Rosephine, shocked by her unexpected husband’s identity, froze in place where she stood.

By the time she barely managed to collect her emotions, the entire situation had already ended.

When she came to her senses, both Cassius and the officiant had already gone outside. The church, having lost even its small warmth, felt only chilly. Rosephine, left alone, hurriedly left her seat.

Fortunately, Cassius, who had not yet left the church, was at the entrance. Judging by the situation where he was changing out of his ceremonial clothes in front of a prepared carriage, it seemed he would leave at any moment.

Cassius, who had been putting on a neat jacket, suddenly turned his head, seemingly aware of Rosephine’s gaze.

His golden eyes captured Rosephine, who could not say anything, directly. They resembled the eyes of someone the girl had faced countless times on a summer day when the sunlight was hot.

Then, the butler who had been standing beside him the whole time urged Cassius, who was quietly looking at Rosephine.

“Sir, you are already late for your appointment. You must depart now.”

The gaze that had been lingering on Rosephine scattered silently. The man boarded the splendid carriage without regret and soon disappeared along with the carriage.

Someone approached Rosephine, who was left alone.

It was Edgar, the butler of the Roventhal Marquisate.

“There has been much discourtesy, Madam. The Marquis had to leave due to an unexpected schedule.”

“…Ah, it’s all right. I need to stop by the county as well.”

“That’s fortunate. Then I will escort you there.”

It was bewildering, but there was plenty of time.

Rather, Rosephine was grateful for the fact that she did not need to face her former lover right away.

* * *

To retrieve the luggage she had not been able to pack, Rosephine stopped by Dellenhart County.

The mansion in the afternoon was quieter than usual. The only person who welcomed Rosephine as she faced her last moment at the county was the lady-in-waiting who had been with her for several years.

Leaving her regretful feelings behind, she was coming down the corridor when a familiar face greeted her. It was the Countess, who had appeared after hearing the news of her daughter’s visit.

“Mother!”

Color returned to Rosephine’s gloomy face. Rosephine, who went down the stairs with quick steps, soon greeted her mother happily.

“My daughter has come.”

“Yes, the wedding ended faster than I thought. By the way, where is everyone?”

“Your father attended a meeting.”

“A meeting?”

“Thankfully, the Marquis paid the promised amount as soon as the wedding ended. So he is trying to resume business right away. Since your father went out to the city after a long time, your brothers followed excitedly.”

“Ah…”

Even though she knew that reviving the unstable business was a priority, Rosephine felt bitter. She had hoped they would watch over the last appearance of their daughter leaving home.

However, hoping for such a thing might itself be a luxury. Her parents had never loved Rosephine in the first place.

Rosephine knew it too. Her father and mother valued Dellenhart County more than their daughter, who could not become the family’s heir.

Hadn’t it always been that way? To them, Rosephine was nothing more than a pretty daughter.

Still…

For herself, who had sacrificed for them, they could at least act a bit more affectionately.

‘No, it’s enough that Mother is here. It’s natural for Father to work hard for the county. Let’s not feel hurt over such trivial things.’

It was an emotion that had become complicated because of her first love who had suddenly appeared. There was no need to turn her arrow toward her innocent parents. Rosephine shook her head. She forced the corners of her mouth up to avoid revealing her disappointed feelings.

“By the way, did you meet Marquis Cassius well?”

Then, the Countess changed the conversation topic with good timing.

“Yes, I met him well.”

“How was it, was it all right?”

“…”

“His origins are a bit concerning, but he won’t be a bad person. He is someone who willingly helped our Dellenhart County.”

The Countess seemed worried that her frightened daughter might refuse the marriage with Cassius.

Rosephine, who read her inner thoughts, secretly gripped her skirt.

“…There is one thing I’m curious about. Have Mother or Father never met Marquis Cassius?”

“That’s right. Marquis Cassius is such a veiled figure. Even when marriage talks were exchanged with you, they said they only communicated through letters.”

She had asked with a hopeful heart, but the expected answer came back. As expected, the Count and Countess could not have known Cassius’s identity.

Not only them, but the entire social circle did not know the man’s identity. Cassius Roventhal was truly a veiled man who had never shown himself in social circles even once during the past three years.

Rosephine, who had been wondering whether she should reveal Cassius’s identity, ultimately saved her words.

“I have nothing to tell you since I could not have a conversation with His Lordship. He left somewhere as soon as the wedding ended.”

“You can get to know each other gradually from now on, so don’t worry too much about that.”

The Countess, who had been checking the clock, said there was nothing good about leaving late and hurriedly offered her farewell.

“Thank you, Rosephine. Thanks to you, our Dellenhart County did not collapse.”

The Countess embraced Rosephine with warm hands.

It was the last moment Rosephine Dellenhart kept the family name.

“…Mother.”

Before the farewell with her mother, her heart ached like it would tear.

The Countess, who could not go out due to her sick body, felt frequent loneliness. The only pleasure in her tedious life was the time spent with family.

Among them, Rosephine was the member who spent the most time with the Countess.

“I will miss you. I really will.”

She was already worried about her mother, who would be lonely after her conversation partner disappeared.

“I will miss you too, Rosephine.”

“…”

“My goodness, how fortunate I am that I gave birth to you so prettily…”

However, her mother’s following words instantly cooled Rosephine’s overwhelming emotions.

‘…Mother, why do you only say such things to me until the very end? Why do you push me back into the pit when I am trying to forgive you until the last moment?’

Countess Dellenhart had always been that way. She regarded only Rosephine’s appearance as her pride rather than the other values she possessed.

This time was the same. She felt relieved and happy only about the fact that the family avoided downfall thanks to her beautiful face, rather than her deep heart that had sacrificed for the family.

Does Mother truly love me? Are you not worried that I am being sold to a man whose face I do not even know? She desperately wanted to ask, but she could not even part her lips.

All that remained for Rosephine, who had lost Darion, was her family and parents. She did not have the confidence to turn her back on them, whom she had chosen after abandoning the man she loved.

Rosephine, who left the county, boarded the carriage with a heavy heart. The coachman, in such a hurry for some reason, immediately swung his whip without even giving Rosephine time to reflect on her last moment in her hometown.

She slowly took in the familiar scenery spread out beyond the window.  

The flower garden filled with seasonal blossoms, the familiar path, the village faintly visible beyond the hill, the forest steeped in deep greenery…  

As she followed the flickering memories of days gone by, unfamiliar sights began to appear one by one at the edge of the window, drawing her gaze.  

Only then did it truly sink in that she was leaving the place where she had spent her entire life and heading to a different land.

‘Darion…’

Rosephine, who leaned her head against the hard wall, slowly recalled Cassius.

It was the time when Rosephine was celebrating her sixteenth birthday and was about to have her debutante.

Dellenhart County at that time commissioned a personal portrait to commemorate their daughter’s social debut.

The painter in charge of that portrait was Darion Brookmere, the current Cassius Roventhal.

The portrait work continued for about a month. It was completely natural for a man and woman who stayed close together during that not-short time to fall in love.

The young love continued even after the portrait work ended. As the seasons they shared together increased, the immature love of the two people also gradually deepened.

The relationship that seemed like it would be fleeting continued for several years.

“You refused, saying an engagement was too early! Was it all because of that commoner b*stard!”

The relationship of the two people, which had seemed like it would last forever, began to crack when the Count and Countess noticed their relationship.

The Count and Countess naturally could not support the love of the two people. Rosephine was the daughter of the prestigious Dellenhart County, and Darion was merely an insignificant commoner man.