The sudden intoxication that had spread like flames quickly subsided thanks to the chilly air. Edith touched her cheek to feel if the heat had gone, saying,

“Walter, thank you. Always overcoming the crisis because of your skillfulness.”

She sincerely thanked him. But Walter thought he should correct her misunderstanding, which he had disliked from the beginning.

“I don’t think I’ve ever told you that I have a lot of experience.”

“But still…”

Edith momentarily pondered what to say among the expressions coming to her mind.

The reason she thought Walter was a skillful man was because his actions did not repel her and felt natural.

The man who approached her at the clinic offering to pay her tuition made her shudder with his ominous gaze alone.

But when Walter picked her up or stroked her bare skin with his thick knuckles, her lips would dry, and she could only hear her heart pounding loudly. The man before her seemed to know exactly how to deal with her in such situations, making her comfortable yet tense.

‘I wouldn’t have wasted such a handsome face.’

His handsome appearance added plausibility to her delusion, Edith thought.

“I guess I thought you had a lot of experience because your touch didn’t feel bad. If it was a misunderstanding, I’m sorry.”

Edith ended up speaking her thoughts honestly. Walter’s eyes then twinkled cunningly.

“Not feeling bad?”

“Usually, people without experience in that area would be nervous like me.”

Walter recalled Edith getting flustered every time they had to deceive the people of Sophia.

Initially, she was clearly stiff due to anxiety, but as time passed, she seemed to have charmed the watchers in her own way.

Or it was his own misconception, reacting sensitively to her touch.

Whichever the objective truth, Walter was quite pleased with Edith’s words.

“It seems I’m a natural at it, as it didn’t feel bad.”

He said shamelessly. Edith frowned, still unable to fully believe that he was inexperienced.

As if reading her mind, Walter stood up and reached out his hand.

“Shall we go check together if you wish, madam? To see if I was ever interested in that kind of thing.”

(This is a time separator.)

After confirming that time allowed it with Vivian, Edith followed Walter.

Walter headed towards the depths of the garden. Edith followed him, realizing anew that she trusted him.

“We’re almost there.”

Walter, who had occasionally checked if she was following, soon slowed down.

Edith looked at where his gaze landed. His destination seemed to be an old warehouse, and three others were already there.

‘Three at this hour?’

Two people had their faces hidden by robes, but the third seemed to be a servant of the castle.

Meanwhile, Cassius, waiting for Walter in the agreed place, the warehouse, blinked his eyes at an unbelievable sight.

‘Walter is bringing the fourth lady here?’

Cassius was the servant who had observed Walter the closest and the longest.

As his only close friend and mentor, he was sure that Walter was not one to mess up work for trivial emotions.

But Walter had brought a woman to such an important place, and that woman was the fourth wife of Lord Portrion.

‘It’s not worrying since he will surely handle the work, but it’s interesting in other aspects.’

Clearly, Walter already judged that this woman named Edith was trustworthy or would be helpful to his plans.

Whatever the reason, Walter showing interest in the same woman twice was intriguing. Cassius greeted Edith with a peculiar smile.

“Castle gardener Cassius greets Lady Edith.”

“You don’t have to greet me like this.”

Edith accepted the greeting with an awkward laugh, feeling a bit embarrassed. It was clear to anyone that the people here disliked Lord Portrion, and yet this formal greeting.

“And this is…”
When Cassius gestured, the two people with him took off their robes. They were a middleaged man and woman.

The two seemed perplexed that Lady Edith of Portrion had appeared here, but they soon remembered what Cassius had said to them.

“Lord Portrion himself has brought someone who can help us.”

At that time, they had thought he was talking about a servant, but from the calm attitude of the two men, it seemed that he had been talking about the fourth lady.

“I am Lieutenant Max, following Lady Helen.”

Max spoke, naturally passing the turn to Helen. She greeted them with a strong yet gentle smile.

“Nice to meet you, Walter. I finally see your face. I’m Helen Portrion, the deputy commander of the mercenary brigade.”

“Portrion… did you say?”

But the Portrion family was known to have no offspring.

Edith looked at Walter as if to confirm the truth. He raised his eyebrows and spoke quietly enough for only Edith to hear.

“He said he was too busy to think about anything else.”

Walter took Helen into the warehouse. Inside was a carriage that even Edith was familiar with.

Helen took a long rod handed over by her lieutenant and looked around the carriage for the remaining blood of Lord Portrion.