“…It’s probably nothing.”

Oscar said with effort after a brief silence. He looked quite tired and exhausted.

“Come to think of it, I heard House Serpentine was also under renovation due to a fire. Is the construction finished?”

“Ah, how did you know?”

“What do you mean how? We’re getting married, aren’t we?”

As Genevieve looked at him with an incredulous expression, Oscar smiled sheepishly. He sometimes seemed to lack awareness that he was marrying Genevieve.

“Yes. There was a fire in the servants’ quarters. Fortunately, it wasn’t a big fire, so only one person died. Now it’s become a clean new building.”

His nonchalant response was rather suspicious. Genevieve could intuitively sense that Oscar was deeply involved in the fire.

“Ah, I heard Erhan Serpentine has also returned to the territory?”

“I’ve heard the same.”

Oscar nodded at Genevieve’s words.

Erhan’s eccentricities were famous even within the kingdom. Despite being the heir to House Serpentine, he didn’t stay in Serpentine territory but wandered outside.

As someone who could be encountered anywhere at any time, Genevieve was also secretly curious about Erhan. So she tried to probe Oscar, but…

“As I haven’t been in contact with him for years, I think I’ll only be able to see him at the wedding.”

It seems they weren’t very close. Every time she casually brought up Erhan, Oscar showed no particular reaction.

Oscar’s eyes seemed lost in thought for a moment, as if recalling Erhan, but even that was brief. He only wore a listless smile again.

‘I wonder what kind of person he is.’

There were various rumors attached to Erhan.

Erhan, who was said to be a genius but considered quite promiscuous.

Unlike the Duke of Serpentine, he was known to be very sociable, but at the same time, many malicious rumors followed him. Even Genevieve, who was quite active in social circles, strangely had no points of contact with Erhan.

“Genevieve, I should be going now.”

At that moment, Oscar slowly rose from his seat.

“You’re leaving without having dinner?”

“Hmm. I think I need to travel quite a distance, so I want to move before sunset. It’s a place you know too.”

“Where are you going?”

“The mansion where we’ll be staying.”

Genevieve was startled.

“Weren’t we supposed to move in together after the ceremony?”

“Well, about that… My mother kept insisting that it doesn’t make sense not to check the newlywed home even once. She seems to be worried. I thought I’d go in first and check if there are any inconveniences while living there.”

Genevieve looked at Oscar with a face that seemed to say “Ah, I see.” After all, when the mansion was being renovated, they only checked the location and had never actually entered it. They both had a lot to do, but to begin with, this wasn’t a marriage that started with love. What would be the point of the two of them visiting their future newlywed home side by side? They were planning to divorce after living there for a short time anyway.

“Should I go with you?”

“It’s alright. Your lover is waiting for you by the sea, isn’t he?”

Genevieve’s lover was a foreigner living by the seaside. He had severely injured his leg while saving Genevieve, making it difficult for him to move around. Because of this, it was hard for him to travel to other cities.

Genevieve wanted to marry him, but House Raven wouldn’t allow it. That’s why she had come this far to protect her lover.

“I’m sorry, Oscar. He knows it’s a contract marriage, but he still feels a bit hurt.”

“It’s fine. Stay with your lover until the wedding.”

“But still…”

“I can check the mansion by myself. My mother didn’t say anything either.”

Genevieve noticed that Oscar had somewhat held back his words.

The Duchess probably told Oscar several times to look around the mansion with Genevieve before the wedding. The reason he didn’t convey this was undoubtedly out of consideration for Genevieve, who had a lover.

“Thank you.”

He was truly a thoughtful man. If she didn’t have a lover, she might have been misled by his kind consideration to the point of falling for him.

“Well, I can’t delay any longer, so I’ll be leaving now.”

Oscar smiled as if nothing was wrong and turned his body that he had just raised. As the door opened, the servants of House Serpentine appeared. Their appearance, wearing cloths with ghost eyes drawn on them and having plump feet, remained the same even as time passed.

Oscar’s back, walking among them, looked lonely. Genevieve found herself shouting without realizing it.

“Oscar!”

At Genevieve’s call, Oscar stopped and turned around.

“Just wait a little. I’ll try to find out again somehow! And I’m sure they’ll be safe. She’s someone who always keeps her promises!”

Oscar blinked slowly at Genevieve’s words of comfort. Then he slowly shook his head.

“It’s alright.”

There was no longer any expectation in his face. Despite countless efforts, they hadn’t been able to make contact. He seemed to have accepted that not expecting anything meant not being disappointed.

“Then I’ll see you in a week.”

Genevieve couldn’t say anything more to Oscar’s calm farewell.

Now, the two of them would only meet again at the wedding ceremony in a week.

***

The servants dropped me off and returned to House Serpentine.

The mansion I arrived at looked very lively. Although Genevieve wanted to live as far away from her family as possible, the location of the newlywed home was decided to be somewhere in the middle of the two territories.

Reflecting Genevieve’s opinion, it was closer to House Serpentine. The Raven side seemed to have their pride hurt greatly by this. That’s why House Raven took full charge of renovating the mansion. As a result, the mansion was now bustling with people from House Raven.

“Master, have you arrived?”

“Welcome!”

Perhaps because I had informed them of my arrival in advance, as soon as I reached the mansion, all the servants came out to greet me.

‘This is really awkward…’

No ghost cloths covering their faces, and servants freely showing their expressions.

The chattering servants felt unfamiliar. Even though I knew this was normal, it still felt strange.

‘The scale is much larger than I expected.’

It’s just a mansion we’ll stay in for a few months…

I hadn’t expected there to be so many people, given the size of the mansion. After all, my marriage with Genevieve was set to end soon anyway.

“Everyone’s working hard. Thank you.”

I hope they don’t work too hard. After all, you’re all going to lose your jobs soon…

“Not at all!”

“Is there a place for me to stay?”

“Ah! I’ll guide you there right away.”

The servant at the front started to guide me. As I followed behind the servant, I thought for a moment.

‘By the way, I should visit the mansion too.’

Actually, I didn’t explain in detail because I was worried Genevieve might be concerned, but Erhan had returned because of the wedding. I wouldn’t have known if my mother hadn’t told me. It would be right to stop by the mansion to meet Erhan, who had returned after a long time, but…

‘We’ve been apart for so long, it might just be awkward if we meet… Above all, I don’t have the luxury to care about others.’

Because my mind was complicated, I wanted to spend some time alone for a while.

Lately, even I thought I was strange. No matter what I did, it was difficult to feel emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure. Nothing was fun, nothing sparked interest. Even when seeing sad content, I didn’t have any particular thoughts. It felt like my emotions were broken somewhere.

I didn’t want to do anything, and even talking to people was bothersome. I just wanted to be alone. That’s why I readily accepted my mother’s suggestion to look around the newlywed home in advance. It was a good excuse to stay alone.

“This is the space where you’ll be staying, Lord Oscar.”

While I was lost in thought, we had already arrived at my room. As I entered the room, guided by the servant’s polite instructions, my eyes widened.

‘How can it be this luxurious.’

I had heard that House Raven was particularly interested in luxury goods, but I had let my guard down because the corridor was unexpectedly neat.

“May I rest alone for a while?”

“You must have had a tiring journey, I’m sorry. We’ll finish unpacking and organizing your luggage. Please call us anytime if you need anything. Then, please rest comfortably.”

Even after the servant closed the door and left, I stared blankly at the bed as if I was shy. Too tired to stand any longer, I lay down in the corner of the bed. It felt so unfamiliar, like someone else’s bed, that I was reluctant to lie in the center.

The ceiling was painted with a purely peaceful and beautiful natural landscape. It suddenly felt real that this wasn’t House Serpentine where I usually stayed. I stared blankly at the ceiling painting and then closed my eyes.

‘I’m tired.’

Perhaps it was because I rode in the carriage longer than expected. My head is throbbing.

Sending Zachary back didn’t mean everything was over. To erase his traces, we set fire to the servants’ quarters to fake Zachary’s death. Although it was a well-prepared action, the opponent was the Duke of Serpentine. We couldn’t let our guard down.

But the reaction of the Duke, which I was most worried about, was strange.

‘The Duke’s reaction to hearing that the prince had died was lukewarm.’