Helena stayed by Leon’s side the entire day.

Fortunately, his condition did not worsen. He was breathing on his own, and from time to time, he would move a hand slightly or furrow his brow.

‘Of course, there’s no real improvement either…’

Helena covered her face with her dry hands.

As she looked at Leon’s face, countless conversations they had shared came back to her. From trivial chatter to deeply personal thoughts she had never been able to confide in anyone else.

“No matter what your mother says, no matter what other people say, try living the way your heart leads you.”

“Even if all that thinking doesn’t lead to anything remarkable, that’s alright. In the end, what matters is how satisfied you are with your own life.”

“……”

“I want you to live as Helena—not as an Evans, and not as a Brandt.”

Before she realized it, Leon had become the only person with whom Helena could truly share her heart.

He was also the only person who believed in her and supported her unconditionally.

‘If Leon leaves me too… who will I have left?’

Fear flashed across Helena’s eyes.

She had no family. No friends.

Once, she had.

But when she moved down to the Hitchens Estate, she lost all of them.

Whether she had abandoned them or they had abandoned her, she no longer knew.

Tears welled up in her large eyes.

Drip. Drip.

Heavy tears surrendered to gravity and fell to the floor.

She scrubbed frantically at her eyes with trembling hands, but the tears continued to spill, one after another.

“Grandfather, you can’t leave like this.”

“……”

“You can’t leave me behind all alone.”

They had only just begun to understand each other.

They had only just started opening their hearts and talking honestly.

Helena’s breathing became uneven.

A sob escaped her, and her shoulders trembled faintly.

Just then, she heard someone approaching from the direction of the door.

Assuming it was Mabeline, Helena turned her back to the door and hurriedly wiped the tears from her face.

“Please leave me alone for a while, Mabeline.”

“……Understood.”

But the deep voice that came from behind her was clearly not Mabeline’s.

Helena’s body instantly stiffened.

It was Alexander.

“I wanted to check on Leon’s condition. But if you wish to be alone…”

“No.”

Helena sprang to her feet.

Roughly wiping her tear-stained face with her sleeve, she slowly turned around.

“Please come in. You should greet him as well. I’ll step aside.”

Alexander slowly entered the room.

Stopping in front of Helena, he replied in a low voice.

“You don’t need to move.”

Alexander’s gaze met Helena’s in the empty space between them.

“……”

“……”

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

Helena had intended to leave the room, but her feet refused to move, as though rooted to the floor.

Her eyes quickly swept over Alexander’s face, seeing him properly for the first time in a while.

He had lost a noticeable amount of weight. Compared to the man she remembered, his features had become much sharper.

‘Have you been well?’

‘Thank you for coming all this way.’

‘You must be tired.’

‘Leon is stable for now, but he still hasn’t regained consciousness.’

Countless appropriate things to say crowded her mind, yet not a single one made it past her lips.

Like someone who had forgotten how to speak, Helena could only stare endlessly at Alexander’s face.

“……”

And Alexander was no different.

His lips parted several times as though he were about to say something, only for him to press them tightly shut again.

Instead, he lightly took hold of Helena’s arm.

The warmth of his hand wrapped around her slender arm, and Helena flinched, her eyes widening.

That was all.

Alexander neither drew any closer nor stepped away.

At the same time, Helena felt the urge to throw herself into his arms and the urge to push him away.

Blinking with a conflicted expression, she finally managed to force out a few words.

“I’ll ask Mabeline to prepare a room for you.”

“……”

“Please stay for as long as you wish.”

***

Alexander had not come from the capital alone.

The renowned physician he brought with him used every rare medicinal herb at his disposal on Leon without hesitation.

Perhaps because of that, Leon’s condition began improving noticeably with each passing day after Alexander’s arrival.

After three days, he had recovered enough to swallow thin liquid meals.

A week later, his mind had cleared enough for him to hold brief conversations.

“I’m so relieved you’re getting better. Do you know how frightened I was?”

“Frightened? Hah. Do I look like someone who would leave so easily?”

“Now that you’re joking around again, I can finally stop worrying.”

Helena turned toward Alexander.

“The doctor Your Grace brought is truly remarkable. Thanks to him, I’ve finally been able to breathe a little easier.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

Alexander offered Helena a polite smile.

The atmosphere between them had softened considerably compared to before.

Partly because Alexander had played a major role in Leon’s recovery.

And partly because Helena had quietly regretted driving him away so harshly.

Turning his gaze to Leon, Alexander spoke.

“I nearly had a heart attack when I heard the news in the capital. I even abandoned a dinner with His Majesty the Emperor and rushed here, so you must recover quickly.”

“Even so, refusing a dinner invitation from His Majesty…”

“This moment is far more precious and important to me.”

A faint smile curved Alexander’s lips.

Leon shook his head as if he found him impossible to deal with.

“Since you’re already here, why don’t you keep my granddaughter company? She’s been glued to my side all day. To be honest, I was beginning to miss having some time to myself.”

Alexander let out a quiet chuckle and met Helena’s eyes.

“I would be more than happy to.”

***

“I’m relieved to see that my gift wasn’t entirely useless after all.”

Alexander glanced around the studio.

His gaze lingered on the paintings Helena had pinned to the walls as he examined them closely.

“There are quite a few pieces here that I haven’t seen before.”

“Don’t look too closely. My skills aren’t good enough. It’s embarrassing.”

A faint blush spread across Helena’s face.

Trying to shake off her awkwardness, she rubbed the back of her neck before carefully beginning.

“I asked to meet you here today because there was something I really wanted to say. And I thought it would be better to do it somewhere… quiet.”

Alexander perched on the window frame.

As though ready to listen, he met Helena’s eyes.

In a small but steady voice, Helena spoke.

“I don’t think I ever got the chance to say it back then. Thank you for the thoughtful gift.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

“I truly did. I’m not just saying that—I mean it.”

At her words, the corners of Alexander’s lips softened.

Watching him, Helena cautiously continued.

“And… I wanted to apologize as well.”

Alexander’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“For what?”

“For asking Your Grace to leave that day.”

Helena lowered her gaze.

“I’ve regretted it ever since. I didn’t have the right to say something like that…”

“You did.”

His answer came without hesitation.

“You are Leon’s granddaughter. You had every right. There’s no need for you to apologize to me.”

“And you were Leon’s guest.”

Helena forced a faint smile.

“I don’t know… it just kept weighing on my mind.”

Then she lifted the corners of her lips a little more and said.

“And congratulations.”

Alexander tilted his head slightly.

“Congratulations? For what?”

“I saw it in the newspaper.”

Helena spoke in a voice that sounded determinedly cheerful.

“It said you’d found a wonderful match.”

For the briefest moment, she paused.

Then she smiled.

“I hope you’ll be very happy.”