“The world is boiling hot.”

Since that day, Diana had been suffering from a terrible fever.

Her head ached so badly that she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this sick.

‘Ugh…’

When she momentarily regained consciousness, she would stare blankly out the window like a person in a daze, and when the fever rose, she would writhe in pain as if someone was twisting her head.

It was only after suffering like this for three or four days that she could finally think properly.

“Miss, please get up for a moment. You need to have at least a spoonful of soup.”

“Mmm… I don’t have an appetite.”

“…Where on earth did you go that day? The floor was all flooded, and you were collapsed… Do you know how shocked I was?”

“…I just went out for a night walk, but it rained too much. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before I left…”

“If you want, you could go out with an escort. Even if it’s within the castle, it’s too dangerous to go out alone late at night.”

“I’ll make sure to tell you next time…”

“Alright… Oh, by the way… I have some good news to tell you.”

Angela rolled her eyes and pretended to hesitate.

“What is it?”

“A visitor came while you were collapsed. Normally, I would have kicked him out, but his expression was so pitiful that even I softened up.”

“…You don’t mean Raoul, do you?”

“Yes! He seemed worried about you and looked in for quite a while before leaving. And he left this letter too…! Ta-da.”

Diana picked up the white envelope placed at her bedside.

“A letter…?”

“That’s right. Who would have thought a slave who learned to read and write would do such a thoughtful thing?”

“Angela… Can I read it alone?”

“Of course! Why even ask? I’ll step out for a moment.”

As Angela left the room, Diana hesitated for a moment, fingering the corner of the letter.

‘Should I read it?’

She wasn’t sure. It was natural to be afraid of what the contents of a letter from Raoul might be at this point when the original story had begun.

‘What could be written in it? Could it be asking about Ayla?’

She was afraid of getting hurt, but it was a letter written by Raoul.

She would continue to face him in the future, and she needed to read it to know what attitude to take.

Diana began to read the letters with trembling eyes.

To Diana,

Diana, it’s me, Raoul.

I heard you’ve been unwell lately, and it doesn’t sit well with me. Especially since we haven’t seen each other often recently.

At that time, I needed time to think on my own, but I realize it must have been sudden for you. I don’t know how to apologize…

I’m also worried that you might have fallen ill because your heart was hurting.

If you would allow it, I’d like to spend time with you again like before.

I hope you recover soon and that the days like before continue.

And… although it might sound a bit shameless, if you ever feel like seeing me, even a little, please don’t hesitate to call for me. I’ll end here.

Raoul.

P.S.) I wrote this after reading about letter writing, but there are still many parts that need improvement. I hope you understand.

‘Ah, how can you be so kind?’

Despite the original story having begun, he still hadn’t forgotten their past affection.

Diana caressed the letter, engraving each word deeply in her heart.

‘Thank you, Raoul.’

He chose to comfort Diana rather than hurt her. It was truly something to be grateful for.

Even after several days had passed, Diana still hadn’t stepped out of her room.

Although her health was much better than before, this was the time when Raoul would be having nightly rendezvous with Ayla.

Somehow, her heart felt heavy and she lacked energy.

Sometimes she missed his bright face, but she tried to erase him from her mind.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him, but she was afraid of feeling even more worthless.

‘You always say you’ve given up, but why are you disappointed, why are you hurt?’

It was because of the false hope that kept growing whenever the child was kind to her.

‘If he could just grow up like this, maybe he would choose me instead of Ayla this time?’

It was such a foolish wish when the original story was so firmly set.

Both the original story and Diana’s blind love for Raoul were like unstoppable natural disasters.

What use would it be to prepare to scoop water with a basin at home when a tsunami was approaching?

Evacuation was the answer to disasters. She didn’t want to get hurt anymore.

It had already been a week since she secluded herself, as if running away.

As Diana was deep in thought, feeling the wind on the terrace, a cherry blossom petal flew from afar and landed on her head.

She placed the petal on her palm and looked towards where it had come from. It was that cherry tree near the annex that had been in full bloom.

She thought about recalling even a handful of memories as she looked at it, but it was already bare with only branches remaining after a rain had swept through.

‘They’ve all fallen already…’

As her hand relaxed, the cherry blossom petal quickly flew away freely on a new breeze.

She watched it for a long time before casting her gaze far away.

‘I should have done this earlier.’

Her past self, who had held even a small hope, seemed so foolish now.

Raoul looked up at her from outside the terrace as she let go of the cherry blossom petal. Somehow, she looked heartbroken.

Following her gaze, he saw the cherry tree in the distance, now bare of leaves.

This year, because Raoul had foolishly distanced himself from her, they hadn’t seen the flowers together even once.

‘I’m an idiot…’

As Raoul left the underground prison that day, he caught a familiar scent. It was none other than Diana’s.

Surprised, he looked around, but Diana was nowhere to be seen. Only small footprints were left here and there along the sticky corridor.

It was undoubtedly Diana.

‘How did she end up here? Did she follow me? Or could it be… did Diana receive that distress signal?’

Various thoughts crossed his mind, but what made Raoul’s heart more uneasy was Ayla.

‘Could Diana have heard the conversation we had earlier?’

Raoul had been distancing himself from Diana recently.

He worried about how she would misunderstand if she thought he was spending enjoyable time with another girl.

‘That’s not it…’

Just as Diana had done for him long ago, he only intended to deliver medicine to any slave who might be going through hardships.

That was truly all.

‘But to think it would escalate to this extent.’

His heart was extremely uncomfortable.

As Raoul left the prison with a worried heart, unlike when he entered, the ground was very muddy.

He looked around, concerned that Diana might have fallen or gotten hurt somewhere when it rained as she was leaving, but her scent had long since been washed away by the rain.

A day had passed, but Raoul still couldn’t concentrate on his lessons, his thoughts filled with Diana.

‘I wonder if she made it back safely yesterday. Could she be upset?’

He kept his gaze fixed on the corridor, waiting, but Diana never appeared.

Vincent, noticing his young disciple’s worries, lightly chopped the top of his head with his hand and nagged.

“If you’re so concerned, why didn’t you treat her better before?”

“…What do you know.”

Raoul carelessly brushed off his hand, but he couldn’t hide the complexity in his heart.

Vincent sighed deeply and ruffled Raoul’s hair roughly.

“I know better than you. Perhaps those like you who have only experienced being loved will never understand. The feelings of someone who loves alone.”

“…Do you think Diana was sad?”

“Of course. Look at you, you’ve been gloomy all day just because you can’t see the young lady.”

A shadow fell across Raoul’s face.

Vincent looked down at the gloomy face and smiled helplessly as he advised.

“So this time, you go to her first. Check if the young lady is well, if she’s been alright all this time. You can do that much, can’t you?”

Raoul nodded weakly.

Rather than dwelling on his complex feelings for Diana, it seemed more important to soothe her heart first.

Despite visiting Diana’s chambers after a long time, who Raoul encountered was not Diana, but her stern personal maid, Angela.

Upon seeing Raoul, Angela frowned and explained that Diana was ill.

“Ill? Where?”

She was about to snap at Raoul’s impertinent tone but suddenly changed her expression and muttered.

“…Come to think of it, it’s quite unfair that only you should feel refreshed, isn’t it?”

Feeling a chill, Raoul stepped back, but Angela changed her attitude and opened the door wide.

“At least pay your respects to the young lady before you leave.”

Through the open door, a thick, protruding mound of blankets was visible.

‘Is she very ill?’

As Raoul approached Diana, with each step closer, her condition seemed far from ordinary.

“Diana…?”

She couldn’t even open her eyes and was breathing heavily.

Her face was flushed red with fever, and her eyelids were swollen from crying.

Moreover, her hands were tightly wrapped in white bandages, injured from who knows where, and he couldn’t even hold them for fear of causing pain.

As Raoul stood speechless like someone in great shock, Angela, who had been watching from behind, clicked her tongue and said.

“You didn’t show your face at all, and now you’re shocked?”

If even a maid could speak like this, how much must Diana have suffered emotionally?

Raoul, feeling sorry, couldn’t even touch her and just clenched and unclenched his fists.

He couldn’t forgive himself for leisurely sorting out his feelings while Diana had become so battered.

Angela looked at the young face trying hard to hold back tears, sighed deeply, and said.

“Do you know what to do when the young lady wakes up later?”

Whatever Angela was saying, Raoul was only looking at Diana.

“…Visit her often, act cute in front of the young lady, that’s what I mean! Are you listening?”

Instead of answering Angela, Raoul asked about Diana’s feelings.

“Was Diana struggling…?”

“Of course! We barely got her out of poverty, and you dare ignore the young lady without any gratitude?”

If Diana had been awake, she would have seriously objected to such words, but Raoul, unlike usual, just listened quietly.

‘You always took care of me, but I only made things difficult for you…’

In a way, it wasn’t wrong.

He thought of Diana, who must have been worried sick without knowing why.

Just imagining her gloomy face made his heart ache.

After that, he delivered a letter and waited for news of her, but Diana neither came to see Raoul nor called for him.

He thought about going to her first, but feeling guilty, he couldn’t muster the courage.

And so, another empty day passed without encountering Diana.

“You came?”

Seeing Ayla smiling brightly as if she had been waiting for Raoul all day, he felt even more conflicted.

‘What am I doing?’

Taking care of a pitiful slave through the bars, he suddenly felt like he had become a nanny.

Somehow, he felt he had acquired a burden on his heart that he couldn’t ignore.