The situation seemed unlikely to resolve itself anytime soon… According to his words.

“Are we not at our destination yet?”

“Still a long way to go.”

‘Damn it.’

Melly inadvertently cursed inwardly and then regretted it.

There was nothing she could do. She could only hope for this moment to pass as quickly as possible.

As the carriage moved slowly as if on a leisurely outing, Melly had to endure the gazes of people on her back while her face was buried in Edric’s chest.

His embrace had a pleasant scent. But somehow, it felt familiar.

‘Ah…!’

Suddenly, Melly realized.

It was the very fragrance of the perfume she had gifted him for his twenty-fifth birthday, custom-made by a renowned perfumer with a cool and soft woody scent that suited Edric.

When Edric received the gift, he smelled it and said,

‘It’s a nice fragrance.’

But then he never used it. It didn’t quite meet his particular tastes.

Melly couldn’t help feeling bitter every time she saw the perfume bottle, still full and unused.

One day, while he was out, Melly secretly removed the perfume.

She was curious to see if he would notice its disappearance. But he didn’t. So Melly poured the perfume down the drain.

The one-of-a-kind fragrance she had created for him vanished just like that.

But how did this happen?

“That’s enough now.”

Suddenly, Edric’s hand around her shoulder loosened. Melly slowly raised her head. The carriage was now traveling along a secluded path.

The leaves, starting to turn yellow, rustled in the autumn breeze.

Tree branches snapped with a crack under the carriage wheels.

‘The perfume, what happened to it?’

The autumn forest scenery was too beautiful to ruin with an unnecessary question.

Melly closed her parted lips and savored this rare outing.

The destination was in a quiet residential area on the outskirts of town.

The open carriage, gradually slowing down, soon came to a stop in front of a neat and modest two-story house with a light blue triangular roof. Edric got out first and lightly lifted her to the ground.

All the while, Melly’s gaze remained fixed on the picturesque view of the house visible beyond the low fence. It was a house she had been eyeing since her first visit to this village.

‘I should work hard to earn money and rent this place. Then I could bring my family here too…’

But it was an ambition she had never shared with anyone. How did he know to bring her here?

“…Why did you bring me here?”

“Go inside and see.”

Edric nodded towards the entrance.

Go inside and see? Had he rented it just for today?

It was a series of inexplicable events, but she decided to do as told and stepped into the garden. She thought the answers might be inside the house.

After a few steps, Melly suddenly realized she could only hear her own footsteps and turned around.

Edric was still standing at the entrance.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“You go in first.”

He said.

‘Is he going to smoke a cigar before coming in?’

Maybe. Melly turned back around. Reaching the door painted in ivory, she curled her hand into a fist and knocked lightly. But there was no response from inside.

‘Is it really okay to go in?’

Melly turned back again with a face full of doubt.

‘By all means.’

Edric closed his eyes deeply and then opened them.

Melly, as if having made up her mind, grasped the doorknob and turned it carefully.

At that moment.

“My lady!”

Something round and soft hugged Melly so tightly she could barely breathe.

“My lady, sob…”

Oz, tall and plump, embraced the much smaller Melly like a child and cried. Faced with this sudden reunion, Melly’s calm heart also swelled with emotion.

“…!”

Beyond Oz’s shoulder, she could see the face of butler Russell. He had more white hair and wrinkles than when she had last seen him. Seeing the traces of time on the face of the butler who had once seemed so dependable, like an uncle in her childhood, brought tears to Melly’s eyes.

“I thought I’d never see you again, my lady.”

Finally, Oz let go and said, wiping tears with her palms.

“How could you leave without a word like that?”

“I’m sorry, Oz…”

Melly also wiped her wet eyes and apologized with a guilty expression. But Oz’s hurt feelings didn’t subside.

“I don’t usually say things like this, but you were really too much, my lady. After you left, what happened to all of us…”

“Oz!”

The butler hastily interrupted her words. Oz, with a look of realization, quickly changed the subject.

“Oh my, look at me. My lady, come this way. We’ve prepared something for you.”

Without giving her time to think, Oz led Melly inside.

Melly scanned her surroundings as she followed.

High-quality mahogany furniture, all gleaming and polished, a cut glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

‘Ah, I see.’

Melly realized this wasn’t just a place Edric had rented for a day.

This was his house, the one he had bought.

It was his world, decorated without a single deviation from his taste for luxury in everything.

But this place was a bit different from the hotels and real estate he had owned before.

The tea sets in the mahogany cabinet. The mother-of-pearl ornaments decorating the shelves. The jute carpet with cute patterns spread on the floor.

Her tastes could also be seen here and there.

Simple decorations on a luxurious cabinet.

It seemed mismatched, as if forcibly put together.

“…!”

Suddenly, as the light reflected from the chandelier shone on the cheap mother-of-pearl ornaments, casting a ripple-like pattern on the mahogany cabinet, Melly changed her mind about everything so far.

The mahogany grain beautifully accentuated by the silver-gray shadow in the shape of a four-leaf clover.

The two combinations are beautiful. Much more so than when they’re separate.

“Come quickly. Hurry.”

Oz tugged at her arm once more, urging her.

Melly turned her eyes away from the mother-of-pearl box and the luxury cabinet.

“Where are we going?”

“Now, prepare yourself.”

Oz cleared the way in front of her, allowing her to see the dining table.

“This is…”

Melly was speechless at the sight of the round, spacious table covered with a white tablecloth, and the food piled so high it seemed the table legs might break.

Steaming turkey just out of the oven, beautifully grilled swordfish browned to perfection. And also small and cute petit fours and refreshing fruit drinks.

How long had it been since she’d faced such a table?

As she stood there, unable to believe it, Oz took her hand and personally led her to her seat.

“Hurry and eat to fatten yourself up. You’re too thin now, my lady.”

“I’m not sure if this is okay.”

Melly’s face reddened at the thought of whether she deserved such treatment after leaving home without a word for three years.

“If you feel sorry for us, then eat everything without leaving anything. Understood?”

“That… seems impossible.”

Oz and the butler chuckled softly at her serious response, unable to wittily return the joke, which was so like her.

Melly quietly looked at the dahlia centerpiece in the middle, then realized there was no cutlery set on the opposite seat.

“Why is there only mine? That…”

As Melly hesitated for a moment on how to address Edric, Oz answered.

“Didn’t you know? This is a meal just for you, my lady.”

“What?”

Melly’s eyes widened at the unexpected answer.

“That can’t be. He clearly came with me up to here.”

“Well, that was to escort you here. Come on, let’s talk about that later and eat first.”

Oz placed a fork in Melly’s hand.

Then she cut the meat to fit Melly’s small mouth size, and carefully removed the bones from the grilled swordfish.

Thanks to this, Melly could eat comfortably, but it also gave her much to think about.

So he prepared this event. But why did he just drop her off and not eat together?

Did he know she felt uncomfortable around him? Did he want to create a space where she could talk comfortably with familiar people?

It was a considerate gesture that somehow made her heart heavy.

But she soon brightened her face and stopped Oz and the butler as they were about to leave the table.

“Don’t do that, sit down and eat with me.”

Both were startled by her words and waved their hands in refusal.

“Oh my, what are you saying? How could we eat with you, my lady? Don’t say such outrageous things.”

“I’m not a lady anymore, just an ordinary tea shop owner. So it’s okay to eat together, right? Right?”

“…”

Still, she remained a noble. They were commoners. But what Melly wanted was to eat together, even if it meant using such reasons, and they knew that well.

“Well… I ate a lot earlier. You sit down and keep the lady company.”

Butler Russell pushed Oz into one of the empty seats.

Oz’s face was full of awkwardness as she was forced to sit. The butler set a plate and cutlery in front of Oz and quickly left the dining room. Before leaving, he gave Oz a warning look, but Melly didn’t understand its meaning.

“Is everyone doing well? Sarah, Lisa, and Lena too?”

“Of course. Everyone’s doing well. You don’t know how much they all miss you, my lady.”

“And mother?”

“…”

“Is mother healthy?”

It took a moment for the answer to come.

“Well… Of course. The lady is also, well, doing well… Healthy and… also healthy…”

In the awkward laughter and roundabout answer, Melly sensed something was amiss. She asked with a worried face.

“Is she unwell somewhere?”

She thought there was no other reason Oz would hesitate like this.

“No. That’s not it.”

“Then, has something happened?”

In Melly’s memory, Eida Pelton was a good person. She had once made life difficult for her with harsh treatment as a daughter-in-law, but it was all forgotten due to the kindness and consideration she showed afterwards. For instance, how she had taken care of her when she was struggling after a miscarriage…

Thinking that something bad might have happened to her, Melly grew anxious.

“What’s wrong? Tell me, Oz.”

“Well…”

Oz, who had been stalling by rolling her eyes, answered with difficulty.

“Lady Eida is not at the duke’s residence right now.”