At Dmitry’s penetrating question, Lea hesitated for a moment. The truth was that she was attracted to Edward’s proposal.

But the real reason…

With closed eyes, Lea answered.

“…Actually, I wanted to be with the Duke.”

Lea blurted out what she had hesitated to say several times. She missed Akia too much. She wished she could see him even in her dreams.

“I’m sorry. But I want to be with the Duke. No, I will be right by his side, supporting him.”

Dmitry won’t approve of this choice.

“Of course, you must be worried. Because there have been unfortunate incidents. I know the reasons Grandfather opposes. But I’m still afraid of the future that hasn’t happened yet, and I don’t want to give up on the things I love.”

Lea, who raised her head, met Dmitry’s gaze. A straight determination different from before was evident in her eyes.

That light made Dmitry think of the past, of Ariel.

‘Ariel. In the end, your daughter is making the same choice as you.’

Lost in thought, Dmitry gently opened his eyes. Unexpectedly, what came out of his mouth was something Lea had never expected.

“Yeah. Go to the capital.”

“…Really?”

Lea, who didn’t expect to be allowed so easily, mumbled stupidly.

‘Regret is enough once.’

A bitter smile appeared on Dmitry’s lips, who whispered quietly. He was no longer the Duke who lost his daughter through a foolish choice.

“However, there’s a condition. Going to the capital shouldn’t be Pharmacist Lea.”

“What does that mean?”

“You have to go as Lea, the heir of the Bellerus family.”

The unexpected words of the Duke left Lea’s mouth agape. Not the granddaughter of Duke Yeongsik, not the heir of the Duke’s family. It was beyond her imagination.

But, as if Dmitry had been thinking about it for a long time, he continued his words.

“The name Bellerus will protect you. So, use the power of Bellerus to protect the person you want to protect.”

‘The person I want to protect.’

The image of Akia lingered in her mind.

Unnoticed, summer had ended, and the cool breeze signaled the return of autumn.
The entire capital shining outside the window was beautiful as if buried in the reddish autumn leaves.

However, even in such a beautiful scene, Akia couldn’t feel any excitement. He thought that if he endured for a month, he could go and find Lea.

But, as if mocking such thoughts, a month turned into two, and before he knew it, the seasons had changed like this. Akia was sitting in the document storage room of the imperial palace.

It was to obtain the necessary forms for the hot spring project, such as business registration and permits. In the midst of it, he caught the scent of autumn like a habit and briefly thought of Lea.

‘Now is not the time for this.’

Just as Akia was about to turn his eyes away from the documents and return to the mansion, a voice interrupted.

“By any chance, have you heard the rumors this time? The Bellerus Duke came up to the capital.”

“What? That guy returned?”

The conversation of two other nobles who entered the document storage room penetrated Akia’s ears. He hesitated for a moment at the mention of the Bellerus Duke.

Around the beginning of autumn, rumors began to circulate throughout the capital.

The lion of Bellerus, who had not taken a step out of his territory since his daughter’s death, had returned.

To the extent that the phrase ‘return of the lion’ emerged.

“But I heard an even more astonishing rumor. Well, he came up with a very young woman.”

“Young woman? Is it a concubine? It hasn’t been that long since the Duchess died.”

“Right. You never know. Maybe the lady of the mansion is manipulating things from behind.”

Rikel, who was standing next to Akia, was silently listening to their conversation. Then, with an indifferent expression, he approached the Duke who was flipping through documents and casually mentioned.

“My Lord, it seems that the Bellerus Duke has come to the capital.”

“Yeah.”

“I heard he came with Lea. Should I go and…”

“Forget it.”

Rikel was about to go and prepare a meeting place for Lea, but the Duke stopped him. Leaving only that brief remark, Akia silently gathered the documents and stood up from his seat.

‘Why is he like this? He must have been waiting for her more than anyone.’

Rikel looked at the Duke with a puzzled expression. Akia, after leaving the document storage room, unbuttoned a few buttons of the shirt he was wearing. As it seemed he was going back to the mansion from the imperial palace, Rikel followed him and asked.

“Are you going for a walk again today, my Lord?”

The Duke’s routine included briefly stopping by the palace in the morning to discuss with the emperor about business, just like today, then stopping by the document storage room to gather necessary documents.

After that, instead of returning to the mansion in the capital with Rikel, they would take a walk in the park before coming back.

Initially, Rikel had offered to go together, but Akia preferred to be alone. It seemed that walking alone in the park helped him organize his thoughts.

‘You must have been frustrated with this situation.’

Rikel understood his master’s feelings, so since then, he hadn’t added any more words. He just looked at Akia, who seemed like he would stop by the park again today.

“Yeah. Make sure to finish sorting everything before I come.”

“Uh, before you come, all of it?”

Rikel was amazed as he looked at the stack of documents in his arms. Ignoring the surprised Rikel, Akia stepped outside the imperial palace.