Elona added an explanation. [Elona] "Clobell said she would tell His Highness to send snacks again. So she tried to find him, but His Highness said he has no time to see her today." [Roserikta] "Oh dear. She couldn't even speak to him." [Elona] "Yes. Clobell is deeply heartbroken." Roserikta nodded, understanding the situation. [Roserikta] "Is His Highness busy?" [Elona] "Hmm…… Well, I don't exactly know. Unless something suddenly happened at the Imperial Palace, what reason

Nothing beat the servants' passageway for a secret meeting. With Elona's help, Roserikta and Kalart met without anyone knowing. The narrow corridor, barely wide enough for one person to pass, remained dark and quiet today. [Kalart] "So?" His voice echoed low in the space. [Roserikta] "I thought we could try a similar method." [Kalart] "I don't like it." She expected Kalart to welcome the idea. His reaction flustered her. [Roserikta] "Do you think it won't work?" [Kalart] "Not

[Kalart] "No." The word slipped out before he could stop it. The sudden rejection proved he possessed an unexpectedly conservative nature. Her eyes widened in panic. [Roserikta] "Do you hate the idea?" [Kalart] "No, it is not that...... The proposal is my responsibility." [Roserikta] "Hmm...... Must it be so? I wanted to keep my promise." [Kalart] "It must." He gripped her shoulders. [Kalart] "It absolutely must." [Roserikta] "Why? It is just a proposal." [Kalart] "That is...

Sierra stepped into the mansion without a single drop of water on her and looked down at tiny Hanael trailing beside her. [Sierra] "Um....... So what exactly happened, Hanael?" She wanted to say, If you mean the bad mister, hasn't he always been weird? but she kept her mouth shut. The Grand Madam stared firmly at Sierra. The mansion's atmosphere felt eerie. What is it. Is something here......? A famous recently published romance novel titled Wuthering Heights flashed through

The atmosphere in the ducal mansion remained peaceful. However, Cassius' reaction upon entering the mansion and habitually receiving the report on Sierra proved far more violent than expected. [Cassius] "......She left?" [H. Butler] "Yes, she mentioned finding something interesting for a moment." [Cassius] "When......." His vision flashed a dizzying white. He frantically searched the mansion. However, she was nowhere to be found. [H. Butler] "She said she would return shortly

Sierra stepped into the country house hosting the Imperial Academy's medical and pharmacy symposium alongside Hentel. To think I get to attend a medical pharmacy symposium....... She attended the collaborative symposium hosted by the Imperial Pharmacy Academy as Hentel's assistant. [Hentel] "Don't be nervous." [Sierra] "Ah, yes." Contrary to his expectation, heavy tension eluded her. Excitement simply filled her as she wondered what topics the world-renowned scholars would di

That evening, Hentel sat across from Sierra as promised. He rolled the orange potion Sierra handed him between his fingers. It was merely a headache remedy at best. However, she combined it using an unusual method people rarely used, and it produced a highly successful result. His curiosity deepened. [Hentel] "I received an invitation to a symposium regarding the advancement of medicine and pharmacy this time." People already knew the Ideos Ducal Family invited Hentel. [Sierr

[Arad] "Whoa, she erased it with magic! That kind of magic is possible." Arad shuddered. Separate from the Black Witch's threat, Arad was at the stage of planning a future with his lover. Kalart's situation hit close to home. The thought of Lady Elona's family opposing him so fiercely made his vision go dark. How does His Highness handle this? Having a child but facing opposition to the marriage must double the agony. [Eaton] "What should we do, Your Highness?" Eaton picked u

[Mazi] "Such high-quality black is rare." She spoke in a noble tone, followed by words that were anything but noble. [Mazi] "If I asked for them, would you give them to me? Both of them, of course." [Kalart] "I will. In exchange, you will perform the baptism for my child." His answer came without a second of hesitation. His nonchalant nod remained unchanged, so it took a moment for the humans—already intoxicated by the witch's charm—to process the transaction that had just oc

[Clobell] "Does this mean your baby won't die anymore?" She shouted suddenly. [Clobell] "Since she knows the stork came, she’ll perform the baptism! The baby won’t die!" It was typical of Clobellina to assume the baby, rather than Roserikta, faced death. Meanwhile, Elona couldn't hide her shock. [Elona] "Wait, wait. The baby is dying? What does that mean?" Roserikta turned to Elona with a troubled face. [Roserikta] "Well, that is......" She explained the situation—how things

[Kalart] "How cute. Falling asleep so suddenly and dreaming already." He spoke out of nowhere. Roserikta shook her head slightly. [Roserikta] "Your Highness, it is strange to call such a thing cute." [Kalart] "In my eyes, it is." He probably has no idea what 'cute' really means because of the curse. [Clobell] "That's right. It's weird. I’m the cute one here." His expression hardened at the cat's intervention. [Kalart] "I can't entirely deny your words, Clobell. However, the f

Sierra swallowed hard and brainwashed herself again. She recalled the massive gap between him, a Duke, and herself, a commoner. A Duke and a commoner. Under Imperial law, they shared a destiny where they would rarely meet, nor should they meet. Unless she became a mistress or a courtesan, they had no reason to intertwine. He is an unreachable fruit. He is a poisonous apple I must not eat, salty seawater, a destiny bound to fall apart anyway once the misunderstanding clears. S

[Mazi] "You fool." Mazi certainly held that opinion. However, her reasoning differed from what Roserikta expected. [Mazi] "Why did you get pregnant already? Right in the prime of your life." [Roserikta] "It wasn't exactly what I wanted......" Mazi possessed the same strictness Roserikta remembered from her grandmother. [Mazi] "Quiet. You've become entirely human now. Do you think a witch conceives an infant so easily? The stork never visits unless one is prepared. Even that w

He continued his explanation. [Hailey] "I borrowed this briefly from another jeweler I know. You might have seen it, but this crest of the moon and lily belongs to the House of Merve. The contents state that the House of Merve is ordering moonstones in bulk. They mentioned sending a messenger to collect them. That jeweler sent thirty-eight moonstones. Several other places received similar letters, which explains why every moonstone in the capital vanished." [Kalart] "A suspic

However, Kalart possessed zero intention of letting Roserikta go alone. [Kalart] "Is that it?" [Roserikta] "I also feel apologetic for taking up your time. Genuinely." [Kalart] "If that is all, neither is a problem. The Imperial Jeweler will likely keep their mouth shut even tighter around those unconnected to the Imperial Family. And as for my time, I'm perfectly fine. I plan to handle the most pressing matter right now." He nodded once and gestured out the window. [Klein] "

[Roserikta] "Ah, is that so?" She scrambled to her feet. I cried so much yesterday. My face must look terrible. Fortunately, Elona missed her swollen eyes. She likely assumed Roserikta had just slept too much. [Roserikta] "Then I should at least wash my face." [Elona] "Yes, I already prepared everything. I will rush over and inform the Royal Guard, so please wait a moment." Elona hurried out of the bedroom. A black shadow crawled out from under the bed. It was Clobellina. [Cl