But a surprising turn of events occurred.

“Although Count Sergei may want to marry, it has become difficult due to what Count Joseph and the children did today, so don’t worry.”

Truly, I didn’t expect Lieselotte to give up on Sergei.

Without realizing it, Joseph burst into laughter. He really felt relieved.

“Alright. Let’s do a contract engagement or a contract marriage.”

And from that moment, Joseph’s heart began to beat at an astonishingly fast rate.

His throat still felt painfully tight, and his heart felt like it would burst.

But there was no headache.

Embracing her body was impulsive.

Kissing her cheek instead of her lips was the utmost self-control.

But he wasn’t confident he could continue to endure. Joseph fled from Lieselotte’s room.

“Ahaha.”

And now he was in this state. His heart was still beating fast, but it wasn’t an unpleasant sensation.

Rather, it was enjoyable.

‘I should set it here.’

This would be a good point to turn back time next.

Suddenly, he remembered the young lord Kardiel’s request. He asked to maintain the false engagement for about 3 years.

But Joseph had no intention of doing so. How could he give up this opportunity he had obtained?

‘What a lifeline I’ve gained.’

After 3 years, he would have to bind Lieselotte with some other excuse.

And it would be good to slowly build up causality to make marriage a foregone conclusion.

‘After that, I’ll have to make sure she can’t divorce.’

All sorts of thoughts about how to keep Lieselotte by his side happily floated through Joseph’s mind.

As he stood in front of the stairs to return to his room, something that would happen today suddenly came to mind.

‘Hmm, it is that day, after all.’

Originally, he was going to ignore it, but since he was in a good mood.

‘This much kindness should be fine.’

So Joseph turned away from the stairs he was about to climb. He was thinking of going out for a while.

Just as Joseph, dressed in his outdoor clothes, stepped onto the grand staircase to go down to the first floor, a figure he didn’t particularly want to encounter entered his view.

“…Count Alperon?”

Ah, this.

As if he had been waiting, standing neatly in the main hall was none other than Sergei.

Seeing him wearing even an overcoat, Joseph hoped that perhaps he was returning to the Tower of Honor at this hour, but seeing no luggage in his hands, it didn’t seem to be the case.

“…Joseph will do, Sage Sergei.”

“Sergei will do for me as well.”

The man with neatly tied golden hair smiled warmly from behind cold metal-framed glasses.

That smile was different from the mask that Joseph had created, it was like a privilege that only an inherently good person could possess.

Suddenly, Joseph realized that his face resembled more of Chersion’s impression than that of the late Duke Daiern.

As expected of the Daiern bloodline.

“Why are you out here at this late hour instead of in your room?”

Joseph smiled gently at Sergei while facing him.

Even if it’s someone he doesn’t like, acting hostile is not good for the causality that will accumulate in the future.

“I thought I might take a walk as I didn’t think I could fall asleep easily.”

“So that’s why you’re dressed like that.”

“Is Joseph going out for a walk too?”

“Ah…”

It was too late to say no now, as he was already wearing his coat.

Moreover, there was no other reason to come down from the upper floor to the lower floor.

“I suppose so.”

“That’s great. Shall we walk together then?”

Saying he had just been thinking he needed someone to talk to, Sergei smiled innocently.

What to do. If it had been before turning back time, he would have made some other excuse to distance himself from him, but…

‘Now, I have no reason to back down.’

At this point, the winner is Joseph, himself. So if anyone should feel uncomfortable, it should be Sergei, not him.

Joseph replied in a kind tone.

“I know a nice walking path.”

The darkness of the late November night sky, with winter fast approaching, is so deep that it instantly swallows even the white breath exhaled.

Joseph originally disliked winter.

He found it cruel how it feebly scattered the breath that proved his life, as if it were futile.

But today was different.

Somewhere in the black night air that swallowed the white breath, he felt as if he was surely melting into it.

It felt like he might someday be able to tinge even the outwardly unperturbed black air with his breath.

Come to think of it, the black night sky reminds one of Lieselotte’s elegant and luscious long hair.

She was like a cold and aloof black fortress that didn’t easily allow outsiders.

Then could the white breath be said to resemble himself?

“Winter is coming soon.”

The footsteps of the two who had left the Daiern mansion were the only signs of life on the quiet imperial road.

It was the time when even the lights illuminating the street were going out one by one.

The human instinct’s fear of darkness sometimes finds unfamiliar fears even in familiar places.

But Sergei walks without hesitation and speaks warmly, even with someone who is no different from a love rival beside him.

“Usually, the first snow falls in the imperial capital at this time, but strangely, it rained this year.”

At first, Joseph thought he might be somewhat lacking.

But now he knows that’s not the case.

Sergei is just… a good person.

Should I say he’s a pure person? But he’s not just some young master with nothing but flowers in his head.

“Is that so? I didn’t know since this is my first time in the imperial capital.”

Sergei tilted his head at Joseph’s answer.

“If it’s your first time in the imperial capital, you must have met the Duchess just over a month ago…”

Ah, this.

“I’m curious how the talk of marriage came up already.”

I made a slip of the tongue.

Joseph considered retracting his previous statement as it became troublesome, but soon came up with a suitable excuse.

“The conditions matched.”

“Conditions?”

After all, noble marriages are a meeting of conditions and conditions.

Therefore, this is more convincing than speaking idly of love.

“I needed the Duchess’s name and abilities for the development of my territory and exchange with the Empire, and the Duchess needed me, who had no greed for Daiern, to protect her three children and family.”

“I see.”

Sergei immediately understood those words.

It seems he had been worried about that part.

“If I may be so bold, could I ask where the Alperon County is located? My knowledge is lacking, so I haven’t dared to ask before.”

It was a humble statement for someone who had become a scholar of the Tower of Honor.

Joseph gave the answer he had prepared, as if he had expected this.

“It’s understandable that you don’t know. It was a nameless land until now. It’s a region that takes a full day’s journey by ship to reach.”

“If it requires a sea journey, it must be an island.”

“It’s quite a large landform to be called an island, but from the perspective that even continents are surrounded by sea, if you call it an island, it certainly would be.”

“I’d like to hear more details about that later if possible.”

“Of course.”

After that, appropriate questions and answers were exchanged.

Sergei was quite curious about Joseph.

He asked about his age, origin, family relationships, and even his likes and dislikes.

Responding to all this, it felt somewhat like being subjected to a background check.

But that wasn’t particularly unpleasant.

‘He did propose to her after all.’

He thought about how curious one would be about the person who was taking their place and marrying instead.

The more this happened, the more Joseph tried not to show any flaws.

He smiled wearing an even thicker mask than usual, and gave answers that would cause as little trouble as possible.

“So you really have no plans for children?”

“It’s not possible to plan for children alone. Above all, even if we were to plan, it would be after the young lord succeeds the duke’s position. I don’t want to make the Duchess’s position difficult either.”

And so, he even succeeded in receiving a favorable evaluation from Sergei.

“It seems Joseph is a good person. I didn’t need to worry.”

“You flatter me.”

By this point, it seemed the conversation had adequately concluded.

Moreover, as they walked and talked, Joseph too had arrived near his intended destination.

It should be around here. As he thought this and surveyed the surroundings, it was then.

“I know this may be rude to ask, but…”

Sergei tilted his head and asked a strange question.

“Is there any possibility that Joseph has a lost twin?”

“A twin?”

“Actually, 10 years ago, I received help from someone who looked exactly like Joseph.”

The back of his neck suddenly stiffened.

Joseph unconsciously froze as he listened to Sergei’s continuing words.

“There was a time when the ship heading to the academy deviated from its route to avoid pirates and entered a foggy path. Naturally, the ship lost its way in the fog, and worse, it couldn’t move, perhaps caught on seaweed in a reef area. We were all destined to become permanent lost children of the fog.”