Some time passed, and Arianne excused herself from the ladies to find Aldwynne. The two had promised the twins that they would be back early so that the four of them could sleep together tonight. To make up for the time their father had been away, they had said. She could not help but chuckle as she recalled the adorable expressions they showed.

“Excuse me,” Arianne said, approaching the gentlemen who had been with him earlier. “Do you happen to know where Duke Clarevant is?”

“Oh, Duchess Clarevant!” one of them exclaimed, seemingly excited upon seeing Arianne. “The Duke went upstairs.”

Upstairs? Arianne thought to herself. Still, she thanked the group before heading upstairs. It was the resting floor, with private lounges that nobles and envoys used to take a breather—or, just like the name suggested, to share private conversations.

“This might be a problem…” Arianne mumbled as she walked through the hallway. After all, private lounges existed for a reason. She could not just knock on the doors one by one, or even take a peek inside just to search for her husband, could she? It would be inappropriate, be it from her social standing or as an individual.

“Aldwynne, you—“

She was about to head back and simply wait when a familiar voice caught her ear. It came from the room at the far end of the hallway. Curious, she took a peek from the gap in the door and saw a glimpse of Giovanne, Aldwynne, and Cassiander.

It had been a while, Arianne thought as she saw the trio. It was a sight that she had often seen during their student years. Although she was four years younger than them and could only see them together during lunch break, she still had a special memory of it. The five of them, including Arianne and Lilianne, used to eat lunch together. It was more of Arianne tagging along with the older ones, but they let her join, so it was considered together, right?

“Watch your words, Giovanne. She’s also your sister.”

It was Aldwynne’s voice that snapped her out of her nostalgia. She finally realized the tension in the room. Sister? What did he mean by that? What were they talking about?

“I hardly ever considered her a sister if not for Lilianne!” Giovanne said—almost yelled.

Arianne could hardly contain her surprise upon hearing his words. Her body stiffened in place. So, they were talking about her.

“Giovanne, I think you should calm—“

It was Cassiander’s voice this time, trying to calm her brother down.

“Do you think I could stay calm after seeing her again, Cass? It hasn’t even been a year since Lilianne passed away! I keep getting what ifs!” Giovanne’s fingers clenched into a fist. His face was full of raw emotions. “You know fully well that Lilianne wasn’t supposed to marry that abusive count in the first place!”

Silent. No one refuted his words. The two men in front of Giovanne had hardened looks.

“If only … if only she had married you,” Giovanne’s voice turned sorrowful. “Aldwynne, why did you let her go? We clearly knew the two of you had something going on! Why was it that when the marriage proposal arrived, it was not for Lilianne but for her? Why would you marry someone who wasn’t even supposed to be born!”

Arianne felt her chest tighten at the words she just heard. It was too much for her to process at once. She gripped her knuckles hard.

“… It wasn’t me who let go,” Aldwynne said. His voice was low, yet weirdly enough, Arianne could hear from the gap in the door. Her vision had gotten so blurry that she could no longer make out what kind of expression he had on his face.

Why … did he say that? Aldwynne and … sister Lilianne?

Arianne’s mind was a mess. No, she was a mess. She bit her lower lip, trying to stop herself from making noises. Her body had grown so weak that she could barely stand if not for her grip on the handle. The conversation inside still continued, yet she could not make out any of the words.

Not after everything she just learned. People said that curiosity killed the cat, and it seemed that she had just become that cat.

Unable to stay any longer, she turned around to walk away, finding herself losing her balance that she knocked over the vase resting beside the door. Unfortunately, it made noise that stopped the conversation inside.

“Who’s there?”

This was the worst. Before she could steady herself, a familiar face came into view.

It was Cassiander. A look of surprise crossed his face as he saw the very subject of their conversation. It immediately turned into guilt as he saw the tears on her face. For a moment, he was rendered speechless, unsure of what to say or do.

“Who was it, Cass?” Giovanne’s voice grew closer.

They could hear footsteps approaching from inside. Arianne shook her head helplessly as if pleading with Cassiander to say nothing of her appearance. “Please, I beg you…” she mouthed to him.

He looked at her for a moment before he turned back inside without saying anything. “It was His Majesty’s cat,” he said as he closed the door. That was a clever excuse he came up with. After all, it was no secret that His Majesty the Emperor had a cat roaming around the palace freely.  Yet, Aldwynne felt something was amiss with his expression. “Why look like that over a mere cat?”

“What kind of expression?” Cassiander asked him calmly. He was not the Duke’s former aide for no reason. His ability to adapt to any situation was one many had envied.

Aldwynne narrowed his eyes as he observed his former aide, yet he decided not to pursue it further.

“Anyway-“ Cassiander sat down in his seat. He gestured to the other two to sit back down, wanting to buy time for Arianne to escape and hold herself together. “Have you calmed down, Gio?”

Giovanne sighed. He took a sip of the tea from his cup. It was bitter and cold, just like the words he said as he burst out with emotions earlier. “My apologies, I shouldn’t let emotions take over me,” he said. “It was never Arianne’s fault to begin with.”

Cassiander eyed Giovanne. He noticed the slight tremble in his hand that picked up the teacup. “You know, Gio, it’d be best for you to put the past in its place instead of letting it weigh you down until you forget what you have in the present.”

Aldwynne knew that Cassiander’s words were not just directed to Giovanne. Coming from a family that was a descendant of the first Emperor, he was blessed with the ability to sense things more sharply than ordinary people.

Forget what I have in the present, huh. Aldwynne thought. His mind wandered to his wife and the little family they built over the years. He had to admit that their relationship started on the wrong foot. Just like her brother had said, he almost had it with her sister. Yet, Lilianne rejected his marriage proposal and told him to send it to Arianne instead. He was hurt, confused, and betrayed. Yet, he still did what any responsible husband should do: be a husband.

He stayed faithful, yet it was out of a sense of duty that he had been taught since he was young. He could not help but to feel guilty at his earlier response to Giovanne’s outburst.

He did not even defend his wife, did he?