Akkia, who had gone somewhere early in the morning, returned and immediately told her to pack her bags.

[Where are you going?] [I’m thinking of returning to Duke Belarus. There are still things I need to resolve.]

She thought he was going straight back to the capital. But it seemed he planned to meet Duke Belarus before that. As the carriage that had been running for a long time entered the Belarus mansion, butler Barton was waiting to greet them.

Barton bowed deeply to the two people getting out of the carriage.

“Welcome, Your Grace. Duke Belarus is waiting inside. Eddie, you guide the Duke.”

“Yes. This way, Your Grace.”

Then the servant standing next to the butler came forward and guided them. The Duke was about to step into the mansion when he turned to Leah.

“You rest in your room. I have things to discuss with the Duke.”

“Okay. I will.”

As soon as the Duke disappeared into the mansion, butler Barton approached Leah.

“It must have been a difficult journey. I’ll show you to your room. Please follow me.”

“Oh? Thank you.”

She had naturally thought Barton would guide the Duke. It was surprising that the butler entrusted the Duke’s guidance to a servant and took charge of guiding her, an apothecary.

‘What could it be?’

As she had felt since last time, Barton was extremely kind to her, a commoner. Leah entered the mansion while looking at the butler with a puzzled gaze.

While walking through the mansion, she suddenly remembered the clothes she had borrowed from the butler. The dress that had been ruined when trapped in the mine.

“Butler. I have something to tell you…”

As she called the butler in a dejected voice, Barton stopped in his tracks.

“Is there a problem?”

Excessive worry was evident on the butler’s face as he looked at her. Seeing the butler’s face, Leah hesitated to say she had ruined the dress.

‘It looked very expensive…’

Before leaving for the mine, Barton had lent her several dresses with good mobility. Though the colors were slightly faded, each fabric and decoration was luxurious.

Leah took out the dress from her bag with a gloomy face. The dress was damaged beyond recognition.

“I’m sorry. The clothes you lent me are ruined. It must have been a precious dress, I don’t know how to apologize. Of course I’ll compensate…”

“Haha, it’s alright. It’s fine.”

“What? Really?”

Leah’s eyes widened as she looked at the butler laughing heartily.

She was about to offer compensation right away. But the butler smiled at Leah with round eyes, looking not the least bit concerned.

“Yes. It’s just an old dress, so don’t worry about it.”

Leah was rather flustered by the butler’s attitude. The dress Leah had borrowed was of a design that a noble lady would wear.

Which meant it must have been a dress worn by a young lady of the Belarus family in the past.

‘Is it really okay?’

It was then that she was muttering to herself. Barton slowly looked over Leah, who was clutching the ruined dress.

Leah blinked at his gaze, which was full of longing.

After staring at her for a long time, Barton added softly.

“More importantly, it suits you very well.”

“Pardon?”

“The dress, I mean.”

Leah looked down at the dress she was wearing at the butler’s words. The plain dark olive dress went quite well with Leah’s red hair.

“Thank you. But the owner of this dress must have had a similar build to me. It fits me perfectly like a tailored dress.”

No matter how much a corset-tightened dress it was, dresses were originally custom-made. Especially for designs that fit snugly at the waist, it would look awkward if not in one’s own size.

‘It fits me so perfectly it might as well be my size.’

She had thought it was strange since she first borrowed clothes from the butler. At her words, the butler’s expression changed strangely as he muttered.

“Yes, it would have to be.”

Although Leah didn’t hear the butler’s murmur.

[This is the timeline separator]

As Akkia entered the office, Duke Belarus, with his red hair neatly swept back, rose from his seat.

Duke Belarus greeted Akkia, who was walking in, with a welcoming face.

“It’s been a while, Duke Haidern.”

Though he smiled with a welcoming face, Duke Belarus’s eyes flickered subtly.

‘Duke Haidern has returned alive and changed.’

Though it was the northern region far from the capital, Duke Belarus had already heard rumors about Akkia.

As if trying to find the answer to those rumors, his shrewd eyes scanned Akkia.

“You look well too, Duke Belarus.”

Dmitri’s eyes widened at the low voice ringing in his ears.

It had been over a decade since Duke Haidern lost his voice. The dignity felt in the unfamiliar voice weighed heavily on Duke Belarus.

“So the rumors of your recovery were true.”

Duke Belarus guided him to a seat with an inscrutable smile.

“Sit down first. Did you resolve the issue at the mine well? To be honest, I replied to His Majesty that you didn’t need to come all the way here.”

As Akkia sat down, a steaming cup of tea was placed before him. Duke Belarus continued speaking with an unconcerned face.

“Cave-ins at salt mines happen occasionally. For an Imperial Duke to come all the way here for such a thing. It would be laughable if other countries heard, wouldn’t it?”

Duke Belarus spoke of the salt mine accident as if it were someone else’s business.

Despite it being in his own territory, and a significant number of casualties occurring at the main business, the mine.

‘This is outrageous. One would think he was the lord of another territory.’

Akkia’s brow twitched as he looked at Duke Belarus. Akkia put down the teacup he had been about to take a sip from.

“There was corruption in Bialitstkal. Surely Duke Belarus wasn’t unaware of this. Why didn’t you take any measures?”

At Akkia’s blatant question, Duke Belarus quietly took a sip of tea.

His deep sea-like dark green eyes flashed sharply as they met Akkia’s.

Though he didn’t show any emotion outwardly, a fierce whirlpool raged in Dmitri’s eyes.

A Duke not even thirty years old was trying to interrogate him.

Duke Belarus slowly looked Akkia over. The golden blonde hair that seemed to fully display the imperial bloodline was reminiscent of past emperors.

And those blood-red eyes that chilled those who saw them.

Especially that fiercely shining gaze that looked exactly like the previous emperor, Philips III.

Duke Belarus, who had been looking at Akkia, curled his lips in derision.

‘I suppose even a tiger cub is still a tiger…’

He had known for a long time that there was corruption in Bialitstkal.

‘Dmitri von Riarutein Belarus.’

He was once a man called the Iron Duke.

Even the previous emperor Philips III could not treat him carelessly – that was Duke Belarus.

People said Duke Belarus had grown old and feeble with age, but that wasn’t true.

He was the head of a family that wielded great power in the empire, both in the past and now. It’s just that now he had laid everything down after losing his only daughter, Ariel.

“There’s a hot spring flowing under the salt mine. Did you know?”

“…A hot spring?”

Dmitri’s eyebrows twitched as if hearing it for the first time. He had been thinking of ending the meeting if it was going to be obvious talk, but.

Learning that hot spring water flowed in the salt mine was news to him. Akkia had brought up a topic different from what he had been thinking.

“Are you certain?”

“Yes. Send an expert to Bialitstkal immediately. The hot spring will be a blessing for Bialitstkal, which is called barren land.”

Bialitstkal was land with high salinity, unsuitable for farming since ancient times.

Most of the residents there lived mainly off income from the salt mine, but ten years ago when sea salt was harvested from the southern sea, the value of mine salt dropped.

As a result, the lives of Bialitstkal’s territory residents became difficult, but it was left alone as there was no proper solution.

‘If Duke Haidern’s words are true…’

Hot spring tourism would certainly be a new hope for Bialitstkal.

But.

“I appreciate the advice, but I have no intention of doing so.”

Contrary to Akkia’s expectations, Duke Belarus spoke in a resigned tone.

“What do you mean…”

Akkia’s brow furrowed at Dmitri’s unexpected response.

“It means exactly what I said. I have no intention of changing Bialitstkal.”

If he were still young and full of vigor. Or if his daughter were still alive, he might have eagerly taken the bait Duke Haidern had thrown.

But what use were hot springs or business now? Duke Belarus only wished to spend his remaining years quietly before departing.

That’s why he didn’t even adopt an heir. But as if unable to understand this Dmitri, Akkia said:

“But Duke. If that happens, the territory residents will…!”

“If that’s all you have to say, please leave now. I’m getting old, you see, and I must take my nap.”

It was before Akkia had finished speaking. Dmitri used a nap as an excuse to dismiss him.

[This is the timeline separator]

Late at night as the moonlight waned, Dmitri sat in front of a table in the garden.

‘You loved this garden so much.’

A rose he had plucked in his hand was shining beautifully in the moonlight. Seeing the blood-red rose naturally brought to mind the daughter he had buried in his heart.

‘Ariel.’

Ariel, who was the apple of his eye, went very well with roses. That’s why the Duke gifted this rose garden for her birthday before her debutante.

The intoxicating scent of roses that filled the mansion in May was still vivid, but.

The empty garden that had lost its owner only left him with an aching longing.

As he cut down the trees that bloomed flowers every year, now only a few remained.

“Ariel…”

What thoughts would you have, watching the day I abandoned Bialitstkal? Dmitri clenched his hand holding the rose as his daughter’s image stirred in his mind.

The sharp thorns dug into his hand, but he couldn’t even feel the pain. For no pain in the world could be as painful as losing his daughter.

Even as red blood dripped down his hand, Dmitri bowed his head deeply.

‘Do you still resent me there?’

Ariel’s last moment was looking at Dmitri with resentful eyes. The Duke let out a rough breath, feeling guilty for driving his beloved daughter to her death.

– Tap tap tap.

The sound of someone’s approaching footsteps rang in his ears. Judging by the small stride, it seemed to be a woman who had just come of age.

“Are you alright?”

A gentle voice soon followed.

“It seems you’ve pricked yourself on the rose thorns and are bleeding.”

‘How dare she enter here without fear.’

It was the moment Dmitri raised his head to scold the woman who had entered the garden without permission. At the end of his gaze was a dark green dress.

Realizing it was a dress his daughter often wore, the Duke hurriedly lifted his head.

“May I take a look at your wound?”

And as soon as he discovered Leah, Dmitri sprang to his feet.

“…You.”

Duke Belarus’s eyes shook, unable to find their bearings. The appearance of an old warrior he had when facing Akkia was long gone.

“Ariel…?”

The unfamiliar name that escaped Dmitri’s trembling lips wrapped around Leah’s ears.