The Casas were located very close to the Berta mansion. It was a twenty-minute walk, too far for a carriage, and Diego had asked the coachman to circle the neighborhood instead of heading straight home. He wanted to talk to Estella in private. It wasn’t long after the carriage left that Diego’s luck ran out.

“I’ve been thinking.”

Diego propped his elbows on the window sill and rested his chin in his palms. His voice was half-submerged by his posture, and his gaze slowly returned to Estella. She almost flinched in reflex. Making eye contact with him reminded her of something they had done earlier. She asked, biting her lip.

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean what Miss Margaret told me last night.”

Estella casually let out a sigh. She lowered the hand that was on her lips back onto her knee. The sound of children’s voices shouting could be heard beyond the window, as if the square were nearby. Diego asked absentmindedly.

“You said that I could change. I’m curious why you think that way, and I want to hear a more detailed explanation.”

“Are you willing to follow my words?”

“You can’t expect me to harbor expectations without making any effort.”

Diego frowned slightly on one side of his face as he said that. It was as if he felt very awkward saying it. Estella could only stare at him, dumbfounded. The silence lengthened, and Diego looked back at her, puzzled. Finally, she recovered herself and replied.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting you to say that. I’m so happy for you.”

She closed her eyes in relief. From across the room, she heard Diego chuckle softly. Estella immediately opened her eyes and asked.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because I find it amusing when you act like a moralist.”

Diego answered honestly. This fierce tutor seemed to have made it her life’s goal to set him straight, and as he found himself being dragged along by her wishes, the whole situation felt like some kind of grand conspiracy. Before he knew it, he had strayed far from his original path, and yet he didn’t mind it.

“I’ve lived in a world where acceptance of others is a sign of weakness, and you’re trying to teach me something called love.”

At the word love, Estella was taken aback. She knew he was referring to something much broader than heterosexual relationships.

While she was silent, Diego thought about it. Then his mouth opened again.

“You make me think of things I wouldn’t dare to think if I were alone.”

“……What kind of things?”

“Things like the bonds between family, human kindness, or the power that one person can give to another.”

“……”

“It feels both unfamiliar and wonderful to me.”

Diego smiled very clumsily as he said that. It was an uncharacteristically warm expression.

There are plenty of people who settle within their own limits. They even justify the mistakes they have made. Compared to them, Diego was someone who deserved to embrace a fresh start. He simply hadn’t been given the opportunity yet.

“The Duke, deep down, had such feelings within him. Because he was originally a kind-hearted person.”

Estella said sincerely. However, Diego could only chuckle in response.

“You are the only one who calls me kind-hearted.”

“I was just stating the facts.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“What do you mean?”

“When you say you saw a side of me that I didn’t know, it makes me want to discover a new version of myself.”

“……”

“When I’m with you, I feel fearless about starting something new. The areas that I once thought were beyond my reach now seem insignificant.”

Estella’s cheeks brightened. He was telling her that she was giving him courage. The sensation of his soft lips against hers came back to her. She coughed hastily, before a strange delusion clouded her mind. Diego glared at her and said.

“There’s one thing I’m curious about.”

“What is that?”

“It’s a matter within our family, so to speak. I mean, there’s no reason for Miss Margaret to be responsible for anything. Why are you so concerned for us?”

Estella’s eyes widened slightly at the unexpected question. Despite the fact that she was acting like a teacher because of her responsibilities, Estella knew she wasn’t that perfect. If she hadn’t had the responsibility of being a teacher, or even a sense of purpose, she would have gone back to her hometown without question.

But there were certain things that the current Estella had come to accept as a result of her past life. Strange ideas and concepts aside, there were so many memories that made her a different individual. Instead of recounting her long life in another world, Estella kept it short.

“I don’t want to regret it.”

It wasn’t a questionable answer, but it was too clueless. Diego asked, expecting an explanation.

“Regret what?”

“Well, like the Duke said, you can’t change what’s in the past.”

“……That’s true.”

“But I don’t want to just sit back and regret. Because then the things to regret will only increase more and more.”

Diego glared at Estella. Then he smirked.

“Anyway, it seems I wasn’t treated specially.”

“Pardon?”

“Fair and compassionate, that’s what suits you, and I like it.”

Somehow, it didn’t come across as a compliment, like a sarcastic tirade. When Estella frowned, Diego lifted his chin, his gaze resting on the underside of her furrowed brow.

He let out a small sigh and lowered his posture. Resting his arms on his thighs, he clapped briefly as if to summarize the situation.

“Alright. What should we do from now on for a bright future?”

Estella shifted her gaze from him. Since he had given the desired answer, Estella was determined to do her best to help him. With an excited tone, Estella spoke.

“First of all, let’s go buy some bribes.”

* * *

“Are you very busy?”

Upon hearing the question from across the table, Lionel raised his gaze slightly from the documents. Adriana was looking at him while holding a teacup. Normally, if someone brought up the opposite sex into a room and focused only on work, it would likely result in a slap, but the other person showed no sign of anger. It was clear that the question had been asked out of genuine curiosity. If it weren’t for that, there would be no reason to sit face-to-face and contemplate.

Lionel nonchalantly flipped back a page of paperwork.

“Diego reported his stepmother.”

“What?”

Adriana’s eyes widened at the shocking statement. However, it was a momentary reaction, and Adriana soon nodded as if understanding. After all, Diego was a person who went as far as killing his father, so it was unlikely that he would have a good relationship with his stepmother. At least he wasn’t resorting to violence to solve problems like his father did, so one could say he was relatively level-headed.

“It’s the judge’s job to make the verdict, but it’s believed that influential figures can sway the decision with money. If it’s not done to the appropriate standard, my lineage will be disappointed.”

In other words, it was a statement indicating their preparation to lobby the judge. Clearly, they seemed relentless in dealing with such unethical matters. Since Adriana arrived here, Lionel has barely greeted her and remained focused on the documents.

Adriana shook her head and asked.

“Will he get the results he wants?”

“The Duke Berta’s work is being supported by the Crown Prince of this country. Isn’t it obvious?”

“But what she had accomplished as the former duchess is not as insignificant as what you’re saying.”

“If it were about taking someone’s life, it would certainly have been more difficult. Pouring tears in front of her close friends, sending letters to those who had been lining her pockets, claiming innocence, and fainting in the courtroom, that’s what I mean.”

“But it doesn’t seem like she would do that now.”

“The perception from the public would be different. The evidence is clear.”

With that, Lionel picked up the stack of letters on the table and shook them.

“These are all letters from tutors who worked at the house. What do you think is in them?”

Lionel tossed them lightly in Adriana’s direction. Adriana didn’t bother to open the envelopes to see what was inside. She knew it would contain words that would satisfy both Diego and Lionel.

Testimonies would not have been forthcoming if the Duchess’s accuser had not been powerful, and it was powerful men who now stood against her. Perhaps as a witness, they would have felt more comfortable telling the truth. Perhaps it was the generous payout they would receive afterward that drove their decision, rather than a sense of justice.

Lionel said with a smug air that a battle had been won.

“We have obtained testimonies from the household tutors, and there are also many accounts from the servants, so the chances of a guilty verdict are high.”

“Does that mean the former duchess will go to prison?”

“The nobility are usually allowed to be put under house arrest. But since Diego won’t allow that, she’ll probably be banished to some faraway place. If it were me, I would see it as the end on the way back to my hometown.”

As he said this, Lionel raised his right hand and made the gesture of striking her throat. Adriana stiffened her shoulders for a moment. Unlike Lionel, who spoke of death with ease, she was not immune to fighting. Blackmailing Diego into marriage was the only gamble she’d ever taken in her life, though it ended up with a different man sitting across from her.

Adriana sipped her tea and slowly reviewed the recent developments. Ever since Lionel’s interest in her at the ball, Marquis Astez had changed his demeanor like the flip of a palm. Though his intention had been to dispose of Adriana in a faraway country, the prospect of a national marriage had made him reconsider.

Lately, the Marquis of Astez has been expressing his interest in Adriana by casually asking her about her relationship with Lionel, and it’s a nice touch that she’s been able to get away with it. In exchange for playing the part of the young lovebirds, she was set free.

Adriana’s plan was to endure this for a year, then be abandoned by Lionel and head down south to her relatives. There’s no way she’d have anything to do with him.

The purpose of Adriana’s coming to see him has already been fulfilled by the mere fact of their meeting. Adriana told her father that she was going to the palace today to see Lionel, and she put the plan into action for the watchful eyes that followed. As long as the man before her kept his promise to meet her in the garden, it didn’t matter what she did there.

Adriana pushed the letters back to Lionel and said.

“If you’re busy, you don’t have to make time.”

“I have a clear disposition when it comes to my work.”

“If you feel uncomfortable here, shall we end today’s meeting?”

Adriana asked, showing consideration. Lionel handed Adriana over with an unexpected reaction. He asked,

“Do I seem uncomfortable?”

“This tea table is not a suitable place for reviewing documents. Wouldn’t the study be better for you?”

“Oh, your discomfort, then.”