**Chapter 31**
Having exited the information guild, Riley finally looked Carver in the eye.
“Is Leta doing well?”
“Yes, she’s still worried.”
“Please tell her to wait a little longer. I’m in the process of sorting things out.”
She noticed the insignia on Cavere’s right chest. It was the same symbol that had been on her neck, glowing with that vivid blue light.
He was someone from her past—one of the few good memories she had from her childhood.
“Carver Baritas.”
At the sound of her calling his name, Carver’s eyes widened in surprise.
How long had it been since she had called his name?
“…It’s been a while.”
No, you fool. Is that all you can say?
Even though he had seen her just a few days ago, all he could manage was a lame “It’s been a while.”
Carver’s expression was overwhelmed with frustration.
Watching his change in expression, Riley firmly pressed her lips together. There was no reason to be happy, nor was there time for small talk.
“Why is the Crown Prince following me around?”
She hadn’t received any explanation from Ren. She couldn’t understand why someone who should be at the royal palace was lingering around her.
“If you’re curious, would you give me a chance to explain?”
Please, he desperately wanted to talk to her, knowing that this might be his last opportunity to be alone with her.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have much time right now. Once this is over, I’ll be heading to the palace.”
But Riley firmly refused. The coldness in her expression and tone made Carver’s heart sink again.
‘The royal palace?’
Cavere frowned, repeating her words. Wasn’t that the place she had been so desperate to escape from?
“Riley.”
“Your Highness, I never gave you permission to call me by my name.”
A chill settled in the air. She was drawing a line between them. Cavere lowered his head under her cold gaze.
“No, you did permit me. You told me I could call you Riley.”
His voice, heavy with emotion, shook as his golden eyes, usually like the sun, flickered with uncertainty.
* * *
“You need to leave urgently.”
“No, wait!”
Suddenly, masked figures appeared and took Carver’s arm. Before he could say anything to Riley, he was pulled away and disappeared.
“Ah, Lady. We have prepared a carriage for you. Please don’t worry and return safely.”
“…Understood. Please take care.”
Harvan flunked at her words. It was as if she knew Carver’s true identity.
‘She knows.’
Harvan wanted to ask Carver about what had happened in detail, but it seemed the answer was already clear. He felt relieved that it was Riley who had noticed and not someone else.
She wouldn’t disclose anything to anyone.
The only thing that worried him was Carver’s feelings after meeting Riley.
“We will meet again soon.”
Harvan politely bowed to Riley and quickly disappeared.
“Hmm…”
Riley, with a puzzled expression, watched as they vanished before getting into her carriage. Thankfully, she returned to the duke’s estate before sunset.
Thanks to the maid who didn’t report her departure, no one said anything to her.
Seeing the quietness, meant Theo was likely not home either.
Back in the annex, Riley calmly reviewed the information she had gathered on Anna.
‘Hmm, nothing particularly unusual here.’
Just as she suspected, Anna came from a lower noble family on the verge of collapse. They hadn’t been in the capital for long, and there was nothing particularly noteworthy about her background.
As Riley skimmed through the brief report, a smirk appeared on her face.
It detailed Anna’s recent whereabouts.
“She’s been out a lot, hasn’t she? Without being caught…”
Anna had secretly left the estate several times without Theo’s knowledge. The places she went weren’t far from the duke’s estate—stables and servants’ quarters, where most of the staff lived.
These were rarely visited places, except by those people who lived or worked there.
A perfect spot for a secret meeting, no doubt.
Who could she have met there? No matter how much Riley thought about it, she couldn’t guess.
It was a place so rarely visited that even the maids didn’t know much about it.
It was a place where only certain people were supposed to go.
‘Wait, does this mean the father of the child she has… is inside the Duke’s residence?’
Riley thought it sounded absurd, but the information couldn’t be wrong. Wrapping her cloak tightly around her, she quietly slipped out of the annex and walked down the back road.
She clutched a note tightly in her hand.
‘He was a strange person.’
Veron had laughed, telling her that she’d understand once she saw it for herself.
He hadn’t told her anything about the man, He claimed that not knowing would be more fun than knowing.
‘Now that I think about it, I feel like an idiot for falling for it.’
Riley chuckled softly as she looked at the note in her hand.
***
Riley had paid for information, but the man seemed unconcerned with money. She made her mind that she would call Ren to ask about this.
For now, confirming things was the priority; questioning could come afterward.
As she moved quietly, the only sound around her was the rustling of leaves and the gentle breeze. Suddenly, she heard voices coming from behind the servants’ quarters. She stopped and slowly made her way toward the sound.
‘…Someone’s there?’
Holding her breath, Riley crouched down and leaned against the wall. As she peeked out, her eyes widened in surprise.
‘It’s him.’
Thanks to the sketch Veron had drawn, Riley recognized the man immediately. Anna and the man, unaware of anyone nearby, were leaning against the wall, panting heavily.
“I… I missed you.”
“…I haven’t been around much lately…”
Before Anna could finish her sentence, their lips met in a fervent kiss. The man’s hand slid down Anna’s back and quickly slipped under her skirt.
The sound of their intimate exchange was too much for Riley, and she clenched the note in her hand tightly.
“Ah… Not here!”
“Shh. Someone might hear us.”
The man whispered in Anna’s ear and gently bit her earlobe. Startled by the involuntary moan that escaped from her mouth, Anna quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
‘You’ve really gone all the way, haven’t you?’
Riley couldn’t help but chuckle at the scene unfolding before her.
The man, who was now intimately pressed against Anna, was none other than the head steward (a person employed to look after the passengers on a ship, aircraft, or train) of the Prince family.
* * *
Early the next morning, Riley headed toward the main estate. The maids bustled about, signaling that she had arrived at a reasonable hour.
“Are you preparing breakfast?”
“Yes, but you have no reason to be here, Madam.”
The head maid coldly dismissed Riley with a glance.
‘How audacious of her to keep acting like the lady of the house after the divorce.’
Even though they were already divorced, everyone had to call her “my lady” due to Theo’s orders.
The head maid’s demeanor was a reflection of how well she had been trained by Anna,
“Well, I wasn’t planning on eating… I thought I’d help.”
“…Help, you say?”
Suspicion narrowed in the maid’s eyes. Reluctantly, she shook her head and firmly responded to Riley.
“No, thank you. It wouldn’t look good for you to be in the kitchen.”
“Then you must not have heard. The Duke asked me to take good care of Anna.”
With an innocent expression, Riley twiddled her fingers. The head maid recalled Theo mentioning that Riley’s memory had stopped at the time of their marriage.
‘Does she really want to help?’
The head maid hesitated, seeing Riley’s seemingly clueless smile.
“Very well… You can help with something simple.”
Riley smiled brightly and helped with the preparation of the ingredients. She planned to inform Theo that she would take charge of the meals from now on.
Humming softly, she continued chopping ingredients, her eyes were subtly observing the maids.
‘They’re all too busy to pay any attention to me.’
It was a relief. If they had been hovering over her, it would’ve been problematic.
Satisfied with how things were going, Riley discreetly pulled a small vial from her sleeve and poured its contents into the food without drawing any attention.
“It’s harder than I thought… I hope Anna likes it.”
The head maid glanced at the clock and approached Riley.
“I think it’s best if you leave now.”
It was a clear dismissal.
Looking at the clock, she realized breakfast time was approaching. Riley made a disappointed face but left the kitchen without hesitation.
“I’ll have Len join me for breakfast.”
She informed them that she would eat separately, then headed straight back to the annex.
