Assuring her that absolutely no problems would arise, he wanted to end this uncomfortable conversation and move elsewhere. The smell rising from the cold food was starting to upset his stomach.

The one who skillfully picked up on his inner thoughts was none other than Margaret.

She suggested that since the meal seemed to be wrapping up, they should all have snacks together for the first time in a while.

“How does my suggestion sound to you two?”

“Doesn’t sound bad.”

“I think it sounds fine too.”

“Then I’ll have the head chef prepare snacks right away.”

“But where are we planning to eat?”

“Well? I haven’t really thought about it.”

At her question, Margaret’s eyes widened. As long as they had somewhere to sit, what did it matter where they ate?

* * *

Three days had passed since the three of them had enjoyed their time together.

House Winter was in a sharp, tense state from early morning, thanks to the priest who had arrived—beyond noisy.

The moment he arrived, he’d looked around the house and clicked his tongue, saying a bad atmosphere flowed through it.

Especially because he’d shown his displeasure by looking Thea up and down from head to toe when she came out to greet him.

Her outfit had been ordinary, but it must have looked shabby to the priest’s eyes. He kept asking in a roundabout way if she didn’t have better clothes.

And it was the same now.

The moment the priest entered the annex where her father-in-law was staying, he turned roughly toward Thea, who had followed behind.

“My lady, was this the best you could do?”

“What do you mean?”

When she questioned back in a tone suggesting she had no idea, the priest raised his eyes sharply and pointed with his thumb from the annex’s ceiling to the floor.

“It’s far too gloomy and the air is poor for a patient to stay. To think you considered housing the former Count in a place like this.”

“Dr. Brown said there was no problem.”

“How can you trust the words of that quack doctor? From what I can see, he needs to be moved to another location immediately.”

“If we move him, where should we move him to?”

At the question, the priest opened his eyes drowsily and said,

“For instance, the central district where the Temple of the Sun is located. Don’t they have a sanatorium run by the temple? The former Count would surely be very pleased with it.”

“I appreciate the suggestion, but I think we need to hear Father’s opinion first.”

Thea drew a line, saying it wasn’t something she could decide on her own, and stepped back several paces. She didn’t want to go near him after glimpsing his sinister nature and greed.

She recalled the face that had grinned when seeing House Winter’s expensive artworks and ornaments.

Thea knew eyes steeped in greed well.

Even the clothes he was wearing now and the violet brooch seemed to be top quality. For a priest serving the divine, he was extremely lavish.

No matter how she looked at it, he must have come targeting the family’s wealth.

From what she’d heard through the grapevine, if you went to a place run by the temple, they treated you like a human on the surface, but not in reality.

They squeezed so much money that families who had been paying dropped out one by one.

It seemed this time their target was here. Even now, while she was lost in other thoughts, wasn’t he explaining the temple’s greatness with spittle flying?

Thea nodded her head, pretending to listen intently while not listening at all.

Finally, when they stood before the room where her father-in-law was staying, his chattering mouth closed.

‘Is it hard to chatter here?’

No matter how rude a person might be, it seemed he wouldn’t make noise in front of a patient. Forcibly hiding the sneer that threatened to emerge, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Despite the notification, the inside remained quiet. Thea was about to knock again when she realized it was a pointless action.

He might be in such a deep sleep that he couldn’t even speak.

She remembered that Dr. Brown had prescribed sleeping pills recently. He must be asleep, drugged by the medicine.

To the priest behind her, who tilted his head in puzzlement at the lack of immediate response, she whispered softly. “Father seems to be sleeping.”

“Is that so? We should go inside and see the former Count right away.”

“Of course we should. You came all this way with difficulty.”

Thea opened the door unceremoniously and showed him inside. Because Acel had made a fuss for several days about needing to change the room, the inside was quite presentable.

Cheerful beige wallpaper, a brick fireplace with warm heat flowing from it, and furniture made of rosewood were impressive.

The reason he’d run around frantically was obvious. To show an impressive place to the eyes of the priest before them.

Rumors had been thick that he was someone who evaluated families by their wealth.

Thea walked to the nearest table in the not-bad scenery and carefully touched it with her hand.

“Priest, do you like it? The room where you’ll be staying will probably be quite nice too.”

“I like it very much. To think it’s such a splendid place.”

The priest looked around inside with an expression of rapture, then gazed at her.

“Is this your taste, my lady?”

“No. The Count prepared this place himself.”

At those words, the priest’s face contorted and relaxed repeatedly in chaos, finding it ironic. 

They usually thought the lady of the house prepared such things, but here the master had prepared it, which seemed incomprehensible.

“My lady, if I’m not being rude…”

“No. Not at all.”

She answered hastily, worried a misunderstanding might arise. It was obvious what he’d ask in this situation. Nonsense about whether she was being oppressed in the family.

When she firmly indicated that wasn’t the case, the priest’s face finally brightened. After that, perhaps embarrassed, he pulled out a pure white handkerchief from his pocket and repeatedly wiped away nonexistent sweat.

“Of course, of course. I think I almost made a big mistake.”

“It can happen if you don’t know.”

In the atmosphere of smoothly moving past it, the priest began to joke around.

“Well, rumors are thick about how much Count Winter loves his wife. He doesn’t even blink at false rumors.”

“Did the Count say that?”

“Yes, of course. Rather, he expressed concern that you might find out. Everyone was so delighted at that, saying what lovebirds you are. Saying you’re still hot for each other even though it’s been a while since the honeymoon.”

“I guess we look hot to others. Though I’m not really sure myself.”

They were deceiving each other, plunging each other into despair, falling together into an endless mire.

It was so absurd that others didn’t see it that way.

That’s why she looked indifferently at the priest who was still expounding on love. She wanted to see how far he’d beautifully dress up their love.

* * *

When all the schedules ended and night deepened.

Thea was sitting by the window counting the stars in the night sky, like she always did. Though she never imagined Acel would come visit afterward.

To her, unable to take her gaze away from staring outside endlessly, he said,

“The priest wasn’t rude to you, was he?”

“Why are you curious about that?”

“I heard some talk that you don’t look after the estate.”

“Really? The priest is saying that?”

“The former Count said he also heard sarcastic remarks.”

A hollow laugh surged at the delightful report from her father-in-law, whom she’d thought was asleep. She wondered when he’d been listening to all that.

Everyone was paying too much attention to her. They didn’t need to.

“The estate must be peaceful.”

So they’d have tremendous interest in her every step.

“Don’t you think so, honey?”

“If it’s peaceful, isn’t that a good thing? It’s much better than being noisy.”

Honestly, it wasn’t wrong. If it were noisy, her head would hurt.

She was already in a mood that renewed itself daily—there was no need to drop it further to the bottom.

She curved her eyes like a bow, thinking what wasn’t true about that.

“The sky is beautiful tonight. The butler says it’s the clearest sky in a hundred years—want to look at it together?”

At the suggestion, he quietly stood in the empty spot and crossed his arms. That appearance reminded her of their first meeting. It had been like this then too.

Herself looking up at the sky, and him standing quietly beside her with his arms crossed.

‘I thought it was a time that would never come again…’

But that wasn’t the case either. When it came again, unfamiliarity struck her body and lingered for a long while.

“Hehe…”

Thea burst into laughter at the cozy atmosphere. How could nothing have changed?

When she glanced at him with warm eyes, their gazes met in the air.

“What is it?”

“The wind feels so nice.”

The wind really was nice. The gentle breeze made her heart soft.

“Don’t you think so?”

“I think so too.”

It wasn’t empty words—he closed his eyes gently, feeling the blowing wind. Thea glanced at his profile, then swallowed.

He looked especially beautiful tonight. Was it because of the vast sky spread out before them?

Or was it because they were leisurely looking at it after so long?

For whatever reason, she definitely liked the current situation.

“Acel, on a day like today, isn’t it perfect for dancing?”

At the words that came out of nowhere, he tilted his head.

At his puzzlement, Thea smiled again and stretched out her hand slightly into the air.

“There’s no music, but I think we could still do the steps.”

Like when we used to burn hot in the past.

“Right. It’s definitely possible.”

“Right?”

He too realized what Thea was talking about. They’d often danced under the moonlight in the past even without music.

At the suddenly arriving memory, he carefully took her pure white hand with an unfamiliar expression.

Then, as they danced on the terrace matching each other’s steps, one step at a time—

When their body scents brushed past their noses and disappeared, an indescribable heat gathered thickly.

In the moment they matched their steps while only watching each other without words, their eyes met and their mouths seemed to go dry.

Their gazes naturally descended from eyes to nose and then to lips.

Soon, without anyone going first, they kissed.

It started gently at first, but gradually their breaths and tongues became entangled wetly.

It had been so long since they’d desired and craved each other.

“Haah…”

When they finally separated their lips after a long while, a strange atmosphere enveloped them both, and a long thread could be seen.

It felt too regrettable to end it like this, so when she closed her eyes again and swallowed, he seemed to lift her body slightly and move somewhere.

Soon, when her body was placed on soft fabric…

“My lady, open your eyes.”

She found herself lying prettily on the bed, looking up at him.