The humid air became quite boring when the intermittent floral scent of the woman disappeared. The carriage, with no one to disturb when stretching one’s legs, felt as empty as the nape of a neck.

‘Sayer… Raven, is that you?’

That name, which finally escaped his lips, touched Edwin’s heart. He thought that ancient name had lost its original form, worn away by wind and water.

But he was wrong.

The name revived at the tip of Eveline’s lips held intact all the horrors from 14 years ago.

Clenching his hand, he recalled the sensation of grasping that frail neck; opening it, he remembered the thrill of returning the stolen breath.

‘Ah, so this is Duke Baitness. I apologize.’

When he finally met those innocent eyes, he felt somewhat deflated and a bit underwhelmed. The moment he faced Vivian Eveline, as skinny as a dry branch, wasn’t as overwhelming as he had expected.

So this is how you’ve grown. Without remembering my face. Having forgotten everything.

Carelessly offering sympathy, making reckless promises, and forgetting them just as recklessly.

The reason for grasping that neck lay right there.

Turning his head towards the window, he found it blocked by red curtains. Deciding to try and understand Vivian’s desire to look outside this uncomfortable space, he opened the curtains.

It was still raining outside.

Clenching and unclenching his hand again, he recalled the moment he had held Eveline’s life in his grasp. At the same time, he pictured Vivian Eveline from 14 years ago in his mind.

‘Have you eaten anything?’

‘What will you do when you get to New Way?’

‘I read in a book. It said that bad things don’t always happen to people. So wherever you go, the world will be on Sayer’s side.’

The young girl prattled on thoughtlessly. When he sneered, her ash-gray eyes trembled in surprise, casting weak shadows beneath her eyelids.

‘Right. For you who’s only had good things happen, only bad things remain to occur.’

‘Is this what you wanted to hear?’

Vivian Eveline, who became sullen at the sharp reply. Vivian Eveline, who acknowledged her mistake and felt sorry.

Come to think of it, even though it was a spring rain that day, it seemed to hold a hint of summer heat. The only thing he could feel of that day’s temperature, when he couldn’t sense cold or heat, was just one thing.

Only the blush that appeared on Vivian’s pure white cheeks.

The grass and trees that would boast fresh colors under the sunlight turned black beneath the ashen sky. The dark clouds covering the world poured down rain as if to devour everything. Vivian’s body swayed precariously under the weight of the heavy raindrops. Her wrist holding the umbrella ached, and the squishy mud made her footsteps heavy.

‘Stop the carriage.’

Despite her resolute steps, Sayer’s voice tripped up Vivian’s ankles.

‘Your family destroyed my family. Your father killed my father, my mother, all my siblings.’

Why only now.

‘Why am I running away? To survive. To survive and kill all the Evelines.’

Why only at this moment.

‘If you don’t kill me here and now, and let me go, you’ll regret it. Because someday, I will definitely kill you.’

The young boy’s voice was trembling, distorted with anger. She only realized this now, 14 years later.

At nine years old, she was too young to fully understand the tragedy of that day. She just felt pity. She was sorry and felt heartbroken. She couldn’t exactly comprehend what it meant to lose parents, to lose family.

The shape of the unpleasant feeling that had followed like a shadow since realizing all the facts. A shadow too large to ignore.

Guilt.

Her father went missing, and her mother who left for Preston never returned. Only after her harmonious family was shattered and scattered did she gauge how Sayer must have felt, how devastating it must have been.

What did she say to such a Sayer again?

The sin in her heart leaked out with her tears. Sayer’s grip on her ankle intensified, making it impossible to move.

‘It’s been a long time, Miss Eveline.’

What thoughts went through his mind when he met Eveline after 14 years? Where did he find the patience to greet her so calmly while burning with the desire for revenge to kill her?

‘But not today.’

‘In moderation. When the time is right.’

What pain tormented him until he could speak of the tragedy from 14 years ago so calmly with a dry voice?

If it were me. If I were in Duke Baitness’s position, I would.

Finally, all strength left her legs and she collapsed to the ground. The umbrella rolled away, and Vivian barely supported herself with both arms.

Tears fell onto the shallow puddle. In the ripples it created, she read the faces of the family members of that man whom her father had put on the execution stand.

The eleven-year-old who had no influence on that incident was now tormented by guilt.

Because she loved her father more than anyone else. Because she couldn’t hate her father despite him ruthlessly destroying someone’s life.

This selfish and hypocritical human.

Now she understood such a Sayer, now she felt guilty and worried about her beloved father’s infamy. She took the people’s reproach to heart.

Vivian cried, clutching her ascot tie. A heavy downpour rained in her heart as well.

An untimely darkness descended as dark clouds covered the sky. Charlotte, who had been reading a book, began to find the darkness somewhat uncomfortable. When servants lit the room’s lamps, she could comfortably focus on the text.

But as soon as it brightened with a flash, her concentration was broken. Immediately after, a thunder-like sound that seemed to shatter the sky rumbled.

I wonder if His Grace is safe on his journey. The rain is getting heavier, making the road treacherous. Charlotte let out a heavy sigh.

When Edwin left for the capital today, she didn’t realize his instruction not to make a fuss meant he would leave without a word. If she had known, she wouldn’t have answered so easily that she would do as he said.

“Miss, shall we prepare dinner early?”

Merian asked Charlotte, who was looking out at the rainy window, thinking of Edwin.

“Yes. Would you do that?”

“Shall I inform Miss Eveline as well?”

Charlotte closed her book with displeasure and set it down on the table. Although she disliked everything about Vivian Eveline, she decided to like those eyes that had seen her and Edwin as a married couple.

For Charlotte, who had only grown deeper in her affection without ever thinking of becoming a couple, it planted a faint possibility and expectation.

To think of becoming a couple with His Grace. To think of me becoming Lady Baitness.

Though it was mere imagination, her heart swelled, but ominously, the thought of Vivian made her uneasy.

“Yes. His Grace ordered that we must dine together, so we should. Please inform Miss Eveline that dinner will be served soon.”

Edwin’s concern for every meal of this freeloader was unusual. Charlotte was curious about Edwin’s hidden reasons for generously allowing her to stay in the first place.

He’s not that kind of person. Not one to keep a stranger within his walls, not one to be captivated by a beautiful woman, not one to care about others.

“Oh, right.”

Merian, who was about to turn away, stopped as if remembering something.

“I forgot. Miss Eveline said she wouldn’t have dinner tonight when she returned. She said she wasn’t feeling well and would sleep quietly today.”

Charlotte faintly furrowed her brow. She sighed quietly and mocked the overly fortunate Eveline. She had been thoroughly scolded for picking at her food during the first meal. She hadn’t done so since, but now that she’s relaxed and there’s no one to scold her, does she think this is her world?

“I see. Did she say what was wrong?”

“She didn’t specify, just said she felt unwell and tired…”

Should I pretend not to notice even if it’s a fake illness?

“But she really did look ill. Her expression was like a corpse.”

“Her expression was like a corpse?”

“The rain was heavy, so she might have gotten soaked on her way back. She probably caught a cold.”

Even though she left in His Grace’s carriage.

“If she’s not feeling well, shouldn’t she eat more? Wouldn’t that help her recover faster?”

“Pardon? Where are you going?”

“We can’t just sit still when a guest staying at the mansion is ill, can we? Would you go down and prepare some soup for Miss Eveline? And some herbal tea that’s good for health.”

“Yes, yes. Understood, Miss.”

Parting ways with Merian, Charlotte headed straight for Vivian’s bedroom. She couldn’t leave Vivian Eveline alone. If she still thought she was the owner of this mansion, Charlotte needed to make it clear to her.

Today, I must say something. I must trample that pride of hers and make her compliant.

Charlotte knocked on Vivian’s bedroom door. Although no permission came, Charlotte, not wanting to be patient, opened the door. When her eyes met Vivian’s, who was hurriedly tying a scarf in front of the mirror, a great embarrassment struck her heart.

“M-Miss Windler.”

Vivian finished tying the knot she hadn’t completed and stood in place. Whatever had happened, her skirt was covered in mud, and her hair, which she always kept neatly up, was disheveled.

And her face.

Her already hollow cheeks were smeared with mud, making Vivian’s complexion truly corpse-like, as Charlotte had described. Charlotte, who had come to confirm it was a fake illness and confront her, lost her resolve. At a loss for words, silence fell for a while.

“…Did something happen? How did you end up like this?”

“…I fell on the way back.”

“Why haven’t you changed your clothes yet? I heard you weren’t feeling well. If you’ve been in the rain for a while, you should warm up with a hot bath. Sophie should have prepared the bath water.”

Vivian’s eyes, which nodded almost imperceptibly, sank. Her eyes, full of dark clouds, were losing their light and seemed to be dying.

“Merian will bring some soup and herbal tea later. Since you said you won’t have dinner, at least have that.”

“Thank you, Miss Windler.”

It was a moment when Charlotte felt sorry for doubting and insulting her needlessly. Awkwardly clearing her throat, Charlotte, at a loss for words, rubbed the hem of her dress between her fingertips. She was curious about why Vivian was wearing a scarf that didn’t match, but decided not to pry further.

“I came when I heard from Merian that you were ill. You do look quite unwell.”

“Yes. A little…”

“Well then, rest well. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

As she was about to turn around after a polite greeting, her steps halted. The ascot tie neatly arranged on top of the cabinet next to the door caught Charlotte’s attention.

Its condition was no different from Vivian’s current state. Mud stains had lowered the value of the luxurious fabric by several levels.

Moreover, as Charlotte knew everything about Edwin, she recognized that this ascot tie was identical to Edwin’s.

“What is this tie?”

“Huh? Oh. Ah, that…”

“Why is there a men’s tie in Miss Eveline’s room?”

When Charlotte questioned her, including Vivian in her suspicious gaze, Vivian noticeably flustered and couldn’t stay still.

“I-I bought it as a gift.”

Charlotte’s hand, which was about to pick up the ascot tie in front of her to examine it closely, stopped.

“I stopped by a clothing store earlier and bought a gift for the Duke. As a token of gratitude for allowing me to stay. But it got dirty when I fell on the way back…”

Charlotte tilted her head and then erased her suspicion. More precisely, there was no clear point of suspicion. There was no reason for Edwin’s ascot tie to be in Vivian’s hands. She was confident that it just looked similar, not the same.

“Coincidentally, the Duke has a similar tie. You should give him something else.”

“…Yes. Thank you for letting me know.”

“Then rest well.”

Even as she closed the door to Vivian’s room, Charlotte felt somewhat uneasy. Attributing it to discomfort over slandering and insulting Vivian, Charlotte left the place.