“It’s amazing. It’s much bigger than I thought, and there’s so much… everything.”

“Yeah. As you see, it’s nothing special, but it’s better than a small lab,” Edward shrugged in response to his wife’s comment.

He had finally shown her this place, despite his feelings that nothing was going his way. Yet, seeing her brightened expression, he felt somewhat glad that he did.

Louisa looked around with the excitement of a child at an amusement park for the first time.

“There’s so much I’m curious about. Can I ask? But first, I want to see your desk. Where is it? I’m curious about that too,” she asked, her voice filled with anticipation.

Edward couldn’t help but smile at her child-like curiosity.

“Since you’re already here, I won’t chase you away. Take your time looking around.”

“I want to see your desk. Let’s go there.”

“You’ll see. It’s over there,” he pointed with his finger towards the biggest desk in the room, originally white but now slightly gray from use.

Louisa eagerly walked towards the desk he indicated.

The desk, slightly worn from use, had a sagging chair. It was cluttered with scattered memos, notebooks, and several blueprints and fountain pens.

“Everywhere you might put your hand, there’s a pen,” she observed, looking around the desk.

“Do you remember your old walnut desk? The one in your small lab in Greenberg?” Louisa reminisced about his old desk.

“I remember. The one that wasn’t level, so I had to prop it up with paper underneath,” Edward chuckled.

Those were tough times. He looked at the lab, his achievement, with a sense of renewed appreciation.

This small lab had grown into a large facility, a place he could proudly show his wife, the fruit of his efforts.

Louisa gazed at his desk, lost in nostalgia.

“At home, you just use one pencil holder in the study. I had almost forgotten…”

She traced the edge of the desk with her fingertips, following his traces.

Then, something shiny in a corner caught her eye.

A small, metallic box, resembling a woman’s lipstick case.

She reached for it as if drawn, picking up the case.

Opening it, her expression hardened.

‘A woman’s lipstick. One I’ve never used, belonging to another woman…’

A light pink lipstick.

“Edward,” she called his name.

“Yeah.”

“Did you say there are no female employees here?”

“Ah… Yes. The few we had left with Gilford when he moved out. Why?”

At his question, Louisa stared blankly at the object.

“Just wondering. I was curious about how this place looks on a regular workday.”

She put it back in its place, saying, “It’s nothing special. Just a bunch of messy men gathering around.”

“Right. You did say that before,” Louisa said with a hollow laugh.

She was overwhelmed by too many thoughts to grasp anything clearly.
Had they been alone, Louisa might have given in to her urge and brought up the subject, even if it meant stumbling over her words. However, at this moment, Jeffrey Curtis was also present.

“What about that big thing in the center, Ed?” she asked, trying to sound cheerful while pointing to a device placed centrally.

It was a conspicuously large object that had caught her eye since entering.

“It’s nothing special. Just one of the things we were preparing. It’s a bit big, though,” Edward dismissed her question casually.

He hoped she wouldn’t ask about the magic stone engine, as explaining its importance would only pique her interest further. So, he planned to downplay it as much as possible.

“Ah… I see.”

Louisa, trying to ignore her disappointment, felt let down by his response.

She knew he didn’t like her intruding into his domain, but facing such situations repeatedly made it hard to keep smiling. His veiled life, larger than usual, seemed to drag her into a mire.

She recalled her Aunt Esteban’s words.

‘A woman…’

It could be true, she thought. This marriage might just be an extension of a proposal he couldn’t refuse out of guilt, not love.

‘…Did he treat the owner of that lipstick the same way? Keeping everything to himself, not allowing her any involvement?’

Her attempt to change the topic felt futile as she hit another dead end. Louisa’s mood rapidly sank.

Then, from a distance, Jeffrey suddenly stood up and exclaimed.

“Wait, Mr. President! You can’t just leave it at that! You’re not going to explain it like that at the fair, are you?”

“What?”

Surprised by the interruption, Edward frowned.

“You can’t respond like that to everyone who asks about the engine at the fair, Mr. President! You need to be as kind and detailed as possible!”

Jeffrey’s outcry made Louisa realize that this was the engine for the upcoming fair.

“So, this is the piece for the upcoming fair,” she murmured.

Realizing Louisa had learned about the fair, Edward immediately glared at Jeffrey.

Jeffrey’s shoulders shrunk under his stern gaze.

But he couldn’t back down now.