“Lea.”

Is she dreaming, or is she hearing hallucinations from missing him too much?

‘This voice…’

The dearly missed voice echoed quietly in the greenhouse. Lea barely turned her stiffened head and looked in the direction of the breeze.

There, Inyeong, the shadow, came into view. The man she had missed so much.

“…Duke?”

When only the man’s footsteps echoed through the silent greenhouse.

“Lea.”

Once again, a familiar voice lingered in her ears, causing Lea’s body to tremble.

At the moment when her faltering body was about to collapse, Akhia, who had approached without notice, supported Lea.

From the warmth touching her skin to the hot breath tickling her ears, every sense heightened towards him insisted that this was not a dream but reality.

“…Duke?”

“Lea.”

In response to her trembling voice, Akhia replied in a subdued tone. Lea touched the man’s face with trembling hands.

“…Is it really the Duke? Is this not a dream?”

“Yeah. It’s not a dream…”

Tears welled up in her eyes in an instant. Akhia then embraced her.

“…I’m sorry. I should have appeared earlier.”

As if not willing to let her go again, Akhia’s arms embraced Lea tightly. She had missed everything about this man madly.

“I missed you so much.”

“Me too. I wanted to run to you without caring about anything… I wanted to hold you like this.”

Even after crying so much, it seemed there were still plenty of tears left to shed. Judging by the continuous flow of tears.

For a long time, she stayed in his embrace.

The joy of knowing the duke was alive was only momentary. She was angry with Akhia for deceiving her all this time.

“Why didn’t you say anything to me even though you were alive? How much, how much…”

‘I suffered to the point of wanting to die.’

Akhia seemed to anticipate the words she would say, even without hearing them, and lowered his gaze.

“…I couldn’t help it. Hwang Taehu’s people were always around you.”

“Hwang Taehu’s people… So, does that mean there was a spy by my side?”

“Yeah. Very close.”

At the shocking revelation, the tears that had not stopped flowing suddenly ceased. To think there had been a spy constantly by her side.

As countless faces flashed through her mind, the face of one person stood out. The moment that person’s face came to her mind, Lea’s lips stiffened.

“Could it be…?”

At that moment, the image of one person passed through Lea’s mind.

From the time she was accepted into the Velarus Duchy until she became the wife of Duke Heidern. The person who never left her side.

“Emma…?”

In response to her question, Akhia nodded quietly instead of answering.

“And setting fire to the mansion was also Emma’s doing.”

At Akhia’s words, her body swayed once again. Emma, who comforted her warmly after the duke’s death, was also the one who set the mansion on fire.

The warmth of Emma’s hand, which forcibly held the spoon for her when she couldn’t eat anything, was still vivid. A sense of betrayal towards Emma made her body tremble.

“If so, you should have given me more hints!”

“I knew Hwang Taehu would scheme, but I didn’t expect to move this quickly. If it weren’t for Alensia’s servant, I might have really lost my life.”

“Alensia’s servant?”

At the unexpected name, Lea’s eyes widened.

That day, when Edward accidentally bumped into Emma, he found a powder that looked like a sleeping pill while picking up the item she dropped.

And seeing her react noticeably, Edward, who found it strange, immediately reported the fact to Akhia…

‘I didn’t know…’

Recalling the cold way she treated Edward in the past, Lea felt uneasy. If it weren’t for Alensia’s servant, Akhia might not be here now.
Lea remembered the cold way she had treated Edward in the past, making her feel uneasy. Perhaps if Alensia Youngsik hadn’t been there, Akhia might not have been in this position.

She didn’t want to feel this dreadful feeling again. Akhia embraced Lea again as she clenched her fists and lowered her head.

“Don’t worry, Lea. There won’t be anything to trouble you again.”

‘I won’t let go of you again.’

From now on, there was someone else to suffer.

While holding Lea in his arms, Akhia’s gaze, staring into the void, was infinitely cold.

The carriage came to a slow stop. Soon, the carriage door opened, revealing the familiar Belarus Townhouse.

It was the moment Lea and Edward returned to the capital. Edward, who got off first, extended his hand towards Lea.

In the sight of Lea, who descended with his escort, Dmitry came straight into view. He approached Lea without any expression.

“Welcome back, Lea.”

Without saying a word, Dmitry quietly embraced Lea. He comforted her with a gentle touch on her back as if consoling her for the hardships she had endured.

‘Grandfather… I’m sorry.’

Feeling comforted even with that small gesture, Lea choked up. Dmitry, who had been holding Lea for a long time, stepped back and asked Edward.

“Edward, you saved Lea.”

The Belarus Duke shook hands with Edward.