“Miss Eveline says she will not eat. What should we do?”

The butler who went to find Vivian appeared alone and gave the expected answer. Edwin picked up his cutlery with a casual smile. It was a generous attitude of leaving her be.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t expected this. He had even anticipated her secretly standing by the window and looking down in anxiety.

“Why? She had been eating well after recovering to some extent.”

Charlotte, cutting her roast beef, expressed doubt.

“By the way. I found a good marriage prospect.”

If he had known it would spark an unnecessary fire, he would have swallowed even the words of concern for Vivian. Edwin finally marked an inflection point. The upward curve of his heart turned downward.

“B-but, Your Grace. I have no thoughts of marriage yet. There’s still much to learn, and I’m not mentally prepared either.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t do it. I have a duty to fulfill my father’s last wishes, and one of those duties is to marry you off.”

“Becoming someone’s wife is still a distant story for me. Can’t you give me a little more time? Until I’m mentally prepared…”

Charlotte pleaded desperately, but Edwin’s mind didn’t waver.

“I’ve invited that person to Rodinia. He’ll be coming to the mansion soon. So meet him in person and see. See if becoming someone’s wife really feels like a distant story.”

Charlotte didn’t reply. It was the best rebellion she could manage. But unfortunately, Edwin’s attention was not on the sulking Charlotte, but elsewhere.

Satisfied with the unusually sweet wine going down his throat today, Edwin rang the bell to call a servant. He asked what wine had been served today and instructed it to be brought to his bedroom. He also added that the garden seemed dull and that it might be good to plant yellow daffodils.

The sun had sunk deep. A bluish darkness slowly descended over the distant horizon. She waited and waited until the blue light turned black. When the sky had completely darkened and all was quiet outside the bedroom.

It was time to act now. She headed towards Edwin’s bedroom, conscious of others’ eyes. When she reached the door, the urge to turn back surged. Her heart was uncomfortable and uneasy, and now she was even afraid.

She had worried that he might strangle her for not eating, but somehow she had safely passed the evening. The elation of her rebellion succeeding connected to courage. With that courage, she knocked on Edwin’s door. Vivian, who had thought Edwin would open the door, deflated when she faced Royce instead.

“…I, I came to see the Duke.”

“Please wait a moment.”

With a rough, heavy voice, the door closed. As she bit her nails and paced in front of the door, Royce appeared again and made way, and Vivian entered cautiously while watching Royce. Conversely, Royce left the room.

“It’s been a while, Miss Eveline.”

Vivian’s muscles froze stiffly at the familiar greeting, looking only at her toes. The basis of the phrase “it’s been a while” naturally reminded her of the incident in the carriage.

Vivian looked around. Her eyes moved busily as if mapping out an escape route in advance.

“…I came to see you at the risk of being rude because I have something to say.”

“Go ahead. Let’s hear it.”

Realizing it was a sealed space with no escape, Vivian quickly gave up and looked at Edwin.

He looked the opposite of how she had usually seen Edwin. His black hair still had moisture from a recent bath, and the front of his robe was carelessly open, revealing his skin. The only thing that remained the same was his flawless, clean tone of voice.

In one hand, he held a half-empty wine glass. In his other hand, he held something else. What was behind Edwin looked like a map to Vivian.

“Go ahead. I’m curious.”

He put the map down on the table and lightly shook the glass in the air.

Take heart, but don’t worry.

Repeating this countless times in her mind, she approached Edwin proudly. Edwin’s gaze never left Vivian as she came closer.

With the blatant gaze and Edwin’s attire being more revealing than expected, she didn’t know where to look and fixed her eyes on the table.

Then what Edwin had been looking at came into full view. It was indeed a map, and Vivian read the place name “Bellio.”

‘Bellio is one of Preston’s ports. Was he looking at a map of Preston? Why was he looking at a map of Preston?’

Realizing there was a gaze as persistent as her train of thought, Vivian placed a cleanly laundered ascot tie on the table.

“First, I’ll return this. Thank you, I used it well.”

“It’s my honor. You’re even thankful.”

Vivian’s face flushed at the teasing smile as he tilted his glass. It was a tie that had covered the bruise from her strangled neck. The bruise was made by Duke Baitness, and she had covered the scar with Duke Baitness’s tie. So there wasn’t much to be thankful for.

“I have one question.”

Vivian composed herself. When her voice trembled faintly, she took a beat and spoke slowly.

“When you lent money to my mother, did she know about your identity?”

It was a question she had thought about for two weeks and three days.

Did her mother really borrow 700,000 mori knowing the identity of Duke Baitness?

She didn’t want to imagine her mother happily borrowing money without realizing she had fallen into Duke Baitness’s trap.

“Well. Did Madam know?”

The low voice that drifted as if bored brutally butchered Vivian’s heart. Yet she lacked the courage to hate and resent the man before her, and only feelings of guilt and apology grew in volume. She keenly realized that her question was just a confirmation shot that probed her own wound.

“I’m curious… how you’ve been all this time.”

Vivian’s head dropped, losing confidence. How he had lived after losing all his family to Eveline and crossing over to New Way. Of course, it wouldn’t have been smooth sailing, but even with many painful events, were there no joyful moments as he lived on?

Vivian wanted to hear about Edwin’s past times.

“It was a series of meetings.”

But what the heartless tone let slip was an unexpected answer.

“The royal family was frantically trying to convert the company into a national project. A ship carrying goods was wrecked, causing great losses. Amidst all this, good news also flew in. Eremen came with money, saying they would buy the new weapons our company developed. While talking about whether war would break out or not.”

Edwin’s answer was firm to Vivian’s wishes. He took a sip of red wine without letting go of Vivian. There was no sincerity in the arc drawn at the corner of his mouth. Vivian, secretly letting out a heavy sigh, calmed her trembling heart and opened her mouth.

“…I’m not sure if I should say this.”

She moistened her drying lips with the tip of her tongue. Her cracked lips felt rough.

“It may not be comforting, but 14 years ago… after that incident, our family’s prestige hit rock bottom, and everyone, the people, turned their backs on us. As we walked the path of downfall, Mayer tried to take a mistress from our weakened family, and eventually, the family fled from Mayer. Even after arriving in New Way, father’s business didn’t go well, so we ended up in great debt and came here.”

It wasn’t meant to say that after ruining your family and destroying your life, we too have gone through all sorts of hardships, so please let go of your anger.

“I think we’re being punished. I understand… your hatred and resentment towards me, Duke.”

The hand holding the wine glass drooped on the armrest and tilted. The wine caused waves in the clear, transparent glass. As the thoughts she had repeatedly rehearsed in her mind took shape in words, Edwin’s attitude swept Vivian’s voice into the waves of wine.

“So?”

“Pardon?”

“Did you come here at this hour just to say that? The conversation I had with Royce would have been three times more nutritious than listening to your story right now.”

The swaying glass touched Edwin’s lips. Following the tilting glass, the red wine flowed into his lips.

“Ah, no. There’s something else I want to say.”

Her wavering gaze became somewhat clearer. Edwin seemed to correct his slanted posture, then slouched again.

When she saw the man’s unseemly chest rising firmly through the more open front of his robe, she turned her head completely away. She also locked her shoulders tightly, lest her eyes move unconsciously.

“I remember clearly, even though it was when I was very young. It rained heavily that day, and I also remember bringing a shawl because of the cold early spring weather.”

“You say you remember in detail, but Miss Eveline’s memory doesn’t include my face.”

“Well, you’ve grown much taller and your face has changed a bit… Anyway, I can remember everything.”

Edwin slowly looked over Vivian, who had turned her body diagonally. Vivian, wearing Charlotte’s dress that was a full span shorter than herself, looked quite unfamiliar.

Usually, she wore beige dresses, but they were so stained they were no different from a beggar’s rags. Wearing Charlotte’s colorful dress seemed to bring some life to her face. The only problem was that due to her thinness, the bouncy dress fit perfectly except for the length.

“I also remember the promise I made to regret. But, Duke, I’m sorry, but I… don’t regret it.”

It was around then that he started focusing on Vivian’s voice, which he had been uninterested in.

“I will never regret, not for a single moment, now or in the future, that I saved you, no, Sayer, that day.”

Vivian Eveline only spoke words she couldn’t take responsibility for. How long would it take her to realize it was a relatively bad habit? But he judged that it wouldn’t take long for that habit to be corrected.

“You think you’ll still be alive just because I didn’t kill you that day? That’s a grand delusion.”

“If that’s fate… I’ll accept it.”

Edwin’s eyes narrowed as he quietly snorted.

The attitude of willingly accepting death when told to beg and plead for life was interpreted as either unwillingness to submit or as mockery.

“Why?”

“I asked myself. If I could turn back time, would I have saved you, Sayer?”

The ash-gray eyes that had been distant drew closer. He was also curious where Vivian’s momentum, which seemed unlikely to meet his eyes, came from.

“The answer was positive. I probably would have taken Sayer to the port even if I knew everything. So the promise to regret, I’m sorry, but I can’t keep it.”

A deep silence fell between the two. Unlike the lips that had said he would kill Vivian, the water in his blue eyes was calm. Though it was unknown what waves awaited Vivian beneath, she should be grateful that she didn’t feel any killing intent from him at the moment.

He put down the glass with a little left at the bottom on the table and stood up. As his shadow grew enormous, Vivian stepped back. She thought he wouldn’t get closer if she retreated, but contrary to her expectations, the distance narrowed.

Vivian backed away from him, but hit a limit. When the cold doorknob behind her stabbed her waist, a startled Vivian held her breath.

“You said you don’t regret it. Why are you scared?”

Despite the faint trace of laughter, Vivian tensed up and clenched her fists. Afraid her neck might be strangled again, yet her hands froze stiffly without the ability to defend, and she tightly closed her eyes.

“Miss Eveline. This isn’t when you say you won’t regret.”

Vivian shuddered greatly because she felt his touch near her nape and her neck became chilly.

“At times like this, you beg. You should grab onto my pant leg and plead for your life. You did it well before. Just do that.”

She opened her tightly closed eyes. Recognizing the scarf in his hand, she hurriedly covered the bruised area with her palm. He moved away, holding the scarf, and headed to his seat. As the air lightened, her mind calmed and her thoughts quickly organized. Then she recalled what she really wanted to say.

“And, um.”

She bravely spoke the words she had practiced for a week and three days.

“I hope you won’t do the food torture anymore.”

“Food torture?”

“You force me to eat, don’t you? I don’t need that much food, and I don’t have much appetite either. So wouldn’t it be better for you if I starve to death? Since you’d want me dead.”

Eveline was interesting and fun like a welcome rain in daily life. If he got hooked on the fun of teasing and tormenting her, he might feel regretful when it came time to kill her, making him reluctant to do so.

Having made her cry several times already, should he try making her laugh this time?

Edwin showed an ambiguous smile that seemed to drift somewhere between seriousness and playfulness.

“You can’t starve to death. What I’m telling Miss Eveline to eat is closer to simply fattening you up rather than food torture.”

“…Why are you trying to fatten me up?”

“To eat you.”

The eyes full of dark clouds froze in an instant.

“E-eat? What…”

“You still don’t understand?”

“…”

“Why I didn’t kill you right away and kept you alive. Why I care about the food that goes into Miss Eveline’s mouth. Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

Her plump lips gaped like a fish. The blue eyes tracing a path down below her neckline were extremely blatant.

“You’re so skinny, there needs to be something to eat.”