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“Ugh… Co, cold…”

Wendy, who woke up shivering from the cold, realized she had fallen asleep at her desk instead of her bed.

Last night, after serving Tristan some drinks, she didn’t go straight to sleep but instead reviewed her lessons.

Thanks to her consistent studying, there wasn’t much to review. Lately, she’d even started enjoying studying.

The problem was probably staying up late to serve Helga. Exhausted, she ended up falling asleep at her desk.

“Cough, cough…”

Her body condition suggested she had caught a cold. She touched her forehead—no fever, thankfully. But her throat was swollen, and she desperately needed a warm drink.

“Ugh…”

At this early hour, the maids were probably busy in the kitchen. Wendy was about to head there to soothe her throat but stopped.

‘Come to think of it…’

Last night, Tristan had finished an entire bottle of wine she brought. She didn’t know much about alcohol, but that seemed excessive. She’d heard overdrinking wasn’t good for health…

Worried, Wendy turned her steps toward Tristan’s room instead of the kitchen. Crossing the hallway, she soon spotted the door to his room, which had a vintage vibe. Being his exclusive maid, it was fortunate his room was nearby.

Creak—.

“?!”

The door suddenly opened. Wendy, like a squirrel, hid behind a nearby statue almost simultaneously. Startled, she instinctively hid.

‘I didn’t need to hide…’

Now it looked like she was up to something. Embarrassed, Wendy tried to stand up but bumped her head.

“Ouch?!”

Tears welled up in her eyes. What a way to start the morning. Wiping her tears, she peeked out to see if Tristan had noticed her blunder. And then she froze.

“Huh?”

It wasn’t Tristan who came out of the room. It was a woman—someone Wendy knew very well.

A woman with messy, deep purple hair slipped away like a thief down the hallway.

“Lady Helga…?”

*

After a week-long voyage, Gale arrived at the Wolfbert Family mansion late in the afternoon.

“Ah, you’re back, Head of the House. You must be tired, but we need to—”

“Where’s Hilde?”

“Huh? She’s in the courtyard talking with relatives, but—”

“Got it.”

“Ah! Head of the House?!”

Gale brushed past the butler and strode toward the courtyard. Servants he passed along the way hurriedly stepped aside upon seeing his face.

Bang—!

He flung the door open, revealing the mansion’s courtyard. A large table was set up, with people leisurely enjoying tea time. Everyone stared at the sudden intruder, dumbfounded. Unbothered, Gale shouted.

“Hilde!”

“My, you arrived earlier than expected?”

At the head of the table sat a beautiful noblewoman, Hildegarde, smiling. Her smile was so radiant that no one would believe she was middle-aged. But to Gale, it was nothing but the smirk of a cunning fox.

“We need to talk.”

“Suddenly? I’m in the middle of a conversation with relatives. Later—”

“It’s important. Get up.”

“……”

Seeing Gale’s serious expression, Hildegarde sighed and stood up.

“Excuse me, everyone.”

“Uh, sure…”

“Take your time.”

Leaving the relatives under his intimidating aura, the two headed to a secluded garden.

The well-maintained garden was in full bloom with purple flowers. Under normal circumstances, Gale might have lost himself admiring it. But now, he felt like burning it all down.

Once they were far enough for no one to overhear, Hildegarde spoke.

“So… what did you want to talk about?”

“Who gave you the right to move May’s grave?”

“Ah… I wondered what this was about.”

“Gibson told me. You dared to impersonate my orders to pull this off?”

“Impersonate? Watch your words, Gale. I’m the lady of the Wolfbert Family. Within this family, my orders are as good as yours.”

“Don’t spout nonsense! I entrusted you with managing the family affairs, not to act on your own whims!”

“Huh… I really don’t understand.”

“What?”

“I don’t get why you’re so angry.”

Despite Gale’s furious interrogation, Hildegarde remained unfazed.

“Sando is the sacred island where our ancestors rest… What did she do for our family to deserve a place there?”

“As I’ve said before, she saved my life. Without her, there would be no Wolfbert Family today.”

“…Is her grave that important to you?”

“……”

Gale was momentarily speechless. Though he had been furious moments ago, Hildegarde was equally angry. But her anger wasn’t fiery—it was icy, freezing everything in its path.

“Why don’t you just be honest, Gale? You can’t forget her.”

“…I forgot her long ago.”

“Then you wouldn’t mind if I removed her grave?”

“That’s enough. Don’t insult the dead.”

“But it’s fine to insult me? Ha. You’re unbelievable. You have no idea how humiliated I feel, having to accept your mistress’s grave into our family.”

“That’s…”

“Shut up. You’ve insulted me.”

“……”

The two fell silent. Normally, they rarely crossed paths, but when they did, harsh words were always exchanged. Both Gale and Hildegarde faintly sensed it—their relationship was nearing its end.

“Sigh… Let’s drop it. Sando is out of our hands now anyway.”

“…I heard Tristan bought Tangmar. Can’t we just buy it back with our funds?”

“Sure. But he has no intention of selling it to us.”

“What?”

Gale was baffled. He thought Tristan had demanded an outrageous price, but it turned out he never intended to sell?

Hildegarde shrugged at Gale’s confusion.

“He just wanted to build a hotel in the Tangmar area. I didn’t expect him to buy the entire island, though…”

“…So we have to move Sando?”

“No. I negotiated with him. The Wolfbert Family can continue using Sando.”

Gale’s eyes widened. Though she was a schemer, Hildegarde was undeniably capable.

Unlike Gale, who was a warrior through and through, Hildegarde maintained smooth relationships with various nobles thanks to her eloquence and social skills. Her ability to reclaim the rights to Tangmar from Tristan was a testament to that.

But Gale’s instincts were sharp too.

“So what did you trade? Tristan… Count Ruelberta wouldn’t have given it up without a price. Hilde, did you…”

“Don’t worry, Gale. I made a deal that benefits the Wolfbert Family.”

“…Hmm.”

Hildegarde spoke confidently, but Gale, having been married to her for so long, knew better. Behind that confidence, there was surely some dark scheme.

Gale warned in a low voice.

“If you’re plotting something, you’d better stop.”

“How hurtful. Anyone listening would think I’m the only villain here.”

“…I’m not like you.”

“No… You and I are no different.”

Gale scoffed at her意味深长 remark.

“Hmph. Nonsense.”

“Think what you want. I’ll go back to the relatives now.”

As she turned to leave, Hildegarde casually added,

“You should rest well today. You’ll be fighting four people in tomorrow’s Head of House Duel.”

“…Four?”

Gale couldn’t help but frown. Including Patrick, he only had three sons. But Hildegarde wasn’t one to make such mistakes, especially not something so calculated.

“Oh, did I not mention?”

Hildegarde fanned herself as she spoke.

“Your beloved daughter will also be participating in the duel, so prepare yourself.”

 

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