When Biare saw the unfamiliar appearance of Marquis Verdeum, her heart felt a tingling and numbing sensation, leaving her perplexed.

Her heart seemed to be pounding loudly with an inexplicable unpleasant emotion.

She found herself bewildered at how much she cared about his liking someone else, wondering what it had to do with her.

‘Me, with Marquis Verdeum? That’s impossible.’

If someone could have peeked into her mind, they would have been busy laughing; no matter how she thought about it, it didn’t make sense.

She repeatedly reminded herself that it was simply because she had read a passionate love poem today, and because it was perfect weather for reading such a poem.

As Biare sat with a dazed expression, her mind soaked in the rippling breeze, a young lady sitting next to her observed her carefully.

“My lady, are you feeling unwell?”

“Not at all. I’m just a bit tired.”

Only after seeing Biare answer with a bright smile on her face did the young lady seem somewhat relieved.

In Biare’s mind, questions like ‘Me? Why?’ kept swirling, making it impossible for her to properly listen to others’ poetry recitations.

Moreover, by the time Marquis Verdeum began his presentation, she had already left her seat.

Though she felt she had unintentionally been rude, she didn’t want to take back her actions.

It was quite contradictory that while knowing her chosen method was mere avoidance, she felt relieved on the other hand.

Biare felt that she needed some fresh air to clear her unfamiliar, unknown emotions.

As she stood for a while, facing the fluttering wind, her complicated thoughts gradually began to sort themselves out.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

Startled by the low baritone voice right behind her, Biare lost her balance and stumbled.

At that moment, seeing Marquis Verdeum swiftly reaching out to support her arm, she was even more surprised and ended up pushing him away.

Flustered by her own unexpectedly rude behavior, she carefully apologized.

“I’m sorry. I was so startled…”

For a moment, a hurt expression flashed across his face, but soon the Marquis showed a generous smile and spoke calmly.

“It’s alright.”

In the awkward silence, Biare slightly bit her lower lip out of habit and then remembered his question.

“I was feeling fatigued and was taking a rest.”

“Shouldn’t you return to the mansion?”

“No, I was just starting to feel better.”

He didn’t seem to entirely believe her words, but it wouldn’t have made a difference even if he did.

“…I see.”

“But what brings you here?”

“I came out because I was worried about you, my lady.”

‘He was worried about me?’

As Biare’s eyebrows raised slightly at the unexpected answer, Marquis Verdeum’s lips curled into a smirk.

‘Is he joking right now?’

Biare squinted her eyes and glared at him without trying to hide her expression.

Seemingly unconcerned by her gaze, the Marquis shrugged and added.

“I’m serious.”

Startled at the thought that he might have seen through her feelings, Biare almost avoided his gaze, which was still fixed on her.

Both of them were consistently silent, neither thinking to speak first.

As fatigue washed over her again due to the unexpected turn of events, she bit her closed lips.

Feeling she couldn’t bear it any longer, Biare decided to express her gratitude for the gift she had received from him at their last meeting.

After all, he was the head of the Verdeum Marquis family.

Someone she shouldn’t treat carelessly or disrespectfully.

“I enjoyed reading the book you gifted me last time.”

“You read ‘The Shadow Hidden in Two Eyes’?”

As she absently observed the Marquis’s expression brightening noticeably, Biare discovered a new fact about him.

With his chilly silver hair and profound blue eyes, he might seem cold on the outside, but when he smiled, he had a boyish grin.

And another thing, when he smiled, a small dimple formed on his left cheek.

As Biare stared at his face for a while, the Marquis touched his face and asked.

“Is there something on my face?”

Realizing that she had been smiling faintly at him, Biare was greatly flustered but quickly shook her head.

Blushing at her own actions, she waved her hands and even stammered.

“No. Nothing at all.”

‘Why did he suddenly look cute?’

To shake off her stray thoughts, she pressed her cold hands against her warm cheeks, then composed herself and said.

“I really enjoyed that book. Much more than I expected.”

“I knew you would like it.”

At that moment, she couldn’t help but acknowledge why the young ladies at tea parties and banquets marveled at his appearance.

Objectively speaking, he possessed a handsome face, and it seemed his smile had affected her as well. It overlapped with the image of a large dog smiling innocently.

‘Yes, that must be it. There’s no other reason.’

“I didn’t know you were so well-versed in literature, Marquis.”

Biare tilted her head curiously, wondering why he had only now become a member of the Monterio Literary Society.

“…I’ve been busy until now.”

‘Well, just looking at Gaizen, it’s clear there wasn’t much time for leisure.’

She agreed with his words without much thought, recalling her own brother.

Moreover, hadn’t he ascended to the high position of Marquis even before reaching adulthood?

He must have had a considerable amount of work to handle.

“Congratulations once again.”

“Thank you, my lady.”

Just as Biare and he were about to walk side by side back to the recitation hall where everyone must be waiting,

“By the way, my lady, about the poem you recited earlier.”

“You mean ‘For You to Love Me Again’?”

“Yes, was there a particular reason you chose it?”

He had shown an unusual expression while listening to the poem recitation, and it seemed the poem had made quite an impression on him.

“It was a poem my parents loved.”

“The Duke and Duchess?”

“Yes. They were very close.”

The Duke had not given the vacant position to anyone, unable to forget the Duchess who had passed away five years ago.

Although it wouldn’t have been strange for him to take a new wife, he didn’t even keep a mistress, which was common, and stayed away from women.

The rumor that Duke Ruschef was a devoted husband was already known throughout the entire empire, and no one dared to covet the position of the next mistress of the house.

Biare glanced at Marquis Verdeum and casually asked him in an indifferent tone.

“It seems my poem left a deep impression on you, Marquis.”

At that question, he stopped walking and appeared uncharacteristically flustered.

The Marquis just silently stared at her without saying a word.

Biare also slowly came to a stop and stared directly at her reflection in his blue eyes.

“…”

Again. This time too, he was wearing an expression immersed in sadness, as if thinking of someone.

His eyes seemed to be filled with a mix of complex, indescribable emotions.

“It must have been someone important.”

“Pardon?”

“The person you’re thinking of right now.”

“…”

As if struck at a critical point, his sturdy hands trembled slightly, and Biare, not missing this, simply continued to watch him quietly.

‘He doesn’t have to tell me if he doesn’t want to.’

Was he now remembering a precious person and feeling confused?

Perhaps Marquis Verdeum was experiencing a love more difficult than Biare could imagine.

Like the author of ‘For You to Love Me Again’.

Just as Biare was about to naturally change the subject, thinking she might have brought up the wrong topic,

“As you said, my lady, it was someone precious.”

‘I didn’t know he could make such an expression…’

Whoever it was, they were clearly someone very important to the Marquis.

He was wearing a face he had never shown before, more subdued than ever.

The look in his eyes as he thought of his precious person was so tender and passionate that it made even Biare’s heart ache.

“You must be thinking of a lover.”

When Biare asked in a deliberately indifferent tone, his eyes trembled ever so slightly.

“…A lover? That’s not possible.”

“Hmm?”

As she looked at the Marquis with a rather doubtful expression, he asserted his innocence in his own way.

“I really don’t have one.”

But his affectionate gaze as he recalled his precious person seemed to imply that he was in true love.

Biare showed a mischievous smile and asked him.

“You must want to meet that person soon.”

The Marquis’s smile in response to her playful words was so lonely that she could only blink her eyes.

“Well, I can’t meet them anymore.”

For a moment, her wavering blue-green eyes and his cold blue eyes intertwined.

His eyes seemed to be deeply clouded with a darkness that Biare could never fathom, nor should she try to.

When she sensed that she shouldn’t ask any more about this matter, she deliberately turned her head away.

Numerous questions flooded her mind, but she had no right to ask such questions.

It was only later that she learned his precious person was his deceased first love.