The smile on Melissa’s lips faded.

With a child in her womb, thoughts of Reizen were inevitable. After all, the brand on her left arm now bore only Reizen’s mark…

“Ah.”

The nurse stopped chewing her sandwich and fixed her gaze on Melissa sitting in the chair. Noticing Melissa’s expression sink, she realized her mistake.

“Sorry. I asked something I shouldn’t have, didn’t I?”

“It’s fine.”

Though Melissa shook her head, the nurse frantically tried to smooth over her blunder by rambling.

“There are so many irresponsible guys these days. They’re all good when they’re having fun, but when problems arise, they’re quick to avoid and run away! Those good-for-nothing bastards!”

The nurse tried to get Melissa to agree by saying “Right, Melissa?” but Melissa’s expression only grew paler instead of brightening.

Honestly, she had nothing to say since she was the one who had run away with a child in her womb when problems arose, not Reizen.

Her colleague looked anxious, worried she might have hurt Melissa’s feelings. To ease the warm heart that cared for her, Melissa opened up for the first time.

“Actually, I’m the one who ran away.”

“Huh?”

“I was lonely. All the time.”

“Whatever the reason, if he made you feel lonely, he’s bad. Don’t you know how sensitive people get during pregnancy!”

Melissa regained her gentle smile. These were words she couldn’t have heard in a world filled only with Reizen’s people. Here, she had colleagues who took her side, and it felt like the switch to her complicated feelings had simply turned off.

Melissa spoke with a somewhat lighter voice.

“I plan to raise the child so they won’t be lonely. I want them to grow up naturally in a stable place without major worries. Without any pressure or burden, just being loved for existing.”

Her colleague pursed her lips while chewing her sandwich.

“Is that how you wanted to live?”

Melissa’s hands, which had been sorting herbs while sitting in the chair, paused. The question struck true.

“It’s rude to suddenly peek into someone’s heart like that.”

The woman apologized at Melissa’s gentle rebuke.

“Sorry, it’s a habit. Lucy always says to look into the heart first when examining patients.”

Melissa nodded.

“So, I want to know more about you.”

Her colleague came closer and put a hand on Melissa’s shoulder.

More conversations followed, and when the topic of terrible parents came up, her colleague became excited and raised her voice. When Melissa empathized, she was asked about her experience, but she couldn’t answer.

‘I can tell them everything else, but I can’t reveal my identity.’

After the republic was declared, the nobles of Sys had all been branded demons.

What expression would her colleague make if Melissa revealed her surname here? Would she suddenly distance herself from Melissa too?

But inside, she wanted to tell them. She wished she could be honest and pour out her feelings.

She wanted to empathize and feel a sense of kinship with her colleague. However, her small lips, which had hesitated and trembled for a while, finally remained frozen and unmoved.

She was afraid of being rejected.

‘I just want to belong a little longer.’

Even through deception, she wanted to keep her secret from them for now. It wouldn’t be for long.

‘Just until things quiet down…’

That evening after work, the clinic staff gathered for a birthday party.

The guest of honor, Emerson, wore a necklace made of cut paper and blew out the candles with an indifferent expression.

The cake prepared for Emerson by Marquis Allonde, who governed this region, was enormous – a size rarely seen in the countryside.

“As expected, Emerson’s got good connections!”

“Everyone’s going crazy because she knows the Prime Minister. Even the border administrator came to pay respects yesterday.”

“Emerson’s made it big!”

While people clapped and rejoiced, Emerson, looking uncomfortable, awkwardly smoothed her short hair and glanced at Melissa.

Melissa avoided her gaze, pretending not to notice.

* * *

That night, she had a dream.

“I was going to tell you after this was over!”

Reizen’s trembling voice, his eyes, his face flushed and veined with anger were vivid. Though his voice rose in anger, Melissa understood the sincerity in those words.

How strange, Reizen.

Why do I think my current self, trying to postpone the truth, resembles your past so much?

Somehow, she felt she had come to understand something she thought she could never comprehend.

You were afraid.

‘Of being abandoned by me.’

You kept hiding the truth that you should have told someday because you wanted to maintain this good situation just a little longer. So that’s what it was…

But would understanding you make my sense of betrayal disappear?

Melissa reached for Reizen’s cheek while he panted. The man tilted his head to one side, holding her hand, and said sadly.

Don’t forgive me, Mel.

The man’s face slowly transformed into Selheim’s, and a terrible curse echoed.

Never forgive him, Mel.

Melissa sat up with a gasp.

When she woke, it was early dawn.

The window must have been open all night since cold wind rattled in, and her mouth felt dry from sleeping with it open.

“Hah…”

Did she sleep without closing the window in this cold weather?

Melissa walked heavily toward the window with a pale face to close it. Then she spotted the shadow of a small creature, perhaps a badger or raccoon dog, scurrying below the building.

Woof woof! Blitz, who had been a military dog but now lived here after injuring his leg, barked fiercely.

The sun was rising.

Mr. Robert the rooster crowed ‘c*ck-a-doodle-doo!’ in a strange voice from the chicken coop, and Blitz howled like a wolf, ‘wooooo-‘

When sunlight hit the third-floor window, a small flock of birds flew in and circled around the building.

The morning shift person had come out to feed the chickens and also left food for the birds in the yard, which they had come to eat.

It was a bustling start to the morning.

Melissa tied up her hair with a ribbon, put on her nurse’s uniform with white frills, and came down the stairs.

“Melissa, you’re up early?”

Her colleague on morning duty greeted her with a smile.

Melissa helped prepare breakfast.

She crisped up bacon over medium heat and scrambled eggs from the chicken coop. She sliced onions and bell peppers that had been soaked overnight to remove their sharp taste, cooked the vegetables together, and ate breakfast with rich milk.

After a proper meal, she headed to the clinic with her fellow nurses. The path was cold, so they linked arms and walked to work huddled together like a flock of finches, but unusually, Lucy was standing in front of the clinic.

“Melissa.”

As Lucy’s expression darkened, the other colleagues made way.

Sometimes certain truths are revealed without warning.

During their time here, Emerson and Melissa had avoided close conversation and pretended not to know each other. Since they both acted like strangers, neither Lucy nor their colleagues knew much about Melissa.

But… As sudden anxiety swept over her, Melissa’s expression gradually hardened.

Lucy looked around to see if anyone was nearby, then approached with wide eyes and asked.

“You… were Melissa ‘Grey’?”

It felt like a huge stone had dropped onto Melissa’s heart. Thinking this peaceful life was over, Melissa deliberately composed her expression to keep from crying.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you beforehand, teacher.”

But Lucy’s reaction was unexpected.

“No, no. That’s not it.”

Lucy shook her head saying that wasn’t what mattered, then came closer and gripped both of Melissa’s shoulders.

“Do you perhaps know Marquis Allonde?”

Melissa shook her head. She had never even heard the name Marquis Allonde in the capital’s social circles. When she explained that she’d first heard of him after coming here, Lucy’s face grew even more troubled.

“Then this is really strange.”

“Why?”

“The Marquis came early this morning with an injured arm, saying he fell from a railing? He got treated and left earlier… but before leaving, he asked me to give you a letter.”

“What…”

“I thought something was odd so I’m sorry, but I read it first, and he seems completely insane.”

Lucy handed over the letter while irritably grabbing her short hair. Melissa opened the letter. The contents of the letter, which was over five pages long, turned out to be a love confession.

He claimed he had fallen in love at first sight when he visited to inspect the clinic before Emerson’s birthday party.

He had even written about some imagined suggestive exchange of glances between himself and Melissa, clearly lost in his own delusion. Melissa shook her head in disgust.