Her room was at the end of the hallway, next to the study.

Click. Edward carefully opened the door and entered.

Through the thin canopy, he saw Louisa sleeping with a slightly furrowed brow.

He leaned over and gently smoothed her forehead with his fingertips.

“What kind of dream are you having?”

The touch seemed to tickle her, as Louisa grimaced and then stirred, waking up. She called out to him with a sleepy voice, “Edward…?”

Her long eyelashes lifted, revealing the blue eyes he loved.

“Sorry for waking you. Go back to sleep.”

“What are you doing here…?”

“What do you mean? It’s my house,” Edward replied with a chuckle.
“Then I’ll be off. I’ll free up some time this weekend, so decide what you want to do today for that time.”

Louisa sat up in bed. Leaning against the cushion on the bed head, she rubbed her still blurry vision.

“Rest on the weekend. I’m fine.”

“If you don’t decide, I’ll choose for us, and you’ll have to follow the plan without complaining. So, if you don’t want that, make a decision.”

It was nonsensical coercion. Louisa gave him a sleepy look.

Naturally, there was no sense of intimidation. Edward found it cute and chuckled.

“I’ll go now. Sleep some more.”

He left a brief goodbye and exited the room.

But Louisa, already awake, watched the door he closed and thought.

Normally, he wouldn’t visit her before leaving for work or make time for her on weekends.

Undoubtedly, Edward’s behavior was changing, albeit slowly. Even the servants could feel it, so it wasn’t just her imagination.

He never listened when she talked about it, and only after she had steeled her heart did he come to shake her resolve.

‘Asking me to decide what I want to do…’

Was it a kind of date proposal?

She felt resentful towards her husband, who was reaching out to her belatedly.

Yet, at the same time, a strange emotion rising within her kept her deep in thought.

Could it be that she had misunderstood him, that she had made the wrong judgment?

Perhaps, somewhere, there was still a man who loved her, not just a businessman trying to atone through success.

Recently, what she wanted was clear. Just one thing: to truly understand her husband.

There were several reasons for this. She was bothered by the stories he didn’t share with her, and she felt anxious that her hardened heart might waver if they spent more time together.

These were completely opposite reasons. Yet, both were on her mind.

She thought of herself as weak and contradictory, but what was this, really?

If she dared to define it, it was ambivalence.

She loved him. Deeply.

But she couldn’t love the wounds he inflicted. Her capacity was too small to embrace the fear and resentment that came with loving him.

That’s why she resented him. She wanted to distance herself from him.

People might call all this ambivalence.

But if, just maybe, this could narrow the gap between them, if he could look at her with the same eyes as she did him.

Even if it was late, even now, if he looked at the same place as she did.

‘Then, wouldn’t it be okay…?’

Then perhaps this pain would fade away.

If that were really the case, it would be good to change things slowly by his side.

Louisa decided on a place for their weekend outing.

Today, an incident occurred at the usually relaxed atmosphere of the Allen Research Institute.

Gilford, who often complained about the distance, unusually made his way to the institute.

Of course, if it had been just him, it would have been a typical day to be brushed off. However, this time he wasn’t alone.

“What brings you here unannounced?”
Edward narrowed his eyes and scowled at the people in front of him.

“I heard the research institute developed something new. I believe I have the right to personally verify what that is. Isn’t that right, Allen?”

The man who boldly entered the institute was named Gerard Ernst, commonly known as Sir Ernst.

“Of course, Sir Ernst. However, I didn’t expect you to arrive unannounced, let alone bringing your daughter draped in elaborate dresses.”

“I heard you were acquainted with Emily. Is that not the case?”

Gerard turned to Emily standing beside him. Clutching her father’s arm, she said,

“We are indeed acquainted. I wanted to talk again today. After hearing from Lord Theodore, I thought I should meet you again and have a conversation.”

Her eyes were downcast, but her tone was slightly excited. She smiled with her characteristic youthful charm and said,

“So please don’t be too upset and explain Mr. Allen’s remarkable achievements to my father. We can talk afterward.”