What came out of his mouth in defense of his mother wasn’t a plea like “Please understand her,” but a command: “You must understand.” It was a telling glimpse into how the Duke had treated Karia all this time.
If he had truly wanted to persuade her, using that kind of tone was a critical mistake.
“Let me ask just two things. Are you aware this isn’t the first time the Grand Madam has acted like this?”
“—That…”
“Then, if I let your mother go, will you take the punishment in her place?”
“My lady!”
Rubidov Pandeon was completely taken aback. He wasn’t foolish; he wasn’t entirely unaware of the discord between his wife and mother. And he suspected the source of the problem was, more often than not, his mother. She was a stubborn woman—even he sometimes felt the urge to turn away from her.
But what was he supposed to do about someone who had always been like that? He was busy every day running around trying to maintain the ducal house. He simply didn’t have the time to pay attention to every little household matter.
Shouldn’t a spouse be able to understand at least that much? Hadn’t she always been understanding until now?
“Leave.”
But the sentence that came out of Karia’s mouth was utterly resolute. She didn’t even want to see him open his mouth again and lowered her gaze, deliberately spreading out the documents before her.
“I have quite a lot of work today.”
From then on, she acted as though the Duke didn’t exist, running her pen over the ledger. And she wasn’t pretending—her furrowed brows and occasional flinches showed she was genuinely reading it.
“What’s the reason for this sudden change?”
“‘Sudden’?”
“On the day we got married, I asked for just one thing. I didn’t care if you were a good wife or a good mother—just don’t cause unnecessary conflict in the house. If you did that, I said we could be friends.”
At the word “friend,” her pen suddenly stopped. Karia slowly looked up at him. Her eyes, void of any emotion, landed on Rubidov.
He thought her hardened expression came from surprise. After all, she always smiled gently whenever she saw him.
He believed she had been living a rational life in line with his “proposal.” Even when she wanted to go to the estate alone after their marriage, he had respected her decision. Even when she abandoned her duties as the household mistress to do volunteer work, he hadn’t complained once.
That’s why he thought his scolding now was entirely justified.
“I’m disappointed in you.”
“Ha, disappointed?”
Karia let out a scoff, not regret. This wasn’t her usual warm smile—her face was full of venom, and the sudden shift made Rubidov feel, just for a moment, as if his heart had been pierced.
“Did you really think we were ever ‘friends’?”
“—Of course?”
“For six years, we weren’t even on the same side, let alone friends.”
They were never friends. Karia had clung to him as her only lifeline in this suffocating household, desperately hoping he would someday recognize her devotion. She had blindly followed him.
They weren’t even truly husband and wife. If Rubidov had thought of her as his, he would have noticed her soul rotting beneath her composed exterior. But he didn’t care.
They were merely bound by circumstance, trapped in a relationship neither wanted, slowly choking each other without even realizing whose throat was tightening.
“I was the dog, and you were the moon.”
“What does that—?”
“Don’t pretend not to know. You enjoyed it too, didn’t you?”
Even if he had ignored it logically, deep down he must have known who held the power in this relationship.
The reason he didn’t pay her any attention was because he knew she would always be behind him, no matter what.
“Living in your little well, you didn’t even realize who was the moon and who the mutt. Pathetic.”
“My lady, how could you say something so vulgar—!”
“I have no intention of being your ‘friend,’ not even in death. So wake up.”
Leave. She cast him out once again, this time meeting his eyes squarely. Rubidov, unable to withstand her piercing gaze, was the first to look away.
Watching his hurried steps as he left, Karia twisted her lips into a bitter smile.
“Ungrateful bastard.”
That was her impression of Rubidov. He held his chin high, as if he had magnanimously given up something valuable, not even realizing what he had actually received.
Let’s see how long you can keep acting indifferent once what you took for granted disappears.
Karia was not so generous as to show kindness to those who didn’t appreciate it. In fact, she was the type of person who would reclaim what she had given if it was mocked.
Pandeon could not afford to discard her—but her choosing to walk away from Pandeon was another matter entirely.
She had made up her mind to return the precious son of the Grand Madam—someone she so dearly cherished—back to her.
—
—
“Ha, what a mess.”
Karia was speechless as she read the household ledger. It was filled with entries about “maintenance of dignity” expenses, jewelry, and dresses she had never seen or touched.
Even if Karia had never been allowed to access the ledger before, this was absurd. It was riddled with clear signs of embezzlement, and no effort had been made to hide it.
Everyone in the household knew she had never indulged in such luxuries, nor had any merchants visited with deliveries for her.
And this ledger wasn’t for the Grand Madam’s eyes only—it was compiled quarterly and sent to Count Rivne, the family’s financial manager. Which meant Count Rivne, the Duke’s right hand, had read this sorry excuse of a ledger.
“The fact that it was approved either means he turned a blind eye… or he’s in on it.”
Considering Count Rivne’s personality, the latter was unlikely. Hesis Rivne, like Jurin Baltos who led the private knights, was a vassal of the house and a childhood friend of the Duke.
The three shared a bond so tight, nothing could come between them. The Duke had entrusted him with the key to the vault, despite always struggling with the estate’s finances.
That level of trust needed no explanation.
So it was more likely that Count Rivne turned a blind eye—probably because the Duke pitied his mother and didn’t want any noise in the household. Karia’s well-being was always secondary to him.
“Steward.”
“Yes, my lady! You called?”
Maybe it was because of what happened yesterday, but the steward came running without needing to be called twice and bowed politely.
“Has the Grand Madam eaten this morning?”
“Y-Yes! She skipped dinner last night, but she did eat a little this morning.”
“Good. If the elderly go too long without meals, it could be dangerous.”
Her words sounded concerned, but they were empty. As far as Karia knew, the Grand Madam was remarkably healthy for a woman of her age—free from any typical ailments.
She had merely been curious how the “Grand Madam” was doing after her sudden confinement.
“My lady, it seems the Grand Madam has calmed down quite a bit. Wouldn’t now be a good time to consider forgiving her…?”
“Did the Grand Madam express a desire to apologize?”
“Well… no, not directly.”
“Then it seems she still needs more rest.”
Unaware of her real feelings, the steward subtly took the Grand Madam’s side—probably hoping to curry favor if she were released soon.
But Karia, as cold as ever, showed no signs of budging. The cautious steward wisely kept silent.
“Now, I’ll be conducting an inventory check. Bring me five servants immediately. We’ll start with… yes, the dressing room.”
“R-right now? But inventory checks are usually done quarterly…”
“What’s the point of a scheduled inspection? That’s just turning a blind eye. Oh, and you do have past ledgers stored, yes? Bring me all six years’ worth—from the day I entered this household. I’ll review them once I return.”
She rose from her seat. The steward’s objections and pleading fell on deaf ears.
She didn’t need to check to know the records were false, but to hold them accountable, she needed precise documentation.
And now—while the Grand Madam was still locked up—was the perfect time to handle the mess.
Leaving the flustered steward behind, Karia exited the room.
As she stepped into the hallway with brisk strides, she spotted someone ahead of her.
“Kristan.”
A boy with dark navy hair was walking toward her in a disheveled state.
His hair, his eyes, even his face resembled his father’s. At her call, the boy slowly looked up.
“It’s been a while. No, wait—it sounds odd saying that when we live in the same house. Were you returning from sword training?”
“…”
The boy gave no reply. He glanced at her with his blue eyes and then turned his steps to walk past her. A blatant dismissal—as if she didn’t exist.
He was always like this. Every time she tried to speak kindly to him and was ignored, Karia was left humiliated and full of self-loathing.
But she had no intention of tolerating that any longer.
—
