I ended up stammering, thinking I had to answer quickly.
Words aren’t meant to come from moving lips first—they should follow a thought formed in the mind. I had learned etiquette to the point of nausea, yet to make a mistake at such an important moment… it wasn’t like me.

“Then… would you have some?”

Just as I bit down on my lower lip, vowing not to slip up again, Duke Balthazar strode closer, gesturing to the right with his eyes.

“There’s a shop nearby that makes excellent brownies.”

So… he’s asking me to eat with him? Why?

At the thought, both my cheeks suddenly burned.

“And?”

I asked coolly, pretending composure. It had merely been a casual suggestion from him, yet out of embarrassment, I had deliberately put on a prickly tone.

“I hear it’s a renowned place that has carried on the family business for seventy years. They say everyone lines up to buy from it, so it must be quite good.”

Hearing that it was delicious, I couldn’t help but grow curious. Just how good could it be, if people were willing to stand in line for it?

“Is that so?”

Just as my eyes sparkled with curiosity—

“Which is why…”

The Duke brought his face close to my ear.

“Would you care to go with me?”

His voice, deep as a cavern, brushed gently against my ear along with the warmth of his breath. For a fleeting second, I nearly swayed, unwittingly captivated by him.

“R-right now?”

I regained my senses only when the Duke’s unreadable eyes curved ever so slightly. He was still looking at me with a steady, unwavering gaze.

“Yes. If we go now, we can taste brownies fresh out of the oven. I can assure you.”

Why was this man so intent on feeding me brownies?

For a moment, I wondered if he meant to commemorate my divorce with them, but there was no absurd custom in this Empire that called for eating brownies after a divorce.

Don’t tell me… what I said to Eric about wanting brownies was reported to the Duke immediately?

I had no idea why he was so eager to make me eat brownies, but the whole thing felt bewildering. After all, this man and I were practically strangers.

“You haven’t eaten anything since morning, so I thought I might at least treat you to something light. If it would make you uncomfortable, Lady Agatha, you need not accompany me.”

When I failed to respond at once, the Duke’s expression dimmed slightly.

“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable, so please don’t worry.”

I had noticed it earlier, but the Duke did not speak down to me. Unlike the insolent tone he had used in the courtroom, his manner now was courteous—almost gentle.

Not only that, he continued to address me as “Lady Agatha,” even though my family had fallen. Even if I had divorced today, etiquette dictated that one must not attach a family name to a fallen noble. To fall meant that the house had been erased from the records.

Which meant the Duke should not be calling me “Lady Agatha,” but simply by my given name.

So why does he keep approaching me with such deference?

Unable to discern his true intentions, all sorts of thoughts crossed my mind.

“A-all right. Let’s do that.”

Ah. I stammered again.

I lifted my head with an embarrassed expression, only to find the Duke smiling at me gently.

“The honor is mine, Lady Agatha.”

With one hand resting over his left chest, he inclined his head slightly. It was impeccable noble etiquette, yet for some reason my face felt warm.

It was merely a formal courtesy—so why was I reacting like this?

“Shall we?”

I awkwardly took the lead. I had no idea where this shop that sold brownies was, but I felt too self-conscious not to move first.

“The shop is this way.”

The Duke quickly caught up to me and pointed to the left.

“If Her Ladyship would permit it, I would like to have the honor of guiding you.”

To refuse someone of higher status was tantamount to disregarding them. In other words, it was rude.

“Yes, of course.”

So I accommodated him appropriately. Moreover, considering that I had received the Duke’s help, I had no reason to refuse such a simple request. Even if I disliked it, I was obligated to show him respect.

Had Duke Balthazar not helped me, I would never have been freed from Louis’s wretched estate.

“Thank you for granting me the honor of your company, Lord Balthazar.”

This time, I said it properly, just as I had been taught. Even the faint curve of a smile at the corners of my eyes felt suitably perfect—though I had no idea what expression I was actually wearing.

“The honor is mine.”

Duke Balthazar lightly pressed his lips to the back of my hand.

If anyone were to initiate such a gesture, it should have been me, as the one of lower rank. Yet instead, he had lowered himself.

I could not understand his behavior, but…

I could not understand his behavior, yet I found myself unable to say anything about it. As I looked into those golden eyes gazing up at me, it felt as though honey had been smeared over my lips—they clung shut, refusing to part.

“Shall we?”

The Duke gently enclosed the hand he had just kissed. Then he offered me a tender smile.

For a brief moment, I felt warmth bloom in my chest. How long had it been since I had walked down a street holding someone’s hand like this?

For no reason, I was reminded of attending the Founding Festival with my parents when I was young—the mingling excitement and nervous anticipation I had felt back then.

This freedom, which had only come after I resolved to leave Louis, stirred something in my heart, long steeped in thoughts of revenge.

“Oh my, look at that!”

Before long, I slipped my hand from the Duke’s and began hopping about like a child, taking in the sights of the street.

It had been so long since I had come out like this. The road was crowded with people, and the air was filled with a variety of scents and sounds. Simply standing there and absorbing it all, I couldn’t keep the smile from my face.

All I had done was escape from Louis, yet my steps felt so light—so happy.

So this is why they say living alone is easier.

For the first time, the phrase so often found in nobles’ memoirs—Marriage is madness—truly resonated with me.

“Oh dear… has that young lady lost her mind?”

“Daddy, that lady’s scary. Waaah!”

Was it because I was skipping along the street, laughing brightly? The people around me all turned to whisper as they watched.

Let them.

I wandered from place to place, breathing in every scent and taking in as much as I could with my eyes. I was simply… happy.

It felt as though a sense of liberation—something I had never once experienced through countless repeated lives—had taken hold of all my senses.

“Freshly harvested today! Come take a look!”

At the market set up along one side of the street, I noticed that instead of pale, unripe fruit, there was an abundance of richly red, ripened ones.

“Hello, watermelon. You’re quite big.”

I stopped in front of the lone green watermelon among them and gave it a light thump.

“If you’re with her, please rein the young lady in. She keeps touching everything without buying.”

Because I roamed about so freely, the Duke ended up having to pay for a few things—but what of it? I could always repay him once we returned to the estate.

***

After some time, we arrived at a shop crowded with people.

Having had little interaction with others for so long, I couldn’t help but be startled by the sight of so many gathered in such a confined space.

Why are they all sitting at those cramped tables like chickens in a coop, drinking tea?

It felt as though I had stepped into an entirely different world.

Of course, we chose the most secluded table available.

“Why do you observe everything so intently?”

Duke Balthazar rested both hands on the table, fingers interlaced, and met my gaze. His expression was brimming with curiosity.

“I just find it fascinating that so many people are packed into such a small shop.”

“Is that so?”

He let out a soft chuckle.

“If anything makes you uncomfortable, please do not hesitate to tell me.”

“Thank you, Lord Balthazar.”

“The thanks are mine, Lady Agatha.”

Why does he keep doing that?

The Duke continued to smile at me.

It wasn’t unpleasant, nor did it make me uncomfortable, but the way he kept at it made me self-conscious.

At first, I thought perhaps it was simply because he was remarkably handsome.

But that wasn’t it.

To be honest, I was not accustomed to someone treating me with kindness.

So the feeling stirring within me now must stem from suspicion.

Yet, when I quietly reflected on it, I realized it felt… slightly different from that.