A maid swallowed hard while staring at a large, expensive-looking ring—something commoners like her could never even dream of owning.
Kate, noticing her stare, spoke firmly.
"If you say exactly what you just said in front of Lord Kallion, I'll give you this ring."
At the mention of "Kallion," the maid instantly came to her senses.
"T-that's a bit…"
Another maid nearby, who had been watching, crossed her arms and looked suspicious.
"More importantly, Kate, where did you even get such an expensive ring?"
The hesitant maid quickly joined in.
"Yeah, did you steal it or something?"
Kate scoffed and proudly raised her chin.
"Madam Valdormer has given it to me. The butler knows it, too, so if you don't believe me, go ask him!"
The maids fell silent in embarrassment at her confident reply.
The same maid Kate had made the offer to asked, hesitantly,
"If I really say what I said earlier in front of him, you'll give me the ring?"
Kate grinned widely.
***
Kallion sat at his desk, flipping through documents in his office.
Even as he worked, his mind was focused on the news that Jared was supposed to bring.
Then came a knock at the door, followed by a familiar voice.
"Lord Kallion, it's Cliff."
It was the head butler.
"Come in."
Cliff entered and glanced briefly at Layla, who was seated at a side desk, then carefully addressed Kallion.
"Kate and Ena say they have something to tell you."
Layla, who had been quietly working, frowned and looked up.
"Do you think Lord Kallion has time to listen to some lowly maids' whining?"
Cliff cleared his throat and added,
"It's about your wife, my lord."
At that, Kallion thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Let them in."
Layla's face slightly tensed.
It was only for a second, so no one noticed.
Soon, Kate and Ena—who had been in charge of cleaning Layla's room—entered the office.
Seeing the familiar maids, Layla looked confused.
"Thank you for granting us an audience."
"Alright. What do you have to say?"
Kate bowed politely, then glanced at Layla.
Ena also looked uncomfortable, hesitating to speak in front of Layla.
Kallion noticed their discomfort and didn't hesitate to say,
"Layla, leave us for a moment."
"…What?"
Layla looked at him in shock.
It was understandable when he asked her to leave for meetings with his direct subordinates—but now, even for a conversation with maids?
She felt humiliated, as if she had been placed beneath even the servants.
As she stood frozen, biting her lip, Kallion frowned.
"Layla. Did you not hear me?"
His cold voice left her no choice. Clenching her fists, she rose to her feet.
"Yes, understood."
But as she walked out, her face was twisted with frustration.
Something was wrong.
She had thought that once Yuliana was kicked out of the house, everything would go smoothly.
If Kallion saw the bruises on her legs, she assumed he would be disgusted by Yuliana.
But contrary to her expectations, Kallion only became more obsessed with Yuliana.
She had believed he would quickly forget someone like the daughter of a ruined noble family—but now, she wasn't sure where things had gone wrong.
With a troubled look, Layla left the room.
Kallion turned to Kate and Ena.
"You said you had something to say about Yuliana?"
Kate looked him in the eye and replied confidently,
"It's also related to Lady Layla."
"Layla?"
Kallion looked puzzled, and Kate nudged Ena.
Looking frightened and unsure, Ena hesitated.
But it was too late to back out. Kallion's intense gaze was too intimidating to pretend ignorance now.
Ena closed her eyes tightly and bowed deeply.
"I-I'm the maid who cleans Lady Layla's room. One day while cleaning, I saw something strange…"
"Strange?"
At Kallion's icy tone, Ena glanced at Kate, then squeezed her eyes shut and confessed.
"I-I saw Lady Layla harming herself in the bathroom."
"…What?"
Kallion froze, stunned.
Kate quickly added,
"She was biting onto some clothing and hurting herself. So the rumors that your wife beat her are completely false."
Kallion rubbed his forehead, looking troubled.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure! L-Lady Layla didn't even realize I saw her."
Realizing she couldn't escape now, Ena answered energetically, hoping to avoid Kallion's anger.
Kallion sighed deeply, still rubbing his forehead.
"I understand. You may go."
Kate, thinking he was once again defending Layla, quickly objected.
"Someone's trying to frame your wife! If you call Lady Layla and confront her, I'm sure—"
"I told you to leave."
His voice was icy.
Kate couldn't say another word. She bowed her head and quietly left with Ena.
Once the door shut, Kallion rubbed his aching head and sighed deeply.
He remembered Layla's words, looking him straight in the eyes:
"I would never lie to you, Lord Kallion."
Was that also a lie?
Why?
She had been by his side for over ten years—always supporting him, ever since she was a young girl.
She used to say it was her dream to serve him. He could still remember that smile like it was yesterday.
So why would she hurt herself?
Where did it all go wrong?
Had he wrongly accused Yuliana based on Layla's lies?
A wave of guilt and helplessness washed over him.
How much could he still trust her?
No—could he trust her at all?
Kallion's eyes darkened deeply as he stared at his desk.
***
It was another ordinary meal at Saint-Paul.
I quietly watched Lloyd as he slid my favorite dishes toward me, just like always.
Ever since I had that dream, my suspicions had only grown.
It couldn't be… but still…
He couldn't possibly remember our past life.
And yet, the way he looked after me—like a husband who had been married for years—made me unsure.
He did it so naturally and effortlessly that it felt like he wasn't even trying to hide anything.
Lloyd smiled gently as he pushed a plate of ripe strawberries toward me.
"You're not eating?"
I reached toward the condiment tray, set a bit far from me.
It held salt, sugar, pepper, parsley, and more.
I stretched my hand deliberately so he could see, and without hesitation, Lloyd picked up the pepper shaker and handed it to me—as if he already knew what I wanted.
That small action only deepened my doubts.
Even after taking the pepper, I sat frozen, staring at the table.
Lloyd looked at me with concern.
"Yuliana?"
I slowly turned to him.
With a gaze full of certainty.
"How did you know I wanted the pepper?"
In my past life, I had a habit of putting pepper on everything.
That habit had mostly disappeared during my time in Valdormer, but I set this up as a test.
And he had fallen for it.
Lloyd looked briefly surprised, then gave a gentle smile like nothing was wrong.
"Your fingers were pointed in its direction."
He tried to brush it off with a smile, but I stared at him.
"You."
His words tried to hide the truth, but his actions seemed like he wanted me to recognize him.
"Did you know me from before?"
Lloyd's hands, which had been moving his fork and knife, froze for a second.
Then he gave me a small smile.
"Of course. Before you were Madam Valdormer, you were the second daughter of House Heister."
"No. I mean even before that."
Lloyd's smile faded, and he silently looked at me.
I could see conflict flicker in his eyes.
After a pause that felt like forever, he gave a faint, sorrowful smile.
"In that case…"
It was the same smile he wore when he was my husband in my eleventh life.
"What difference would it make?"