Donelly, who had been sent, did not return for some time. Susanna, who tightened her shawl, stared blankly at the empty seat behind her. She had sent Donelly to follow Edwin, who had left first, but there was no news for over thirty minutes.

Susanna nervously chewed on her index finger. The grandfather clock chimed grandly, signaling the hour.

Just then, Donelly appeared, but Susanna could not brighten up due to the shadow on his face. Realizing there was a problem, Donelly lowered his body and whispered softly to Susanna.

Hearing where Edwin had gone after hurriedly leaving the living room and how long he had spent there, Susanna pressed her forehead and let out a sigh close to a sob.

“Ah. Ah.”

Unable to string words together properly, only short exclamations followed.

“Di-did you hear what kind of conversation the two had?”

“Eveline young lady’s maid was guarding the door, so I couldn’t get close.”

“Gu-gu-guarding the door? Ha.”

Susanna, dumbfounded, clutched her chest.

What Edwin showed was clearly not love. At least, if it had seemed that way to her eyes, it wouldn’t have felt like love to Vivian either. But to suddenly get up from his seat at this hour and rush to Vivian, and then Vivian’s maid guards the door?

Did I see it wrong?

If it’s really love, why drag out time when there’s the alternative of marriage? If it’s not love, why have a clandestine meeting at a late hour, avoiding people’s eyes?

If they wanted to hide their relationship and conceal their feelings, they couldn’t have done such a bold thing in Rotermond where there were many watching eyes.

Then what exactly are these two?

Various questions engulfed Susanna. Unable to find answers to any of the questions, Susanna got up from her seat and opened the window. As the cool breeze brushed against Susanna, she felt the intangible wind with her eyes closed.

“Madam, you’ll catch a cold like that.”

“If that’s fate, there’s nothing I can do.”

He did have looks that could make even an enemy’s eyes roll.

It’s impressive that he hasn’t married until now with that beauty. Having rejected the seduction of countless men and come this far, perhaps such a future was foreseen from the beginning.

“Donelly, what should I really do? What advice can I give to Edwin? Or should I admonish him? I’m not sure. How our Eddie, who can’t like Eveline, thinks of Eveline.”

Long ago, a civil war broke out in Preston. The fall of a great family that had ruled a country caused public controversy even in Newway, but as years passed, it disappeared cleanly from people’s minds.

It was truly a coincidence. A relative visiting from Preston showed a wanted poster for Sayer Raven, the youngest son of Ravengard.

‘If you catch and turn in this child, the reward is as much as 30,000 mori, sister. There are rumors that he escaped to Newway, and others say he’s hiding somewhere in Preston.’

‘You can see how much the king of Preston fears Ravengard by looking at this wanted poster.’

‘Most people in Preston believe that the youngest son of Ravengard is already dead.’

Looking at Sayer Raven’s face drawn on the flyer, Susanna was certain. That my son, who was pointed at as a lowly orphan at Orlen Port, my proud son who surprisingly quickly absorbed the etiquette books of nobility, was Sayer Raven.

‘By the way, I don’t see your nephew? The nephew you adopted, I mean.’

Hurriedly sending a servant to hide Edwin in another relative’s house, she threw the wanted poster into the fireplace as if by mistake, earning resentment, but apologized calmly with a smile.

Eveline, who had led the effort to root out Preston’s Ravengard by crowning Mayer as king, had disappeared from the world because of it. The fact that a family with a long history could crumble so easily instilled fear in the nobles of the entire country.

That was Eveline.

That Eveline who had uprooted and devoured a great family.

She pondered what advice she could give to Edwin, who had willingly stepped into the flames of hell.

Would he stop if she said not to be deceived by that poison, even if it had beauty enough to make one forget everything, that it shouldn’t be swallowed, if she gave hundreds of examples of what end that choice would bring?

If it’s love, if he loves enough to overcome all obstacles, well, this too must be fate.

“I’d rather it be love. Then at least he could bury the unforgettable past and move towards happiness.”

Hot tears welled up in Susanna’s eyes. What Susanna wished for was just one thing.

The happiness of her beloved son. Breaking free from the shackles of painful memories was Susanna’s earnest wish.

***

Unable to sleep, Vivian tossed and turned countless times. The events from just a few hours ago refused to leave her mind, coiling tightly.

The scent that wafted from Edwin as he lay in her arms like a child, the hair that brushed against her chin. The weight that pressed down on her body, her still-stinging palm, and the touch and expression as he wiped away her tears.

She couldn’t escape from any of it.

‘And Vivian.’

He stopped and turned back before leaving the room. As she rubbed her struck jaw, it stung unnecessarily, making her hold her breath.

‘When you hit, hit hard enough to hope it hurts. What you did was just touching.’

Leaving behind that bloody advice, he grinned and exited.

Trying to forget the sensation of that moment, she closed her eyes, but in the darkness, only Edwin’s face became clear. Even with her eyes open, the situation didn’t change much. All the sensations that had brushed against her body became vivid on her skin.

Finally sitting up, Vivian lit a candle. Fortunately, as the surroundings brightened, the memory of Edwin’s image in her mind became blurry.

Yet, the pounding of her heart did not subside at all. The product of the fear he had left behind had etched itself deep inside her body, right in her heart.

“Bad person.”

He was a man who unhesitatingly threatened to kill, yet uttered the terrifying words of asking a woman to become a duchess.

Because such jokes were light, he could easily say he desired a woman he didn’t love and threaten that he would take her whenever he wanted.

What Edwin had left behind was pitch-black trouble.

She could well understand why he hadn’t married, or rather, couldn’t marry until now. He must be a notorious playboy who didn’t care who the woman was, as long as she was a woman, and surely the awakened ladies of Newway had recognized this and avoided him.

So she had no intention of asking anyone else why he hadn’t married until now.

As she followed the trail of criticism, her memories of him gradually faded. Even her wildly thumping heart found its place to some extent.

As drowsiness finally overtook her, Vivian blew out the candle and slipped back under the covers.

But fate’s tricks didn’t stop there.

When she closed her eyes to sleep, Edwin’s face became clear again. Vivian’s eyes snapped open.

It just wouldn’t disappear. That man, that heartless and bad man, wouldn’t erase from her mind.

***

Unlike Rodinia Mansion, Rotermond Castle did not have a splendid garden. Instead, the hills touching the blue sky and the lush, well-landscaped, clean forest paths were Rotermond Castle’s great pride.

Especially the forest path, with its abundant sunlight, fountains, friendly strange forest birds, and cute rabbits and deer. The fairy tale-like landscaping of the forest path and the parade of animals that seemed trained drew endless praise from the guests of Rotermond Castle.

Today’s luncheon was filled with Susanna’s boasts about Rotermond Castle. Since it would be familiar to Edwin and Charlotte, the praise of the forest was aimed at Vivian more than anyone else.

Vivian responded with considerable interest. As someone who loved nature no less, curiosity about Rotermond’s forest path welled up. Normally, she would have been excited and joined in the baroness’s boasting, but she hesitated to speak a word due to her focus on Edwin.

What if someone saw yesterday’s events?

Sophie had insisted that no one had seen, but this was Rotermond. Not Rodinia.

“So, I was thinking, since we’re on the subject, how about having a secret party just for us ladies? What do you think, Miss Eveline?”

Susanna’s question was directed precisely at Vivian. For a moment, her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. Barely composing herself, Vivian glanced at Edwin and smiled softly.

“That sounds lovely, my lady.”

“We’ll have a simple tea time and then tour the gallery together. You were interested in that, weren’t you? Oh, Windler, are you alright with this?”

It was an unfamiliarly kind tone for Charlotte. Unable to hide her uncomfortable and awkward feelings, Charlotte glanced at Susanna. When Vivian smiled comfortably, a fleeting sense of relief passed, but she was not at all confident about spending time with Susanna.

“Ah… Actually, I’m not feeling very well…”

“Oh my, is that so? That’s too bad. Well, it can’t be helped then.”

Susanna seemed to be sympathetic, but there was no sincerity buried in it. But Charlotte was just relieved that the attention directed at her quickly disappeared.

“It seems I’ve unintentionally asked Eveline out on a date. What do you say? Will you accept?”

“Ah, yes. Of course.”

Although she was disappointed that Charlotte couldn’t join, after confirming that Charlotte was at ease, she answered cheerfully.

Satisfied with the situation that had been created, Susanna smiled contentedly and observed Edwin.

He calmly chewed and swallowed a piece of steak, then raised his eyes to look at Vivian. Finally, after pretending not to notice the burning gaze, she quickly stole a glance at Edwin when it disappeared.

It was difficult to define the relationship between the two just by observation. So a conversation was needed. A conversation with Vivian would be quicker to get answers than with her son, whose inner thoughts she didn’t know.

***

The castle without Susanna and Vivian felt as quiet as a mouse. The castle filled only with silence seemed, perhaps, like the silence within her own heart.

But the sandwich eaten last night made even such silence feel cozy. When the maid placed a hat on Charlotte’s head, Charlotte instructed her to change it to a blue hat with feathers.

Satisfied with her appearance completed by Vivian’s gift in the mirror, Charlotte left the room and freely roamed the castle without Susanna.

This place, which she was seeing again after a long time, had changed slightly, and Charlotte spent her time enjoying spotting the differences from her memories as if playing a spot-the-difference game.

Until she accidentally encountered Edwin, she was completely absorbed in this trivial but interesting game.

When she ran into Edwin in the corridor, her face brightened. Charlotte approached him with a bright smile.

“Where are you going?”

“To the library. You?”

“I was just wandering around. If it’s alright, can I join you in the library? I’d like to read a book I used to enjoy again.”

“By all means.”

Charlotte, grinning from ear to ear, was about to stand beside Edwin when it happened.

“Charlotte.”

Surprised by the unexpected call, Charlotte looked up at him with wide eyes. Edwin, who had called out but said nothing, had his eyes fixed on Charlotte’s head. As she tentatively raised her hand to touch her head, the feather decoration on the hat swayed.

“…Your Grace?”

When Charlotte broke his concentration, Edwin’s eyes fell on her.

“What is it?”

“That.”

He lightly gestured to the top of Charlotte’s head.

“Sell it to me.”

She had heard the same thing before. Even recently in the carriage, he had coveted this hat despite Vivian being present. At that time, she thought it strange that he was making a joke he never usually made, but it seemed that wasn’t a joke after all.

“…This is a gift I received.”

“I know.”

“And you want me to sell it to you, Your Grace?”

“I’ll let you name your price.”

“…What would you use it for? It doesn’t seem like something you need…”

“For decoration.”

“Decoration?”

The brazen answer pushed Charlotte into a deeper quandary. She tilted her head, took off the hat, and examined its appearance.

It was a hat with a design that was modest yet hinted at splendor, befitting Vivian. The simple feather decoration caught the eye, making it look more luxurious, and the fabric was also reasonably good. Charlotte had quite liked the hat, apart from it being a gift.

“But Your Grace, this is…”

“If money doesn’t tempt you, tell me what you want.”

She couldn’t carelessly dispose of Vivian’s gift. Although it was a request from the man who still occupied a corner of her heart, it was an issue directly related to her loyalty to Vivian.

“I want the hat you have, so you tell me something you want from what I have. Or something I can do for you.”

But Edwin knew well how to shake Charlotte’s heart. Charlotte, whose words were blocked and lips sealed, was proof of that.

“How about it? Does this make you feel like exchanging?”

The hand of irresistible temptation hovered around. Looking down at the hat once more, Vivian’s face vividly came to mind.

Vivian at that time, who had held out the gift box even while dealing with her coldness.

And in front of her stood Edwin with an exciting smile. A man she still loved but couldn’t reach.