Aden, who had sought sleep on the sofa in front of the fireplace, slowly opened his eyes to the noisy sounds.

Ludmila had already gotten up at some point and was moving about busily.

Aden slowly raised his body and moistened his lips with lukewarm water to soothe his dry mouth.

As he did so, he looked at Ludmila with eyes still heavy with sleep.

She was wrapping what looked like a canvas with cloth.

A painting? Had she been painting here too? As his eyes narrowed at this thought, Ludmila glanced over and tucked her fallen hair behind her ear.

“Sorry for waking you. Was I a bit noisy?”

“No. It’s fine.”

At the low voice that came from his sleep-laden throat, Ludmila, who had been organizing the paintings to take to today’s festival venue, glanced at him again before lowering her gaze once more.

“I wanted to prepare a meal, but there weren’t many suitable ingredients. It’s embarrassing, but there’s some slightly burnt stew in that bowl. It might be a bit bitter, but it should be okay if you dip bread in it.”

“Do you need to go out?”

As Aden’s eyes narrowed slightly, Ludmila nodded briefly. It was a painting she should have delivered yesterday evening.

She couldn’t because of the rain, so she had to hurry to take it to the village where the festival would be held.

Angar, having heard the news, said he’d send a carriage himself, so she should be able to arrive on time.

“Why don’t we go together.”

“I don’t mind, but are you going to go like that, Aden? I need to leave right away.”

Ludmila jerked her chin towards the mirror. Aden leaned slightly to see his reflection in the mirror and let out a hollow laugh.

His hair, which had been wet, was a mess because he had fallen asleep without drying it properly.

How often in his life had he shown such a disheveled appearance to others? More bewildered than embarrassed, he let out a sigh with a wry smile on his lips.

“Alright. Then you go ahead. I had some things to do anyway.”

“Things to do?”

As Ludmila furrowed her brow, Aden gave a dry smile as if to say he did indeed have such things.

Ludmila’s gaze moved to Aden as he stood up and set his cup down on the table.

With his back to the window where sunlight was streaming in, dust particles danced around him like snow.

The scene, accompanied by the sound of birds on this golden morning as the sun was just beginning to rise, brought about a strange, dreamy feeling.

“Ade…”

Knock knock knock−!

The sound of knocking came just as Ludmila was about to call Aden’s name.

Her startled eyes quickly turned to the door, then back to Aden.

Aden nodded briefly as if in understanding, then jerked his chin before entering the bathroom. Ludmila, who had been silently watching this decision, tightly closed her lips and approached the door.

“Good morning, Lady Ludmila. I’ve come at Lord Angar’s request to escort you and the painting.”

Angar’s aide greeted with a neat face, stating the purpose of his visit.

Ludmila rolled her eyes slightly, staring intently at the closed bathroom door before letting out a small sigh.

“I’ll get the painting. Let’s go right away.”

She then turned around, picked up the canvas, and boarded the carriage. The door closed, and with the sound of a whip, the carriage began to move.

The noisy sounds and the dust that had risen quickly faded away.

Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Aden emerged shirtless, staring intently at the retreating carriage before turning his head. A calm and tranquil room.

“Where should I put it.”

Aden’s eyes, surveying the room, filled with pleasure.

The festival preparations, which had begun early in the morning, only ended late in the afternoon.

Ludmila had been given considerate offers by Angar and Mrs. Merrybold to return early and rest or enjoy the festival, but she didn’t turn back.

Despite their assurances that it was fine, Ludmila stubbornly remained there, lending a hand.

She didn’t bother to deny that the reason was Aden, who would be waiting at home.

Though she didn’t show it outwardly, it was true that Aden’s visit had left her confused.

There was a moment of joy at seeing Aden, but it was brief.

As memories of the days when she had left this man resurfaced, she thought that being with him might not be good for her.

She had finally found peace. She wanted to live on, maintaining this current tranquility.

However, hearing Aden say that he had seen her even in his dreams made her wonder if her decisions had been too selfish.

In the end, Aden had been left helplessly watching her leave.

Unlike herself, who had steeled herself and prepared for the things to come, Aden had to bear it all in an instant.

Thinking about it that way, she could understand his decisions to come looking for her like this.

Ludmila raised her head and silently gazed at the setting sun. Her relationship with Aden was not much different from that beautiful red light.

It was so beautiful that she wanted to have it, but couldn’t. That’s why it was brilliant and precious.

She never regretted her decision to hurt and abandon such a man in order to protect him.

“…Come to think of it, he probably hasn’t eaten lunch either.”

He was a man with a better appetite than most. It would be too much to handle lunch and dinner with just bread and burnt stew.

Should she go back for now? The festival preparations were over, and there was no reason to stay here any longer.

Ludmila bit her dry lips inwardly, swallowed a long sigh, and turned around.

It was then that she saw Mrs. Merrybold carrying a heavy load. Just that much more. Ludmila muttered to herself as if making a promise, then approached.

“Let me help you, ma’am.”

She reached out towards the load Mrs. Merrybold was carrying, with a sociable smile.

“Oh my, no. It’s alright.”

Contrary to her expectation that she would gladly accept her help, Mrs. Merrybold declined the offer.

Surprised by the unexpected situation, Ludmila made a shocked expression, to which Mrs. Merrybold gave a cool smile.

“You’ve been helping since morning, haven’t you? This is my job, so I’ll do it.”

“But that’s…”

“Besides, your fiancé came and helped with the work, so I can’t ask you to do this too.”

The carefully crafted kind expression cracked at the word ‘fiancé’. Ludmila’s face hardened, and her brows furrowed.

Withdrawing her outstretched arm, Ludmila carefully smiled.

“What did you just say… Fiancé?”

“Yes. He’s been helping with the stage assembly over there since earlier, hasn’t he? Oh my, come to think of it, why didn’t you tell us? If you had a fiancé, you should have said so earlier. Then I wouldn’t have said those things before.”

“That’s…”

Feeling her lips go dry, Ludmila quickly turned her head.

The direction Mrs. Merrybold pointed to was indeed where people were busy assembling the stage.

Fiancé, over there? As a feeling of hope that it wasn’t true rose up, her feet were already walking in that direction.

Ignoring the calls from behind, she approached the stage area and saw the gathered people.

Each of them was carrying and moving heavy panels or beams. And among them was Aden.

The man, a head taller than the other men, stood out even here. His black hair, tinted by the burning sunset, made the colors even more vivid.

Why is that man here…?

Just as a sigh was about to escape Ludmila’s lips, the women who had been preparing for the festival with her gathered around her.

“You’re here? Wow, why didn’t you tell us you had a fiancé?”

“That’s right. I thought you didn’t have one, so I was going to introduce you to a man.”

“I really thought you didn’t have one because you were always just smiling.”

“You rejected all the other men, so I wondered how high your standards were… But if that man is your fiancé, it’s understandable.”

Like marbles rolling on a tray, the conversation started without anyone taking the lead.

Of course, it was a conversation in which Ludmila, the subject, couldn’t even open her mouth once, but in any case, the center of it all was undoubtedly Aden, who was acting as her fiancé.

“…”

As she was listening to the conversation that wasn’t registering in her ears, Aden’s gaze turned towards her.

Swallowing her breath, Ludmila bit her lips as she saw Aden grinning at her, then forced a smile.

And after giving a polite smile to the still chattering ladies, she slowly approached him.

More attention and gazes were poured on her than when she first came here.

It was a small village that could put even the imperial capital to shame when it came to spreading rumors. Now she had become, without a doubt, Aden’s fiancée.

“You’ve come, Ludmila.”

At his affectionate voice that made her realize this fact, Ludmila just nodded with a dry smile.

“The work is almost done. Let’s go back together.”

Together!? Ignoring the ominous voices from behind, Ludmila smiled, hiding her complicated feelings.

Aden’s lips curved into a gentle arc in response to that smile. As she stepped back, Aden and the men resumed their work.

As if they had been waiting, the voices of the women swarmed in again, ringing loudly.

But nothing registered in her ears.

Her daily life, which had been like a calm lake, had turned into a shipwreck caught in a storm in a single moment.

Where was this ship heading?

Ludmila could only silently gaze at Aden with bewildered eyes, unable to find an answer.