She might not have needed him but he desperately needed to be there for her.

Ace moved through the crowd, his boots clicking with a force that usually made people scramble out of his way. But today, the nobility barely noticed him. They didn’t even notice his existence... not until he passed by them.

And every person who noticed his presence, gasped and bowed.

But Ace wasn’t interested in their curtsies. He did not stop until he reached his wife.

And when he stood in front of her, his face was ashened. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Duke Valerius of the East, a man who had notoriously ignored Ace’s last three tactical requests, was leaning in with a look of fascination as Evelina discussed the irrigation cycles of the Southern Lowlands. The Grand Duke of the West, the Emperor’s own cousin, was nodding in agreement as she spoke of market vacuums.

And the Empress? The Empress was looking at Evelina with a warmth that was almost sisterly, her hand resting casually on the arm of Evelina’s chair as they shared a private joke about something.

Ace stopped five paces away. He felt a sharp pang in his chest. He had spent years treating this woman as a piece of furniture in his life, and now, he felt like a common soldier trying to approach a Sovereign who barely noticed his presence.

"Evelina," he spoke, his voice sounding raspier than he intended.

It too a moment before Evelina blinked and looked over her shoulder.

"Ah, Ace," she said, her voice smooth and entirely devoid of the fluttery anxiety he had grown so used to in the past, "I see you’ve finally decided to join the festivities.

Ace: "_" So, she hadn’t even noticed my presence?

The Empress tilted her head, her gaze sweeping over Ace with a look "Duke Alvarez, you are here at last."

Ace had always remained low-key, but wherever he walked, he had attracted the limelight. This was the first time he had been at a place and been unnoticed by these nobilities until he showed up.

However, he wasn’t bothered by it at all, much to his own surprise. The only thing that bothered him was the fact that his wife hadn’t noticed his presence.

"Your wife has been telling us the most fascinating things. I had no idea you possessed such a... brilliant strategist in your own household. It’s a pity you kept her hidden away. I might have accused you of hoarding the Empire’s best assets for yourself," the Empress continued.

Ace’s gaze barely moved from Evelina as he spoke,"Your Majesty, I... she has always been full of surprises."

The surrounding nobilities who were judging Evelina for causing chaos a moment ago, let out appreciative hums. They weren’t looking at Ace as the Iron Duke anymore; they were looking at him as the man who had gotten himself a match that could catch the Empress’s attention.

[Notification: Target ’Ace’ is 85% disoriented in the current scenario]

[Reward: +200 Heart-Wrecker Points!]

[Current Balance: 4900 Heart-Wrecker Points]

Evelina turned back to the Grand Duke, dismissing Ace with a flick of her wrist that was visibly dismissive than any order he had ever given on a battlefield, "As I was saying, Your Grace, if we transition the textile production to the new steam-looms by autumn, we can bypass the seasonal labor shortage entirely."

Ace stood there, a few feet away, a heaviness weighing on his chest. He was the the most prestigious general in the Empire, the master of the Alvarez estate, and a man feared by countless Kings. But in his wife’s eyes, he did not exist.

He didn’t know what to do with his hands. He didn’t know what to do with his rage. He just stood there, watching her lead the conversation, her laughter ringing out like a silver bell.

She was so happy and free. And she was doing it all without a single glance in his direction to see if he approved, the way she did in the past.

As the evening sun began to dip below the horizon, casting shadows across the Rose Pavilion, the Empress stood up, signaling the end of the gathering.

"Evelina," the Empress said, ignoring the formal titles of the other men. "You must visit me at the Winter Palace. We have much to discuss regarding these ’Nocturnes’ and your... visions."

"It would be my honor, Your Majesty," Evelina replied, curtsying with a grace that was now entirely her own.

As the nobility began to disperse, moving toward their carriages, Ace finally stepped forward to take Evelina’s arm. He expected her to accept the gesture and finally fall back into the role of the Duchess being escorted by her Duke.

But as he reached for her, he felt the gazes of the departing peerage.

The entire nobility of the Empire were looking at his wife.