Even knowing that, she waited, her ears perked up, wondering if there might be some other news.

It was truly a futile attachment.

Now, a daily life unrelated to Damion, a daily life completely disconnected from him, lay ahead on Ansi’s path.

“Thank you again today, Miss Daisy.”

“Yes. Well then.”

Ansi handed over the gloves to the last shop scheduled for today’s visit and received the money. As she turned to leave while tying her pocket, the shop owner Marinda stopped her.

“Oh, I have something to ask, Miss Daisy.”

Ansi raised her eyebrows as if asking what the matter was. Marinda was a woman known for being nosy even on ordinary days, so Ansi had a feeling an unpleasant conversation would ensue.

And the words Marinda uttered were just as Ansi expected.

“Miss Daisy, I know a really good marriage prospect. How about it? If you’re not seeing anyone…”

“It’s fine.”

“Don’t say that. Living with your mother is nice, but you need to broaden your horizons a bit. It’s a shame you only know knitting and home.”

Marinda’s words were out of genuine concern, but they were truly spoken without knowing Ansi.

Ansi had no will to develop an interest in anything else here. Just properly sorting through past memories was taxing enough.

“It’s really fine.”

“Is that so? Then I guess it can’t be helped…”

“Yes.”

Marinda looked regretful, but Ansi pretended not to notice and left the store.

Her destination was a shop some distance away. She bought a newspaper placed on the stall.

“Buying it today too, I see. A young woman diligently reading the newspaper every day, it’s nice to see.”

“Yes.”

Ansi turned around after roughly responding to the praise from the shop owner, and unfolded the newspaper. When the pages didn’t turn well because of her gloves, she took them off and flipped through the paper.

Then, her gaze stopped at one place.

It was on Damion de Orphe’s name.

Today’s newspaper also had an article with Damion’s name.

After his divorce from her, Damion was making a splendid mark as a member of the Orphes. Articles with his name were frequently seen, aggressive enough to say so.

As if unleashing what he had held back while Ansi was around, he moved perfectly as the Orphe’s prince.

〈In the end, he is an Orphe. That fact doesn’t change.〉

Dazel’s words that she wanted to deny pierced Ansi every day. The wounds that accumulated every time she saw Damion’s name in the newspaper had now settled like scabs.

Ansi folded the newspaper and threw it in the trash can.

And she moved on as if nothing had happened.

The wind was chilly.

But she had to endure it.

A smile graced Ansi’s lips as she read the letter with a small pink pressed flower attached. Elize’s taste was fully imbued even in the stationery.

The flower buds are just starting to bloom here. How about over there?

Ansi opened the window wide. A breeze mixed with the scent of flowers blew into the room. Spring in the south arrived earlier than in the capital. The flowers here were in full bloom now.

“They’re in full bloom, Elize.”

Ansi quietly replied and sat back down at the desk, taking out clean stationery. The sound of the pen nib brushing against the paper filled the room.

The letter was to be delivered through Lady Roma. Ansi had exchanged letters with Elize countless times through Roma.

In case of any unforeseen circumstances, no one’s name was written in the letter. However, just reading the greetings at the beginning of the letter made it obvious that it was written by Elize.

Now, it even felt like her voice could be heard. It was one of the few joys in Ansi’s daily life.

The letter Elize wrote exceeded five pages, but Ansi wasn’t as skilled at stringing words together as her. In the end, the reply ended in two pages. Ansi folded the stationery neatly and put it in an envelope.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

“Ansi, are you busy?”

“It’s fine.”

Sofia opened the door and entered. In her hand was a small picnic basket.

“Dazel will be back soon. Since the weather is nice, I thought we could eat outside today.”

“Sounds good.”

Ansi left the house with Sofia. As she pulled out the bicycle leaning next to her, Sofia loaded the picnic basket onto the front of the bicycle. Then, with a familiar motion, she sat on the back seat of the bicycle.

“Hold on tight so you don’t fall.”

“Okay.”

Ansi, who had gotten on the bicycle, pedaled.

One of the new things Ansi learned in the south was riding a bicycle. When she was self-learning, it felt daunting since no one in the family could ride it, but now she was quite comfortable.

Walking to the port where Dazel’s ship would arrive took an hour. But by riding a bicycle, the time could be reduced to a quarter of that.

They moved forward with the sea on one side. A pleasant breeze blew from the front, refreshingly. After riding like that for some time, they soon arrived at the port.

The wait wasn’t long. After a short while, the ship arrived.

“Luke!”

Sofia waved her hand towards Dazel.

Dazel looked this way at the now-familiar name.

Hastily docking the ship, he approached his family. With a smile filling his face, he looked noticeably healthier than a few months ago.

The fishing boat he had boarded to earn money required quite a lot of stamina and strength, unintentionally leading to a rapid recovery of his health.

“How is it today?”

“I saw a boat behind the cliff. They came all the way here from the southeast.”

“Did you catch them?”

“I did.”

Dazel shrugged his shoulders as if it were obvious to Ansi’s question. Sofia patted Dazel’s back, looking proud.

Dazel’s current job was twofold. One was to board a fishing boat, catch fish, and deliver them. The other was to monitor illegal fishing.

It was originally the navy’s job, but since it was difficult for the navy to directly inspect this place, far from bustling areas, a few locals took on that role and received an allowance.

Dazel didn’t apply, but he ended up taking the job due to the recommendation of many boatmen who knew him.

Dazel tried to refuse, thinking his life as a soldier was showing, but he seemed to want to do the job inwardly. In the end, with Ansi’s support, he started the work.

As a result, it greatly contributed to improving his quality of life.

“I packed a lunch. Let’s eat and go in.”

“Sounds good. I was hungry.”

They walked together to the side of the port. Soon, a white sandy beach was revealed. Spreading out the cloth they brought and sitting down, Sofia took the sandwich she had packed in her hand.

Fresh vegetables crunched between the soft bread. The pouring sunlight was cozy. Sofia, who was looking at the calm sea, asked with an excited face.

“It’s peaceful, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Dazel answered with a satisfied smile. Ansi also nodded. Sofia reached out both hands and held Ansi and Dazel’s hands.

“You know, I’m really happy living like this.”

She caressed her daughter and son’s hands. To Sofia, such peace was invaluable.

“…Me too.”

Ansi answered with a smile on her lips.

The picnic lasted longer than expected. After talking leisurely like that for a long time, they returned home.

Ansi entered the room and closed the door.

“……”

The silence of this space alone felt heavy today.

She shifted her gaze. A few sheets of stationery were lying on the desk. They were the ones left after writing a letter to Elize.

She sat down at the desk and carefully picked up a pen.

And she tried writing characters, pressing down firmly.

Hello.

Even though she only wrote a single word, it wasn’t easy to write the next one. Ansi, who had been staring intently at the stationery for a long time, wrote again.

What does your life exist for now? Do you sometimes think of me?

Ansi swallowed. A hot energy went down her throat.

Ansi knew that Sofia was sincerely happy with the current state.

The same went for herself. Being able to see her mother and brother every day, not having to worry about someone slandering or trapping them, was nice.

She knew she should be happy just with the fact that this life was continuing.

But…

A corner of her heart felt empty.

Every day, the question of whether this life was truly right rose to the tip of her tongue. In her dreams, she lived the life she couldn’t choose every day.

It was a dream featuring Damion de Orphe, that man.

She opened her eyes together with that man every morning and had breakfast. They walked the streets hand in hand.

He threw silly jokes, and Ansi rolled her eyes but burst into laughter. Then they fell asleep together again, and when she opened her eyes…

That man was not by her side.

Then, an unbearably deep loneliness enveloped Ansi’s entire body. Emptiness covered her vision like a thick fog.

Curled up, only after glaring at the void for a long time did Ansi admit the fact that this was reality.

“……”

Ansi got up from her seat and lit a candle. She burned the letter she had been writing with an indifferent face.

When she opened the window to let out the smoke, spring flowers came into view.

Suddenly, Ansi realized.

The southern spring when she had met that man had come again.