Shortly after, Yvonne turned to the Grand Duke with a brightly lit face.

The Grand Duke still looked dazed, but his pleased expression couldn’t be hidden.

“Yes, Your Highness. Please do attend our wedding.”

Only then did a faint smile spread across Grand Duke Merriott’s wrinkled lips.

“Of course. I will attend with great pleasure.”

※※※

The next day. Yvonne went to the hotel as usual.

And as she did every morning, she put on a gray arm warmer on one arm and checked the ledgers from the previous day.

It was right after she turned the small lever on the right side of the mechanical calculator while pressing its keys.

“Your Highness, I have a favor to ask…… May I speak?”

Yvonne suddenly recalled the conversation she had with Grand Duke Merriott yesterday evening.

Grand Duke Merriott looked at Yvonne, his future daughter-in-law, with kind eyes and nodded as if telling her to say anything.

After hesitating and taking a moment, Yvonne carefully opened her mouth.

“I was wondering if you could walk down the v*rgin road with me in place of my deceased father……”

For Yvonne, bringing up this matter before Grand Duke Merriott, a member of the royal family, was a great challenge.

It was something she would never have done normally, but she wanted to add even a few more memories for the father and son who had lived apart for so long and hadn’t been able to build a relationship.

Grand Duke Merriott showed surprise but soon wore a benevolent smile, apparently not disliking Yvonne’s proposal.

“……Gladly, I will gladly do so.”

Recalling Grand Duke Merriott’s response, a smile slowly seeped into Yvonne’s face.

‘Even though they’re father and son who lived apart for so long, how can they resemble each other so much?’

Not just their face and physique, but even that seemingly indifferent yet affectionate attitude.

After continuing with the ledger work for quite some time, Yvonne finally finished her morning tasks and looked at the grandfather clock.

It was nearly noon.

Yvonne quickly rose from her seat, grabbed a light coat and umbrella, and left the manager’s office.

She then got into a car waiting for her outside the hotel.

“Take me to Upper Side Avenue No. 1.”

Yvonne only mentioned the street name, but the driver started the car as if he knew which house they were heading to.

After driving for some time along the road beside the Saint River that cut across Upper Side and Cheap Side.

Eventually, the car entered the alley of Upper Side Avenue No. 1 and stopped in front of a house.

“I’ll get out alone, so you don’t need to get out, Wilson.”

After saying this, Yvonne slowly got out of the car and was greeted by a familiar house.

With her umbrella open, she stared at the scenery for a moment, indulging in nostalgia.

Everything was the same as before—the few fruit trees growing in the small garden, the old three-story house built with red bricks, and the ivy vines spreading over it.

However, Yvonne’s feelings as she looked at the scenery were completely different from before.

Yvonne exhaled softly and opened the short black iron gate with a refreshed feeling.

She crossed the garden, climbed the small stone steps, and knocked on the faded gold metal doorknob, and a familiar woman’s voice was heard.

“Yes, who is it?”

“It’s me, Yvonne.”

At Yvonne’s answer, an excited exclamation came from across the door, followed by approaching footsteps, and soon the door opened.

“Mrs. Hans!”

As Yvonne greeted her with a bright smile, the head maid Mrs. Hans embraced her, unable to hide her delight.

“Oh my, it’s been so long! Have you been well? Look at me, of course you have been. By the way, are the wedding preparations going well?”

It was when they reached the living room while Yvonne carefully answered Mrs. Hans’s questions, which poured out in her excitement.

Daniel, who had noticed Yvonne’s visit and was standing in front of the sofa, welcomed her warmly.

“Count Rosier, thank you for always taking care of us despite your busy schedule. You look even better than before.”

“Thank you for the warm welcome. By the way, your face looks quite better too, Daniel.”

“Please sit down first. We’ll have to wait a little until lunch is served. Mrs. Hans, could I ask for some tea here?”

Mrs. Hans replied of course and energetically returned to the kitchen.

Daniel Goodman’s move to the capital, leaving behind his country life to live in what was once the Greenwood family’s house, was largely due to Yvonne’s help.

Initially struggling to readjust to life in the capital, he was now gradually adapting.

Of course, his daughter Joanna was with him too.

“Oh, Joanna. There you are. Come here.”

Joanna, who had stepped out of the room upon hearing the welcoming voice for a guest, discovered Yvonne.

“Oh? It’s Aunt Yvonne!”

Joanna ran over in one breath and affectionately nestled into Yvonne’s arms.

“Aunt Yvonne!”

“Yes, Joanna. Have you been well?”

Yvonne naturally seated Joanna beside her and asked while affectionately brushing her reddish-brown hair.

With each passing day, Joanna increasingly resembled her birth mother Silvia in appearance and her father Daniel in temperament.

Additionally, fortunately, her chronic illness had improved thanks to regular treatment in the capital, and she was maintaining her health.

“You’ve gained some weight in your cheeks since I last saw you. That’s a very good sign.”

Yvonne said this while looking contentedly at the child’s plump cheeks.

“Tsk, I want to be pretty like Aunt Yvonne. Being fat is ugly, isn’t it?”

“Not at all. This is a secret, but when I was your age, my cheeks were twice as big as yours.”

“Wow, really?”

After watching Yvonne and Joanna conversing with satisfaction for a moment, Daniel rose from his seat and headed to the main bedroom.

Not long after, he came out of the bedroom again with a woman.

The woman, supported by Daniel, walked vacantly to sit on the sofa.

It was Silvia Greenwood.

“Silvia……”

Her once luscious reddish-brown hair now hung limp, having lost its vigor, and her eyes, staring blankly into space, still lacked strength.

A faint sadness seeped into Yvonne’s eyes as she looked at her.

Silvia’s departure from the mental hospital to live with her daughter stemmed from Daniel’s compassion.

Upon hearing that Silvia had lost her mind after suffering a terrible ordeal and was ultimately admitted to a mental hospital, Daniel felt sorry for her.

Though she had been a cold-hearted lover and mother, she was still the birth mother of his beloved daughter.

After careful consideration, he conveyed his intention to take in and care for Silvia to Yvonne, who accepted his noble purpose.

And for his sake, as he had to handle not only Silvia with her unsound mind but also a daughter suffering from a chronic illness, Yvonne spared no support.

Moving to the capital, where hospitals were relatively accessible, was also made possible thanks to Yvonne’s suggestion and support.

“I truly don’t know how to repay this gratitude. I think the only way I can repay you even a little is to become a lawyer as soon as possible and establish myself independently in the capital, so I’m working hard toward that goal.”

“Of course. You’re working hard, so it will surely go well. Oh, and don’t worry about finding a job after becoming a lawyer. Our hotel happens to need a lawyer.”

“No, how could I so shamelessly……”

“I’m telling you we really need a lawyer. Didn’t you say you wanted to repay me?”

Daniel smiled slightly at Yvonne’s playful question.

Daniel was preparing for the lawyer licensing exam, leveraging his experience working with his uncle, who had been a country lawyer.

In the countryside, the salary he received working at his uncle’s office and farming somehow covered his living expenses, but in the city, he needed more money, so he had to make a decision.

For that reason, he was currently receiving support from Yvonne, but Daniel intended to eventually become financially independent and repay her.

“After coming to the capital and receiving proper treatment, Joanna’s condition has noticeably improved. Of course……”

Daniel’s gaze turned to Silvia sitting beside him.

“The same goes for Silvia, who has returned to the house where she was born and raised. At first, she couldn’t even speak, but now she can say simple words.”

“That’s…… really fortunate.”