Olivia casually brushed the edge of the document and smiled.

She had always received from Edwin.

The first dance, the first vow, places I could return to and a sword. And the people I could trust and love.

I had received so many things, countless if you include the jewels in the dress.

The longer I was in the duke’s castle, the stronger my desire grew to give Edwin a gift.

It seemed like an opportune time to surprise him with a gift, being busy meeting with people for the maintenance of Yenive street and not being able to properly see Edwin’s face.

With the help of the financial minister, I had registered my crystal mine as joint property, and when the maintenance preparations of Yenive street were completed, I wanted to tell him to be surprised.

After that much time had passed, I thought I would be able to say it.

That I, love Edwin very much…

Embarrassed to say it out loud, the corners of my mouth rose gently.

That’s when it happened. I suddenly felt a slight heat around my neck. Olivia inadvertently fiddled with the magical stone hanging on her necklace.

Always keeping my body warm, this magical stone suddenly emitting heat. I looked at the magical stone with a strange feeling, the transparent crystallike magical stone flickered green for a moment.

It was at that instant that Olivia, who had tilted her head toward Bethany to ask about the magical stone, was about to do so.

“Bethany!”

Olivia called out to Bethany, startled.

Bethany’s face had turned pale, the soft blue eyes that always looked at me warmly were now dilated as if they had seen something shocking.

Seeing Bethany so quiet as if her breath had been taken away, Olivia ran to her side.

“Bethany! What’s wrong? Breathe!”

Holding Bethany’s trembling hand, Olivia patted her back. Bethany’s calm and affectionate appearance, now so shaken, was a shock to Olivia too.

“Is there anyone outside?”

With an urgent heart, Olivia called out to the outside. Someone should quickly come and call a doctor.

But unless she pulled the cord used to call the maids, the sound wouldn’t travel through the wellsoundproofed door.

What if Bethany collapses?

Bethany was already irreplaceable to me. My heart sank. Olivia tried to reassure her, speaking.

“Wait, just a moment. Bethany. I’ll call a doctor. Wait a little. I’ll be back really quickly.”

I couldn’t even make sense of what I was saying as I hurried around. My legs felt weak, but Olivia was about to rush outside.

“Miss.”

That’s when Bethany called Olivia with labored breathing. Relief flooded over Olivia, and she was about to embrace Bethany.

“You must tell him now. The young master, he really…… really.”

“……”

“Really, waited. For this day.”

Tears welled in Bethany’s eyes as soon as her strained, disjointed words ended.

The young master. She must have been talking about Edwin.

Bethany’s strange reaction after looking at the crystal mine document was hard to understand.

What could this crystal mine possibly mean to Edwin?

But.

Staring at the heavy emotion in Bethany’s silent tears, Olivia was not so foolish as to delay any longer.

Olivia quickly pulled the cord.

A knock came from outside, and as soon as Olivia permitted, the maid entered, politely greeting and looking up.

Seeing Bethany, the maid momentarily seemed taken aback, and Olivia commanded her shortly and succinctly.

“Tell Edwin to come to my room. Right now.”

(This is a time separator.)

Late at night, having been summoned, Edwin headed towards Olivia’s room.

The servants, who bowed their heads to the duke from afar, were accustomed to the oppressive aura and moved aside to either wall.
Howard, who was following from behind, called Edwin repeatedly, but even that did not reach Edwin’s ears.

His deepset red eyes shone intensely.

“The young lady is urgently looking for Your Grace, the Duke.”

The moment Edwin heard the maid’s words who had knocked on my office door earlier, he couldn’t help but smile.

“At this late hour? My young lady is looking for me?”

“Be careful, Your Grace, the Duke. If you smile like that, you might tear the corners of your mouth.”

It was so much so that even Howard’s emotionless joke didn’t register.

Could it be that the faint jealousy he had shown lately for not seeing his face because of the Yeiniv street worked? Or did Olivia really start to like me?

Either way, it didn’t matter. Just the fact that he was seeing her at this late hour made his heart pleasantly beat faster.

It was then.

“But, I think Lady Bethany was crying.”

Feeling the need to tell him, the fidgety maid’s words made his buoyant mood crash to the ground instantly.

“No, why would Lady Bethany…”

Howard’s question trailed off. The maid answered, but it did not reach Edwin’s ears.

The last time he saw Bethany’s tears was when he was ten years old, the night before his mother was taken to the palace, along with the notice of his father’s death.

The sight of Bethany crying without a sound, biting her lip for his sake, had awakened the utterly powerless tenyearold me.