A Wounded Woman

Derek felt utterly exhausted for the first time in a long while.

Of course, he wasn't physically tired.

The mental strain of getting a grasp on the situation, actively explaining things to those on his side, and tracing the rumor to its source had been immense.

But it was something he had to do.

Yuria—his fragile lover—was involved.

She would find out what had happened sooner or later, but at the very least, he had to put it off as long as possible and keep it from growing into an even bigger problem for now.

Fortunately, after running around all day, he had managed to contain the situation for the time being.

The Second Princess, having learned of the situation early, had acted immediately, vigorously defending Yuria and offering her support.

The best thing would have been for Prince Eiren himself to come forward and say nothing of the sort had happened, but that damn troublemaker didn't care whether the aristocracy caught fire or the flames spread, and had disappeared somewhere again today.

Actually, did he even know about the rumor...