Heila suggested a walk to Erina, who was sitting blankly in her room.

Erina, thinking that some fresh air might ease her troubled mind, followed Heila’s guidance to the garden.

After asking Heila and Silphiane, who had accompanied her, for understanding, she expressed her desire to be alone, which the two readily accepted.

The two waited at the garden entrance while Erina headed towards the innermost part of the garden.

The garden of the Kerenik mansion wasn’t as lavish as those of other nobles, but it was pleasantly adorned with lush trees and plants.

The fresh scent of grass carried by the gentle breeze seemed to calm her troubled mind.

The day had felt excessively long.

Returning after casting off Iolus, which had felt like shackles, what she learned had complicated her thoughts.

Erina hugged her arms and gazed endlessly at the moon, which shone as if illuminating all the darkness in the world.

As she looked at the brilliantly hanging moon, she was reminded of Revil, whom she had met upon returning to the mansion.

Revil, whom she had hurriedly sought after sending Mirea away, appeared comfortable, contrary to her worries.

At a table in the center of the garden, Revil was laughing while eating cookies with the head maid of the Kerenik mansion.

Revil’s face seemed full of life, despite having left the Iolus mansion just a day ago.

According to the head maid, unlike his initial cautious demeanor, he had accepted care without resistance and eagerly finished the food given to him.

The child who used to flinch at the slightest glance now smiled brightly at the smallest kindness.

The child was blossoming like a flower.

When Erina collapsed as if her tension had suddenly released, Revil rushed to her side.

Coming closer, Revil fretted, trying to support Erina.

Erina was overcome with emotion at the kind and innocent eyes of the child worrying about her.

Revil was truly a strong child.

Unlike herself, who still inflicted self-harm due to stunted emotional growth, he was different.

Erina still found it difficult to smile, remembering how she had grown up blaming herself and wallowing in self-pity due to the emotional abuse from her uncle’s family.

But Revil, who had even more painful memories than her, was smiling.

The child who had endured inexplicable malice alone at such a young age had shaken off his nightmarish memories.

Unlike herself, who was still struggling, entangled in the past.

Erina, without realizing it, hugged Revil’s small body as he smiled brightly, and swallowed her tears.

‘I’m sorry, Revil. Thank you.’

At the words she whispered quietly, fearing she might burst into tears if she held onto Revil, the child gently patted her back.

She felt sorry for judging this strong child based solely on her own emotions, with just a shallow feeling of sympathy.

She was grateful for being reminded that only oneself can shake off the painful memories of childhood.

She had intended to save Revil, but in the end, it was Erina herself who had been saved.

A sigh escaped her at the bittersweet yet satisfying feeling.

Erina rubbed her arms as the cool night air felt even colder.

Then she sensed a presence behind her.

Just as she was about to turn her head towards the presence, a jacket was draped over Erina’s thin dress.

“The night is cold.”

Sandes, who had approached unnoticed, stood facing her and closed the jacket around her.

Erina found herself face to face with him, who was looking down at her, with his back to the moon that had been brightly illuminating her view.

Seeing him in casual attire, rather than his usual formal uniform, felt somewhat different.

The slightly open white shirt, not neatly arranged, the wrists visible between the uncuffed sleeves.

Erina was flustered, somehow noticing things that hadn’t caught her attention before.

Sandes slightly lowered his head to look at the bewildered Erina.

His soft light brown hair flowed down gently.

It was a fine color, like sand scattering in the wind of a warm desert.

The beautiful, fine color, tinged by moonlight, caught Erina’s wandering gaze.

Seeing his fluttering hair naturally reminded her of Revil.

Although light brown was a common color, the shades of Sandes and Revil were strikingly similar.

As if they were family.

Erina quickly erased the passing thought from her mind, dismissing it as absurd.

Seeing focus return to Erina’s golden eyes that had been lost in thought, Sandes smiled, his eyes curving.

Erina unconsciously furrowed her brows slightly, feeling strangely unfamiliar with herself reflected so clearly in his gently curved eyes.

Seeing her expression, Sandes made an indecipherable face and took a step back, widening the close distance between them.

Erina felt as if a cold wind had passed through at the suddenly increased distance.

Before Erina could open her mouth, startled by this chilling sensation, Sandes spoke.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

Despite his polite attitude, it strangely didn’t sit well with her.

Her heart sank at the sudden sense of distance that was impossible to ignore.

Erina pressed her lips together, trying hard to ignore the feeling.

“I thought you would be happy, having achieved what you wanted.”

Sandes was still smiling at her, but Erina strangely felt the air filling the space between them had grown cold.

Erina huddled, pulling the jacket closer.

The jacket carried a cool yet soft scent that she had faintly noticed whenever she passed by him.

“Lady Medelia.”

It was contradictory that while she had been the one keeping her distance, she disliked the growing sense of separation.

She wanted to be closer to him.

Before she could sort out her complex thoughts, a choked voice escaped her lips.

“Erina… you said…”

Just for today, she wanted to be called by her name, not as Lady Medelia.

“You agreed to call me that.”

Perhaps she had wanted to hear it from him all along, from the one who had always been a silent pillar of support behind her, even if for a short time.

“Erina.”

It seemed she had wanted him to call her name so gently, as if melting into it, even before she could make excuses and evade.

Even amidst her complicated and troubled thoughts, she felt her heart flutter and swell.

Erina couldn’t hide her overwhelming emotions at his endless kindness.

The transparent tears that had welled up in Erina’s shining golden eyes rolled down her pale cheeks.

“Erina.”

Sandes slowly closed the distance he had put between them.

As tears continued to fall, Sandes carefully raised his hand to cup one of Erina’s cheeks.

Gently wiping away the tear stains under her eyes, he whispered to Erina in a low voice.

“Why are you crying on a day when you should be overjoyed?”

Erina wanted to answer his warm, concerned words.

She wanted to say it was because she was too happy, but she couldn’t open her mouth.

She couldn’t understand her own feelings, which were both joyful and complex.

She had achieved everything she had wished for.

She had escaped from Iolus, shaken off those who had looked down on her.

And she had rescued Revil from that place.

As he said, it was a day to be more than happy about, but she couldn’t understand why her emotions were overflowing uncontrollably.

The gentle fingertips continually wiping under her eyes broke through the barriers Erina had built and approached her.

Even knowing that he could turn cold if his interest faded, she kept wanting to crumble before him.

Her eyes filled with tears until the man standing before her became blurry.

The hand cupping her face felt so tender that she wanted to cry more, making even the cold night air feel cozy.

It wasn’t the embrace of her aunt that she had longed for as a child, nor was it the hand of Feiron that she had desperately loved and wished to touch.

It wasn’t even the face of her parents that she still longed to meet.

Everything about him that she faced now was so warm that the thorns she had firmly established slowly crumbled.

Seeing Erina’s tightly bitten lips tremble, Sandes quietly smiled.

“It’s alright, just for today.”

At those words, tears began to fall steadily from Erina’s eyes.

Sandes felt sorry for her, unable to even make a sound as she cried.

It seemed difficult for her to express her emotions, as if suppressing them had been her daily routine.

Seeing her like this reminded Sandes of his past self, who had been afraid to show emotions.

He found her unbearably lovable, both similar and different from himself.

Even the way she just endlessly shed tears while looking at him, afraid to lean on anyone.

She was so beautiful that he felt he wanted to possess even the tears flowing down his hand.

It felt as if he was going mad, but as he acknowledged the gradually deepening emotion, he found himself liking everything about her endlessly.

Sandes carefully cradled the back of Erina’s head, gently pulling her into his embrace so she could lean on him.

Erina quietly nestled into his arms, yielding to the gentle pull.

He could feel her body trembling in his embrace, her tears soaking the chest of his shirt.

For the first time, Sandes felt grateful to the foolish Feiron.

Like an idiot, he had let go of this jewel of a woman, allowing Sandes to meet her.

On this night filled with twinkling stars, Sandes’ satisfied smile quietly dispersed on the cool breeze.