“My lord, madam! Welcome ba… ck…”

Wolf, who was opening the villa door while greeting them, trailed off as he saw Escalion standing before him.

My lord and… a flower…?

The massive lord had a beautiful, large flower tucked behind his ear.

Wolf, wondering if perhaps the lord himself was unaware, carefully raised his hand and said cautiously:

“My lord, at your ear… There’s something…”

“Does it suit me?”

“Huh? Well, that…”

“My wife said it suits me well.”

Of course it suits you perfectly! Belladonna, the one responsible for this, smiled with satisfaction.

Escalion casually strode into the villa.

He had his arm around Belladonna’s waist and wore a pleased smile.

Wolf blinked his eyes, standing still as he watched the affectionate couple enter the villa.

Surely they didn’t go around like that all day…?

After entering the villa and examining Belladonna’s face, Escalion turned to Wolf and said:

“Prepare dinner in about an hour. So we can eat right after we wash up.”

“Ah! Yes, understood!”

Wolf erased the puzzled look from his face and quickly turned his steps towards the dining room to prepare the meal.

Whatever the case, the two of them seemed happy, and that was what mattered.

[This is the timeline separator]

Entering the master bedroom, Belladonna plopped down on the bed with a small sigh.

They had gone out after breakfast and been out longer than expected.

“Hah… It’s certainly hot.”

Escalion, who had entered with her, passed by and stood in front of the wardrobe in one corner of the room. He crossed his arms in an X and quickly removed his shirt in one motion.

Seeing his sculpted side muscles suddenly revealed, Belladonna swallowed hard.

No matter how many times she saw it, she couldn’t get used to his truly incredible musculature.

After letting his removed shirt fall to the floor, he opened the wardrobe as if looking for clothes to change into, then suddenly turned and strode purposefully towards Belladonna.

Huh…?

Startled by the sudden approach, Belladonna’s eyes widened in surprise. Is he coming towards me?

“Just a moment.”

Escalion murmured in a low voice as he reached out towards her.

Belladonna tensed up and shrank back nervously.

Hmm…?

But his large hand didn’t reach for her, instead moving to the bedside table next to her and picking up a bundle of letters placed there.

Ah, you startled me…

“Are all of these for me?” he asked, holding the letters.

Belladonna gave a small nod.

He glanced at the seemingly surprised Belladonna and smirked, then began examining the addressees one by one while standing in place.

“…”

She felt herself tensing up for a different reason without realizing it.

If Escalion were to find Scarlet Leyton’s name there…

She was curious about how he would react, but at the same time felt an aversion to knowing any more.

After pondering for a moment, Belladonna quietly raised just her eyes to observe Escalion’s expression.

She wanted to see the change in his expression when he discovered Scarlet Leyton’s name.

But even after flipping through all the envelopes to check the recipients, he showed no particular reaction.

His indifferent golden eyes, which had remained unchanged from start to finish, suddenly turned towards her.

“Bella.”

Huh…? Belladonna, who had been unconsciously focused, flinched and blinked.

He was looking at her with an unreadable gaze.

“If you’re tired, you can wash up and come out first.”

“…”

“I’ll call for a maid.”

Before she could answer, Escalion turned and approached the door.

He opened the door and stuck his head out into the hallway, giving some order to someone standing outside. Shortly after, Cindy appeared.

“Madam… I’ll help you with your bath. The water has already been drawn.”

Cindy, looking dejected, gently grasped Belladonna’s arm and applied light pressure.

As she slowly got up, Belladonna looked back at Escalion, who had already settled at the table and begun opening the envelopes one by one to examine their contents.

“…”

Though his face still looked indifferent and businesslike, it was clear he was being considerate of Belladonna.

So that’s why he’s sending me to the bathroom with Cindy… Is it uncomfortable for him if I’m here?

Belladonna let out a small sigh as she moved her legs towards the bathroom.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Madam… I’m truly sorry.”

As Belladonna settled into the steaming bathtub and leaned back, Cindy poured warm water over her exposed shoulders and asked.

When Belladonna raised her head, Cindy spoke with a face that looked about to cry:

“I think I was too hasty. I should have properly checked if you were following well… I got so caught up in the thought of finding our way because we had been wandering for so long with you…”

At Cindy’s words, Belladonna moved her arm to stroke the maid’s slumped shoulders.

Cindy had been apologizing continuously since earlier. There’s no need to go this far…

Besides, didn’t Escalion say he had assigned a huge number of knights?

But Cindy still couldn’t relax her expression.

“We could have been in big trouble… I would have nothing to say even if you dismissed me, madam…”

Why would I dismiss you?!

Belladonna shook her head vigorously to deny it and comforted her.

“Do you really forgive me…?”

Nod nod!

At Belladonna’s response, Cindy bowed her head with a tearful face.

“Thank you, madam…! I’ll be more alert from now on. *sniff* Actually, I was worried because you didn’t seem to be in a good mood before you left. But it was nice to see both of you looking happy when you returned.”

“…”

“Oh, I heard that the lord returned with a flower tucked behind his ear?”

Cindy let out a small laugh, still with tears in her eyes.

“My goodness, you must be the only person in the world who could do that to our lord.”

I wonder…?

However, Cindy’s words didn’t improve her mood much.

If it were Scarlet, she could have done even more, couldn’t she?

A crooked feeling kept creeping in.

“Thanks to that, the servants got to see an interesting sight.”

Although Cindy tried to change the atmosphere by speaking in the brightest voice possible, not a single word properly registered in her ears.

Belladonna just stirred the innocent water, feeling inexplicably annoyed.

[This is the timeline separator]

A few minutes later, Belladonna, freshly washed with warm water, sat down in front of the vanity.

Cindy stood behind her, drying her long hair with a towel as she spoke.

“Madam, I think dinner should be about ready by now. Would you like to go down right away to eat?”

Dinner… What about Escalion?

Instead of answering, Belladonna turned her gaze to the mirror to look at Escalion.

He was sitting in a slouched position, his gaze fixed on the numerous sheets of paper.

“…”

“My- My lord! How shall we handle dinner?”

When Belladonna stared at Escalion without answering, Cindy turned her head and asked.

Only then did Escalion, noticing her gaze in the mirror, stand up from his seat.

He approached Belladonna, fiddling with her still-damp hair as he spoke.

“Bella, go down and eat first. I think I have some business to take care of before eating.”

“…”

Business to take care of before eating…?

A sudden feeling of disappointment washed over her. Is it because of Scarlet after all?

She couldn’t shake the gloomy feeling that even though he had spent the entire afternoon with her, he was now leaving her side immediately for just one letter from that woman.

“Why the expression?”

Noticing her darkened expression, Escalion quickly bent down and asked.

Usually, she would have quickly put on a beautiful smile and shaken her head as if it were nothing, but she didn’t feel like doing so now.

She felt anxious, sad, and frustrated.

“Bella.”

He called her name again, his face becoming troubled.

He couldn’t understand why she seemed fine just a moment ago but was now downcast again.

Damn it, what’s the problem…? I clearly said I would keep the secret…

A sudden feeling of suffocation and anxiety shook him.

“…”

Eventually, Belladonna forced her lips into a smile and shook her head.

She belatedly realized that showing her bad mood now wouldn’t help anyone.

Cindy, who had been quietly observing the subtle silence and troubled expressions of the master and mistress from behind, quickly spoke up.

“Um… My- My lord! I think the madam is just fa- fatigued! She dozed off a bit in the bathtub after I washed her with warm water. So, wouldn’t it be better to bring dinner to the room?”

Belladonna, feeling grateful for the quick-witted Cindy, promptly nodded her head.

That’s right. I was just a bit sleepy, that’s all…

“I see. Then prepare the meal in the room.”

At her words, Escalion spoke with a slightly relaxed face.

He carefully examined Belladonna’s expression once more before turning away.

“I’ll come back before bed, so eat your dinner well. Make sure to eat a lot.”

Belladonna nodded with a slight smile.

Reassured, he disappeared out the door, and Cindy also put down the towel she was holding and said:

“Madam, I’ll be back with your dinner too. Please wait for a moment?”

As Cindy also left the room, Belladonna, left alone, slowly turned her head.

She cast her gaze towards the table where Escalion had been sitting until just moments ago.

“…”

She was curious.

She was extremely curious about the contents of Scarlet’s letter.

Belladonna stood up and approached the table strewn with papers.

Stopping close to the table, she took a breath and cautiously reached out her hand.

‘Is- Is this okay…?’

Belladonna, hesitating with her hand awkwardly extended, looked back at the firmly closed door.

If there was an opportunity, it was now or never.

Swallowing hard, she quickly moved her hand and began searching for Scarlet Leyton’s letter.

Hurry… Hurry…!

Perhaps due to her impatience, she couldn’t find the letter she was looking for among the numerous letters.

Belladonna continued to rummage through the pile of letters while keeping an ear out for any sounds from the corridor.

‘Found it!’

Finally, Belladonna found the envelope with Scarlet Leyton’s name and quickly pulled out the letter inside.

She swiftly moved her eyes to scan the contents.

“…Huh? Is this all?”

She had expected it to be filled with long and affectionate sentiments, but Scarlet Leyton’s letter was shorter and more concise than anticipated.

The letter contained just one line written in an elegant and fluid handwriting reminiscent of her:

[300 gold coins, as quickly as possible. We’re also short on firewood.]