Two years had passed since Viare returned to the past.

During this seemingly endless time, the seasons cycled through, each taking its turn and returning to its place.

Her circumstances had significantly changed in that time.

Viare, who had grown up as the beloved eldest daughter of the Ruschev Ducal family, had now become an indispensable key figure in the family.

Diane, who was combing Viare’s delicately fine hair, seemed uplifted, humming a tune.

With Manolin choosing to return home, Diane had taken over the position of Viare’s personal maid.

The positive public opinion about Viare, as reflected in the newspaper articles she read that morning, seemed to boost Diane’s mood.

“Are you in such a good mood?”

“Of course! You know how the public opinion is these days.”

There was positive speculation about Viare becoming the new heir of the Ruschev family.

Her rapid growth and prominence in the family’s affairs had contributed to this.

Viare, who had shown a talent for managing affairs, had gradually taken on more duties at the Duke’s residence and the Cheil Trading Consortium.

The work suited her more than she expected, and her competence allowed her to quickly adapt.

In meetings, she surprised everyone with welfare policies for the citizens and urban planning.

Of course, her foresight into future events played a role, but Viare had developed and implemented new strategies beyond the existing methods.

Her preventive measures and solutions for potential heavy snow damage had led to a reevaluation of her in public opinion.

Even the high-nosed nobles had begun inviting Viare, an unthinkable scenario in the past.

Wearing a mask in their presence wasn’t difficult for her, allowing her to penetrate the heart of the social circles.

Despite the existence of high-ranking families that still shunned her, she was content with the progress she had made.

“Lady, are you going directly to the Cheil Trading Consortium?”

“No, tell the coachman we’ll leave a bit later.”

“Understood.”

After finishing her preparation, Diane left with a satisfied smile. Viare took out a dried leaf of Densifolia from the mahogany desk drawer.

She regularly filled a bottle with dried Densifolia leaves, longing for the traces of him.

Opening the lid, a faint but gentle fragrance spread from the bottle.

‘Your presence is still so vivid.’

Over these two years, Viare had not met Dension.

He hadn’t appeared at the birthday banquet, major bookstores, or literary meetings.

Hoping to encounter him, she visited places they had met, but nothing changed.

Unlike the past, her memories with him had vanished like a mirage, and she had to endure the heartache.

Time was supposed to heal and replace old memories with new ones, but Viare couldn’t forget Dension. In fact, she couldn’t.

Interrupted by a knock, Viare sighed lightly and headed to the Cheil Trading Consortium.

Upon arrival, the Duke was out on a morning business trip, and Gaizen was negotiating with a client in another reception room.

As Viare meticulously reviewed the order lists, Fabian, who had entered unnoticed, glanced at the documents and said,

“It’s refreshing to see you here, Lady.”

“Is it alright for you to be away from there?”
The true owner of Burnard at 34th Street was someone else, but it was he who paraded around the underworld acting as the guild leader.

Two years ago, on that day, Fabian had a deal with Gaizen and passed over the siblings’ affair without informing the Duke.

He claimed to follow only the family’s principle of serving their master, but there might have been another reason.

Although Fabian was not entirely trustworthy, Viare knew him to be reliable in his work, observing Gaizen’s frustration with him.

“I’ve come to deliver something to the guild leader.”

“Alright, I’ll pass it on. You can leave it here.”

“Oh, Lady. Please don’t take away the joy of my work.”

Over the past two years, Viare had observed two things about Fabian.

He enjoyed seeing Gaizen in difficult situations, yet remained loyal to him.

Understanding his contradictory attitude was a puzzle, and as Viare was pondering this, Gaizen entered the office with a particularly irritated expression, indicating that the morning negotiation hadn’t gone smoothly.

“Gaizen, is there a problem?”

“That merchant is adamant about not signing an exclusive contract. He’s really full of himself now.”

Gaizen had been confident that the merchant wouldn’t dare refuse an exclusive contract with the Cheil Trading Consortium, but he was visibly frustrated by the unsuccessful negotiation.

“I’ll handle the afternoon negotiation.”

“What? But he’s impossible to deal with. Are you sure, Sister?”

Seeing her brother’s concerned look, Viare smiled reassuringly and replied,

“I am a Ruschev, after all. I can handle it.”

Gaizen nodded and seemed to notice Fabian in the room only then.

“Why are you here?”

“The guild leader never shows his face, so I had to come personally.”

“I don’t have time for jokes. Just state your business.”

“A new key has arrived for the God of Absence.”

“This is….”