“Ah…”

When Riena opened her eyes again, it was gradually getting brighter outside the window.

‘How could I have forgotten.’

It was such an intense memory, she couldn’t understand how she had forgotten it until now.

Riena hesitated for a moment, then put on a robe over her nightgown and went out to the living room. When she opened the door connected to Cassel’s room, there was another door.

Should she knock or not?

Riena clenched her right hand into a fist and hesitated.

She was worried about whether she really needed to see him this early in the morning and if it would bother him.

But she wanted to see him. She wanted to tell him that she remembered her childhood memories after seeing his face.

Is it okay to do that? Is it alright to see Cassel using this private passage when they don’t have much of a relationship?

After much contemplation, Riena knocked on the door. But there was no response from inside.

She tried knocking again, but still received no answer.

On the off chance, she tried turning the doorknob and it opened.

“…!”

Riena was startled and stepped back without even opening the door.

‘I didn’t expect it to be unlocked.’

Of course, she thought Cassel would have locked the door too. That’s why she tried turning the doorknob.

Riena held her breath and checked the situation inside.

Either he didn’t notice her presence, or no one was there, as there was still no reaction from inside.

Riena carefully stepped back and closed the door to her own room. She considered locking the door but decided against it.

She returned to the bedroom and pulled the bell rope.

Although she had acted on impulse and done something absurd, as time passed and she fully woke up, she was actually relieved that no one knew about her actions.

Once the embarrassment faded, only the good feelings from last night’s dream remained. Her body also felt refreshed from getting a good sleep.

It seemed like she could spend the day in a happy mood for the first time in a long while.

Amy must have noticed the same thing, as she brought in the washing water and said cheerfully,

“I was worried you might have trouble sleeping due to the change in your bed, but thankfully it seems you slept well.”

“Yes, I slept well. I haven’t been able to sleep deeply since father passed away, but I feel really refreshed for the first time in a while.”

“I’m sorry to hear about Count Dyke’s passing.”

“There’s no need for that. It’s already been two months.”

Riena, who had lightly washed her face, muttered as she wiped her cheeks with a fluffy towel.

“Besides, my dreams have been unsettling these days, but I think I had a good dream last night.”

“What kind of dream did you have?”

“A dream from my childhood. I dreamt of a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time.”

“That’s really fortunate. I’m glad it seems you’re off to a good start here. More importantly, aren’t you hungry? We were all quite worried since you didn’t eat anything all day yesterday.”

“Now that you mention it, I do feel a bit hungry.”

Amy continued as she examined the dresses hanging in the wardrobe.

“I was also very conflicted yesterday. Whether it would be better to wake you up to eat in the middle or to just let you sleep deeply. Mother said you needed to sleep soundly to recover from the fatigue, so I didn’t wake you.”

Noticing the slight guilt in Amy’s words, Riena quickly reassured her.

“It’s alright. I actually preferred it.”

She purposely didn’t mention waking up in the middle of the night.

“By the way, did you send the letter I asked for yesterday?”

At those words, Amy looked startled as if she had forgotten, then pulled out a letter from her apron pocket.

“A reply came from the Donovan estate last night. And I delivered the letter to the Berna family as well, but it seems Lord Berna hasn’t returned to the capital yet. They said they would deliver the letter to him once he returns.”

“Okay, thank you.”

While Amy was choosing clothes, Riena tore open the letter.

The letter, which began with ‘To my dear niece, Riena’, was shorter than expected.

I heard about your father, Count Dyke. You must have been very shocked by the sudden accident.

I considered contacting you, worried about you being left alone, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it for fear that you might receive unwanted attention from the Countess.

To think you would reach out to me first, please forgive this unworthy aunt of yours.

By the way, the Winkler ducal residence is a bit unexpected.

I knew Count Dyke was acquainted with the Winkler family, but I didn’t know you had interactions with them as well.

I’m not sure what happened, but it seems a lot has occurred.

Let’s discuss the details when we meet. This week is difficult with many prior engagements, but I’ll keep next weekend free so come have a cup of tea with me then.

Letitia Donovan.

For now, she was relieved that the Marchioness Donovan wasn’t displeased by the sudden contact.

Riena let out a sigh of relief and put the letter in the desk drawer.

Soon Amy returned and helped her change clothes.

The sleeves of the previous Duchess’s clothes were still a bit long, but the fabric was of good quality so it was comfortable to move in.

Riena headed to the dining room in a cheerful mood with Amy.

The thought of telling Cassel about the dream she had last night made her steps light.

However, Cassel was not in the dining room. Judging by the single set of cutlery prepared on the long table, it didn’t seem like he was simply coming down late.

Riena, who had sat down on the chair pulled out by the servant, asked him cautiously.

“His Grace isn’t coming?”

“His Grace has gone out.”

“This early in the morning? Without even having breakfast?”

“His Grace usually skips breakfast.”

This time Amy answered instead.

“I see. If I had known, I would have just eaten in my room. I unnecessarily made the maids in the dining room busy.”

“It’s alright for us.”

“That’s right. Serving you is our pleasure.”

The servants and maids answered reflexively, but Riena didn’t feel at ease. Reading her mind, Amy asked,

“Then shall I bring breakfast to your room starting from tomorrow?”

“Yes, I think that would be better. You don’t need to prepare much, just bring some bread and yogurt lightly.”

“Alright, I’ll let the kitchen know.”

Riena looked at the table that was empty except for her, then started eating the omelette.

And for a while, only the sounds of Riena eating could be heard in the dining room.

The clinking of utensils against the plate, the sound of drinking juice.

There were servants standing around the table to wait on her, but Riena felt as if she was alone.

‘This is the first time.’

She couldn’t remember ever eating alone at the Dyke estate.

Count Dyke had tried to join her for meals no matter what until he remarried.

If work prevented him from joining the meal, the nanny would sit across from Riena and eat with her.

After the Count remarried, even if it wasn’t the nanny, Riena always had someone to eat with.

Moreover, mealtimes became particularly lively after her half-brother Aaron was born.

Separate from the fact that Riena found mealtimes awkward.

It was the same even after Count Dyke died.

The meals she attended in mourning clothes for a while were not as lively as before, but they weren’t this quiet either.

The meal carefully prepared by the head chef was delicious, but she had no appetite.

When Riena wiped her mouth with a napkin without even emptying half the plate, Amy approached and asked cautiously.

“Is it alright if you don’t eat more?”

“Yes. I ate plenty.”

“If the food wasn’t to your liking, I’ll have them make something new.”

“No, the food was really delicious. Please tell the head chef I’m grateful for the excellent meal.”

“Alright.”

After finishing her meal, Riena toured the residence guided by Amy.

First, she was introduced to the servants she couldn’t meet yesterday as she was recovering from fatigue.

The most memorable was meeting the head maid, Amy’s mother and Cassel’s former nanny, whom she was most curious about.

“Young lady, it’s truly an honor to formally introduce myself. I am Sandra Carrot, the head maid of the Winkler estate. As you already know, your personal maid Amy is my daughter.”

Riena had imagined red hair, but Sandra had ordinary brown hair.

As if reading her thoughts, Amy shyly explained.

“I got my hair from my father. It really is like a carrot, right? But my eyes resemble my mother’s.”

“Yes, they do.”

Riena, who answered lightly, formally greeted Sandra.

“Nice to meet you. I don’t know much about the Winkler family or the capital, so would it be alright if I ask you a lot of questions in the future?”

“Of course. If you ask me anything, I’ll tell you everything I know. About His Grace as well. I know many stories from His Grace’s childhood that you may not be aware of.”

“Thank you. That sounds very intriguing.”

After a round of introductions, she began touring the residence in earnest.

Amy guided her around, starting from the first floor hall.

The dining room, kitchen, parlor, library, Cassel’s study, and so on. It was so spacious that the residence tour continued even after lunch.

“This is the room where the portraits are collected.”

Like the other rooms, Amy only introduced the room and tried to move on to the next one.

Riena grabbed Amy’s hand as she was about to close the door.

“Can I look inside for a moment?”

Amy seemed puzzled but soon nodded.

“Of course. You want to see His Grace’s paintings, right?”

“Yes.”

Riena felt a bit embarrassed, her face flushing.

‘I want to see sides of His Grace that I don’t know. I’m curious about what Cass looked like as a child too.’

Amy guided Riena inside with a slight smile on her face.