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**Episode 1**
“Dwellsen Duke!”
Edel finally lost her temper and shouted, but all she received in return was a cold reaction.
“Is there some problem?”
“How… how could you be with Rowen…!”
The scene before her eyes was nothing short of horrific.
Her husband, Cassian Dwellsen, was lying on the same bed with her sister, Rowen.
Lucky or unlucky, perhaps they had not yet begun— the bed was still clean, and both of them were still wearing their clothes.
But Cassian’s lips, pressed against Rowen’s as he leaned over her, were already glistening. Rowen’s lips were the same, and noticing Edel’s gaze, Rowen even licked her lips slowly.
“Why do your lips look like that?” Edel demanded.
“What do you mean?”
“They’re wet and shiny! Something clear is all over them!”
Edel tried to protest boldly, but her body trembled. She bit her lips so hard that she could taste blood.
Cassian, uncaring, simply showed her the glass of water on the bedside table.
“It’s because I drank some water.”
“…And Rowen?”
“Her Highness Rowen also had some. There was only one cup, so we had no choice but to share.”
As she expected—an absurd excuse. Cassian wasn’t the slightest bit afraid of being caught.
Was he always like this…?
Edel clenched her teeth so hard it hurt. Tears welled up—not from sorrow, but from fury so deep it made her body shake.
If only the two of them had gone all the way, at least then she could insult them openly. But since it looked as if they’d only kissed, they could deny it and she would have no proof.
“Why are you crying, Princess Edel?”
It wasn’t until Rowen spoke that Edel realized tears were streaming down her face.
The way Rowen deliberately used the title *princess*, making this feel like a formal occasion instead of a private matter, only enraged Edel more.
“Hah, do you really not understand? You and Cassian Dwellsen—!”
“The Duke and I have done nothing.”
Same as always. Even though they were clearly in a compromising position, Cassian and Rowen quickly pulled apart, looking relaxed and unconcerned.
It was as if they were mocking Edel for being suspicious.
“Then why were you two, not husband and wife, lying on the same bed? And in that position?”
“When you entered, I had accidentally fallen. You’re exaggerating too much.”
Rowen’s words made Cassian’s red eyes quietly turn to Edel.
Edel couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze directly, but even so, she could feel his mocking amusement.
“Why…” Edel’s voice shook as badly as her body. Anyone could see how much weaker she was compared to them. “Why did Dwellsen Duke come to your room? What were you doing that made you fall on the bed?”
“I had private matters to discuss with him. Outside, there are too many eyes and ears. My room was the safest.”
“…”
“And accidents happen when one moves about. Edel,” Rowen’s voice grew sharp, her arrogance pressing down on her sister.
Though she was seated lower than Edel, her gaze looked down on her.
“I don’t have time for your delusions. Go back. Cassian is your husband, isn’t he?”
—*I stole your husband.*
Even without saying it, Edel could hear the mockery.
Rowen called out his name—Cassian—a name Edel herself could hardly bring to her lips.
Something inside Edel finally exploded.
“Rowen!”
Throwing away all manners, Edel lunged and grabbed Rowen by the collar.
Rowen waited calmly, as if daring her to go further. Edel’s hand was already raised to strike when—
“That’s enough. Both of you, calm down.”
Cassian’s dry, deep voice cut through the tension.
“You think I can calm down right now?” Edel snapped.
“Then will you strike Princess Rowen? If so, you will not escape unscathed.”
“…”
The pain of it nearly broke her.
How could he—her husband—side with Rowen instead of her?
As if mocking her despair, Cassian defended Rowen even now.
Edel laughed madly, letting go of Rowen’s collar.
Rowen calmly straightened her clothes and rose.
“Dwellsen Duke, my sister is too agitated. Please calm her down for me.”
“As you command.”
Edel’s words no longer carried authority. In Cassian’s world, only Rowen mattered.
Only then did Edel notice—Cassian’s shirt buttons were undone.
When her eyes moved there, Cassian only shrugged and buttoned them up, as if to say, *I’ll give you what you want whenever you ask.*
Like someone who had lost her mind, Edel allowed herself to be dragged away by Cassian.
Outside, the attendants—all loyal to Rowen—had surely guessed what happened, but none of them stepped forward.
To them, Edel wasn’t their mistress. She was merely an obstacle in Rowen’s path.
“…So loyal to Rowen’s side, aren’t they?” Edel muttered bitterly.
“Not as loyal as your people are to you,” Cassian replied, having overheard.
Through the strands of her messy hair, Edel glared at him with hatred.
“Especially that brown-haired maid of yours,” Cassian added smoothly. “She is most loyal to you.”
“Kia is not someone you should even mention!”
—*Say her name again, and I’ll kill you.*
The words almost slipped out. Only the thought of her dignity as a princess stopped her from saying them.
But Cassian must have sensed it anyway—he laughed loudly, murmuring something Edel couldn’t quite make out.
They walked in silence after that. By the time Edel realized, they had already reached her palace.
Her attendants rushed out, worried, when they saw her disheveled hair, crumpled dress, and the faint tracks of tears on her face.
“Stand back,” Cassian ordered coldly.
But the attendants didn’t move. They were Edel’s people, and they would not obey the duke who humiliated their mistress.
Edel’s eyes grew hot again.
She had people who truly cared for her. So why was her husband like this?
She ripped her hand away from Cassian’s grip and brushed her hair aside.
“Your Highness!”
One figure hurried toward her. It was Kia, Edel’s personal maid.
Kia quickly pulled her away from Cassian’s grasp.
“I will visit your chambers tonight, Princess,” Cassian said calmly, turning away.
Edel could only clutch her face in despair.
“Ha… why didn’t I realize what kind of trash he was sooner…”
It was still early evening. People were awake and moving around, yet Cassian had still tried to sneak into Rowen’s bed.
Edel’s eyes hardened with venom. Kia, though chilled by the expression, held tightly to Edel’s hand.
When they finally reached her chambers, Edel collapsed onto the bed, drained. Kia urged her to drink some water, but she didn’t even lift a finger.
Kia, who had long suspected Cassian’s betrayal, could easily piece together what happened.
After the day Edel once saved her from death, Kia had devoted herself entirely to her mistress.
Edel muttered curses, covering her eyes with an arm as her sobs escaped.
“I caught them in the act.”
“So it’s true… Dwellsen Duke and Princess Rowen are in that kind of relationship.”
Though she had suspected, hearing it aloud made the wound deeper.
Kia sat beside her and held her hand gently.
“Are you alright?”
“No.”
“…You’re not crying, are you?”
“I am.”
In front of Kia, Edel could admit anything.
Her tears flowed endlessly, staining her red eyes.
Kia held her hand tightly, and Edel found some warmth in her maid’s presence.
After crying until no more tears came, Edel finally sat up.
“What will you do now?” Kia asked.
“What else? Divorce him, and demand compensation.”
“I’ll help you until the end.”
“I’d rather destroy the duke’s family completely, but…”
Kia’s face fell. Both knew how impossible that was.
Cassian was too powerful, even compared to Edel, who was only a princess without true authority.
The emperor would never interfere in family matters unless it affected him directly.
“I’ll go mad…” Edel groaned, holding her head.
Then the door opened.
“No knock? Have you grown bold, or just rude?”
Edel’s voice was ice.
But Cassian entered calmly, carrying a tray with a glass of water. He looked more like a servant than a duke.
“Leave,” he ordered Kia coldly after setting down the tray.
But Kia didn’t move. Her loyalty belonged only to Edel.
“I wish to speak alone with my wife. Surely you have words for me too, Princess?” Cassian said smoothly.
Edel glared, but she knew he was right. With reluctance, she gestured for Kia to leave.
Only when Kia finally bowed and left did Edel speak.
“Why bring water?”
“I added a sleeping draught. I thought you might not be able to sleep tonight.”
Because of whom, exactly?
“Dwellsen Duke.”
“Yes, Princess?” he asked calmly, meeting her gaze as if nothing were wrong.
“Be honest. If you want to go to Rowen, say it now. I’ll let you go. This is your last chance.”
“With your nature, you would never let me go.”
“It would be my final act of mercy for the man who was once my husband.”
“Once? Why past tense? I was your husband before, I am now, and I always will be.”
Shameless man.
Edel was beyond tears now, too furious for words.
Cassian offered her the glass. She didn’t move.
“Do you suspect me? Do you think I would poison the water? Do you believe Rowen and I plot to harm you?”
“…”
“Our conversation earlier was about suppressing the Wervel rebellion. Nothing more. Don’t be suspicious. Drink, and rest.”
Finally, Edel’s hand moved—but instead of taking it, she threw the cup across the room.
“You’re acting like a child,” Cassian remarked flatly, bending down to pick it up.
“There’s still water left.”
“Get out! Call Kia back—mmph!”
Before she could finish, Cassian suddenly pressed his mouth to hers, forcing water into her lips.
She struggled, choking, but with her mouth open mid-sentence she had no choice but to swallow.
No matter how much she pushed, he didn’t budge until all the water was gone.
“You need the sleeping draught tonight.”
“Call Kia—!”
“Calling for another, when your husband is right here?”
Edel’s resistance, her words, melted away under Cassian’s relentless kiss.
