After taking one last look at Milena, he skipped even the time needed to wash up and immediately began searching for the jewel infused with the Grand Duke’s magic.
There wasn’t much time left, so he had no choice but to push himself.
His appearance was a complete mess, but physically, he was in peak condition.
He searched for hidden spaces separated by magic, similar to the place where Milena had been imprisoned, but as expected, he found nothing.
In the end, he returned to his quarters only when dawn was approaching, with nothing to show for his efforts.
As a low-ranking knight, “Hubert” had originally been assigned a shared room, but fortunately, he currently had it all to himself.
Creak.
When he dropped onto the bed with his exhausted body, the cheap frame groaned in protest.
As he untied the many laces of his brown boots—almost as complicated as a lady’s dress—he formed a sphere of mana in the air. A voice emerged from the swirling mass of dark energy.
[My lord, I am currently taking a bath.]
“So?”
[I mean, could you stop summoning me at times like this? What if I happened to be doing something? What if some young lady’s embarrassing noises got transmitted?]
Lexion snorted.
“You don’t even have a woman.”
Grinding teeth could be heard from the other side, but he ignored it and stretched out on the bed, which barely deserved to be called bedding.
“Want to hear something interesting?”
[What is it? Did you finally find the jewel?]
By now, Lexion had already returned to his original appearance.
His soft silver hair gleamed faintly, and his crimson eyes shone vividly.
“No. But I found a different jewel.”
[What?]
Milena hid her thoughts and emotions perfectly behind her expressionless face, yet somehow deciphering them had become entertaining.
Without realizing it, he kept looking at her.
Sometimes he even found himself smiling for no reason.
“I’m getting married, Jer.”
[...What?]
“In two days.”
[Wait. I think my ears are malfunctioning. I’m pretty sure I just heard something completely insane.]
“No, you heard correctly.”
[...]
A moment of silence followed.
Then an incoherent scream erupted from beyond the mana sphere.
[Have you lost your mind?!]
Even though the shout was loud enough to make his ears ring, Lexion remained perfectly calm.
Ignoring his subordinate’s ranting, he tossed aside his tattered clothes.
[You’ve finally snapped!]
Though, had he ever truly been sane to begin with?
Lexion simply laughed.
[I knew it from the moment you said you were going in alone! You entered that madhouse and came out completely insane! Everyone in the Grand Duke’s family is crazy, and now you've joined them!]
“Jer.”
[Y-Yes?]
The low, dangerous tone made the man flinch.
“Watch your mouth.”
Lexion narrowed his eyes.
“Come to think of it, maybe you’re right. It’s a problem that you speak so casually to me.”
Milena had once asked why everyone used informal speech with him.
Had it always bothered me this much? I should probably be more careful from now on.
Before he knew it, he was thinking about her again.
[Marriage? What poor woman are you planning to make a widow this time?]
“Oh, right. I’ve done that before.”
A husband who died shortly after the wedding.
It wasn’t his first time playing that role.
He had assumed countless identities for missions, and that had been one of them.
Every time, even his appearance had been altered, so none of his former clients knew who he truly was.
And not once had he used his real name during an assignment.
Milena was the first.
Though he still hadn’t revealed his surname.
Lexion Silvert.
A man who had lived his entire life behind false identities.
His most famous mask was that of the disgraceful heir of the prestigious Silvert family—a drunken wastrel obsessed with women.
Very few people knew that every bit of that behavior had merely been a disguise for gathering information.
“This time, I’m not marrying under a fake identity. I’m using my real name.”
Because of his reputation as a shameless playboy, no one questioned him when he associated with countless women.
The strategy had been extremely effective.
But he intended to put an end to that life now.
[What?!]
“You always react the same way.”
[That’s not the important part! You’re using the real Silvert name?!]
“Yep.”
[The Duchess will faint when she hears this. And the wedding is in two days? That’s not an introduction—that’s a declaration!]
“I know. I’m curious how Mother will react.”
Predicting the former Duchess’s response was difficult.
But placing the Silvert family name into the marriage contract had been a calculated move aimed directly at the Grand Duke.
Right now, the Grand Duke’s target was Milena Rastia.
Lexion intended to steal that prey away and use both his name and family as her shield.
The Grand Duke would be shocked enough to learn that she was marrying another man.
But discovering that the man belonged to the Silvert family?
That would be even worse.
Imagining the Grand Duke’s twisted face contorted with rage brought a smile to Lexion’s lips.
[You really do have a talent for treating serious matters like they’re nothing.]
Jer felt his lord was handling marriage far too recklessly.
[So you’re leaving in two days? But even after going in yourself, you still haven’t found the jewel?]
As Lexion wiped blood and dirt from his body with a damp cloth from a wooden bucket, he raised an eyebrow.
“You think I’m omnipotent?”
Jer scoffed.
[A man who can’t drink pretends to be a drunk. A man who knows nothing about women pretends to be a playboy. At that point, you’re practically omnipotent.]
“Knows nothing about women? Every woman blushes and smiles just from holding my hand.”
[Ha! With that face, you wouldn’t even need to speak a word!]
Sighing deeply, Jer asked the most important question.
[So let me ask seriously. Which unfortunate woman’s life are you planning to ruin this time?]
Lexion answered without hesitation.
“You know her too.”
[What?]
“The Villainess of the North.”
[Wait. You mean Milena Rastia?!]
[I investigated her. There’s nothing particularly special about her. Why her?]
“She’s interesting.”
[Wow. You really are insane. Who marries someone just because they’re interesting? Marriage is supposed to last a lifetime!]
But for Lexion, the feeling of interest itself held tremendous significance.
He had never once been genuinely interested in any woman.
Only Milena made him smile.
Only she continually drew his gaze.
And he still couldn’t forget the sensation of her lips against his.
More accurately, it was the dormant white magic within her that had awakened his instincts.
How on earth did she hide a power like that all this time?
She really is fascinating.
“Enough of that. What about the investigation into the swindler who approached the Grand Duke?”
[That’s the strange part. There are too many gaps in his identity. The records are fragmented.]
“A mage must be involved. The swindler I met was just a puppet. Find whoever’s behind him.”
[A mage? Understood.]
“Focus on that. And prepare a carriage near the Grand Duke’s estate in two days.”
[Why?]
“My wife is planning to run away.”
Jer wisely chose not to ask any further questions.
Just as Lexion finished cleaning himself, he suddenly froze.
He had sensed someone outside the door.
A visitor?
Ending the conversation, he dismissed the mana sphere and walked toward the entrance, still shirtless.
His trained senses pinpointed the presence outside with ease.
Though born the son of a great noble house, he had spent years handling the dirtiest jobs imaginable.
He was also the hidden master of Hart, the information guild that ruled the underworld.
Maintaining the soundproof barrier, he swung the door open.
“Ah...”
Milena, who had been about to knock, froze on the spot.
Every movement revealed sharply defined muscles across his body.
Her gaze wavered as it traveled over his broad chest and sculpted abdomen.
“Were you changing? I didn’t know you were awake. You probably haven’t slept much, but I think it would be better if we moved now.”
Flustered, she stumbled over her words.
It was still the dead of night before sunrise.
Leaning against the doorframe, Lexion chuckled.
“You don’t need to be shy anymore. It all belongs to you now.”
His smile deepened.
“Look as much as you want. You can touch it too.”
Milena swallowed hard before forcing out a reply.
“I’ll pass.”
“That’s fine. You’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future.”
Stepping aside, he let her enter.
But the moment Milena walked into the room, she stopped.
Lexion wasn’t alone.
On the other bed...
Someone was lying there.
