The carriage with the Baitness crest passed through the first drawbridge of Rotermond. The serfs raised their hands and cheered enthusiastically at the return of their lord, and the Baitness carriage passed through such a welcome and crossed the second drawbridge.

Susanna was tense at the sound of distant hoofbeats and couldn’t sit still for a moment. She turned to Donnelly several times, expressing her impatience about when they would arrive. As the carriage approached close enough to be visible on the rise, she tightened the corners of her mouth and straightened her neck.

When the first carriage stopped in front of Susanna and the servants, the carriages lined up behind it also stopped one by one. As the servant opened the carriage door, Edwin was the first to appear, stretching his long legs to touch the ground.

Susanna couldn’t hide her joy at seeing her son after a long time.

“Eddy.”

Susanna strode up to Edwin and welcomed him with open arms.

“Have you been well, Eddy? Nothing unusual happened?”

“Fortunately, everything’s the same as always.”

After Susanna gave Edwin a piercing look, she also cast a sharp glance at the two women who were about to get out of the carriage one after another. Charlotte got out first, but she wasn’t Susanna’s main concern.

A beautiful woman with shining blonde hair in the sunlight got out of the carriage with the help of a servant. At last, Susanna confirmed the subject of the rumors following her son and couldn’t hide her shock.

Susanna inadvertently let out a low sigh at the beauty that could charm even another woman. She glared at Edwin once more, but like most men, he only had eyes for beautiful women, and he was already completely captivated by the angelic beauty before him.

Vivian, with her eyes wide open, couldn’t help but marvel at the view of Rotermond Castle. Her eyes, moving in a circle, met Susanna’s.

Startled, Vivian recognized the baroness and straightened her posture.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Baroness. I’m Vivian Eveline.”

Even her voice was as soft and gentle as a nightingale’s song, and tickling. Susanna felt even more troubled, but she didn’t show it and smiled warmly, pulling up the corners of her mouth.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Miss Eveline. You must be tired from the long journey. You should rest and recover from your travel fatigue soon.”

Vivian’s preconceptions about being a complete stranger here were shattered. As she was greeted with a bright face, she felt more at ease and a soft smile appeared.

After Susanna turned away first, Vivian inadvertently glanced at Edwin. When their eyes met, the smile on her face disappeared. Her face flushed, realizing that her silly grin must have made her look foolish.

To divert her attention, she looked for Charlotte, but Charlotte, who had clearly been by her side, was now awkwardly hiding behind Vivian.

Recalling that the baroness hadn’t greeted Charlotte, Vivian vaguely remembered the relationship between the two. She knew it wasn’t a friendly relationship, but she hadn’t expected it to be so strained that they would skip greetings altogether.

“Are you alright?”

Vivian held Charlotte’s hand tightly and asked. The small hand fidgeted in her grasp and blushed.

“…Yes.”

Vivian smiled brightly and straightened her head, and there he was still. He passed by Charlotte, who was timidly clinging to Vivian, and came to Vivian. Then he turned away coldly. Vivian was about to speak while looking at Edwin’s back but closed her lips again.

Vivian followed Edwin while holding Charlotte’s hand tightly. She couldn’t help but worry about Charlotte’s reluctant footsteps as she was being dragged along.

***

Unlike the exterior that made one feel the age of Rotermond Castle, the interior decoration was designed to be cleaner and more sophisticated, far from the castle’s age.

In the room she was guided to, there were a few plaster statues and oil paintings decorating the walls, which were further evidence of the baroness’s high taste.

At the subsequent banquet she was invited to, she couldn’t help but marvel at the atmosphere of the dining room. The centerpiece of the elegant and sophisticated yet humble table was decorated with flowers of subdued and calm colors rather than intense color combinations.

Everything was to Vivian’s taste, so her heart was pounding for some unknown reason. Although she had just met the baroness today, it felt as if they had known each other for a long time, and the walls in her heart were crumbling.

“So, how have you been lately? I heard you don’t leave Rodinia unless there’s something special.”

Susanna led the monotonous atmosphere of the table.

Edwin gave the impression of being a little different from usual. Sometimes he would make her faint with his rough and angular words and unexpected rogue-like actions. But for some reason, he seemed refined now.

On the other hand, it also felt familiar, and when she thought about it, it was similar to how he was when she first met him. Back then, she had overestimated him without knowing any better. It was praise she wouldn’t have given if she had known the reality.

“Since the company’s not busy, I don’t have many reasons to leave Rodinia.”

“Shouldn’t you put some effort into social affairs too? A person can’t just do company work all the time. You should show your face here and there.”

“I’m trying.”

His tone, without ups and downs, was dry yet affectionate, warm yet showing no lingering attachment. To the baroness’s eyes, such an Edwin seemed familiar.

Susanna stared at Edwin, who was eating with a sour dimple.

Until she received Humphrey’s letter, it was just a shapeless worry, but now that she saw the reality with her own eyes, the picture of what to keep in mind became clear.

A long time ago, even in New Way, there was a time when they were as devoted to etiquette that valued procedures and order as much as Preston. However, as many nobles died on the battlefield and cities were devastated due to frequent exposure to wars, etiquette that maintained dignity gradually began to be perceived as an old-fashioned custom.

However, as time passed and the traces of war disappeared, and a world without such threats arrived, the nobles once again reminded themselves of their social position through the old-fashioned etiquette.

But the problem was that this so-called etiquette had already faded and disappeared, far from tradition.

So, the nobles of New Way all envied Preston’s etiquette. Sending children to study abroad in Preston to learn etiquette had already become a common social phenomenon.

It was because of this that Edwin, an adopted child of unclear origin, could easily settle in New Way.

No one would ignore Edwin, who had mastered Preston’s flawless etiquette.

But here, Susanna, who faced another human etiquette book no different from an old etiquette book, felt both anxiety and freshness.

Looking at Edwin and Vivian eating, they seemed like such a well-matched pair that a cool air settled on the nape of her neck.

“By the way, I heard Windler is getting married? Are the wedding preparations going well?”

Susanna’s arrow suddenly aimed at Charlotte. As if it was such a surprising thing, she put down her cutlery as if dropping it and shook her round eyes unsightly.

“Yes…”

“That’s fortunate. I thought she would completely ruin Eddy’s household.”

“Mother.”

Edwin intervened between Susanna and Charlotte’s first conversation.

“For Charlotte to ruin my household, she would have to fill Rotermond Castle with diamonds. That won’t happen, so don’t worry about that.”

“Who knows? She might ask you to buy enough diamonds to fill this castle.”

Edwin stopped cutting his steak and looked directly at Susanna. Despite receiving her son’s sharp gaze, Susanna never lost her gentle and graceful smile.

Vivian, mixed in between, was extremely tense, feeling as if she was holding a time bomb, observing the atmosphere at the table.

“I wonder if Miss Eveline liked the room I prepared.”

This time the arrow was aimed at Vivian, but she gracefully curved her lips without showing any signs of tension.

“I like it so much that I would like to stay a little longer if given the chance, Madam. If it’s alright with you, I would like to learn directly from you about your eye for selecting artworks.”

“The artworks in Miss Eveline’s room are my husband’s taste.”

“I would also like to learn about the arrangement of the works, if possible.”

Susanna pursed her lips into a circle. Her flawless appearance was not much different from Edwin’s. Feeling a bit stifled, Susanna gently touched her chest.

“Miss Eveline’s parents must be happy to have such a daughter. Affectionate, pretty, and smart. It seems like you grew up receiving lots of love from your parents.”

“Thank you…”

At this moment, Susanna caught Vivian looking at Edwin’s reaction. Not missing the timing, Susanna changed the topic.

“Strangely, I feel like Miss Eveline and I will get along well. We’ll have to talk more, but there’s this feeling, you know. What do you think, Eddy? Do you think so too? Haha. What would men know? Right, Miss Eveline?”

“Well, yes…”

“I hope we can spend a lot of time together while you’re in Rotermond. I want to get close to Miss Eveline that much.”

Susanna’s introduction was getting lengthy. Vivian instinctively felt that after a long introduction, there would be an awkward request or suggestion. However, she couldn’t pinpoint exactly where Susanna was aiming.

Whether it was Vivian’s intention or Edwin’s.

The only thing she could tell was that the existence of Vivian Eveline was judged as an unnecessary existence for Edwin and was recognized as something that should disappear.

“Or how about Miss Eveline staying in Rotermond for a while after the royal event?”

It was then that Edwin, who had shown little interest in their conversation, stopped moving. While it was true that he was surprised by Susanna’s suggestion, Vivian was more curious about Edwin’s reaction.

Vivian’s heart beat faster. The only and legal means to escape from him. The thought that she could escape Rodinia, escape him through his adoptive mother, cultivated complex emotions.

“Wouldn’t it be better to be with a woman who understands, rather than a man who’s clumsy at taking care of a lady?”

“Miss Eveline will not leave Rodinia.”

Edwin’s deepened tone was cold and firm. He spoke with his emotions fully exposed, not even trying to hide his displeasure.

“Eddy, I asked Miss Eveline.”

“Miss Eveline has no choice. So it’s right to ask me.”

He showed no sign of backing down, as if competing with his mother. Vivian looked at Edwin in astonishment.

She thought he only claimed ownership of Vivian Eveline in front of her, but he was claiming ownership of Vivian Eveline regardless of who he was talking to.

***

First, it was on a day a few years after Frederick had died. I woke up early in the morning because I had dreamed of Frederick picking daffodils, which hadn’t happened in a very long time.

Without properly changing clothes or fixing my hair, I searched every corner of the house through the early morning mist, looking for places where daffodils might be blooming.

My son would be there, I thought. This was a signal and an opportunity for my beloved son to ask me to come find him.

Then, remembering the gardener’s story about planting daffodils in the flowerbed outside the main gate, I rushed there immediately.

And truly, my son was there. My child, crying while crushing daffodil petals.

Late at night, Susanna couldn’t sleep, reminiscing about old memories. She turned on the light and stood in front of the closed window, scanning the Rotermond estate through the clear glass.

It was the land that my proud child had cultivated. It was the land embedded with the efforts of my child who had returned alive after overcoming countless near-death experiences.

This land, which my beloved child had dedicated his life to create, was merely a stepping stone. Just a stepping stone to achieve a bigger dream. And she knew better than anyone that living as someone’s son was also just a process.

Nevertheless, she loves him. She will continue to love him and will protect that child even after death.

If that child asks for her back, she will give her back, and if he asks for her neck, she will give her neck.

“Madam, you’re not sleeping?”

Donnelly, who had noticed the light under Susanna’s door, entered the room. Susanna wrapped her arms around herself against the cold air that entered through the open door.

“I’m worried about Eddy, so I can’t sleep. My heart aches so much.”

Humphrey seemed to view Edwin and Eveline quite hopefully. Well, it made sense since he hadn’t seen the two of them together.

“Is it because of Miss Eveline? From what I’ve seen, there doesn’t seem to be any strange atmosphere between them, so I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, Madam.”

“…That’s why I’m worried. Because it’s not love.”

Her voice flowed like a heavy sigh, stretching out weakly.

‘Miss Eveline has no choice. So it’s right to ask me.’

If it were truly love, if it were affection, the relationship would continue despite the fierce opposition of the ghosts. Because love has the power to make one forget any pain.

But was what Edwin showed love?

It was blind, arbitrary, and merely domineering. Taking and snatching as if it were natural was not love. It only led to mutual destruction.

And perhaps Edwin wanted that.

The product of resentment and hatred was mercilessly trampling and destroying the most beloved child.

The dark clouds about to pour rain had to retreat as soon as possible.