As Kallion silently stared at the half-burned letter, Layla spoke carefully.
"Of course, we shouldn't judge the lady based on just part of the letter… but the Silverstel family's second son is also involved in a mining business, so…"
She trailed off, lowering her head with an apologetic expression.
Kallion's fingers trembled slightly as he held the charred letter. It was a small shake, but Layla noticed it.
"Now that I think about it, her actions lately seem connected to this incident. If it was just a simple letter, there would've been no need to hide the sender or burn it."
Layla gave a clear and logical explanation, then sighed as if troubled.
"I really hope I'm wrong… I'm sorry I didn't bring this up sooner."
Seeing her shrunk shoulders, Kallion forced himself to stay calm and thanked her, though his voice was strained.
"…Thank you for telling me."
But his twisted expression said otherwise. His face looked as though he'd swallowed poison.
Even though he tried to believe that Yuliana had no reason to betray him, everything suddenly started to make sense.
She had agreed to marry a man from a rival family. At first, he believed it was because she truly liked him. But now, it all seemed suspicious.
Maybe… she didn't love him at all. Maybe it had always been Lloyd.
Had she just pretended to like him to get close?
Was she secretly working to destroy Valdormer from within, using her position?
As she managed the mansion's budget, she would have learned where and how much money was being spent—even on things like the diamond mine.
He realized too late that he had let a wolf guard the sheep.
Maybe she even bribed people inside.
There was a lot of money spent on "maintenance of dignity" after all.
Though he wanted to deny it, every memory of her now seemed like part of a calculated plan.
"Damn it!"
Kallion clenched his fists, shaking with anger.
Layla silently stood by, watching.
***
Kallion locked himself in his office, even sending Layla away.
Maybe Yuliana wasn't behind it.
Maybe the letter was just an inappropriate love letter between secret lovers.
That thought made him feel disgusted, but… strangely, it felt better than believing she had betrayed Valdormer.
He didn't want to believe that the woman who had tried so hard to be the lady of Valdormer had been planning to stab him in the back.
He wished it was just about a secret affair.
Damn it, he hoped it was just that.
Let Lloyd be nothing more than her lover.
But if what Layla said was true—that she leaked important information—then as the heir and current master of Valdormer, he could never forgive her.
Even if they were married only on paper.
There was only one sure way to erase all doubt.
"I need to hear it directly from her."
But… another thought crept in.
If she really did leak the information, would she ever admit it?
Just then, a knock came at the door.
"Kallion, it's time to go."
He was scheduled to meet with someone from Silverstel about the mine incident.
Honestly, Valdormer had a lot to say, and Silverstel probably didn't want to face them.
Yet surprisingly, Silverstel had accepted the meeting request without issue.
Was that confidence?
Or something else?
"…Kallion?"
After a long silence, Layla called him again.
Kallion rubbed his face roughly, then stood up with his usual cold expression.
"Let's go."
He left his office, put on the coat Layla handed him, and headed straight for the carriage waiting outside.
As he walked through the hallway, he unexpectedly ran into Yuliana, who seemed to be returning from a walk in the garden.
"..."
"..."
Yuliana nodded calmly in greeting.
Her peaceful expression made Kallion frown.
Did she really know nothing?
Or was this all just another act?
He stared at her for a long time. She looked confused for a moment but then walked past him without hesitation or concern.
That cold and emotionless figure made Kallion clench and unclench his fists repeatedly.
He wanted to stop her and demand answers.
What was really written in that letter?
Was she really not involved?
But he held himself back.
Fighting here wouldn't solve anything.
He forced himself to think logically, despite his anger and doubts.
"The carriage is waiting."
At Layla's reminder, Kallion finally began walking again—reluctantly.
From afar, Yuliana watched his retreating figure in silence.
She, too, sensed that something in the mansion had been off lately.
But no one had told her anything—not even her husband, Kallion.
Well, it wasn't surprising. Expecting anything from him was foolish.
If no one wanted her to know, she'd simply stay in the dark.
Besides, she didn't want to get involved in anything unrelated to Denian.
***
"It's an honor that the heir of Valdormer would visit in person."
Just as expected, the one who welcomed Kallion was Lloyd, Silverstel's second son.
Kallion had left Layla behind and entered alone. He glared at Lloyd as if ready to kill him.
This place was still within Valdormer territory.
Silverstel had temporarily rented the estate due to the mine bidding situation.
Since it took about a week to travel from Silverstel to Valdormer, it made sense.
Lloyd, the very person Kallion wanted to tear apart, sat there smiling calmly.
"Are you planning to summon your shadow beasts?"
Kallion, known as one of the most powerful among Valdormer rulers, hadn't used any real power yet—but dark purple energy swirled around him like a storm.
He radiated killing intent.
But Lloyd stayed perfectly calm.
And Kallion instinctively knew—this man wasn't an easy opponent.
If he used his ability now and Lloyd fought back, the area would be destroyed.
This was Valdormer territory. He couldn't risk hurting the people or the land.
Forcing himself to stay calm, Kallion sat on the opposite sofa and stared at Lloyd with intense eyes.
"The diamond mine bidding—do you really plan to go through with it?"
Lloyd casually crossed his legs.
"The bidding is an open process. Valdormer doesn't have the authority to tell me what to do."
"The mine belonged to one of Valdormer's vassal families. We had planned to reclaim it quietly."
"And the only problem is that I found out about it. I simply entered the bid fairly."
Lloyd's voice was so calm, it made Kallion grind his teeth in frustration.
After a long pause, clenching and unclenching his fists, Kallion finally spoke in a tense voice.
"Who told you that information?"
Lloyd's icy blue eyes met Kallion's dark ones.
Expressionless, like a winter breeze, he stared back.
"Who do you think told me?"
It felt like being caught in a spider's web.
The more Kallion struggled, the tighter it became.
"Was it… Yuliana?"
"..."
No reply came right away.
Lloyd just stared at him with that same unreadable face.
Kallion thought he saw a strange anger in Lloyd's eyes—but maybe it was just his imagination.
"Is that what you think?"
Lloyd threw the question back at him, and Kallion frowned.
Then Lloyd, still watching coldly, suddenly gave a twisted smile.
But just as quickly, he wiped it away and spoke sharply.
"Yes. I heard it from your wife."