Balter held up the letter paper to prevent Edith from seeing the contents and began reading it carefully.

[Isaac, you naughty bastard. Because of you, I’m drinking, can’t sleep, and sitting here writing letters.]

“…”

It was a bit chilly from the beginning, but if he revealed the content to Edith, it seemed like she might snatch the letter away.

Balter showcased an expressionless acting performance, rivaling that of an extreme actor, and continued reading the letter.

[You said you’d marry me, and now you’re avoiding me. Where can you find someone who won’t even show his nose after saying he’ll get married…]

Whether he was really drunk or not, Edith repeated words expressing her longing and resentment.

Even though it was a letter written during a period when they had not been in contact for several years, there was a list of things she wanted to do together if they were to meet again.

[I’ll do naughty things with you, Isaac. Prepare yourself.]

“…”
Balter silently acknowledged that Edith, in her drunken state, had placed an order. Sometimes he felt it, but she had a subtly mischievous side.

“What’s in it that makes you so satisfied?”

“Madam asked me for something while she was drunk.”

“…”

Edith seemed unaware of what she had written in the letter. Well, it was understandable. She had written dozens of letters to him over a period of more than eight years.

[I really miss you, Isaac. Please contact me. I’d be happy if you suddenly appear in front of me someday.]

The letter concluded with Edith’s earnest wishes. Balter placed the letter back into the box.

Now that Isaac knew his name, jealousy towards him surged within Balter.

Since he couldn’t recall the time when he was called Isaac, the love and longing expressed in the letter didn’t feel entirely his own.

‘If I regain my memory, should I read each letter in this box to Edith, one by one?’

Balter formulated a mischievous plan that would make Edith jump when she heard it, then looked at her. Throughout reading the letter, there was something he wanted to ask her.

“Edith, am I resented?”

Edith couldn’t answer the question immediately and hesitated for a while before finally speaking.

“If you’re not resented, that would be a lie. After promising to send a letter as soon as we arrived in the capital, you suddenly vanished, cutting off all contact.”

“…”

“But now we’re together. The past is the past. So it’s okay.”

Edith responded with a clear smile. It was a concise conclusion, but the process leading up to that answer was by no means light.

The few years when she had to suddenly part with Isaac and the memories associated with the painful breakup were the darkest period in her life. It was especially agonizing not knowing that Isaac had lost his memory and was confined to his own mansion at that time. Moreover, even the most trustworthy person didn’t come to her mother’s funeral.

The only reason she could say it was okay, as if forgetting all those painful experiences, was one.

Edith loved Isaac and Balter.

Isaac, who came to rescue her when she was lost in the forest riding a white pony, was her first love, and Balter, who saved her from Sofia’s dirty scheme that almost led to her sacrifice, was undoubtedly her last love.

However, Edith was afraid to verbalize this clear fact.

“I love Isaac. Make sure to send a letter. Got it?”

After confessing her feelings uncontrollably, the profound pain engraved deep within her body followed. Due to that intense experience, Edith felt the two words “love” like a superstitious spell.
Once again, harboring feelings of love for him seemed like inviting trouble. Just as when he lost his memory and was imprisoned in his mansion, it was a bad omen, something unbearable.

And frustratingly, it turned out to be a fitting superstition.

The news that Lexion, the Duke of Socount, and his fiancée had descended to the territory together dominated the front page of the newspaper for several days.

The news that the two, along with their entourage, would stay in the territory for a whopping six months left the young lords and ladies of the aristocracy disappointed. However, there were also those who rejoiced in this fact.

The Duke and Duchess of Goturk, gathered near the fireplace, were among them as they engaged in conversation.

“It feels refreshing to see the two who were always on edge descending to the territory.”

The Duke spoke, brushing his beard. Both Lexion, the Duke of Socount, and Edith, whose reputation improved rapidly in social circles due to her help with hyperventilation, were thorns in the eyes of the Duke.

“Lexion might be accommodating, but Edith is not fundamentally a woman who stays behind. If she stays away from the capital for too long, she might forget both the political situation and the currents of the social circle.”

With those words, the Duke of Goturk, laughing heartily, sipped his wine.

As Elizabeth, invited to the seat as both Gilbert’s lover and Hwangbi’s maid, thought inwardly with a concealed smile.

‘Edith forgetting the political situation of the capital…’

She recalled the instructions given to her by Edith, who had once again become her spy.