Not long after, Coleman came to inform them that the carriage was ready. However, instead of heading straight to the carriage, Herald went to Lily’s bedroom. Just then, the doctor who had finished the examination spotted him and greeted him with a deep bow.

“Lady Benjamin’s condition is…”

As the doctor, who naturally thought Herald had come to hear about Lily’s condition, was about to report, Herald waved his hand.

“I’ll hear it later.”

Herald, who had nursed her through the night, knew better than anyone that Lily’s condition had improved considerably to the point where there was no need to worry anymore. Of course, he would have to listen to the expert’s opinion, but at the moment, there was a more important matter at hand.

Herald left the slightly puzzled doctor behind and entered the bedroom. When Lily, who was sitting at the end of the bed with a gloomy face looking down at her toes, noticed Herald and tried to stand up, he stopped her.

“Your body isn’t well, so stay seated.”

“I’m fine with this much.”

“Sit down.”

When he repeatedly told her to sit, Lily had no choice but to sit back down.

Emily, who was tidying up the room, glanced at the side profile of the duke who only had eyes for Lily without even giving her a single glance, and quietly left the room.

Herald, who approached Lily, looked at her pale face that was even more shadowed than before and asked with concern.

“Did the doctor say something strange?”

“No. Not really anything…”

“Then why do you look so gloomy?”

Is that so? Lily absent-mindedly touched her face, and when the sticky ointment stuck to her fingertips, she let out a short gasp. She had momentarily forgotten that she had applied ointment to erase the fever blossom scars.

As she tried to quickly wash it off before it got on anything else, Herald took her hand. Then, he wiped off the ointment with a handkerchief he took out of his pocket, and Lily slightly bent her fingertips.

“I can do it myself.”

“I can do it too.”

Herald meticulously wiped off even the ointment that had seeped between her nails, and as he was about to put the handkerchief back in his pocket, Lily hurriedly grabbed his hand.

“Please give me the handkerchief. I’ll wash it and return it to you.”

Herald was about to refuse, saying that he could just have a servant take care of it, but then he fell into thought for a moment before neatly folding the handkerchief and placing it on the side table.

“If the doctor didn’t say anything strange, then why were you looking gloomy?”

“It’s nothing.”

“If it’s nothing, can’t you tell me?”

When Herald looked at her with a very worried expression, Lily had no choice but to open her mouth.

“I should have gone to see my mother yesterday… but I suddenly caught a cold and couldn’t go.”

Lily kept her wavering gaze on his chest area and fidgeted with her hands as she continued.

“I resent myself for getting sick yesterday of all days, and I’m disappointed that I have to wait until next Thursday to see my mother… I was thinking complicated thoughts like what if something happens during that time.”

The red lips that had blurted out her innermost thoughts curled into an embarrassed smile.

“I’m really stupid for being depressed over something like this, right?”

“Not at all.”

As a firm answer came along with a large hand on top of her head, Lily looked up at him with only her eyes. The golden eyes looking down at her were as warm as if they held sunlight.

“It’s only natural to be worried and want to see your precious family.”

The gentle hand stroking her head reminded Lily of childhood memories.

My parents used to comfort me by stroking my head when I was depressed or sad.

Perhaps it was because she had a dream about her father last night for the first time in a long time. As the longing for her family pierced her heart deeper than usual, her eyes grew hot. Lily squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lips hard, holding back the tears that threatened to spill out.

Herald also felt uncomfortable watching her like that.

Should I ask her if she wants to go see Grace Benjamin now and if she wants to come with me?

Then Lily would readily say yes. Just the thought of her shadowed face brightening up and smiling brightly made him want to ask her to accompany him right away, but Herald held back. If he took her with him, the whole plan would be messed up. He absolutely could not go with her.

But he couldn’t just ignore it either, as his conscience pricked him, and the sight of her being depressed kept bothering him, so Herald casually asked.

“Would you like to write a letter to your mother?”

Lily blinked her slightly wet eyes slowly and asked back.

“A letter?”

“Yes. I understand that visits are only allowed once a week, but you can send letters or gifts anytime. So how about writing a letter?”

The green eyes that had been filled with only gloomy emotions sparkled with interest.

“I’d like that. I want to send a letter to my mother.”

A smiling face is better to look at than a crying face after all. Herald smiled back as if in response. Then, he told Emily, who was waiting outside, to prepare for letter writing, and asked Coleman to inform them that the schedule had been pushed back and they would depart in the afternoon.

A short while later, letter paper, envelopes, and a pen were set on the sofa table. Lily, who sat in front of it, looked down at the prepared items, somewhat dazed.

She had intended to write slowly when she had shaken off the remaining gloomy feelings and had a change of mood to some extent, but they had prepared it right away.

As Lily, who was slightly flustered, just blankly stared at the letter paper, Herald spoke.

“I happen to have some business in that direction this afternoon, so I’ll deliver it to the sanatorium on my way there. If possible, I’ll also receive Lady Grace Benjamin’s reply on my way back.”

Ah, so that’s why… Lily, who finally understood, picked up the pen, but that was it. She couldn’t write a single letter.

It wasn’t that she had nothing to say to her mother. On the contrary, there was so much that she wondered if she could fit it all on this small piece of letter paper. However, the reason she couldn’t write anything, not even a simple greeting, was because she didn’t know what to call her mother.

Because she could never use the title ‘Mother’ now.

Lily left the first line that she couldn’t bring herself to write empty and filled in the contents below first. Herald, who had been gazing at her, asked.

“What kind of person was Lady Grace Benjamin?”

At the somewhat abrupt question, the hand that had been busily moving on the letter paper stopped. When Lily looked at him with a puzzled expression, Herald smiled and added.

“Since I also have a connection with her, I’d like to bring a gift when I deliver the letter. So I’d appreciate it if you could tell me what Lady Grace Benjamin likes or dislikes.”

“That’s…”

“The gift is for Lady Grace Benjamin, not you. So the right to refuse is also hers.”

When he said it like that, she couldn’t refuse. Lily smiled awkwardly and thought hard about what her mother liked.

“Um, my mother liked to draw.”

Come to think of it, there was a painting of her mother’s that she had requested before. Lily, who suddenly remembered that fact, asked Herald.

“Is the painting restoration going well?”

“Yes. I entrusted it to the acquaintance I mentioned before, and they said they would contact me as soon as it’s restored.”

“You don’t know how long it will take, right?”

“I’ll find out.”

“I’m just saying this in case, but I’m not rushing you. I’m just curious…”

As Lily quickly added, lest he misunderstand, Herald nodded as if he knew.

“Seeing as you immediately thought of the painting, your mother must have really enjoyed drawing.”

“Yes. She especially liked drawing family pictures. She often drew my father working or me playing. Also places like the bedroom, study, or dining room.”

A faint smile spread across Lily’s lips as she recalled the memories of her childhood, which were as bright and beautiful as a warm spring day.

“When my mother drew the interior of the mansion, my father used it as a treasure map. He told me to look for parts that were different from the picture, or to combine the clues of the treasure’s location hidden in each of the many pictures.”

“A unique and fun treasure hunt.”

“Right? My friends also really enjoyed the treasure hunts my father made. Of course, my mother disliked it, saying that the paintings would get damaged.”

However, her mother did not stop her father from turning her paintings into treasure maps. Rather, when he ran out of paintings to use as maps, she would even draw new ones, secretly enjoying it together.

“And my mother was really good at embroidery too…”

It had been a long time since she had talked to other people about her family, especially the beautiful memories. So Lily, who had been excitedly rambling on about this and that, suddenly realized that she had been talking nonsense and smiled awkwardly, fiddling with the back of her neck.

“I’m sorry. You asked me what would be a good gift for my mother, but I only said strange things.”

“Not at all. I rather enjoyed hearing a story that warmed my heart.”

It was a story that warmed not only his heart but also his head. The reason Herald had asked Lily about Grace Benjamin was not simply to give a gift, but because he wanted to know more about her. That way, he could have a proper conversation with her when he met her.

And he heard an unexpected story. The painting that was used for the treasure hunt. Herald recalled the painting by Grace Benjamin that had miraculously survived even though the mansion was burned black to the point of being unrecognizable from its original form.

What kind of painting is drawn there?

As soon as the question came to mind, Herald stood up from his seat.

“I’ve thought of what gift to give her, so I’ll have to go and prepare it.”

“What are you going to give her?”

“That’s a secret.”

Herald told her to check for herself later, and left the bedroom, saying that he would come to pick up the letter in a little while.