Leaving the dungeon with its dense bars and climbing stairs where he couldn’t see even an inch ahead, he stared fiercely at the dim corridor.

The butler must be at the end of this.

Acel strode toward the end of the corridor with steps containing no hesitation. Soon he found the butler.

“Butler.”

At the call, the butler jumped in shock and looked at Acel.

“Master, to come up so quickly…”

“What, did you think I came somewhere I couldn’t?”

“No. I’m just not prepared to attend to you, that’s all.”

“Cut the excuses and find out immediately how my wife is doing.”

The butler tilted his head at the command. Like asking why he was looking for the lady who’d left on her own.

“Master, weren’t you planning to separate from the lady? Yet you must dig into her affairs?”

“Separate? Who’s going around saying we’re separating?”

Faint anger colored Acel’s voice, seemingly incredulous, and bloodshot veins began appearing in both eyes like he’d drag in whoever spouted such nonsense right now.

Only then did the butler understand. That false rumors were circulating somewhere.

“I apologize. I’ll find out immediately how the lady is doing.”

To the butler sweating profusely, Acel ground out words while gently pressing down the anger that still hadn’t subsided.

“Respectfully, with utmost effort, you must bring information before me. I can’t tolerate even a speck of rudeness.”

“Yes, yes, don’t worry, Master.”

The butler responded obediently to Acel, whose eyes burned with rage. Years of service had taught him never to provoke his master.

From the side, he looked like a beast that had lost its leash.

* * *

The chaotic night passed and morning approached. Thea, who couldn’t easily fall asleep in the changed sleeping arrangement, spent the night with eyes nearly wide open.

Unable to spring up from bed due to the rushing fatigue, she only blinked while exhaling deeply.

Then at a knock on the door, she opened her sunken mouth.

“C-come in.”

She’d spoken, but her mouth still stuck together unpleasantly. Unlike Thea’s distasteful insides, the voice reaching her ears was nothing but gentle.

“Miss. You’re still lying in bed. You haven’t even washed your face yet.”

The one who opened the door and entered softly was none other than the nanny. The nanny’s arms held various items, and picking out the largest—there was the dress Thea would wear and a large brown basket packed full of cosmetics.

She hadn’t carried baskets around before, but getting older, she seemed to be gradually learning tricks.

“The maids?”

“I told the maids to handle other tasks. I’m sufficient to dress you, aren’t I?”

“That’s true, but it feels strange having you visit from morning.”

She wondered what brought someone who must be very busy dressing the Countess, her mother, early in the morning.

The nanny, easily reading Thea’s thoughts, let out a light hollow laugh and approached the bed.

“The lady told me to attend to you while you’re distressed for the time being.”

“Mother being considerate of others?”

The moment she let out an empty laugh saying the sun would rise from the opposite side tomorrow, the nanny grabbed Thea’s arm and pulled her straight up.

“No time to dawdle. First wipe your face with this wet towel.”

Accepting the lukewarm wet towel the nanny offered and gently wiping down her face, the follow-up came quickly.

“To meet the ladies before lunch, even moving briskly won’t be enough time.”

“Even doing it roughly, everyone will say I’m pretty, so is it really necessary?”

“You know well those are empty words. How much those ladies love to chatter! You absolutely mustn’t take those words at face value.”

The nanny lightly glared at Thea like this was unacceptable and led her to the vanity—she’d scrubbed so thoroughly not a speck of dust was visible.

Being a pure white vanity, dirt would show easily. Just when she thought the maids must have been tormented quite a bit—

The nanny placed the brown basket on an empty spot on the vanity and rummaged inside. She frowned slightly, seemingly unable to immediately grasp the item she wanted.

At that sight, Thea wondered what on earth she was trying to take out and watched closely, soon able to tell what she wanted.

What the nanny pulled out triumphantly was none other than the blush currently fashionable in society.

‘Not my taste though.’

Her face was already pale, and applying bright red blush made her look exactly like someone with fever. That’s why when at her own mansion, she’d said not to use it if possible, but she knew it wouldn’t work on the nanny.

She’d make her use it one way or another. Thea moved her gaze to the mirror placed before the vanity with a slightly fed-up face.

That moment—

The nanny approached with hands already covered in color cosmetics. When the rough touch finally ended, a stranger sat there.

Tacky, ridiculous, decorated with ornaments Thea would never normally wear. If she were a young lady, she’d have decorated with eyes closed, but Thea was an adult.

A married one at that.

‘What on earth is this…’

Even a nonexistent headache seemed to arise. Surely it was because spite had grown.

Otherwise there was no way she’d dress her up like this. In a reality that seemed suffocating, Thea barely moved her trembling lips and spat out a word.

“Nanny.”

Knowing many emotions were contained in the short call, the nanny played innocent.

“What’s wrong? Is something uncomfortable?”

“You don’t really think this decoration suits me, do you?”

When she indirectly said it was terrible to the nanny who replied calmly, what returned was just a shrug. Like asking what the problem was.

“It doesn’t look bad to me? It’s like seeing Miss from before marriage after so long.”

“That’s the problem. A woman long married dressed up like an unmarried young lady.”

“Sometimes that happens. How can you always be in the dark, gloomy Winter family attire? It’s warm here, so you should match the regional attire.”

“If only words weren’t possible…”

She really wished words weren’t possible. When she’d visited before, she’d never dressed up like this.

Reading Thea’s creeping displeasure, the nanny raised her slightly flattened nose and said, “And you must follow orders. The Countess requested it.”

Saying she too was just following orders, she hurriedly closed the half-open cosmetics and put them in the brown basket.

Then she stood Thea up again.

“Now, our Miss. I need to check how much weight you’ve lost. I brought in the old measurements and the clothes keep slipping.”

The nanny gently caressed Thea’s body while constantly wriggling her eyebrows. Like something wasn’t to her liking.

When the check roughly finished, she could see the nanny’s slightly darkened eyes.

“Don’t they even feed you there?”

“…What do you mean?”

“You were already thin, but I wonder how you could get even thinner.”

At those words, a self-deprecating smile formed on Thea. She didn’t want to reveal the harsh married life, but wondered if her body showed it blatantly first.

She really didn’t want to reveal it.

One side of her heart began to grow uncomfortable again. Probably thanks to the nanny bursting with complaints beside her.

In a situation where fatigue rushed in strongly, Thea listened to the nanny’s words in one ear and out the other while closing her eyes tightly.

* * *

Inside a reception room thick with inexplicable smoke.

The nanny’s words weren’t lies—ladies dressed similarly to Thea waddled around the reception room, and occasionally visible young ladies glanced at Thea.

Everyone seemed curious about Thea with her pale, white face that didn’t match this place. She found them more intriguing instead.

Throughout living with Acel, all the people Thea saw were gloomy types.

Whether it was regional characteristics or because they liked calmness, the young ladies of that region all walked around with pale faces and powerless appearances.

In contrast, this region governed by her family overflowed with vitality to the point of approaching Thea almost burdensomely.

“My lady, my lady. Is it true that snow falls year-round at the Winter household?”

“Not year-round, but it does snow a lot.”

“Then it must be incredibly beautiful! We can’t see snow in this region. Is it true that it’s white, warm, and fluffy?”

“I haven’t touched it directly, but probably so. The maids have occasionally said similar things.”

The young ladies giggled and constantly asked Thea about the Winter household and territory. Thea answered slowly but without breaking off.

When the answers roughly finished, she could fall into brief contemplation.

Because she had to recall whether snow really fell at the Winter household, whether it had a fantastic appearance.

‘…Did snow really fall?’

Her memory was hazy. She’d told the young ladies yes, but in one corner of Thea’s memory, only withered dead trees were drawn.

She hadn’t had the leisure to comfortably view the outside to begin with. Hadn’t she just said the maids said so?

Waking in the morning and nursing her father-in-law, when she came to her senses, stars were always invariably visible in the night sky.

With that thought, Thea looked at the young ladies still chattering noisily.

Everyone was fresh, beautiful, and sparkled uniformly. Unlike herself, drained of energy.

Just when she smacked her lips thinking it was their prettiest time—a familiar voice came from behind.

“Oh my, who is this? It’s Lady Winter.”

At the seemingly very pleased tone, turning her head slightly back, there stood the Viscountess, her mother’s close friend.

The Viscountess slowly looked Thea over from head to toe before giggling, unable to hold back laughter.

She seemed to be saying, what kind of clown-like appearance is this?

Given the Viscountess’s personality, she would and then some.

At that scene, Thea lightly bowed her head to the Viscountess.

“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

“Mm, mm. I’ve been well. Lady Winter. You seem to not be well.”

“Well, that’s how it is. Thanks to someone being angry, I look ridiculous.”

At Thea’s dry answer, the Viscountess hurriedly covered her face with both hands and trembled. She must have immediately noticed who was being indicated.

“I, I’ll tell Lady Yut to please not do that.”

“Yes, please do. I don’t want to look like this again.”

When Thea responded indifferently to the end and turned her gaze the other way, the young ladies and noblewomen seemed curious about what would come out in the formal lunch.