~Chapter 5~
After making up my mind at last, I quietly slipped out of bed and got dressed.
I checked once more to make sure I hadn’t left anything behind, then finally put on my beloved crow mask.
‘Originally I planned to leave early in the morning… but the streets will already be crowded.’
It would be better to risk the embarrassment of the mask than to let rumors spread through high society that the Duchess of Hamilton had been seen leaving a hotel in broad daylight.
Just before leaving the room completely, I looked back.
Enrique Greenwood was truly a man like a painting—so strikingly beautiful it felt unreal.
To think I had spent a night with the Empire’s admired Second Prince.
Perhaps it was because it was my first act of reckless escape like this, but I felt an odd, lingering emotion rise within me.
After a brief hesitation, I picked up the paper and quill prepared on the table.
[It was enjoyable. Like a midsummer night’s dream.]
It was both a note of gratitude—and a quiet request to leave it as nothing more than that.
And, perhaps, my own small piece of romance.
‘Alright. Time to go.’
Wearing the crow mask, I slipped out of the room as if fleeing.
*****
“Madam, you’ve returned.”
As I arrived at the estate, the head maid rushed toward me with a worried expression.
“We were shocked when you suddenly went to the count’s residence right before the banquet. And without a single guard with you…”
She looked as though she hadn’t slept at all, clearly anxious the entire night.
“I just wanted some fresh air alone. I always carry protection tools with me, so there’s no need to worry so much.”
“But… what is that you’re holding? Under your arm…”
“Cough.”
I quietly hid the crow mask behind my back as the maid’s gaze landed on it.
“It’s nothing. Could you bring some tea to my room?”
“P-Pardon? Ah… yes, of course.”
Though she tilted her head in confusion, she still nodded.
As I passed her and went upstairs, I heard her sniffing the air behind me.
“Why do I smell alcohol? You were strictly forbidden from drinking while on duty!”
“……”
Leaving the maid scolding innocent servants behind, I entered my room.
“Honestly… I can’t go drinking in the capital for a while now.”
The moment I stepped inside, I hid the crow mask in the wardrobe and collapsed onto the bed.
“Haah… still, getting out helped.”
It had been surprising, but the frustration from yesterday had definitely eased.
The shock from Kaiden and Tiana’s betrayal felt less suffocating now.
I felt like I could think a little more productively.
That alone made the outing worthwhile.
‘Come to think of it… why is the house so quiet?’
I suddenly wondered if Tiana had properly left.
I had clearly ordered her to leave, so she should already be gone.
Yet ever since I entered the estate, neither of them had shown themselves.
‘I should ask the head maid.’
A few minutes later, when the maid returned with tea, she reported before I could even ask.
“Madam… Lady Tiana left the estate yesterday after packing her belongings.”
“…Is that so?”
I had told her to leave, but this was earlier than expected.
‘Something feels off.’
There was still supposed to be a grace period left, yet she had left too quickly. It felt strangely suspicious.
“And, Madam… His Grace, Duke Hamilton, said something shocking yesterday.”
“Hm?”
Only then did I notice the head maid’s face—pale as paper, as if she had seen a ghost.
“The Duke said… he would officially take Lady Tiana as his mistress.”
“…What?”
“He came home completely drunk last night and said that… then left shortly after with Lady Tiana. He said they would attend the birthday banquet together. Only a few servants saw it, and we’ve strictly ordered them to keep quiet, but…”
Her uneasy gaze met mine, as though she might cry at any moment.
Though she couldn’t finish her sentence, her expression said everything.
Something had gone very wrong.
“And he also said to tell you that he will now be managing all financial affairs.”
“…?”
Feeling something deeply wrong, I set my teacup down.
“Ma-Madam?”
Ignoring the maid calling after me, I strode toward the study.
I unlocked the safe in the corner of the room.
Click.
The moment I opened it—
“…Ha.”
A dry laugh escaped me.
The cash and account books that should have been inside were gone without a trace.
As if someone had taken everything.
“Kaiden… you’ve lost your damn mind.”
I quietly swirled my teacup.
I had long sobered up, and my thoughts were sinking deeper and deeper.
“The Duke said… he would officially take Lady Tiana as his mistress.”
“He came home drunk last night, said that, then took Lady Tiana and left. He said they’d attend the birthday banquet together.”
Reconstructing the situation from the maid’s words made everything painfully clear.
Kaiden must have returned home intoxicated after failing to manipulate me as planned, drowning in bitter frustration.
Then, in a drunken stupor, he likely shouted in front of the servants—declaring he would take Tiana as his mistress.
‘That alone already crosses the line… and now he even stole from the safe?’
It wasn’t unusual for him to access the estate’s funds, given he was the duke.
But the problem was that I managed all of the household’s finances.
More importantly, most of this money originally came from my family.
My father had practically invested everything into this household—for his daughter’s sake.
The thought of him taking it without permission made my blood boil.
The reason was obvious. He intended to use that money to prepare a place for Tiana.
‘…Even after I clearly showed I knew about their affair during dinner.’
Ridiculous. I never expected them to expose themselves this quickly.
I set down my teacup and folded my arms, staring out the window.
The garden outside was already darkening.
“Maybe… they’ll come back together.”
The Duke’s birthday banquet was approaching soon. He would definitely appear.
And perhaps Tiana would be standing beside him.
Something told me that. And my instincts were rarely wrong.
If that was the case… I needed to prepare.
‘How should I punish them?’
Simply watching them wasn’t enough. I was too angry for that.
I needed something sharper. More satisfying.
Something that would truly ruin them.
As I was lost in thought—
“Madam. A letter has arrived.”
“A letter?”
The door opened and the head maid entered, holding a sealed envelope.
“…The imperial seal is on it.”
“The Imperial Palace?”
I took it slowly. My chest tightened.
The only connection I currently had with the Imperial Palace was the Second Prince.
‘Don’t tell me…’
But sometimes, “don’t tell me” is exactly what happens.
I opened the letter.
And my eyes froze on the words inside.
I lowered my head in silence.
“…Haah.”
[Come to the Imperial Palace immediately upon receiving this. I assume you know the reason.
If you ignore this letter, I will reveal the identity of the crow mask.
— Second Prince Enrique]
“Madam? Is something wrong?”
The head maid’s anxious voice continued, but I remained with my head lowered for a long time.
…Something was seriously going wrong.
