“Yes, they never completely disappear.”

The Grand Madam of Rochester closed her eyes. Her face showed she was tracing memories, the past.

She was probably reflecting on the time when his father was alive.

The person she loved whom she had been most foolish about, and whom she had lost so emptily.

“I didn’t know that living with anxiety and regret would be this difficult. I hope you do well.”

Small tears formed at the corners of her eyes when she opened them.

“Do well when you’re given one more chance.”

It was sincere advice. One of the few pieces of advice she had given as a mother.

“Perhaps.”

Kalian hesitated, uncharacteristically.

“Do you know how to put them to rest?”

Though he didn’t specify what, the Grand Madam of Rochester understood precisely.

She was experiencing the same thing, after all.

“No.”

She slowly shook her head.

“I’m still looking for a way myself. That’s why I envy you.”

She smiled, small and sorrowful.

“Because it seems you still have methods available.”

Hoo.

With a small sigh, she wiped away the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes, returning to her usual cold demeanor.

“But I’m willing to open the back door again anytime if that child tries to escape.”

While stroking Rose, the Grand Madam of Rochester stared at Kalian.

“You know it too. That if the child leaves this time, she’ll go further away. That she won’t return.”

“Why.”

He couldn’t help but ask.

“Why are you willing to open the back door this time too?”

“The reason is simple.”

The Grand Madam of Rochester lowered her gaze to look at Stella who was waiting for Kalian downstairs.

“Because sometimes being alive offers greater hope.”

She slowly closed and opened her eyes.

“And because I can see myself in that child. I want to help both of you.”

She lightly patted her son’s shoulder.

“Stay strong.”

She  brushed past Kalian with a relieved expression, as if she had said all she needed to say.

He watched his mother’s retreating figure for a moment before moving his feet.

Kalian knew. Surprisingly, that was his mother’s way of comforting him.

Truly surprising.

“Kalian.”

As he descended the stairs, Stella looked up to welcome him.

“What were you talking about with Mother?”

“Nothing special.”

Kalian smiled as he naturally overlapped Stella’s arm on top of his own.

“Just some wisdom about life.”

Wisdom about life.

It was a strange phrase, but Stella nodded immediately.

She seemed to understand it as a secret conversation between his mother and him.

Both were correct, but.

With Kalian escorting her, Stella slowly walked toward Rochester Hall.

“By the way.”

Perhaps because guests had already started to enter.

The usually quiet Rochester mansion was now filled with music and the voices of people dancing, laughing, and chatting.

“Was it difficult to host the charity party?”

“A little.”

Stella let out a small laugh.

“There were certainly more things to pay attention to compared to other parties, but still.”

She turned her head to look at Kalian.

“You helped me a lot, so I was able to finish it well. Thank you.”

Kalian stared at Stella for a moment. His lips moved slightly before he turned his gaze forward.

She thought the conversation had ended there. Her husband was a kind person to her, but he wasn’t generally talkative.

“It was nothing.”

Still looking straight ahead, Kalian spoke.

“Rather, I’m more—”

“Colonel Rochester!”

Kalian’s words were abruptly cut off.

“No, no. It’s Your Grace Rochester now, isn’t it? How long has it been? This is the first time we’ve met since Lerington County, isn’t it?”

“Colonel Odley. It’s been a long time. Yes, that’s right. This is the first time we’ve met since Lerington.”

Watching Kalian naturally host guests as the master of Rochester, Stella blinked.

‘Rather, more?’

What was he going to say after that? But Stella’s thoughts didn’t linger long.

“Duchess of Rochester. Thank you so much for inviting us to such a splendid party.”

People she knew had started to greet her as well.

“I’m the one who should be grateful that you’ve come such a long way, Madam.”

Let’s focus on finishing the party without any problems first.

Stella naturally began to welcome the guests.

⁕⁕⁕

To put it simply, the charity party was a huge success.

Both as a fundraiser and as a party.

“Not a single guest failed to compliment the decorations.”

“The seating arrangement was perfect too. Everyone seemed satisfied to be seated with the people they wanted.”

“And the food was exceptional. They said they brought the most famous chef, and I was truly happy throughout the meal.”

With both the cause and the party being excellent, the donations naturally increased as well.

“We’ve raised much more money than expected.”

Kalian looked at Stella while checking the amount collected today. Stella’s eyes sparkled.

“Then perhaps the target amount……”

“We’ve collected at least twice as much.”

“Wow!”

Unable to contain her joy, Stella clasped her hands together tightly.

“I thought we’d have done well if we collected just half of our target, but twice as much!”

“If you had spilled wine on guests’ dresses three or four times, we might have reached our goal. It’s a shame. If your speech had been more of a mess, it would have been perfect.”

This was Kalian’s way of complimenting Stella—saying that the party she planned and the speech she gave to raise donations were too perfect.

Stella burst into laughter.

“Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin purchasing land to build the school. If you have any preferred location, please tell me or the butler.”

“Yes, I will.”

Stella spoke quietly, almost to herself.

“I really did it. It was something I had always only imagined……”

She reached out and took Kalian’s hand.

“Thank you, Kalian. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known that I could accomplish this much. Thank you, truly.”

It was sincere, without a drop of falsehood.

“You worked hard. You should go to bed first since we need to visit the land for purchase tomorrow. I’ll go to sleep after organizing the ledgers a bit more.”

It seemed obvious he would refuse even if she urged him several more times to rest together.

Stella nodded with a smile.

“Don’t overwork yourself, alright?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll return to the bedroom before it gets too late.”

Don’t stay up too late, go to bed as soon as you feel even a little tired.

Only after exchanging a few more words did Stella leave the study.

“Hoo.”

As soon as he was left alone, Kalian roughly put down his pen and exhaled deeply.

This was a good thing.

It should be a joyous occasion.

Because today Stella had perfectly concluded the party with help from his mother and himself.

Next time, she would probably be able to manage perfectly without anyone’s help.

The Duchess of Rochester—Stella—would continue to grow and improve.

But why.

Why did one corner of his heart feel so anxious?

Kalian leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes.

It seemed like another night when he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep easily.

⁕⁕⁕

“Have you all heard the news?”

A group gathered at a quiet tea house was sitting around a table, chatting.

“About the charity party held by House Rochester.”

“Ah, yes. Yes, I’ve heard.”

A middle-aged lady elegantly holding a fan smiled.

“They say it was perfect for a party hosted by the Duchess of Rochester, don’t they?”

“Madam.”

Someone sitting next to her scanned the surroundings, trying to stop the lady in case anyone might hear.

The Duke of Rochester’s extraordinary love for his wife was well-known, wasn’t it?

If someone happened to overhear, they could find themselves in serious trouble.

Fortunately, perhaps because it was too early for the tea house to be busy, except for one male guest sitting in the back corner where visibility was poor, there was no one else.

At that distance, he probably couldn’t hear their conversation well.

What a relief.

After calming herself, she focused on the conversation again.

“Weren’t all the other parties hosted by the Duchess of Rochester well-received too? Though they say this party was even better.”

It seemed the other person shared her thoughts.

Although someone tried to phrase things more pleasantly, the lady remained steadfast.

“They were quite lacking! The previous parties were, how should I put it… they were just ‘decent for being hosted by the Duchess of Rochester,’ weren’t they? Why? After all, she spent a long time living as a commoner, didn’t she?”

The noblewoman burst into laughter as if remembering the previous parties Stella had hosted.