The garden was quiet, save for the sound of the birds chirping a melodious song only they could understand. Yet, Arianne hummed along as if she were replying to their messages. She sat alone in the pavilion in the middle of the garden, books spread across the table—competing with the already-cold tea and gradually melting chocolate cake for space.  She had dismissed all her maids, saying that she wanted to read alone.

“There’s nothing on this one either,” Arianne mumbled. She sighed as she closed the book. Ever since she woke up from meeting the Great Kryndelia, she had been researching history books about her. Yet, the more she read, the more puzzled she became. There were no records of Her Majesty’s personal life, even after she founded the Kryndelia Empire. Not even a mention of her balanced equilibrium too.

Either they weren’t written, or they were deliberately erased, Arianne thought to herself. Although she immediately brushed off the latter hypothesis. That’s too far-fetched, isn’t it? What kind of purpose would they achieve by erasing the records?

“Should I try looking for more records from the Imperial Library…” Arianne hesitated. Going to the Imperial Library meant that she had to use the special Imperial Pass granted to Aldwynne as one of the four Dukes. After all, not everyone was allowed to come and go to the Imperial Palace as they pleased, except for the four Dukes. “What excuses should I prepare, though…”

All these back-to-back happenings made Arianne feel like she had aged quite a bit. She huffed, feeling frustrated. It had been more than a month since she woke up, yet nothing was resolved. Not the Great Kryndelia, not her balanced equilibrium, and … not even her relationship with Aldwynne. She still did not know what to do with what she accidentally heard back at the banquet. Every time Aldwynne tried to talk to her, she would always find an excuse to avoid him, or if it was unavoidable, she would pretend like she knew nothing and act like she always did.

It was actually exhausting.

Arianne did not know what was worse between having accidentally heard what she should not know or not knowing anything at all. It was like having to choose between pretending or being oblivious, and she liked neither of them.

She did not like how she could hear the voices clearly, as if they were yelling in her ears, while her eyes kept seeing the wide smile Aldwynne gave Lilianne on the screen her past self had watched—when he never showed those smiles for her.

“Well…” Arianne sighed. She picked up the teacup and brought it to her lips, only to cough as the bitter, cold liquid ran down her throat. “Right, I did not put any sugar,” she mumbled, taking a napkin to wipe her lips.

“It makes me wonder how Aldwynne could drink this every day.”

She snapped out of her thoughts; no longer did she want to drift further into the depressing thoughts. She was about to read another book—even if she already knew what the contents would most likely be—when she saw Aldwynne along with Cassiander approaching nearby. The two seemed to be discussing something, judging by the expressions on their faces. That made her tense up.

Cassiander didn’t tell Aldwynne that I overheard them, right?!

An alarm went off in her mind. Should she flee and hide, or should she act like usual instead? That was the question she kept hesitating to answer because no matter what, both would only make her feel foolish. Although she was already a fool for not noticing what had been going on between Aldwynne and Lilianne.

In the end, Arianne chose the latter. She smiled at the approaching men, greeting them as naturally as she could. “Hello,” Arianne said, walking out of the pavilion to approach them. “I didn’t know that Viscount Ashwood visited us.”

The two stopped in their tracks.

“You’re here,” Aldwynne greeted her back.

“Hello, Duchess,” said Cassiander. “I had some business nearby and ought to visit the twins too. It’s been two months since they had their lessons.”

Arianne nodded in understanding. “I’m pretty sure the kids will be delighted to meet you, Sir Cassiander,” she said, then turned to Aldwynne and flashed him a hesitant smile. “Oh right, Aldwynne. May I tag along the next time you come to the Imperial Palace?”

Aldwynne seemed surprised by Arianne’s request. “Are you going to visit the library? You’ve been looking for records regarding the Great Kryndelia.”

Arianne nodded. There was no use hiding her purpose, after all. Not that Aldwynne ever asked deeper. “Yes.”

Contrary to her expectations, Aldwynne seemed to have piled up questions regarding her behavior. “Why? I think the records there would pretty much be similar to the ones stored here.”

“Well…” she trailed off. She scratched the back of her neck that did not feel itchy, unable to come up with appropriate excuses that would not sound strange. What was she even supposed to say, that she met the Great Kryndelia when she passed out? That she even got to have a long conversation with her, and that was why she passed out for ten days? Or maybe she should explain that they both were similar in terms of being transmigrators with balanced equilibrium? How should she even tell everything without sounding crazy? Well, she could never. Much less to Aldwynne.

“I just found her admirable,” was the most reasonable reason she could come up with. Well, it was not a lie. Even before she met the Great Kryndelia, the stories of her deeds had already become must-learn curriculum for history class at the academy, even more for nobles as a part of their early education; to deepen their understanding of the Nobless Oblige they should keep in mind, they said. Perhaps that was why there rarely was an internal conflict in the Empire.

“I didn’t know you were interested in history, Duchess,” Cassiander commented, which made Arianne give him a side-eye.

Fortunately, Aldwynne did not regard Cassiander’s comment and he did not press further. He gave Arianne an affirmation that she could follow him to the Imperial Palace for the next regular council meeting next month.

“Thank you,” Arianne said. She smiled at Aldwynne’s answer. “Well, both of you must be busy so I won’t hold you back any longer.”

She watched as the two men resumed their walk, feeling relieved that nothing seemed amiss from their conversation. “Judging from it and the previous conversations … I think it’s safe to assume that Cassiander didn’t tell Aldwynne anything,” she mumbled. Her feet took her to the garden. Her eyes wandered around the sea of flowers, while her nose smelled the fragrance of various flowers that she personally tended to.

Completely oblivious to the truth.

Perhaps she had underestimated the extent of her husband’s ability, because there was no way someone as perceptive as him would not be able to connect the dots, no matter how hard she tried to act like she heard nothing.