The news that Edal carefully delivered crushed Serce’s resolve to visit Aneta.

With disbelief written all over his face, Serce parted his lips as if to say something, but no words came. Eventually, he closed his mouth and sank weakly onto the sofa.

Seeing his master’s forlorn state, Edal observed him with a conflicted expression before quietly excusing himself. It was clear that Serce needed time alone, even without saying it out loud.

The butler’s footsteps faded beyond the closed door. Serce lowered his head, running his hands over his face in a dry, desperate motion. His tightly pressed lips quivered faintly.

Carlos Baltimore was, by nature, obviously possessive. Serce knew this all too well. Carlos always wanted to monopolize Aneta, but he wasn’t the kind of man who would force her to cut ties with someone or forbid her from meeting anyone.

The real issue was that Carlos wasn’t the type to sit back idly, either.

Instead of resorting to petty tactics to drive a wedge between Serce and Aneta, Carlos would reinforce his own position and claim his place by Aneta’s side.

The surest way to do that was marriage.

Serce had always known this day would come eventually.

‘But this is much sooner than I expected.’

It hadn’t been a short time since Serce began avoiding Aneta. During that time, she and Carlos had likely nurtured and strengthened their love for one another.

In a way, Serce felt relieved he hadn’t witnessed it firsthand. Yet, simultaneously, his heart burned with regret, feeling he should have done more, and he fought harder.

But it was too late for that now.

‘So, I really have to give up on Aneta now?’

Just as he had barely begun to recover from the lingering guilt and helplessness after the kidnapping incident, this new revelation hit like a reopened wound, still raw and bleeding.

That night, Serce locked himself in his bedroom and didn’t drink a single sip of water, spending the entire night wide awake.

***

‘I can’t avoid this forever.’

Several days later, Serce managed to calm his chaotic thoughts and decided to visit Aneta again.

Listless and aimless during those days, he finally decided to pull himself together. Adjusting the disheveled clothes he had carelessly thrown on, he left his bedroom and descended the stairs.

As he reached the lower floor, he found Edal giving various instructions to the servants.

“My Lord,” Edal greeted him, pausing his duties upon noticing Serce.

“Edal, I’m going to visit Aneta,” Serce said.

Serce masked his surprise as he approached Edal, speaking as casually as he could manage.

“Will you be alright, my Lord?”

“…I think so,” he replied. Probably. Swallowing the doubt, Serce ordered Edal to prepare the carriage, and the butler immediately sent someone to the stables.

Though Edal’s worried gaze lingered on him until he stepped out of the mansion, Serce silently climbed into the carriage. His heart pounded at the thought of seeing Aneta soon, no matter how much he berated himself for being foolish. Still, he didn’t order the carriage to turn back.

***

The previous night, Serce had returned to the mansion with a body heavy from drink. Luckily, he hadn’t blacked out completely—he could vaguely remember collapsing onto his bed.
He figured he must have passed out not long after that. Pressing his throbbing head, he sat still for a moment until memories from the night before came flooding back.

The moment he saw Aneta, the pent-up longing inside him broke free like a dam, and he could hardly form coherent sentences.

No one had prevented their meeting—it had been his own decision to avoid her out of despair and the realization of the limits of his love. Yet, when the moment finally came, it overwhelmed him.

When he managed to get his words together, he considered confessing his feelings, even if it meant relying on the courage that alcohol provided. But in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

That would have been bad enough, but Serce had made an even worse decision.

‘What was I thinking when I made that proposal?’

Letting out a deep sigh, Serce sat up. For a moment, his stomach churned, but perhaps because his mood had sunk so low, even that sensation soon faded.

‘Offering to make her wedding dress—was that really the right thing to do?’

He asked himself the same question repeatedly, but what was done was done. Once the words had left his mouth, there was no taking them back, and he had no intention of retracting the offer now.

Looking out the window, he saw the sun high in the sky. Serce immediately headed for his workshop. If he was going to fulfill his promise in the short time left, he needed to get started immediately.

Sitting at his workbench, Serce sketched and revised his designs repeatedly. He shut himself away, refusing meals until a full day had passed.

When he finally emerged from the workshop, holding a sketchbook in hand, the first thing Serce did was summon those who could help him.

He called on the employees at Étienne and two maids known for their excellent sewing skills, who had occasionally assisted him. Serce gave them clear instructions on their tasks.

It wasn’t long before word of his actions reached Edal.

The butler sighed at his master’s obstinance but didn’t try to stop him. The most he could do was remind Serce not to overwork himself.

***

Serce poured his heart and soul into making the dress. He wanted Aneta to look even more beautiful when she united with her loved one. He could only comfort himself by thinking, ‘It’s because she’s so radiant that I couldn’t hold onto her.’

Most materials for the wedding dress had been prepared in advance for convenience. While he wanted to craft every piece from scratch, the tight timeframe gave him no choice.

Serce would have poured all his emotions for her into the dress if he could. That’s why he worked on it with a single-minded focus. But one day, he overworked himself to the point of a nosebleed.

A drop of blood fell onto the desk, and just as it did, one of the employees happened to look up and see it. Startled, they shouted, “My Lord! Your nose, you’re bleeding!”

The others rushed to check on him, but Serce was more concerned about the dress than his own condition. Quickly stepping back to prevent the blood from staining the clothing, he sighed in relief after confirming it was unharmed.

“Good, it didn’t get on the dress.”

Serce wiped the blood on the desk with his sleeve to avoid accidents. All the while, his own clothes became streaked with crimson as the blood continued to drip.

“What do you mean, ‘good’? At least use this to stop the bleeding!”

“I’ll go fetch the steward. Please wait just a moment!”

One of the employees handed him a handkerchief to press against his nose, while one of the maids who had been diligently sewing bolted out of the room in a panic.

“My Lord!”

Hearing the news, Edal rushed in with an alarmed expression. Seeing the handkerchief now soaked with blood, he ran over to Serce and immediately pressed a cold compress he had brought against the back of his neck while pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I warned you not to overdo it, didn’t I? But no, you had to push yourself until you bled. Well done, truly,” Edal scolded, looking at Serce as one might look at a disobedient child.

Edal strongly urged Serce and everyone assisting him to rest for at least three hours. Not wanting to provoke Edal further, the others glanced cautiously at Serce for his approval.

Serce wanted to refuse, saying he didn’t have time for breaks, but one stern glare from Edal forced him to agree reluctantly. Fortunately, the bleeding stopped shortly after.

After neatly putting away the blood-soaked handkerchief, Edal turned to Serce, who sat slumped in a chair with his eyes closed, and asked,

“Why are you going to such lengths for this?”

“Well,” Serce replied with a faint smile, “part of it is to let go of my feelings for Aneta. But if I’m being honest, the biggest reason is probably just to annoy Carlos Baltimor.”

“Are you talking about Duke Baltimor?”

“He’s probably already heard I’m making Aneta’s wedding dress. While Aneta might not realize my feelings, the duke does, and he won’t be happy about it.”

But there was no way Carlos would make a fuss about it to Aneta. Serce figured he was entitled to at least this much mischief.

“So, in the end, you didn’t confess to the marchioness?”

“I didn’t. It wouldn’t change anything.”

If he thought confessing could change Aneta’s heart, he would have done it hundreds, no, thousands of times. But as he’d told Edal, there was no chance Aneta’s feelings would shift.

“She’s going to get married anyway. If I confess, it’ll only stir things up unnecessarily and make things awkward between us. The last thing I want is to see Aneta feeling uncomfortable because of me.”

Serce didn’t want to ruin his relationship with Aneta. He resolved to remain her friend until the end to ensure that didn’t happen, rather than trying to stand before her as a man.

“And besides, that man is so jealous. If I were to confess, who knows? It might spell the end of my family line.”

“Well,” Edal quipped, “you don’t have any heirs, but your older brothers are still around, aren’t they?”

“Then I’d ask as a final favor. Better to let the line end than to have them inherit, and I’d even ask him to take me along as a companion on the journey to the afterlife.”

Edal responded to Serce’s jokey remark in kind, matching his tone. But Edal wasn’t someone who couldn’t tell the difference between a real laugh and a forced one.

Noticing the unnatural curve of Serce’s lips, Edal fell silent for a moment before finally voicing something lingering on the tip of his tongue.

“To be honest, I resent the marchioness a little.”

“Don’t blame her. It’s a love I started on my own, without her knowing. I can’t demand someone else feel the same way I do just because I love them. You know that.”

“You’re a fool.”

“I know. But what can I do? This is the only way I know how to love her.”

After that, Serce told Edal to rest his eyes briefly and asked him to leave the room.

However, contrary to what he had told Edal, Serce opened his eyes when he heard the door click shut. Leaning forward in his chair, he reached for the bottom drawer of his desk. Sliding his hand into the farthest depths, his fingers brushed against a small case.

He carefully pulled it out and opened the lid. Inside was a ring—something he had made for Aneta, intending to give it to her.

Serce stared at it with pained eyes, knowing he would never be able to give it to her.

Though it might seem impossible now, with the passing of many seasons, perhaps even this love would fade someday. It would take a long time and hurt, but what choice did he have?

After all, the fate of someone who isn’t chosen has always been like this.