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"...Sharp."
"Actually, it wasn't serious enough to warrant ointment, so if Idris hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have bothered."
"I finally relaxed my guard and spread the ointment on my wrist."
"Idris closed the tin case and opened his mouth."
"On the battlefield, you can't neglect even small wounds."
"..."
"This much is okay, I can endure it... Wounds that are casually overlooked can create openings at critical moments and determine life and death."
"If someone else had said it, it might have sounded like bravado."
"But because it was said by someone who had actually rolled around on the battlefield, the words resonated."
"You have to win, right? This game."
"His voice was indifferent as he said that, but the emotion in his eyes was visible."
"This person is worried about me."
"Strange."
"It felt awkward that someone else was worried about me."
"For some reason, the wrist that his hand had touched felt itchy."
"Don't skimp, apply it generously."
"Idris returned the closed tin case to me."
"I hesitated for a moment before answering."
"Thank you. Thanks for caring."
"Anyway, I couldn't ask you at the hotel because we were in a hurry. What did you talk about with the Duke?"
"Well, the usual stuff. He said he wouldn't give me alimony if I didn't go to the Duke's residence with him now."
"Judging by the way he's talking, it seems like he won't even return the dowry?"
"It's the law of the Empire that the dowry a woman brought when she married is returned in the event of a divorce."
"But there were many men who made unreasonable demands, citing reasons such as the wife having squandered the property or not having the money to return."
"Pheidon seemed likely to become one of those petty men."
"Looks like it, right? But it doesn't matter."
"Idris looked at me with puzzled eyes as I spoke confidently."
"I smiled and added."
"Because I can just take it back."
"A little later."
"Idris left the annex and walked along the corridor leading to the main building of the mansion."
"Only one question occupied his mind now."
"Was it a good idea to bring that woman into this house?"
"He had never brought a guest into this mansion except for the servants and Heather."
"To him, 'others' were just annoying variables that interfered with his daily life."
"So, bringing Leticia into this house was a rather impulsive decision."
"He was angry at the sight of Pheidon forcibly dragging Leticia away."
"Why was I so angry?"
"Of course, he felt a instinctive aversion to inhuman bastards, but he didn't make impulsive decisions simply out of compassion for the victim."
"In the first place, he wasn't the type to have such deep compassion."
"For the time being, the capital will be buzzing."
"He was used to being the protagonist of all sorts of rumors. It had become so boring without such happenings."
"Idris shrugged his shoulders once and shook off his thoughts."
"He found the answer to that question after encountering Heather in the hallway."
"What are you doing? You're not sleeping."
"The informants dispatched to the Ritbahn territory this time have brought news about the person you are looking for, and I thought you would be interested."
"Looking for someone."
"Idris's golden eyes flashed at the word."
"Seeing that look, Heather cautiously conveyed the news with a somewhat apologetic expression."
"I am sorry to say that there was no blonde woman of that age named Aria."
"Aria."
"Before Idris was recognized as a prince, when he lived in the slums."
"She was the only person who approached him first, whom the villagers shunned."
"But all he knew about Aria was her name and a brief glimpse of her face in a fleeting moment."
"As a child, he lived with his eyes covered to avoid revealing the golden eyes that were the symbol of royalty."
"But when he heard the news about Aria, a completely unrelated person suddenly came to mind."
"Idris."
"The moment Leticia called his name in the carriage today."
"That face overlapped with Aria's."
"Even though he had never told Aria his real name, so the child had never called him by his name."
"'...Leticia also knew the process of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.'"
"That story was also told to him by Aria when he was a child."
"You know, they say that even caterpillars go through a difficult growth in their cocoons before they get their wings."
"..."
"So, we're also growing in cocoons to get our wings!"
"Only then did he feel like he knew why he was so angry about Pheidon and Leticia's situation."
"So... this time, I'll dispatch informants to Petran to find out."
"Heather, who had been watching Idris's mood for a moment, bowed and was about to step back."
"Heather."
"Yes?"
"Idris, who was about to impulsively tell her to investigate Leticia's childhood, closed his mouth again."
"'It's ridiculous to think she's Aria based on just a butterfly story.'"
"At the banquet he attended after returning from the war, when he first made eye contact with Leticia next to Pheidon."
"At that time, he had reflexively thought of Aria."
"His heart sank at the thought that Aria might have a man, but he was soon relieved."
"In the first place, the name and status are different."
"So, Leticia Cloel is not Aria."
"He felt relieved and at the same time, he felt empty."
"And this time, the same emptiness washed over him as it did then."
"'Since I haven't been able to find her for a long time, I must want to believe that someone who looks like her is that child...'"
"Idris spoke with self-deprecation at his own appearance."
"No, it's okay. Go."
"The next morning, at the Farnese Duke's residence."
"Elise, who had woken up early, paced around the room with anxious steps."
"The knock broke the uneasy silence."
"Miss, the newspaper—"
"Elise opened the door before the maid could finish her words and snatched the newspaper."
"Give it to me now!"
"The maid was one of the people Elise had won over by acting friendly and coaxing them after entering the Duke's residence."
"Even though the maid was flustered by Elise's somewhat sensitive reaction, Elise had no time to worry about it."
"Because the huge photo and title on the front page of the newspaper captivated her mind."
"[The Farnese Duke and Duchess, who have been embroiled in rumors of discord, have revealed that the Duchess's new partner is the Dellua Grand Duke...]"
"Elise didn't even turn the page and checked the next newspaper."
"[The Farnese Duchess is currently residing at the Dellua Grand Duke's residence...]"
"The next newspaper, and the other newspapers as well, were all competing to cover Leticia and Idris's scandal."
"No way... are they really in that kind of relationship?"
"Elise, who was nervously muttering to herself, paused when she finally noticed the maid, who was looking embarrassed."
"Then, she quickly composed herself and put on her usual gentle smile."
"Ahem! Thank you for bringing the newspaper, Melinda. If you're not busy, could you get me some washing water?"
"Ah. Yes, miss."
"As soon as the maid left, Elise's eyes turned cold as she looked at the newspaper."
"'What a shameless woman.'"
"Elise gritted her teeth and crumpled the newspaper she was holding."
"She was Pheidon's first love."
"She knew that fact better than anyone else."
"So, the position of Farnese Duchess originally belonged to her."
"But while she was being oppressed by her uncle, who had taken over the title of viscount, Leticia, who debuted in high society first, snatched Pheidon."
"'Not only that, but she seduced all sorts of men in high society.'"
"Even though they were both young ladies from the same viscount family, and they were both undeniably beautiful, although in opposite ways, people only looked at Leticia."
"It was always unfair."
"Why was Leticia more loved even though they were born with the same status?"
"But when Leticia married Pheidon, the attention of high society naturally waned."
"Elise managed to take advantage of Pheidon's weaknesses and win back his heart, but..."
"'This time, she even seduced the Dellua Grand Duke?'"
"The unrealisticly handsome face of Idris came to mind, and at the same time, her chest felt stuffy as if a fire was burning inside."
"'I can't just sit back and watch that woman have something better than me.'"
"Whether it's an object or a person."
"The title of a miserable divorcee is perfect for a woman who steals other people's things."
"Not a glamorous Grand Duke's lover!"
"'Isn't there a way to separate the Dellua Grand Duke and that woman?'"
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