The sky filled with rain was covered in dark clouds, without a single ray of sunlight visible.

The drizzling spring rain was gently moistening the flower buds, and a hazy mist hung over the garden.

Biare carefully walked through the imperial palace garden, as puddles of rainwater had formed here and there.

This morning, after receiving a message from her father through the butler, she had reluctantly come to the palace.

The duke had urgently asked his daughter to bring documents he had left behind for the state council meeting.

However, as the meeting unexpectedly continued late into the afternoon with no sign of ending, Biare was huddled under a large tree, shivering as she took shelter from the rain.

She could have waited inside, but for some reason, she felt averse to even setting foot in the imperial palace.

‘When on earth are you coming out?’

Given that the duke had not yet appeared, it wasn’t difficult to deduce that the documents weren’t truly urgent.

From the start, his summoning his daughter to the palace was likely a ploy to create an excuse for her to meet the crown prince, even briefly.

But unfortunately, it seemed the heavens were not inclined to side with Duke Ruschef.

The crown prince had to visit another country due to urgent business, so he had only attended the morning meeting before leaving, it was said.

It appeared her father was thoroughly tied up with the royal family and nobility.

As Biare leaned against the tree, quietly watching the unceasing raindrops, nobles began emerging one after another from the palace corridors.

Their faces looked haggard, seemingly exhausted from the long-running state council meeting.

‘Is Father still not done?’

Just then, she saw someone trudging towards her under an umbrella.

Thinking the duke might have asked an aide to receive the documents, she was about to take them out from her bosom when—

“What brings the duke’s daughter here?”

The one who folded his umbrella with a few taps and stepped under the tree beside her was none other than Dension.

It was natural for him to attend the state council meeting as Marquis Verdeum, but she hadn’t expected to meet him today at all.

Biare looked at him with a slightly surprised expression, let out a short sigh, and greeted him politely.

“I greet you, Marquis Verdeum.”

She had deliberately chosen a secluded tree with lush leaves to avoid being noticed, so she found it remarkable how he had discovered her.

Seeing him still looking curious, Biare hesitated, then swallowed a shallow sigh and said:

“My father asked me to bring documents needed for the meeting.”

Raising one eyebrow slightly at her words, Dension looked alternately at the steadily falling spring rain and Biare as he spoke.

“Duke Ruschef will likely be delayed further.”

“Pardon? Why is that?”

Without answering her question, Dension took off the uniform jacket he was wearing and draped it over Biare’s shivering shoulders.

“You didn’t have to take it off…”

“The weather is cold. Please wear it.”

As he said this, he answered the question Biare had asked earlier.

“His Majesty the Emperor has requested an audience with Duke Ruschef.”

“His Majesty the Emperor…?”

It wasn’t unusual for Duke Ruschef, who pledged loyalty to the imperial family, to have a private conversation with the emperor.

However, she found it concerning that such a thing would occur in front of the other nobles.

As Biare’s face paled, Dension looked worried and examined her expression as he asked:

“Indeed… Are you alright?”

“Ah, I’m fine.”

At this, Biare hastily hid her expression, but having already seen it, he seemed unconvinced.

“…Is there something on your mind?”

“No. What would I, a mere duke’s daughter, know?”

If it was related to state affairs or secrets exchanged between them, she would not be able to discern their intentions.

She only felt suffocated by the possibility that the emperor’s reason for summoning the duke separately might be related to their children’s engagement.

Unable to bring herself to tell Dension about her engagement, she could only force a slight upturn of her tightly pressed lips.

Nodding at her response, he wrapped the jacket more snugly around Biare and said:

“He left the meeting room earlier, so he should be out soon if you wait a bit longer.”

“…I see.”

Biare turned her head to hide her faintly blushing cheeks from his gentle and considerate gesture.

Clearing his throat a couple of times in the awkward atmosphere, Dension mentioned the book she had gifted him previously.

“I read the book you gave me last time.”

“You mean ‘To Reclaim Destiny’?”

He nodded slightly at this, and Biare’s heart filled with joy as if a spring breeze had blown in.

Though she tried not to show it, Dension let out a faint laugh seeing her delighted expression.

At this, Biare tilted her head curiously, and he pretended not to notice as he spoke about the book she had given him.

“It was much more impressive than I had expected.”

“I knew you would like it.”

As Biare smiled with satisfaction, beaming broadly, he too wore an elegant smile.

For this day at least, it felt like she was with the Dension of the past, so this moment of meeting him now was precious and dear to her.

As Biare was lost in memories, he pondered something deeply, placing a hand on his chin as he spoke.

“But there was still something I couldn’t understand.”

“…What couldn’t you understand?”

The man standing beside her leaned against the tree with his arms crossed, as if utterly perplexed.

“Choosing death while hurting those left behind.”

Clearly, the Dension of the past had not understood at first either, but eventually said he respected the female protagonist’s choice in the novel.

However, the current him merely shrugged, saying he still couldn’t fathom the protagonist’s situation.

‘You didn’t use to be like this…’

Though he was the same person then and now, she couldn’t help but feel bitterness whenever she sensed the disparity.

Yet at the same time, Biare was curious. Would the current Dension understand his past self’s actions?

“If someone left their lover behind… what reason do you think they might have had, Marquis?”

Seeing him look at her quizzically, Biare added evasively that she had read about it in another book.

“You mean a situation where someone disappears?”

Biare nodded at his words, swallowing dryly as she waited for his answer.

“Yes. In such a situation, what do you think the reason might have been?”

‘Sion, what answer would you give?’

Once, thinking it was love’s fickleness, she had only wept in her room, but perhaps now she could face his heart.

“Hmm, such a situation…”

Biare quietly waited for his answer, hoping he couldn’t hear her loudly pounding heart.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t have left my lover in the first place.”

“But… you never know, right?”

“I don’t see why one would need to, especially while causing hurt.”

“…”

At those words, Biare could only bite her pressed lips without saying anything.

‘Sion, why did you have to leave after all?’

Perhaps by then, Dension had also guessed who had killed the previous marquis and his wife, and who had been involved in their deaths.

But thinking of the past year when his whereabouts had been unknown, many things weighed on her mind.

‘If I could just get my hands on Reymond’s key, I could get closer to the truth.’

As Biare was lost in thought, he said with a troubled expression that he had an evening engagement.

“It seems I must be going now.”

Only now did she realize that Dension had stayed with her out of concern, worried about her waiting alone for the duke.

“You should go quickly. I’ll be fine.”

With that, Biare took off the jacket she had been wearing, folded it neatly, and handed it back to him.

“Thanks to you, I was able to wait warmly for my father.”

“You could return it next time we meet…”

At that moment, the rain turned into a downpour, and unable to hear what Dension was saying, Biare asked loudly:

“Marquis, what did you just say?”

“…It’s nothing. It seems Duke Ruschef is also coming out of the meeting room now.”

At this, he put his uniform jacket back on, bowed slightly, and calmly went on his way, while Biare watched his retreating figure discreetly, making sure no one noticed.

The duke, who had been urgently searching for Biare, finally spotted his daughter standing under the tree and approached with an apologetic expression.

“Biare, I’m sorry. Did you wait long?”

“A little. Did the meeting go well?”

“Yes, His Majesty the Emperor urgently requested an audience.”

The duke seemed distressed to see Biare waiting in the chilly weather, sending her a concerned look as he spoke.

“Why didn’t you wait inside? You’re so susceptible to cold…”

Unable to honestly confess her feelings to the duke, she answered with a faint smile.

“The air inside felt a bit stuffy, so I waited outside.”

The duke took his daughter’s hand in his warmed one, and Biare felt a disconcerting disconnect at how affectionate the touch seemed.