“I want to prevent them from meeting.”

At his words,

Reina blankly stared at Arthur.

Arthur also looked back at Reina for a while.

Her heartbeat was silent, as if holding its breath.

However, anxiety was gradually mixing into that sound.

“……”

Arthur contemplated the excited sound of her heart he had felt from outside the door as he gazed at her.

The careful excitement had disappeared, and only anxious pleading was filling its place.

A face that didn’t know what to do.

But unable to ask to be allowed to meet, or say she wouldn’t meet, she just blankly looked at him.

No words came out of her mouth.

Arthur felt that she was turning pale as her body temperature lowered.

Arthur stared at her blankly, then smiled faintly and lowered his gaze.

“Have you not considered my proposal?”

“……”

Arthur quietly continued speaking.

“I want to prevent them from meeting… I’m quite anxious about it.”

The curtains of the bridal chamber sway in the autumn breeze of midday.

In between, glass-like white sunlight scattered.

In it, Arthur looked at her.

[This is the timeline separator]

Thud.

Taylor Lorenson’s hand closed the herb cabinet.

According to the prescribed recipe, the herbs were boiled, filtered, or burned, moving between glass containers and paper pouches.

In his calm gaze, the young doctor’s hands moved skillfully.

“While working for the Julius family, you won’t only see clean things.”

Yes, I know.

“There’s a medicinal tea that’s served to the young lady daily, prescribe that.”

“Thank them for trusting and entrusting it to you, tell them you’re doing the job well.”

“Talk about grandmother’s health, listen to what they say, and come back.”

To Young Lady Christina?

Not to Reina or the Marchioness?

“You’ll understand when you get there.”

……

“Black stag horn mushroom, fire dragon tree bark, atassil fruit. And water brewed with burned aluchino root.”

“……”

Taylor’s eyes sank as he recalled the formula his father had taught him.

It was the recipe for ‘Dark Red Water’, known as the most successful abortifacient.

As is often the case with such medicines,

It was a drug that inevitably put strain on the body.

It was not a medicine a noble young lady from a family valuing offspring would drink.

“……There will be situations requiring adaptability and judgment.”

“May I test you?”

“……”

The reason why a young lady who reunited with her husband after five years of war suddenly needed to take an abortifacient.

At first, he couldn’t imagine it was the young lady’s infidelity, but……

If it wasn’t being drunk heavily temporarily but diluted and consumed daily,

The effect sought through the Dark Red Water would be contraception, not abortion.

“……”

“While working for the Julius family, you won’t only see clean things.”

“Sometimes there might be things unacceptable to your values.”

“But you’re a doctor, and we’re not the only doctors in the world.”

“If you refuse, eventually someone else will do it.”

“If you don’t help, it could be a greater misfortune for the patients right now.”

“……”

Taylor silently processed the herbs in front of him,

Then began compounding an antidote to weaken the toxicity of the Dark Red Water.

It was a medicine to help maintain the contraceptive effect of ‘Dark Red Water’ while minimizing its toxicity and burden on the body.

“……”

Taylor had already made such medicine several times before.

“……There will be situations requiring adaptability and judgment.”

“You’ll understand when you get there.”

“May I test you?”

While the water infused with herbs was being filtered through paper pouches.

Taylor’s eyes were quietly sunk as he silently leaned on the table.

Like many parents,

His father thought Taylor was more innocent than his peers,

That he was a son who grew up not knowing the dark side of the world, but.

As is the case with most children.

Taylor had seen and heard more than Alvin Lorenson thought.

The maids preferred Taylor over Doctor Lorenson, who was likely to report to the Marchioness, and often made more secretive requests to him

Among them were desperate and urgent requests for ‘Dark Red Water’, several times.

He had received similar kinds of secret requests several times

From young ladies or noble ladies of other families unrelated to Julius, and people of the territory.

Naturally, he had observed the progress several times.

Some outcomes were fortunate, but some were not.

‘Dark Red Water’ was a dangerous medicine.

“May I test you?”

“……”

Drip…… drip.

The black water from the cold-steeped herbs fell drop by drop into a clear glass flask.

Taylor’s memory went back a little further.

“……For certain reasons, the Marquis’s family has decided to bestow special favor.”

“A girl named Reina Astarine.”

“From here on is confidential.”

Taylor’s quietly sunken gaze

Rested on the illustration of ‘Christina’ in the newsletter he had acquired for someone.

[This is the timeline separator]

“……”

Reina was staring at him blankly, unable to say anything.

She seemed confused.

Arthur stared at Reina for a while, then lowered his gaze to his own hand.

“……I’ve put you to the test.”

“……”

And Arthur smiled faintly.

“I’m sorry. Think about it more.”

“……”

Then he tried to get up from his seat.

At that moment, Reina reached out and grabbed him.

“……”

Her pale hand was desperately clutching the edge of his sleeve.

It was a feeble strength that barely grasped the very end of the fabric,

But Arthur stopped, allowing himself to be held.

“……”

Reina didn’t say anything, but Arthur answered as if she had called him.

“Yes.”

“……”

Reina still couldn’t say anything.

“……”

But Arthur was satisfied that she had grabbed him.

Arthur looked at her hand.

For the first time since their reunion on the day of the victory ceremony, a ring was on her finger.

Arthur smiled blandly.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you wear the ring since that day.”

And he slightly raised his own ringed hand and smiled.

“I’ve been wearing mine all along.”

“……”

He spoke as if pretending to be hurt, but he could understand why she found it difficult to easily wear the wedding ring.

But Reina, after hesitating, opened her mouth for the first time.

“I was afraid it might get damaged……”

She barely moved her lips in a fading voice.

“Because it’s a precious thing……”

And with her head lowered, she pointed towards the dressing table.

“I’ve been keeping it…… in the jewelry box.”

I know.

I even knew that you hide a thrice-folded note behind the bed.

So of course I knew the wedding ring was in the jewelry box on the dressing table.

“I know.”

Silence fell again.

“……”

After a moment, Reina moved.

She hesitated, slowly rolling up the sleeve of her dress on her left wrist.

A lace handkerchief was tied around her wrist.

Reina spoke softly with her head bowed.

“……Instead, I’ve been wearing this.”

“……”

Arthur gazed at it intently.

Reina continued speaking while still holding onto just the edge of his sleeve.

“……Because this is what you gave ‘to me’.”

Reina bit her lip and then,

As if thinking she had said something unnecessary, closed her mouth with a regretful expression.

And she gently lowered her sleeve again.

The handkerchief is hidden again in her sleeve.

Arthur quietly looked at her.

After a brief silence, Arthur spoke softly.

“The ring was also given to you.”

“……”

Reina was bowing her head with a stiff face.

Avoiding his gaze.

“……”

She gives no answer about the ring.

Instead, Reina said.

“What you said…… I’m thinking about it.”

Arthur looked at her.

“But…… if you’ll allow it…… tomorrow……”

Gripping her dress tightly to keep from trembling,

She opened her lips again with difficulty.

“I’d like to meet Taylor and decide……”

Temperature. Heartbeat. Trembling.

The aura unconsciously traces all that desperation.

“Is that…… not possible……”

Arthur silently gazed at her as she struggled to squeeze out those words despite her difficulty.

“……”

He finally opened his mouth.

“I said I didn’t want to let you meet.”

“……!”

Before Reina could hold her breath, Arthur’s words continued.

“……But that doesn’t mean I won’t let you meet.”

And Arthur smiled,

Briefly brushing her cheek as if to comfort her that it was alright, then removing his hand.

With light skinship no different from before,

It was a reminder that Arthur’s proposal and favor towards Reina still remained unchanged.

Reina bowed her head, pressing her trembling lips tightly.

“I’m sorry……”

It was probably an apology for spying on him.

But Arthur somehow felt like a man whose confession had been rejected.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Give me the note.”

“……”

Arthur took out the note from his pocket and handed it over without much objection.

He was going to ask him to read it anyway.

But the timing and atmosphere were not good at all.

He hadn’t intended for such a cold atmosphere full of regret and suspicion towards her.

“……”

Tristan seemed to have completely recognized Reina as an enemy.

Knowing that if he tried to defend her, it would only provoke more resentment,

Arthur obediently handed over the note and hoped its contents wouldn’t greatly anger Tristan.

He thought there wouldn’t be much content, but there was a possibility it could contain something to displease the careful and loyal Tristan.

Tristan received the note, and as he was about to unfold it, he sighed briefly and looked at Arthur.

“Why didn’t you tell me? You said you knew.”

Arthur smiled a bit awkwardly.

“……I was going to tell you once things settled down a bit.”

“I told you to be careful.”

“I am being careful.”

Tristan looked at him with disbelieving eyes.

The moment Arthur reached out his hand asking for the note,

Tristan sensed that Arthur was trying to protect her and cooled his head.

Perhaps Arthur had allowed some feelings for her.

Even if that wasn’t the case, Lord Arthur is generous to the weak, so he might have wanted to overlook her out of sympathy.

But whether out of pity or anything else.

If Arthur had soft feelings for her.

Tristan was all the more determined not to overlook her easily.

Tristan looked down at the note bitterly.

And as he was about to unfold it, he looked up at Arthur again, seeming upset.

“Is there anything else you were going to tell me but couldn’t?”

“Not right now.”

“Really nothing? You trust me, right?”

Arthur laughed.

“Yes.”

Tristan sighed again.

And he looked down at the note again with eyes full of anger.