“Of course, as a lady, you may not know the detailed news about national defense.”

When she hesitated to answer easily, he smiled as if it had been a joke and explained.

“By order of His Majesty the Emperor, I am in charge of managing Zone 3.”

His attitude was utterly businesslike, as if giving a work report.

‘…Is that why I didn’t know? Because he mainly operates in Zone 3?’

No, that couldn’t be.

If so, other nobles in the capital would know, but there’s no way only she didn’t know.

Her mind started to become confused again.

“Managing… Zone 3?”

“Yes. Thanks to the factory area there, the prosperity of this capital is maintained.”

A strange smile crossed his face as he answered.

His lips, redder than wine, curled up, but his eyes were as cold as if they would freeze.

When she met those eyes, suddenly the tragedy from three days ago pierced her heart like an ice arrow.

Delphine hurriedly dropped her gaze to her plate.

The fingertips holding the knife formally grew cold.

“Madam?”

Delphine flinched at the man’s voice calling her.

Any etiquette or education about not easily showing emotions had long since lost its use, overtaken by fear.

“Your face is white, madam. Are you alright?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Delphine quickly lowered her hand holding the knife under the table to hide her trembling fingertips.

“My, my digestion…”

As soon as she spoke, her stomach really started to churn.

The food she had forced herself to chew and swallow, pretending to eat, felt stuck in her chest.

Originally, she would always suffer from nervous gastritis when something bothered her…

“Oh dear.”

He quickly got up from his seat and approached her with quick steps.

“Ah.”

Then he lifted Delphine into his arms so lightly.

Startled, Delphine struggled with a pale face.

“I’m, I’m fine…”

“Stay still. I won’t drop you.”

He immediately strode towards the boudoir.

His steps were unwavering, as if there wasn’t a woman in a dress in his arms.

Upon reaching the boudoir, he placed her on the bed with movements that were like last night, but a little more careful.

Delphine immediately turned her body and wrapped her hands around her stomach.

Perhaps due to the tension of being held in the man’s firm arms, her stomach ached more than before.

He reached out his large hand towards her stomach.

“Where…”

However, when she flinched and curled up, that hand stopped abruptly in mid-air.

It was Delphine who was rather surprised by his reaction.

“…It seems you have a stomachache.”

When she glanced up, he had an expression as if he was really worried.

Even though he had cut off her father’s neck right in front of her eyes.

To have such an expression over her mere nervous stomachache.

It was absurd.

But perhaps because her body and mind were weaker than ever before.

“It’s alright. You’ll feel better after resting, madam.”

Why did she suddenly feel like crying at that kind gaze and tone?

And why did she helplessly think of that boy who was always worried about his master, even though he was a slave himself?

“…”

“Oh my. Your complexion is getting worse. Come now…”

While she was curling up as much as possible to hide her expression, she heard him muttering softly.

She also felt a hand gently patting her back.

Strangely, it really made her feel at ease, and the strength left her body.

“You’ll be all better after sleeping.”

Is that so.

Will I be all better?

‘Then, if only all of this situation could go back to how it was before…’

As if it had all been a nightmare in broad daylight.

Listening to the man’s low voice, Delphine ended up closing her flickering eyes just like that.

For some reason, Ioan appeared in her dream that day.

It was the day when her former fiancé, Leonard, visited the Pembrook mansion.

The day she received a purple iris along with a proposal from a man she met for the first time in her life.

“Who is that man?”

“What?”

Ioan said, not even looking at the dried fig I handed him.

He had grown so tall and broad-shouldered compared to his peers that strangers would now see him as a young man.

When I turned my head to look at him, Ioan lowered his reddening face and muttered timidly.

“…The man you were walking with earlier.”

“Ah, Lord Leonard? Here. Won’t you eat this?”

I handed him the fig and then plopped down on a chair in the garden.

“He’s my fiancé.”

At my nonchalant words, his body, which was carefully putting the fig in his pocket, suddenly stiffened.

“Fiancé…?”

“Yes. Ah, engagement means promising to marry each other later.”

“I know that much! …I’m sorry, miss.”

He quickly bit his lip and apologized after shouting in a momentary surge of emotion.

“It’s alright.”

“Then, then are you going to marry that nobleman? When?”

“Hmm. Probably when I turn twenty?”

“Then will you leave this mansion?”

“I suppose so.”

I said, idly scattering the garden soil with my shoe-clad foot.

I had always thought it was natural to have an arranged marriage, but seeing someone react as if it was so unfamiliar made me feel strange.

“…”

“It seems Father hasn’t been using the whip lately.”

I casually spoke to him, who had suddenly fallen silent.

Ioan was not only tall but also uniquely strong.

Even though he wasn’t an adult yet, it was hard to find anyone stronger among the mansion’s servants.

Not long ago, he was even disciplined for seriously injuring a servant who had been bullying him.

It must be because of that incident. That Father stopped the whipping.

I thought bitterly.

As always, Ioan didn’t like me bringing up this topic.

At some point, he even started refusing the medicine I brought him.

It was probably since that day.

That night when we looked at each other with a plate of clear water between us under the full moon.

“Twenty… About two years left then.”

He awkwardly changed the subject.

Ioan always showed it like this when he tried to hide his true feelings in front of me.

“Yeah. Well, that’s right.”

“…Miss, you don’t look very happy even living in a mansion like this.”

“What?”

I raised my head in surprise.

He was rarely looking at me directly with a serious face, without avoiding my gaze.

“Do you think you’ll be happy… marrying that nobleman?”

Happy? Happiness.

It was a word I had never thought deeply about, just like arranged marriage.

After moving my lips for a moment, I pretended to put on a stern expression.

“…Ioan Pryde. I may favor you among the servants, but that’s too impertinent a question.”

Then I turned away from him first this time.

Deliberately avoiding his brown eyes that were persistently looking at me.

Again.

Delphine stared blankly at the curtains fluttering in the wind while lying down.

Brilliant morning sunlight was streaming in through the thin curtains.

Just like someone who had taken sleeping pills, she had fallen asleep as if fainting again yesterday.

‘Come to think of it…’

Delphine stroked her thin stomach with a dazed face.

Even her stomach, which had been churning as if something was riding on it until last night, was completely better.

Usually when she got sick like this, she would be unable to swallow even soup for days.

Now there wasn’t even any burning sensation.

“You’re awake.”

At that moment, a soft voice came from beyond the bed.

“Are you alright, madam?”

The man asked her again as she remained silent.

No, it wasn’t a question. It was a strangely confident tone.

Yesterday, Ioan appeared in her dream.

Not this man in front of her, but that slave boy from back then.

“Are you happy… in this mansion, miss?”

“Madam? Are you still feeling unwell somewhere…”

“Do you know about the legend of the full moon night?”

Delphine suddenly asked.

It was a completely impulsive question.

Her eyes, still intoxicated with sleep and the lingering dream, stared at the beautiful man’s face.

After looking back at her for a moment, the man slowly opened his lips.

“…You mean the werewolf legend?”

At that moment, disappointment flickered in Delphine’s emerald eyes.

The man, who had been watching her without any change in expression, spoke again.

“You ate too little last night. I’ve instructed them to hurry with breakfast preparations. Come down after you’re ready.”

Come to think of it, the man was already perfectly dressed in his uniform.

In contrast, Delphine realized she was only wearing a thin chemise and hurriedly covered herself with the sheet.

“…”

Seeing this, a slight crack seemed to appear in the man’s elegant and ascetic face.

But only for a moment.

“…Come down.”

The door closed somewhat hastily.

In the quiet boudoir.

Sitting alone blankly on the bed, Delphine suddenly realized.

“…Normally, wouldn’t one ask what legend?”