Wolf, who had been watching Escalion mutter curses viciously, carefully opened his mouth.

“My lord, what on earth is the matter? Did the two of you have a fight…?”

“Shut up and just do your job properly.”

“My lady seems to be deeply hurt…”

Wolf recalled Belladonna’s face he had encountered earlier.

Her slumped shoulders and sad eyes…

He couldn’t understand what wrong the lady had committed to fall out of the lord’s favor.

The lady had merely been kidnapped by shameless and ungrateful people, barely surviving a near-death experience…

“Hurt, you say.”

Escalion mumbled softly.

“Did she eat much for dinner?”

“My lord! I don’t understand at all. While thoroughly ignoring the lady, you keep asking me about her…!”

“Just answer the question. Why won’t the wound on her face heal? Is she using the medicine properly? Those trash, I should execute them right away.”

“Her skin is quite delicate, so it needs more time to heal. My lord! Instead of asking me like this, you should go see her yourself…!!”

At Wolf’s words, Escalion spoke in an irritated, low voice.

“Shut up and go bring the divorce papers.”

He thought he needed to prepare divorce papers to get his mind straight.

“What? Divorce papers…?”

Wolf’s eyes widened in shock.

Escalion leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out in front.

Despite having taken a long nap after a while, he still felt tired and weak all over.

Early the next morning, Belladonna woke up and immediately tried to force her voice out.

“……”

Still, no sound came out.

Aargh! How many days has it been?! Will my voice really never return?

Belladonna pulled at her hair in frustration.

After agonizing for a moment, she recalled yesterday’s Escalion.

The way he had pushed her against the wall, then turned away with an expression more hurt than anyone…

‘Let’s try confronting him once more.’

She couldn’t just stop here.

Belladonna had no intention of returning to Astanya, so she needed to clear up her husband’s misunderstanding and stay by his side as soon as possible.

“Oh, my lady? Where are you going? It’s quite cold outside!”

Cindy, who had just entered the room, asked upon seeing Belladonna hastily putting on any clothes she could find.

“Are you going out? You can’t go out dressed like that!”

With a firm face, Cindy stopped Belladonna and walked to the wardrobe, pulling out the rabbit-eared muffler they had used when going to see the festival together.

Ah, not that…! Belladonna shook her head vigorously upon seeing the oddly shaped muffler.

“But the wind is blowing strongly! Where else can you find something better for staying warm?”

Cindy exclaimed with an incomprehensible look.

Belladonna reached into the wardrobe and grabbed a thick coat hanging nearby, forcefully putting it on.

This should do, right?

Cindy still looked displeased but nodded her head.

As Belladonna descended the stairs, passed through the lobby, and stepped outside the building, she immediately regretted her choice.

It was cold, far too cold.

The weather was on a different level compared to Astanya’s winters… Her ears were freezing!

She slightly missed the rabbit-eared muffler Cindy had brought out, but thinking about it again, it would have looked too ridiculous.

Instead, she tightly wrapped the front of her coat and slowly began to walk.

‘Where could he be today…’

As she passed through the corridor, she checked Escalion’s room and office once each, but he was nowhere to be seen.

The castle being too large is a problem…

As Belladonna slowly walked along the castle wall, she absentmindedly stepped onto an icy patch and instantly slipped.

Oh no, I can’t fall!

Instinctively flailing her arms, she managed to grab onto a protruding part of the castle wall and barely regained her balance.

Th-that was close…

Her heart was pounding from the sudden incident.

Surely no one saw that, right? Belladonna discreetly looked around before shifting her gaze to the distant stables.

“……”

Looking at that place, she recalled riding horses with Escalion a few months ago, seeing the sea for the first time in her life, and exploring the wide frozen lake in the forest behind.

We have quite a few memories, come to think of it…

Lost in thought for a moment, Belladonna moved to get up.

If she couldn’t find Escalion right now, she at least wanted to see the horse they had ridden together.

“Neigh!”

As she approached the stables, a strong smell of livestock assaulted her nose.

Entering further inside to escape the wind, she saw horses standing between haystacks, moving their heads and neighing.

Upon spotting the horses, Belladonna quickly ran over to them.

The horses shook their heads up and down vigorously upon seeing her.

Huh, are they cold? Or hungry?

Wondering what the horses wanted, she slowly observed them.

‘In the past… that is, in my previous life, I once worked as a stable hand for a day’s wage.’

With familiar hands, Belladonna patted the necks of the horses that were presenting their faces to her and stroked their manes.

There should be feed somewhere around here…

She looked around and spotted a well-organized feed bin in the corner of the stable.

Belladonna, not minding her hands getting dirty, grabbed an armful of feed and poured it into the feeding troughs in front of the horses.

‘Eat up, little ones! Harsh cold is even harder on animals.’

Belladonna stroked each of the horses as they eagerly munched on the feed. Where on earth did the stable hand go, leaving them like this…

Just then, a frozen water trough came into Belladonna’s view.

Due to the cold weather, the water in the trough for the horses had completely frozen over.

‘Oh no, the poor things won’t be able to drink like this…’

After pondering for a moment, Belladonna grabbed a shovel hanging on the wall.

I’ll break it for them! With a determined face, she raised the shovel high above her head and brought it down hard.

Thunk!

Despite putting all her strength into it, the ice she struck didn’t even crack and remained intact.

Belladonna sheepishly looked around.

I’m making quite a fool of myself today. I hope no one saw that…

“…?”

Eeeek!!

Belladonna screamed internally upon realizing someone was standing right behind her, watching.

For once, she was grateful that her voice wouldn’t come out. Otherwise, a resounding scream might have echoed throughout the entire castle.

Startled and flailing, she lost her footing and fell, landing hard on her bottom.

“What are you doing?”

Escalion, wearing training clothes and watching her, asked as he took a step forward.

He had one eyebrow raised, looking perplexed.

Belladonna looked up at him, still sitting on the ground.

Why did you come out from there…?

“Get up.”

Escalion frowned and held out his hand.

He didn’t seem to like Belladonna sitting carelessly on the cold ground.

Th-thank you… Belladonna grabbed his outstretched hand and stood up.

She felt an urge to hold onto his hand longer, as it had been so long since they last touched, but he quickly let go and turned away.

How disappointing…

“Did you really think you could break the ice with that little strength? It must have barely tickled from the ice’s perspective.”

Escalion asked as he walked towards the stable entrance and returned with a steaming bucket.

It seemed he planned to melt the ice by pouring hot water on it.

Ah, so Escalion noticed the frozen water trough and brought that…

“Move aside.”

Escalion coolly brushed past her and poured the hot water over the trough.

The ice began to melt and turn to liquid as soon as the hot water touched it.

Belladonna stood awkwardly, fidgeting with her fingers as she watched him work.

Finally, after melting the ice in all the troughs with hot water, Escalion turned completely to face Belladonna.

“Why do you look like…”

He muttered, looking her up and down.

Her hands and coat were completely filthy from whatever she had been doing before he arrived.

Reading Escalion’s disapproving gaze, Belladonna quickly looked down at herself.

Her new coat was covered in dirt and straw, likely from when she had moved the feed earlier.

Thanks to her fall just now, there was also an unsightly stain on the back of her skirt.

Oh no… Suddenly embarrassed, she hurriedly began to take off her coat.

Escalion quickly approached and grabbed the collar of her coat with one hand to stop her.

“Enough, why are you taking off your clothes? Just keep it on for now…”

But Belladonna was equally stubborn. She twisted her body, trying to remove the dirty coat.

A flustered Escalion gripped the coat more tightly.

“I said don’t take it off…!”

Let go! I’m going to take it off…!

For a moment, they struggled, tugging back and forth like in a tug-of-war.

Escalion, who had been barely using any strength for fear of hurting her, sighed and raised his other hand as well.

At that moment, Belladonna, who had been spinning around to find an opening, slipped on the icy stable floor.

Oh no, not again!

Clatter…!

The bucket she had accidentally kicked while falling rolled across the floor with a loud noise.

Belladonna, who had lost her balance and fallen, slowly opened her eyes that she had closed.

Huh…

Her entire field of vision was filled with his golden eyes.

“……”

Wait a minute, did I… fall on top of you again…?

Belladonna slowly lowered her gaze to look at Escalion pinned beneath her.

I’m sorry…

“Bella.”

Just then, Escalion, who had been quietly looking at her lying on top of him, whispered.

Hearing his low voice, she was reminded of their first kiss.

They had been this close back then too…

Belladonna looked up at Escalion with trembling eyes.

Is he thinking the same thing as me right now? She could see an indescribable emotion slowly filling his golden eyes.

Her gaze naturally drifted to Escalion’s lips.

Her mouth suddenly felt very dry.

“Bella.”

Escalion called her name once more.

Belladonna gazed intently into his eyes that were staring at her.

After maintaining eye contact with him for a moment, Belladonna slowly closed her eyes.

She wished for him to come closer and kiss her.