It was a pitch-black dark room.

Unlike the calm atmosphere of a well-organized space, the air currents swirling above it were strangely excited as if a storm had just swept through.

Eventually, there was a rustling sound, and Edric came down from on top of her.

Beads of sweat trickled down along the valleys of his neatly defined abdominal muscles.

Melly pulled up the blanket and admired his physique with the help of the darkness.

His broad chest with its nicely formed ridges made him look even more solid. The sweat that had seeped out gave his skin a sleek sheen.

The sound of his rough breathing as he lay next to Melly felt quite sensual.

Melly felt proud thinking that she had given him satisfaction.

She watched him for a moment before moving closer to him.

She wanted to share warmth with him.

Not the heat that felt like it would burn her whole body, but a long-lasting, gentle warmth.

It was the only moment when she could confirm his love.

But before she could reach him, Edric removed the arm covering his eyes and got up.

“Well, get some rest.”

He seemed to be planning to leave just like that.

“… Are you leaving?”

Melly hurriedly grabbed his arm. His skin was slippery with sweat.

“I have work to do.”

“…”

“… Do you have something to say?”

Edric asked. As if he would only stay if she had something to say.

“No.”

I just wanted to hold you tight. As always.

But she couldn’t hold back someone who had work to do for such a trivial reason.

“No. Nothing.”

Melly let go of his arm. Her hand slid smoothly down his arm.

“Don’t overdo it.”

“You get some rest too.”

Edric picked up the robe that had fallen to the floor.

His well-sculpted body was hidden under the bleak grey robe.

He left the bedroom without looking back.

He had just performed the act of consummation like a ritual and left.

Melly pulled the blanket up to her chin.

The sweat hadn’t even dried yet. The heat he had given her hadn’t faded either.

But he had left like that, and Melly was left alone in the bed. A naked body in a large bed. And skin slippery with sweat. She laughed at how it looked as if she had enjoyed herself alone.

Melly gently stroked the place where Edric had been.

The soft bed was still warm with his body heat.

Melly slowly moved to the side and quietly laid her body on top of it.

It somewhat soothed her disappointment.

Come to think of it, this wasn’t the first time he had left immediately after their relationship ended.

Even when he was holding Melly and sharing the afterglow, if an urgent matter arose, he would leave her behind. Even when that wasn’t the case, he didn’t pay as much attention to quietly communing with her as he used to. The time spent embracing grew shorter and shorter, and sleeping in separate rooms became the norm.

The moments of talking softly face to face all night long now felt like a story from the distant past.

Melly wanted to ask many times while making love.

‘Do you still love me?’

But she didn’t. At those moments, he was like a beast that had lost its reason. Whatever she said, he seemed like he would agree.

She didn’t like that. She wanted to hear it when he was in a rational state, when he knew well what he was saying. Not words he wouldn’t even remember.

But when everything was over, she didn’t have the courage to ask.

‘I must ask next time. Next time. When the mood is right.’

She always put it off until next time with such thoughts. And when next time came, she put it off again to the next time.

But now she wanted to ask something else.

‘Why did you think of marrying me?’

She wondered what answer would come… No, she didn’t wonder.

“The regular banquet at the duke’s mansion is coming up soon. I was thinking of hiring outside help to prepare for this banquet. What do you think, Edric?”

Eida asked during dinner. Edric nodded and asked back.

“I don’t mind… but why, Mother?”

“It’s for Melly’s sake. If we only use household staff, Melly will end up helping too, and won’t that be too hard on our daughter-in-law?”

At Eida’s words, Edric’s eyes turned to Melly. For a moment, a bitter smile seemed to form at the corners of his mouth.

It was as if he was saying, ‘Was that the only reason?’

“She should get used to difficult tasks. That’s how one improves.”

Edric said in an indifferent tone, as if handling a business matter.

Melly managed her expression to avoid spoiling the atmosphere.

For the past few years, Edric had entrusted Melly with the important task of hosting the regular banquet at the duke’s mansion.

Melly had stayed up for several nights to perform the task perfectly, but inevitably, there were still gaps. Whether it was omitting some people from the guest list, or serving spoiled wine because the temperature gauge in the wine cellar happened to break down, or accidentally changing the order of the banquet and causing the guests to be in disarray.

Perhaps errors occurred as it passed through the hands of subordinates. There were no problems when she checked. But it was the duty of the duchess to anticipate and prevent even such errors. Therefore, Melly couldn’t refute Edric’s unilateral notification.

‘From now on, you’re off the event hosting duties.’

There was no anger in his voice at that time.

He had simply excluded her as a result of the purely rational judgment that she was not fit to be in charge of the progress of important family events.

He subsequently entrusted all banquets to his mother, Eida Pelton.

“Mother, please take care of everything. Have this person handle the trivial matters.”

He assigned roles with an emotionless attitude and then got up from his seat.

But Melly didn’t want to remain a dropout forever.

She briefly visited Edric’s quarters after the dinner was over.

“Um, darling.”

“What is it?”

Edric, who was sitting in an armchair reading a book, answered without even raising his head.

His dark blue eyes reflected orange in the lamplight.

“I have something to show you.”

Melly handed him a neat sheet of paper.

His gaze shifted to the paper.

“What’s this?”

“It’s just something I scribbled when I had time, I wanted to see what you thought.”

She had been thinking of a few phrases for the invitation to this banquet.

It was something she had written after reading literature books and pondering for days.

She thought she had written it quite well.

“Well written.”

Edric said as he quickly scanned the paper and handed it back. Melly was happy. For a moment.

“Use it when hosting a tea party.”

“…”

That meant it wasn’t good enough for the regular banquet invitation.

This time, she wanted to be of help somehow. She persisted.

“If there are parts that need fixing, please tell me. I’ll go right now and correct it.”

Edric lifted his eyes from the book he was holding. The blue, intellectual eyes hidden behind his glasses made him look even colder.

“It’s not a problem that can be fixed by correcting.”

“Then if I write it completely from scratch…”

“If you really want to do something, Melly.”

Melly. When that name was called, Melly had to prepare herself mentally.

“Why don’t you read the last ten days’ worth of special editions? Knowing current affairs will give you topics to discuss with people.”

“…”

He never outright said things like your writing is crude or it’s garbage.

He crushed Melly’s stubbornness very effectively in his own elegant way.

Melly gathered up the paper with a feeling like a thorn had pricked her fingertip.

“Yes… I understand.”

She said weakly and turned around.

Outside the door, Melly looked at the paper with the phrases written on it once more.

The words that had seemed so perfect until just a moment ago now seemed to overflow with sloppy and crude expressions.

Even the handwriting looked like chicken scratch.

Melly remembered Edric’s flowing handwriting.

And she recalled the invitation phrases he had always written himself.

They were simple and sophisticated phrases without any unnecessary elements.

To think she believed these sloppy phrases would appeal to his eyes. What basis did she have for such confidence?

Melly suddenly felt disgusted by the paper in her hand.

As soon as she returned to her quarters, she threw the paper into the fireplace flames.

The paper blackened and shriveled up. It felt as if her self-esteem was perishing along with the paper.

‘Regardless of era and generation…’

Edric recalled the phrase Melly had written.

He couldn’t say it was good, but he couldn’t say it was bad either.

She had demonstrated the best ability she could within her capacity.

It’s just that what the Pelton family needed was not ‘doing well within her limits’.

The Pelton family, on par with the imperial family, the Pelton ducal family revered by the empire’s people, had to do more than that.

Therefore, Melly’s writing was lacking.

But for smaller events like balls hosted at home, rather than big events like the regular banquet, it seemed okay to let her write the invitation phrases. Her writing lacked the charisma to captivate everyone, but it had an emotional style that ladies would likely appreciate.

‘It would be good to use for tea party invitations.’

He had given what he thought was a word of praise. But Melly seemed unhappy, as if she wanted something more.

‘Then if I write it completely from scratch…’

She’s been rushing too many things lately. Pregnancy too.

‘If you really want to do something, Melly, why don’t you read the last ten days’ worth of special editions?’

Adding advice was impulsive, but he didn’t feel like he had made a mistake.

She didn’t read the special editions well.

Because of that, she often remained silent at social gatherings, unable to follow the flow of conversation.

‘What is she thinking?’

Judging by her enthusiasm about the invitation phrases, it didn’t seem like she lacked motivation.

Edric couldn’t understand Melly’s feelings at all.