The gazes of people around lingered on the two walking side by side.

While both were of exceptional beauty, it was rather the indescribable melancholy emanating from the two walking slowly without much conversation that captured people’s attention.

In front of ‘Hamilton’s Restaurant’ recommended by Julia.

With its large fireplace and warm-colored lighting, the restaurant’s interior atmosphere seemed specially prepared for today.

The dozen or so tables were all filled with couples quietly conversing with each other.

The two sat down at an empty window seat.

Edward looked around and said.

“I didn’t know there was a place like this in Tanasen.”

Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed to be a place frequented mainly by couples.

How did his wife, who hadn’t been here long, know about such an establishment?

Edward felt a bit sick at the thought that his wife might have had dinner here with Evan Winston.

Edward touched his nose once unnecessarily and said.

“I was going to ask how you’ve been, but I guess there’s no need for that.”

“Why? Do I look like I’ve been doing well?”

“Extremely.”

Edward said, taking a fresh look at Louisa’s face. Her expression had lightened considerably, to the point where it felt somewhat unfamiliar to him.

Louisa chuckled and offered her own observation about him.

“And you’ve gotten thinner.”

“Have I? I hadn’t noticed.”

He said, touching his face. Louisa turned her head to look at his profile and said.

“Your cheeks have hollowed out, making your jawline too sharp. Don’t people find you scary? Curtis, for example.”

“That guy? Absolutely not. I’d be lucky if he didn’t find me ridiculous.”

Edward shook his head. Louisa burst into laughter.

Rye bread was served as an appetizer. Edward dipped the bread in the accompanying oil and took a large bite.

“How’s life here? Have you made any friends?”

Louisa pondered for a moment. She had no intention of criticizing his table manners, but with his cheeks puffed out, his mouth shape was different from usual, making it difficult to read.

After hesitating briefly, she spoke.

“Could you perhaps repeat that after swallowing what you’re chewing?”

Edward realized his mistake and quickly swallowed the half-chewed bread. After quickly drinking a glass of water, he asked again, enunciating clearly.

“How’s life here? Have you made any friends?”

“It’s reasonably lively and nice. There’s a female student living upstairs, and I often go to the small shop below with her. The brunch there is delicious.”

“You eat brunch?”

Edward asked in surprise.

She used to be the epitome of proper living, always getting up early and having breakfast without fail. But now she was having brunch after sleeping in.

“Sometimes, since coming here. I’ve been thinking I might be getting lazier.”

“What’s wrong with that? You need to rest a bit.”

Louisa laughed lightly and changed the subject.

“How was your lecture? I actually thought about coming to see it if the timing worked out.”

“You should have. You could have at least gotten a comfortable nap.”

Louisa tilted her head, not understanding his joke. Edward casually explained.

“The back rows were completely empty. Perfect for lying down and sleeping.”

“Oh, goodness. Ed.”

Louisa let out an exclamation close to a sigh.

“Thanks to that, I realized. This decision was a good one in its own way.”

“What decision?”

“The scholarship.”

Edward continued nonchalantly, as if it wasn’t particularly surprising.

“The nobles wouldn’t have come to listen to my lecture, so everyone there must have been commoners.”

It was uncomfortable but true. Louisa nodded.

“Then those few attendees were commoners pursuing engineering in this vast campus, which is really unthinkable.”

He quickly chewed and swallowed the bread.

“That’s why I’m saying. With scholarships or whatever, wouldn’t at least one more person be able to enter?”

Louisa looked at him intently.

She had been surprised when she first heard about the sponsorship. But the fact that he was thinking the same thing as her now was even more surprising.

She murmured.

“I didn’t know you were thinking like that.”

“It’s not like I sponsored with this intention from the start. It just occurred to me today.”

Edward threw the last piece of bread he was holding into his mouth. Louisa said calmly.

“Regardless of how it came about, that’s another dream of mine too. To give children even one more chance to choose.”

The waiter set down a salad garnished with fried chicken on the table and disappeared.

Edward quietly served some salad onto his wife’s plate. After placing the plate in front of Louisa, he gazed into her eyes and said.

“What? Do I keep coming to your mind?”

Louisa hesitated for a moment. But she soon answered.

“…Yes. That’s right.”

She nodded slowly.

“Actually, when I see children whose lives have changed due to lack of parental fortune, you come to my mind. I worry that you might dwell on your own circumstances when seeing those children, that you might get hurt…”

Edward nodded slowly. He too had thought his wife might feel that way.

Louisa looked at him with a more poignant smile.

“I’m only saying this now, but that’s why I couldn’t give up the parliamentary activities or volunteer work. Because it was something I could do… It was a goal I set to at least accomplish this much. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. You were thinking of me anyway.”

He didn’t seem to dwell on it much now, as if it was all in the past.

His wife had always been thinking of him. She had just cared for him in a way that was a bit different from what he had wished for.

Edward brought up the topic half-jokingly.

“What do you think, should we establish a scholarship foundation? It seems like something both of us could enjoy doing.”

In fact, it was something he had wanted to suggest for a long time. If she wanted to live a life dedicated to children, instead of doing the menial work herself, how about giving money so that it could be done?

But somehow, he felt his wife would reject his proposal. The noble intention she held didn’t seem likely to be swayed by him doing that. Because of this thought, he hadn’t dared to bring it up until now.

However, his wife’s answer today was different from what he had expected.

“That’s a good idea too. Things would run more systematically in many ways.”

Edward felt deflated. His lips parted slightly as the strength left him. He slightly furrowed his brow and raised one eyebrow.

“You knew that and still stubbornly insisted on doing what you wanted?”

Louisa looked at him with a slightly bewildered expression at his sudden change in demeanor.

“Ed?”

“I begged you so many times not to do such menial work… Do you know how much it hurt me every time I saw you like that…”

“It hurt? Did I read that correctly?”

Louisa asked, doubting what she had read.

“Yes.”

“I thought you were angry.”

Edward asked incredulously.

“Angry? Mrs. Johnson said something similar before, but why on earth would you think I was angry?”

“Well, because I… was doing things unbecoming of a noblewoman.”

Even as she spoke, Louisa felt uneasy.

She knew that he must have heard as many comments about her actions as she had heard about him.

However, Edward gave an answer different from her thoughts.

“While that’s not wrong, it’s only half the truth.”

Half?

Louisa felt puzzled by the word that deviated from her expectations.

“Of course I was upset. You showed no sign of listening to me when I begged you not to do it. I felt so sorry that you knew how to do things that other nobles wouldn’t have known…”

“Why would you be sorry?”

“Because it’s my fault that you came to know how to do those things.”

Edward’s face had already become gloomy like a criminal as he brought up this topic.

A hot feeling welled up in Louisa’s throat and chest.

The debt left behind by his father still lingered in his heart.

She cleared her throat once and said.

“That was my choice. And if we’re going to blame anyone, it should be your father, not you.”

“Of course I curse my father for making my life like this. But the reason you ended up living such a life was because you tried to save me who was burdened with such a load…”

Edward’s voice trailed off as if his emotions were welling up, choking his throat.

Louisa placed a fork with salad on it in Edward’s hand, who was just staring at her without touching his food.

“You should eat a hearty dinner. Have some.”

Edward stared down at the fork placed in his hand. Then he furrowed his brow even more and contorted his face.

Louisa found it truly heartbreaking.

“I’m sorry. I’ve always been hurting your feelings under the pretext of achieving my goals.”

It was something I started for you, but I was hurting you instead in the name of that.

Edward felt like he was going to cry. He raised his head and looked at the sky.

Her husband seemed to want to hide his sadness. Louisa slightly lowered her eyes and said with a bitter smile.

“We’re having this conversation quite early.”

“…”

“If I had known earlier, I might have acted a bit differently too.”

If they had talked like this before their pain deepened and left scars, perhaps they wouldn’t have grown so far apart.

The scratches would have hurt, of course, but that pain would have disappeared without a trace along with the healed wounds not long after.

“I didn’t know what you were thinking. So I didn’t want to spend money as I pleased if possible. I thought it was enough to be grateful for showing kindness to the Mühlen sisters.”

“…Why.”

Edward asked, forcibly putting strength into his sinking voice. Louisa smiled sadly.

“Because the fortune of our family and the company were all built by you sacrificing yourself.”

“What are you saying? Foolish.”

Edward forced a laugh as if making a joke.

“None of that would have existed without you.”

It was because you were there that I made those efforts.

He revealed his true feelings to his wife for the first time. Edward felt somehow relieved yet dejected, like he was about to cry.

The two continued their meal with faces that looked like they might burst into tears if touched, having unraveled the stories that had piled up.

They had to suppress the welling sadness, feeling deeply moved by their belated honesty, and feeling sorry and pitiful for the other who had not been understood.

The appetizer was cleared away and the main dish was served. Grilled beef aged with spices was served along with red wine.

Edward picked up his wine glass and drained it in one gulp.