Duke’s residence, top floor.

As the moment of loneliness descended, a sigh tinged with worries escaped.

Hertian sat by the window, replaying the recent events multiple times in his mind.

‘I couldn’t even say a word like an idiot.’

He had left the room without replying to Anette’s remarks.

“We’re only in a contractual relationship, so you don’t need to concern yourself with everything.”

He knew for sure.

He understood his current significance to Anette. Having lost Lian and kept herself secluded, she would need time to open up.

And Hertian was confident. He could wait as long as it took.

However, hearing it directly.

‘It’s harder than I thought.’

Since reuniting with Anette, he had never disappointed her. Still, the feeling of being so insignificant to her weighed him down, filling him with dread.

“Sigh…”

Lost in thought, Hertian exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“I’m pathetically useless.”

He was constantly realizing how small he was in front of Anette.

He pulled himself together. There was no time for heartbreak. He needed to take a meaningful step forward this time. There was no need to rush the wedding since the main issue had been resolved.

“Anette’s health is the priority.”

Regaining his composure, Hertian approached the bookshelf and pulled out an ancient text from the Emperor’s library. The musty smell of old paper greeted him as he opened it. The flipping pages stopped at a certain point.

A page he had eyed several times.

Words that were difficult to describe were written on the paper. Although most of the mysteries in this old text were debunked as human fabrications, one thing stood out. No definite evidence proved it false.

“…Possession.”

A truly absurd word.

Below, examples of the possessed were listed. People who suddenly changed personality and spoke languages not of this world. Most were described as geniuses, and many contracted strange illnesses and died.

Even though it seemed frivolous, Hertian couldn’t just ignore it. Especially since he had been watching her closely for so long.

Inside a dustfree box were stacks of envelopes. Unfamiliar words were written on the faded paper inside. Even for him, who had wandered through wars across the empire—no, the world—these words were new.

It wasn’t just one instance. Frequently, the letters she sent contained words he found hard to understand.

Almost as if she were one of the ‘possessed’ mentioned in this text.

(Time separator)

‘Was she upset?’

It was the first time Hertian had left without responding.

I thought I was making it easy for her.

But his facial expression hardened, and he left the dining room. Clearly, he was upset. Why? I made things easier for him. As much as I thought about it, I couldn’t understand him.

‘Should I apologize?’

Even that felt weird. Asking him to care about me again seemed ridiculous.

Knock, knock.

At that moment, Bonisa entered.

“Madam, I’m here.”

Seeing her cleared my confused thoughts.

I still had important matters to deal with.

“Did you find out what I asked?”

“I went down to the village and asked the peddlers; they said all access to the temples in Cursia has been blocked.”

“Why?”

“They’re planning renovations for all the temples, so they’ll be closed for a while. You were right, Madam!”

Bonisa replied, suppressing her excitement.

‘He’s helping me at the right time.’

If temples in Cursia started closing, that man would find it easy to gather information. The palace and temple authorities would already be busy finding alternatives.

“You did well.”
My mind felt considerably lighter. If the trade was successfully completed, it would alleviate some of Hertian’s heavy burden.

“Madam, I’ve also finished making the tapestries you requested.”

Bonisa’s words made me even happier.

“You’ve already completed such a large quantity?”

“Given that I’ve spent my whole life making tapestries, what’s a few dozen?”

She added with a composed face.

“Still, producing that much all at once is no small feat.”

“A lot of the maids in the castle helped. In this cold region, everyone has made one at least once.”

“I see.”

It was a long process.

I patted Bonisa’s hair. The tightly tied hair felt nice to the touch; I had always wanted to feel it and finally had the chance.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Bonisa blushed and then asked me,

“Madam, what do you plan to do with the tapestries?”

“I intend to take them to a remote village. The area is colder than the average village due to its elevation. Moreover, they only have tapestries made from thin fabric, which hardly blocks the wind. I want to distribute these.”

The place was hardly fit for human habitation.

I myself often found the castle too cold to bear. The situation was even worse in the village located halfway up the mountain. Even a lot of firewood hardly kept the cold at bay.

‘I might have to go there often in the future, so I better prepare.’

I couldn’t renovate the entire village, so making tapestries was a quick fix.

“But this is expensive fabric that you bought as a dowry for your wedding.”

Bonisa had a point.