“…I understand.”

When her response, indicating she would leave, came from her lips, Merlin seemed as if Walter had become his own person for a lifetime, and he was delighted.

“You’ve made the right decision, Miss Edith.”

“…”

If he was going to say she had made the right decision, he could have at least provided her with a coat. Instead, Merlin gestured as if to tell her to leave immediately.

‘He’s like a heartless child.’

No matter how much she knew she had deceived Walter, it was cruel to cast out a pregnant woman into the cold without even a coat.

Edith placed her feet, clad in indoor slippers, on the icy ground. Even though the snow had yet to accumulate, the warmth in her body dissipated in an instant.

“Please keep it a secret from Walter. I’m asking once more.”

After feigning an earnest appeal to Merlin once again, Edith walked through the falling snow, leaving behind a trail of footprints.

Under normal circumstances, there would have been guards scattered throughout the building, but today, due to the armed conflict and the completion of Helen’s succession mission, the guards at the gate were lax.

‘Merlin must have known the situation.’

She clenched her trembling heart and walked away.

Merlin stood by the door for a long time, monitoring whether Edith would turn back in his direction.

But it seemed she had truly made up her mind to leave, as she quickly disappeared beyond the horizon.

As snow slowly began to accumulate on her footprints, it was clear that after a few hours, no one would even be able to guess which door she had exited from and in which direction she had gone.

“You’ve done well. Go now before the snow piles up further.”

Merlin handed a handful of gold coins to the hired doctor and instructed him to be thorough in his checks.

After she had disappeared, he inspected the floor, wondering if any strands of Edith’s hair had fallen.

‘If there’s a suitable job and a woman by his side, Walter will soon settle down in Portrian. After all, he won’t remember, so why bother going to the capital?’

Merlin had never seen anyone with abilities as outstanding as Walter’s. If he could place him under his wing, it would essentially mean that his family’s business had succeeded.

‘Her youngest sibling’s daughter seemed to be about the same age as Walter.’

Thinking that he should quickly send a message to his unmarried niece, Merlin left the room with a gate.

About half a day later, people would realize that Edith had disappeared, so when Walter was about to go out looking for her, it was not for her sake, but for his own.

If he continued to appear and disappear like this, as if to say he would keep her locked by his side, his heart would ache when he looked into her deep lake-like eyes. But as soon as she stepped away from his side, it felt as if she was pulling the lifeline. How far should she pull it until that man dies? How far should she go before the heart connected to this end stops? Walter couldn’t bear this emptiness any longer. He had to bring Edith back to his side.

So this time, he was looking for her with the intention of keeping her by his side once and for all, and asking her why she kept trying to leave.

However, when Edith, who had gone out alone, was not in the room, and there were no traces of anyone entering or leaving the building at the entrance, which was covered only in clean snow, Merlin’s plan was derailed.

‘He must know the situation well.’

He stammered like a herbivore caught by a predator when he looked at him.

“Why, why are you doing this?”
Walter could no longer bear this emptiness. He had to bring Edith by his side.

So, this time, he was determined to confine her in his embrace and find out why she kept leaving, what she was so worried about.

However, when Edith, who had gone out alone, returned to the room, she was nowhere to be found. There were no traces of anyone entering or leaving the building, only clean snow piling up at the entrance.

So, when Walter saw Merlin, someone whose name he could barely remember, he urgently asked.

His gaze held a different intensity than when directed towards Edith, causing Merlin to stammer like a herbivore caught by a predator.

“Why, why are you doing this?”

It was clearly the reaction of someone who sensed something amiss. Realizing this, Walter pressed on with a face devoid of warmth, causing Merlin to open his mouth earlier than expected.

“I simply had suspicions, so I asked Edith. It was itching for no reason that she left.”

“She left? What did you ask that made her leave?”

In an even lower tone, he snapped, his aggression intensifying in an instant, making Merlin tense up and speak in a strained voice.

“I asked her if she was pregnant.”

“What?”

Walter’s mind seemed to momentarily freeze. Pregnant? Edith?

“She was acting strange, right? She hasn’t been eating strong-smelling food for days, and she hasn’t even touched alcohol.”

“…….”

Walter wasn’t quite sure how a woman would react when pregnant.