The news that Edric Pelton had banned women from entering the ducal residence spread throughout the capital.

Yet despite this, the stream of women visiting his house did not cease.

His devoted obsession with his departed wife and state of near self-loss only further fueled women’s affections.

They knew well that to capture the man they admired, it was advantageous to strike when he was at his weakest.

Even though Kayla Royce had been humiliated and driven away, they thought they would be different.

They did not give up on comforting Edric.

“Please tell His Grace I will wait. I won’t leave him in this state for long, unlike others.”

They thought that someday Edric would open his heart to them.

Finally, Edric came out and opened the door.

His face was calm and composed. He even seemed to have a faint smile on his lips.

The expressions of the women waiting for him at the door brightened. They all thought their efforts had finally paid off.

“Your Grace, thank you for coming out.”

A woman with beautiful blonde hair and rosy cheeks came forward as a representative and spoke.

“I couldn’t just stand by, thinking how heartbroken you must be to ban people from entering your home.”

“……”

“Please allow me to lend you what little strength I can.”

“That’s right. At times like this, you shouldn’t be alone but should mingle with people.”

“I agree. In that spirit……”

The women raised their voices, trying to outdo each other.

Edric’s smile deepened.

He slowly scanned his surroundings and spoke.

“Everyone.”

“……”

“Stop this foolishness and get lost.”

He finally shed his courtesy.

He narrowed his eyes and looked directly into everyone’s eyes one by one.

It was a sharp and piercing gaze, as if a beast that had been deeply wounded before was trying to identify potential forces that might hurt him again.

If they had tried to embrace such a man to the end, even if they couldn’t become lovers, their sincerity might have gotten through.

Melly was like that. Back then, she had scolded Edric, standing up to his intimidating presence that seemed about to devour her.

She was not afraid of him.

But these women were afraid of him.

They hastily retreated. And never visited the ducal residence again.

After that day, malicious talk surrounding him circulated endlessly in society.

The women who had been turned away at his door joined forces to slander him.

If previously everything about him had been an object of reverence, now everything became a target of criticism.

The more they tore him down and bit at him, the more they felt their wounded pride healing.

Furthermore, they persuaded their relatives to cut off all business dealings with the Pelton family, arguing that insulting them was no different from insulting their family.

Most did not accept this, distinguishing between public and private matters, but some were extremely angered and put it into action.

Even at the cost of their own losses.

Still, they left room for reconciliation by saying they would restore everything to its original state if Edric apologized. That way, they could save both profit and face.

But Edric did not apologize. He paid no attention to the rumors circulating about him in society, nor to the business losses.

He was in an almost completely isolated state, and at such times, he seemed trapped in his own world, unable to hear any sound or feel any stimulus.

But every time he came to his senses, his eyes were sharp as if concentrating his usual coolness, and his tone was biting.

Due to Edric’s oscillation between extremely powerless and extremely sensitive states, the servants felt like they were walking on a knife’s edge every day. Some even quit their jobs, unable to bear this pressure.

It seemed nothing could return Edric to his former self. Except for Melly.

Without her return, there seemed to be no way out of this vicious cycle…

“……!”

Edric’s eyes, which had once again fallen into a powerless state, suddenly became clear when the midday sun slowly disappeared behind feathery clouds.

Edric’s bright blue eyes behind his glasses sparkled as if receiving a divine revelation.

He hurriedly turned around. And he rang the desk bell until it broke, waiting for Wilson to enter.

“Your Grace, did you call?”

But it was the butler who entered.

Wilson, who found it difficult to handle Edric’s intense mood swings, had pushed the butler in his place.

“Wh… What is it?”

The butler asked, trembling.

“Prepare the carriage.”

“The carriage? Why the……”

He thought Edric might be trying to alleviate his anxiety by barging into someone’s house again. If so, he was determined to stop him this time.

“I have somewhere to go.”

Unlike when he broke the desk bell, his tone was calm.

The butler didn’t ask further. It didn’t seem like he was going to barge into an innocent house.

“Um, Your Grace. We… we’ve arrived……”

The driver announced for the third time in front of the carriage door.

Edric had remained motionless until the third announcement.

He usually spent some time lost in thought after the carriage arrived, but this time it was longer.

Rather than being absent-minded, he seemed hesitant. As if afraid of facing a truth he didn’t want to confront.

The driver cleared his throat and was about to announce again.

“Your Grace, we’ve arrived at Milord Square as you……”

“I know.”

Edric cut off the driver’s words and stepped out of the carriage.

“Sh… Shall I accompany you?”

The driver asked, worried because his master’s condition seemed worse than usual.

“No need. I’ll go alone.”

“Then I’ll wait here. If you need me anytime……”

Without listening to his last words, Edric moved on.

He didn’t need anyone. Except for one person.

He slowly walked into the square.

Suppressing the urge to run immediately, he carefully took steps.

His touch remained everywhere in the square.

Of course. It was none other than him who had redeveloped this place and transformed it into the center of high-end commerce.

He had demolished shabby brick buildings and had buildings constructed with marble and granite. The ground between facing buildings was paved with sandstone, the flowerbeds were limited to high-end foliage plants, and fines were imposed for even the slightest neglect in management.

Also, to increase the value of the square, he didn’t allow shops below a certain level to open, and strict standards were applied to interior design, not granting business permits if they didn’t meet the grade.

The street had changed beyond recognition, and the emperor was so pleased with his work that he gave a generous reward.

He too was satisfied. Until this moment.

His eyes were filled with regret as he looked at the smooth marble buildings and the large floor-to-ceiling windows occupying entire walls.

Never had he regretted what he had done as much as at this moment.

Because the Milord Square that Melly liked wouldn’t have looked like this.

Melly would have liked Milord Square before its transformation. A square that was plebeian, warm, and full of human touch.

She wouldn’t have liked a place where cloud, gravel, and wave patterns lavishly decorated building exteriors, and expensively dressed people strutted around the streets.

The proof was in her eyes, filled with a sense of loss, as she looked around on the day of the grand opening.

Edric turned a corner. Places that used to be wide open were now winding like a maze, packed with high-end shops at every turn. It was because he had personally designed it to maximize profits without wasting any space.

The bustling street stalls and stands were nowhere to be seen. There were only glossy buildings and salons and boutiques that everyone would like to enter once, but with such high entry barriers that those without money could only look on.

As he turned one alley and moved onto another street, similar streets and similar shops repeated. Edric quickly grew bored.

He recalled the square when he first came for a survey under the emperor’s order.

The street that had been filled with fresh vitality, mixing people of all ages and classes, had now become a boring place of uniformity without personality.

He had made it so. He had ruined it.

And then he had praised himself for creating a masterpiece.

Edric stopped abruptly.

From the cornice of the tall buildings to the pebbles in the flowerbeds, everything he had directed seemed to be mocking him.

He no longer had the courage to move forward.

Melly wasn’t here anyway.

‘I want to go on a date with you.’

‘Where?’

‘Milord Square.’

Her words came to mind, and he had come just in case, but her presence could not be felt anywhere.

Well, if she could have been found here so easily, there would have been no need to distribute all those advertisements.

Edric was about to turn back. But when he had turned halfway, the pale yellow sunlight flowing gently between the beige building at the street corner and the bell tower across from it dazzled his eyes.

Edric turned back again. And he moved forward, following the light as if drawn by a magnet.

With each step, the thin red line visible through the gaps between buildings gradually thickened, finally becoming incorporated as a whole part of the sky.

What had seemed disconnected from the deep blue eastern sky now appeared before Edric’s eyes with continuity.

Far beyond the low carriage storage building, a majestic sunset was settling on the western mountains.

The sun, in its retreat, had set the sky above the mountain ridges ablaze with red. The sunset had begun.

A self-mocking smile spread across Edric’s lips as he gazed at it quietly.

“What is this.”

He couldn’t understand his past self.

“Why did I so coldheartedly refuse when all she wanted was to watch this together.”

All she had wished for was to appreciate this modest scenery together……