m curious what kind of place it is. And how you came to be here.”

Sikar spoke politely, but his gaze clearly warned Gillian to stop.

“Even for Your Majesty, showing excessive interest in my wife is rather impolite.”

“My interest in the Duke naturally extended to the Duchess. My apologies.”

Sikar merely nodded in reply, and I sighed inwardly.

Gillian kept probing, and our attempts to conceal things filled the dining room with suffocating tension.

“It seems you’ve finished eating. Shall I bring out dessert?”

“Hold on.”

Gillian stopped me as I rose, then whispered something to a servant he’d brought from the palace.

The servant bowed in understanding, left briefly, and returned holding a circular tray bearing a shrimp dish, which he placed on the table.

“The lord of Laoka sent abundant prawns, so I brought some. Cooking here would take time, so I had the royal chef prepare them—they should be quite delicious.”

The Recador royal family is allergic to shellfish, and Gillian is no exception.

Eating shrimp wouldn’t kill them, but their allergic reactions went beyond mere itching.

It was as if rapid aging suddenly accelerated—hair falling out, vitality draining—forcing them to waste precious holy power on healing. Side effects like being unable to wear robes lasted days, so they avoided shellfish entirely.

Yet now Gillian had brought it. Obviously not for himself, but to test Kian.

I was terribly flustered, but showing panic would only deepen suspicion, so I glanced casually at Sikar.

As expected, even in this situation, Sikar’s expression remained blank. Impossible to guess what he was thinking.

Though I didn’t look panicked, I cautiously asked Gillian,

“Everyone in Recador knows Your Majesty is allergic to shellfish—including me. Since you cannot eat it, why should we eat alone? Let me bring something we can all enjoy together.”

Until now, Gillian had watched me calmly—but suddenly, his gaze turned icy.

“Are you refusing a gift personally brought by the King of Recador?”

“It’s not that—”

“Wife. His Majesty is correct. Refusing food personally bestowed by the King is deeply disloyal. Do not decline—eat it.”

Sikar offered Gillian a slight bow.

“My wife comes from a distant land and knows little of our customs. Forgive her ignorance, Your Majesty.”

“Forgive? Of course, don’t trouble yourself over it.”

Why is Sikar acting like this?

Kian had never eaten shellfish before. Living in the mountains, he’d had no opportunity, and since arriving here, I’d warned him against it.

So Kian didn’t even know whether he had the allergy. He’d surely eat it thoughtlessly because it tasted good—and then everything would be exposed.

Yet Sikar remained unnervingly calm. I had no idea what to do.

I tried signaling him with my eyes—but Sikar had already begun serving shrimp to Kian.

“Kian. It should be delicious. Go ahead and try it.”

Kian took the shrimp without hesitation, took a bite, and—as expected—found it tasty, quickly devouring all on his plate.

Gillian watched with amused satisfaction, but I broke into a cold sweat, my heart pounding, vision blurring.

Gillian smiled contentedly, evidently pleased Kian ate so heartily.

“Truly, he eats well.”

‘Sikar! Sikar? What are you thinking? Is that why you’re staying silent?’

I wanted to ask him right then, but he wore that infuriatingly indifferent expression, as if nothing mattered.

“Kian. Was it tasty?”

“Mother, you should try it. It’s really delicious.”

“Oh my. You must’ve loved it—look, it’s all over your mouth.”

I wiped Kian’s lips casually, lightly touching his face—but he showed no fever, no shock reaction whatsoever.

Did Sikar switch the food? Countless thoughts raced through my mind, but I couldn’t deduce anything.

Frustrated, I decided I needed to end this situation quickly.

“To be granted such a rare royal delicacy—what immense honor. I am deeply humbled, Your Majesty.”

Gillian smiled faintly, satisfied. He really did resemble Sikar in more ways than one.

“Did you know it’s widely rumored in high society that the Duke fell instantly in love with you and married on sight?”

Of course I didn’t—I’ve been locked up in this manor. How would I know?

Still, I feigned pleasant surprise and answered shyly,

“First I’ve heard of it, Your Majesty.”

“That’s why I was so curious about you. Now that I’ve met you, I understand why Duke Blake fell for you at first sight.”

He didn’t fall for me—he tried to kill me at first sight.

“In case you haven’t heard, next month my wedding will be held at the palace. I do hope to see you there, Lady Blake.”

“Wherever Your Majesty summons, I shall attend.”

Gillian smiled, clearly pleased with me.

“The Duke chose his Duchess very well.”

“I am deeply humbled, Your Majesty.”

Even as Gillian departed, I couldn’t relax, fearing Kian might show some reaction—but strangely, Kian remained perfectly fine.

Only after sending Kian to his room could I finally ask Sikar what had happened.

“Sikar. What was that? Kian has a shellfish allergy!”

“That’s why Gillian brought shrimp—to test Kian.”

“You knew? I have no idea what’s going on anymore.”

“Long ago, the former king tried feeding Gillian shellfish several times. So I’d obtained allergy medicine back then—some still remained. When I heard Gillian was coming, I gave it to Kian preemptively, just in case.”

‘What? That’s what happened?’

“Then why didn’t you tell me? I was so startled!”

“I only remembered right before the meal—couldn’t help it.”

Relief washed over me, bringing such joy. Above all, Sikar felt completely like my ally, and without realizing it, I nearly hugged him.

It was merely like the joyful embrace after watching a game you desperately wanted to win.

“Now indirect kisses aren’t enough—you’re openly trying to hug me.”

Again, I must clarify: it was like a celebratory hug after a game. I nearly hugged him—I didn’t actually hug him.

“Either way, you didn’t hug me.”

“Seeing you attempt something you’ve never done before—you must’ve been quite tense. If Kian’s royal lineage were exposed, you’d have to surrender your now-useless life. That’s why you were tense, right?”

Is this man laughing about human lives?

I gritted my teeth and glared at Sikar.

“You told me to become a villainess instead, right?! I’ll show you what a real villainess looks like.”

Sikar smiled, amused.

“Looking forward to it.”