WARM FEELINGS

"YOUR GRACE, have you asked the madam about it?"

Isaak totally forgot to ask Zoe about that thing.

Right now, he was in his office. He was sitting behind his desk while Sawyer was standing in front of him. Since he couldn't leave Zoe alone while she was unconscious, he told his right-hand man to deal with some things for him.

[Tsk. I feel like a terrible master.]

He couldn't really blame himself, since his wife asked him to touch her as soon as she woke up. That made him lose his senses. Come to think of it, that was pretty irresponsible of him.

"Don't you think it's rude to bring that up as soon as my wife wakes up?" Isaak scolded Sawyer. It was true that he had forgotten to discuss that thing with Zoe. But to be honest, even if he remembered, he still wouldn't bring that up right away. "She still needs to rest. Moreover, she must have been traumatized by what happened. I didn't want to remind her of what that bastard did as soon as she opened her eyes."

He observed Zoe earlier.

Although she was acting like she was fine, he noticed the strange exhaustion in her eyes. It was as if she experienced something she didn't want to experience again. He heard from Zoe herself that she came from a family of criminals.

[She must have lived a tough life.]

"I understand, my lord," Sawyer said after a few moments, then he proceeded with his report. "I've talked to the mole that we planted in House Rochester. She brought an interesting piece of information."

"What is it about?"

"It's about Miss Dal– Her Grace's personal attendant," his knight said. "The day Miss Dal returned to the Rochester Estate, it looked like Miss Dal spread the rumor that Her Grace would meet Count Ratliff in the restaurant. According to our spy, Miss Dal isn't the type to spread Her Grace's personal affairs, so she found it strange. It was as if…"

"As if Zoe also knows that Vaughn Wilson planted a spy in the Rochester Estate."

It was easy to bring up Vaughn Wilson in the discussion.

After all, it wasn't only him who went crazy and destroyed that disgusting restaurant.

On that day, Vaughn Wilson was there. The duke played it cool like it was only a coincidence that they met at the restaurant, but he knew better than that.

[Vaughn Wilson arrived with a murderous look on his face that day. Moreover, he's the type who'd usually hide his strength because he enjoys appearing weak to gain sympathy from other people. But during that time, he didn't bother to hide his real power.]

"That day, Vaughn Wilson arrived at the restaurant as if he was ready to kill Nigel Ratliff," Isaak said while tapping his fingers on the table. It was a habit he did whenever his brain was working hard. "I'm absolutely certain that Her Majesty, the Empress, was the one who influenced Nigel Ratliff to assault Zoe."

His half-brother may be dumb as hell, but Nigel wasn't that evil to force himself on a woman. Nigel hated Zoe's guts, too.

But most of all, his stupid half-brother was a huge coward.

"I don't think Vaughn Wilson is involved in the empress's plan this time," Isaak said with confidence. "I don't like the duke, but that kind of dirty play isn't his style. Moreover, he's known to have gotten into a lot of fights in the past for defending a lady's honor against perverts. That's one of the reasons he became the star of the social circle, even though he's a man."

The "star of the social circle" usually belonged to a high-ranking noblewoman with a lot of influence– especially among the wives of higher noblemen.

But Vaughn Wilson snatched that title away from the noble ladies, and nobody was complaining.

"If Duke Wilson wasn't involved with Her Majesty's scheme this time, then how did the duke know where to find Her Grace…" Sawyer trailed off, then he fell silent for a moment. "Oh."

"I'm thinking the same thing," he said to his knight. "I have a feeling that Zoe asked her attendant to spread the rumor among the maids in the Rochester Estate about her dinner date with Nigel. It was as if she wanted to let Vaughn Wilson know."

But he couldn't understand why Zoe would do that.

His wife suspected that the original Zoanne Rochester had a connection to Vaughn Wilson. But why was Zoe acting like she knew the duke so well that she knew how he'd react to the news of her meeting Nigel in that restaurant?

[Zoe has only been here for a few weeks…]

"My lord, should we investigate further?"

"No need," he said with a shrug. "I'll just directly ask Zoe later."

"Ah, that's indeed the most effective way to learn the truth."

"Did Yosef respond to my message?"

"Not yet, my lord," Sawyer said while shaking his head. "Should I send His Eminence another message?"

"Tell that alcoholic to come to the duchy if he doesn't want me to blow up his temple."

He was serious.

To be precise, he was desperate to get Yosef's help. Since that alcoholic was a priest favored by a god, he thought he could help them understand what happened to Zoe the day he found her in the restaurant.

"A strange aura cut Nigel's penis off," Isaak said in a solemn voice. "It's an aura similar to what demons have– and it came out of Zoe's body. I want Yosef to check on my wife as soon as possible, so do everything you can to drag him out of his temple."

He tried calling Yosef, but he wasn't answering his calls.

Moreover, that damned alcoholic also closed the portal that led to his temple as if he suddenly had gone into hiding.

[I wonder what that alcoholic is up to this time.]

"My lord, are you certain that Her Grace knows nothing about the demonic force inside her?"

"Zoe was already unconscious when that demonic aura came out," he said, then he gave a cold glare to his knight. "Are you suspecting that my wife is a demon worshipper?"

Sawyer immediately shook his head. "It's not like that, my lord."

"Then watch your mouth," Isaak warned, his violet eyes glowing menacingly. "I won't let anyone slander my wife– even if it's you, Sawyer."

***

ZOE WANTED to take a thorough bath because she still felt dirty after being touched by Nigel Ratliff.

She had to admit that going to the restaurant, despite knowing what the count planned to do to her, was a huge mistake. In her defense, she wanted Nigel to be caught in the act, so she made herself bait. But now, she felt sorry for the original Zoanne Rochester.

"Lady Mommy, are you crying?"

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Princess Runa's adorable voice.

Zoe smiled and gently ruffled the princess's hair. "I'm not crying, Princess," she assured the child. "Why did you ask?"

Princess Runa looked worried, then she raised her hand to gently touch her cheek. "Your eyes look sad and scared, Lady Mommy."

She tried to smile, but her lips only quivered.

[You can't break down here, Kim Zoe.]

Right now, she was in the huge tub with Princess Runa and the two of them were facing each other. The child was playing with the bubbles that filled the tub when she spaced out earlier. She didn't expect Princess Runa to notice the sudden change in her mood.

[What am I doing in front of a child?]

"Lady Mommy, it's okay," Princess Runa said while gently patting her cheek. "We are safe here."

She saw the scars on Princess Runa's body earlier. Even though she already expected that, she was still shocked to see those faint marks. She was supposed to comfort the child, so why was she the one being comforted?

[Ah, I really suck as an adult.]

"I'm still small, so I'm weak right now," Princess Runa continued in a worried voice. "But once I grow up, I will protect Lady Mommy."

Ah, she was touched.

To be honest, she asked Princess Runa to take a bath with her because she wanted to tell the child about Liane. It wasn't like she didn't want to be the child's mother. She just wanted Princess Runa to know that her biological mother loved her, too.

But that didn't seem the right time to say it.

"Thank you, Princess Runa," she said, then she put her hand over the child's hand. "I'm lucky that our little princess is so brave."

The little princess smiled at her. "Lady Mommy, can you just call me by my name? I want to be Lady Mommy's daughter, not a princess."

She laughed at the child's simple dream.

To be honest, whether Runa was accepted as the Crown Princess or not, she would still be a princess because she was now the daughter of a grand duke. She would still be addressed as a princess because of her position.

But she would respect the child's wish.

"Okay, I will call you Runa," she said with a smile. "But call me 'Mommy' instead of 'Lady Mommy.' Deal?"

The little princess smiled shyly, then she nodded. "M-Mommy…"

"Ah, that's better," she said. "Runa?"

Princess Runa smiled brightly. "Yes, Mommy?"

Zoe smiled back at the child. "Do you want to make hot chocolate bombs with me?"

***

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