## Valquiterre's Continued Calculation
*The wedding of Kaian and Princess Bianque. It's an impossible scenario.*
If Kaian—a royal relative and Duke—married the Princess, he would rise significantly in the line of succession. Even now, he was second in line, only behind Bianque and skipping the late Duchess Elise. If he married the Princess, he would be next in line until Valquiterre produced children.
The thought of this rival potentially ascending to kingship made Valquiterre's blood boil.
*Marriage is the grave of life.*
Those words had appeal. He wanted to push Kaian into such a muddy, miserable marriage that he could never escape it. Which was precisely why Valquiterre had remained unmarried himself.
During the five-year war, he couldn't arrange Kaian's marriage. But then an unexpected proposal arrived from the sinister Duke of Vermont.
*"Temnes cannot divide itself and fight on multiple fronts. It would be better to secure the kingdom's borders."*
It was a practical proposal. No matter how capable Kaian was, he couldn't be in two places at once—East and West both demanding his attention. Vermont's diplomatic influence, woven throughout their family structure, made them valuable negotiators beyond just the Duke himself.
And if Temnes and Vermont fought, with Vermont losing despite Valquiterre's favor? Both territories were ultimately his subjects. He bore no responsibility.
*A cunning version of Vermont.*
It was a conflict already decided. Valquiterre was simply amused by the prospect of watching it unfold from above.
---
## The Arrest
A group of knights stormed into Veran Street, a district known for its loyalty to Rowan Castle.
"What is this about?" the elderly mistress of the Berang family demanded, her shiny black hair—a mark of Temnes heritage—catching the light as she stood with authority. The family had taken the Berang name when they married into a vassal house, but their bloodline remained evident.
When Kaian entered among his knights, her entire demeanor changed.
"My Lord," she said immediately, lowering her head. "What brings you here?"
"There's something I need to find."
She led him to Antyone's room, uncertain of what this was about. She knew her daughter admired the Duke, frequently visited the castle, and displayed authority over other young ladies—but she'd assumed it was merely her daughter's pretty foolishness.
Antyone's room was decorated with girlish charm. Floral wallpaper in warm tones, dried flowers hanging from ribbons, creating an atmosphere of innocent youth rather than that of a young lady.
Antyone sat at her dressing table, admiring herself in the mirror—specifically, the blue diamond ring adorning her finger. When she adjusted her posture to match the portrait of the Duchess Elise hanging in the castle, she appeared strikingly beautiful and elegant. Even her simple negligee looked like formal attire.
"Duchess Antyone," she whispered to her reflection.
*Creak.*
At the sound of her door opening, Antyone shrieked.
"I told you not to open my door without permission!"
"It's quite a sight," came Kaian's cold voice.
Antyone froze.
"To become a Duchess, you must have an unblemished background," he continued coldly. "Theft is a crime that demands consequences. You can abandon such dreams."
Antyone opened her mouth to protest, but before she could speak, Kaian reached for the ring. For a split second, she resisted, her fingers curling defensively.
"Ahh!"
His hand was faster. As he forcibly removed the ring, her finger wrenched painfully. Her once-beautiful hand, glowing with the diamond moments before, soon swelled red and angry.
"Take her away," Kaian commanded.
Antyone was seized by knights on both sides and dragged from her home.
Kaian spoke to the elder Berang woman with icy indifference. "Her crime is theft."
He left without explaining what had been stolen, leaving her in shock as her daughter was dragged away before her eyes.
---
## The Punishment
From outside, screams echoed repeatedly.
"Ahh!" "Aaaah!"
Antyone was tied with rope and beaten with a club for her theft. It was a severe punishment—stealing from the Lord was a grave crime.
Yet Kaian sat at his desk, holding the blue diamond, troubled.
It had been a keepsake from his mother. Antyone couldn't have known its significance. And more importantly, she couldn't distinguish between that which belonged to him personally and that which he'd given as a gift.
The truth was more nuanced. He'd planned to give the blue diamond to Claudel as her first-night gift. Yet she never received it—so it remained his ring.
*If the ring had been a gift intended for his wife, the punishment would have been different.*
With clever tears, Antyone claimed she'd simply found it on the floor while passing through the hallway—she hadn't stolen it from the Lord specifically. And Kaian allowed her this narrative.
"I see. I accidentally dropped it there," he'd said coldly.
Understanding his mercy, Antyone was dragged away to be beaten anyway, her exhausted face revealing that she understood the game they'd played. She would be publicly punished and would never dare return to the castle.
But as Kaian reflected on the matter, a sour taste filled his mouth.
---
## Kaian's Reflection
*What did I do?*
Claudel had trembled and accepted a gift she'd never actually received. When he'd asked about the first-night gift in the catacombs, she'd smiled and shrugged.
That night, Kaian had liked Claudel.
He could have simply fulfilled his conjugal duty and left. But he hadn't. Claudel was so fragile, so terrifyingly small compared to his large frame, that he'd feared even the slightest touch might injure her. So he'd been careful, deliberate, even tender—and he'd convinced himself it was kindness, a favor shown to this Vermont woman.
*Why are you lying?*
She'd claimed to have received a gift she never received. When he said he'd have it resized, she'd responded as though she already possessed it.
The doll-like woman—so indifferent, giving short answers, sitting still with that blank expression—somehow showed subtle changes when he spoke to her. Usually, she seemed nervous or afraid.
---
## The Ceiling
The night before, Kaian had opened the ceiling.
Few people in the castle knew the bedroom ceiling could be opened and closed. A eccentric ancestor of Temnes, interested in astronomy and science, had commissioned it centuries ago. The mechanism was a closely guarded secret, passed only to the family head—because an open ceiling was a vulnerability. An assassin with a bow could strike from above.
Kaian had opened it for Claudel, who remained confined to her bed. He simply wanted to give her some exposure to the night air and stars—to show her something beautiful.
He hadn't intended to embrace her.
It was genuinely meant to show her something fascinating. If he expected anything, it was merely her gratitude.
But her nightgown had caught on his button, and somehow the fabric had come undone. And in the moment, he'd forgotten his own intentions.
---
## Kaian's Burden
Claudel was his benefactor. That was the truth.
The Lord was constantly surrounded by people making demands. He held the highest status and bore the most responsibility—managing droughts, famines, unexpected harvests, labor shortages. All the chaotic forces of nature fell within his domain.
Yet she had saved him without expecting anything in return. This tiny woman, terrified though she must have been, had thrown herself between him and death.
When he remembered her golden eyes meeting his as she realized what she'd done, he felt an itching sensation throughout his body that wouldn't fade.
Anyway, she was his benefactor.
Should he visit her now?
Kaian retrieved the blue diamond from his desk. "It doesn't fit anyway," he muttered, examining the scratches from Antyone's careless handling.
He called the butler. "Have the craftsman reduce the size and remove these blemishes."
"Yes, My Lord."
Kaian headed toward Claudel's room.
---
## In Claudel's Chamber
Hannah was recounting Antyone's arrest to Claudel with theatrical flair.
"That fool didn't even realize it was a gift," Hannah said indignantly. "The Duke said, 'I accidentally dropped it there too.' Can you imagine? Just like that. And she was beaten!"
"She deserved it," Hannah added fiercely. "How dare she speak ill of you so carelessly."
Claudel said nothing. She still wore the button bezel on her finger, refusing when Hannah tried to remove it.
"It wouldn't suit me," she said quietly.
"Fitting or not fitting doesn't matter. What matters is that you received a gift," Hannah insisted, though concern clouded her eyes. The leg wounds had healed well enough, but she didn't know if there might be lasting damage to the deeper muscles. The torn area had been so severe...
Even Kaian seemed shocked by how Claudel accepted this uncertainty without complaint.
"Are you in the way?" Claudel asked as Kaian entered.
"Oh. Duke," Hannah said brightly, immediately rising. "Shall I prepare tea?"
"Yes," Kaian nodded.
Once Hannah had served him tea and withdrawn, Kaian sat across from Claudel at the small table, observing her.
She felt deeply uncomfortable.
This man—not part of her daily existence—was intruding into her quiet space as if deliberately carving out a place for himself. They didn't know each other well. There was nothing worth discussing.
The silence stretched.
"Why did you save me?" he asked finally, his voice quiet but carrying weight.
The question hung between them, unanswered.
---