Christine felt her heart pounding rapidly as she began to make excuses.

“D-darling. There was a slight misunderstanding then. With the sudden change to a banquet, the preparations were somewhat inadequate. Above all, Lady Margrit……”

But Werner shook his head briefly, as if telling her not to say anything more. Christine had no choice but to answer.

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

This was unprecedented behavior from him.

Werner had always respected her and was a husband who let her do whatever she wanted.

But since their first argument, the couple remained in a cold war. More precisely, Werner was keeping his distance by using a separate bedroom.

Christine had been anxious the entire time. She never knew her husband, who had always embraced her generously, could be so cold. She found herself constantly walking on eggshells around him.

So when she heard Werner was looking for her, she rushed over immediately. But the unexpected news left her confused. Moreover, his commanding tone, which she had never heard before, filled her with sadness.

Yet Werner’s face looked even darker than hers.

Christine carefully studied him after not seeing him for a while, then spoke cautiously.

“Daphne is past marriageable age. Even if the engagement is broken off, that was my concern…… Perhaps this is for the best.”

She meant to comfort him. However, Werner just listened silently. His expressionless face made it impossible to tell whether he wanted her to stop or if he found her words comforting. Still, it had been so long since they had spoken that Christine continued.

“And I’ve heard the Emperor greatly favors Lady Margrit. I’m relieved they seem to get along better than we worried. So when Daphne gets married, won’t that be good for our sons too? It will surely create beneficial marriage connections.”

Only then did Werner speak.

“How can you say such things when our daughter is being sent to a place where monsters appear?”

“What?”

Christine wondered if she had heard him correctly. Werner made no effort to hide his anger.

“This isn’t like Fabian going abroad to study for a while. She’s going there to live for the rest of her life!”

As his voice rose, Christine quickly began to sob.

“Darling, that’s not what I meant. You seemed so troubled……”

“Of course I am. The child I’ve neglected all this time is not only having her engagement broken, but she’s being sent to such a place. That’s why my heart aches even more…… But how must the person directly involved feel? Never speak like that again!”

Werner walked past Christine, who stood frozen in place, and left the office. Left alone, Christine was too stunned to know what to do for a while.

She couldn’t understand what she had done so wrong to deserve this treatment.

She wiped away her tears and took deep breaths to compose herself.

Her desire to visit Daphne’s chamber completely vanished.

‘Later, yes, I’ll see her later.’

If she met her now, she feared she would burst into tears.

‘That child… from birth until now, she has always made things difficult for me.’

Christine left the office and headed to her bedroom on the second floor.

A maid who had been watching from right beside the office quietly hid herself. It was Margaret, who had handed Daphne the vase when she had regressed.

She quickly surveyed the surroundings, then grabbed the nearest vase and headed to Daphne’s chamber.

As she was about to knock, the door suddenly swung open.

“Mom, you startled me.”

Margaret almost dropped the vase she was holding.

Hair the color of faded autumn weeds, deep gray eyes, and freckles. A common, ordinary appearance that could be seen anywhere. But encountering Lara like this was quite different.

She had a presence that seemed to press down on people. Her tremendous aura automatically made others shrink back.

It was happening now too.

After startling someone like that, Lara asked with an expressionless face.

“What is it?”

“The Miss’s favorite flowers are blooming…. I brought them to decorate her room.”

As Lara stepped aside, Margaret entered with a bright smile.

“Miss, the marigolds were blooming so beautifully that I brought some.”

“They’re really pretty.”

Daphne welcomed her with a wide smile.

“Aren’t they? The fragrance is wonderful.”

“Your skill at selecting flowers is truly the best, Margaret.”

“Thank you. Marigolds prefer places with good sunlight and slightly dry conditions…. Where should we put them?”

Daphne and Margaret pointed to various spots before entering the study.

Lara couldn’t understand this at all. To her, flowers were no different from grass, so she shrugged and headed to the bedroom to check Daphne’s bed.

After watching her disappear through the door crack, Margaret carefully closed the door.

“My goodness, how frightening. Before I could even knock……”

When Daphne quickly put her index finger to her lips, Margaret covered her mouth with both hands. Daphne went to the desk and wrote on a piece of paper.

「Her ability to detect presence is almost animal-like.」

Margaret thought of the thick carpet in the hallway and shook her head.

‘If the Miss says so, then it must be true.’

Since handing over the vase in the corridor, she had been serving as Daphne’s eyes and ears, reporting everything happening throughout the house.

But ever since Lara appeared out of nowhere and suddenly became Daphne’s personal maid, they’d had to put on this act.

Daphne handed Margaret paper and a pen, and asked:

“What’s the flower language of marigolds?”

Despite her serious expression, her voice remained cheerful, just as when Lara was present.

Margaret answered while writing down the news she had to deliver.

“Marigolds vary by where they grow. So there are three different meanings……”

Daphne looked at her as she spoke with such natural ease.

‘How interesting. I chose you for three reasons too.’

First, she could read and write. She was also quite clever.

Additionally, Margaret lived paycheck to paycheck as she cared for her ailing mother. So the money she received from Daphne for bringing these pieces of information was very sweet to her.

Above all, she was loyal.

In her previous life, when the family was ruined, they had to dismiss their servants one by one. Those who left first at least received severance pay. But as their finances rapidly deteriorated, the next group of servants barely received their overdue wages.

Eventually, people began to quit in droves, and only a few remained until the end. Margaret was one of them.

Those who remained loyal to the end didn’t even receive their back pay, but none complained.

‘Bring me more news, Margaret. So I can make up for what I couldn’t do before.’

Unaware of how Daphne was looking at her, Margaret diligently wrote while explaining the flower language.

“……Those that bloom in the northern continent mean ‘sending thoughts to a separated friend,’ and those from the south represent ‘happiness that will surely come.'”

Hearing the flower meanings, Daphne smiled slightly.

“Those are truly beautiful meanings.”

However, the content Margaret had written wasn’t so pleasant. Daphne had already anticipated the invitation to Margo.

「…The Madam said that Miss’s marriage would be good for the young masters too, and got into a big argument with His Grace.」

Daphne took the flowers out of the vase and put the paper inside. Watching the ink dissolve in the water, she thought:

‘Mother, you had such a difficult pregnancy with me, and you continue to make things difficult for me.’

Daphne irritably put the flowers back in the vase and held out a gold coin.

“Take it.”

“Oh no, I couldn’t. It’s just my duty.”

“This is because I’m grateful for you always bringing such beautiful flowers.”

The two finished their conversation, conscious of Lara’s presence. Margaret bowed deeply and left the study.

‘Sending thoughts to a separated friend……’

For some, it would become a good memory, while for others, a person they’d rather not recall. She vowed to repay each person with all her heart so that no regrets would remain.

‘And then, surely happiness will come?’

Daphne headed to the bedroom. The bed Lara had tidied was perfectly made, with the blanket so neat it looked as if it had been ironed.

“Lara, you’re really amazing.”

Despite Daphne’s praise, Lara didn’t say a word of thanks or acknowledgment—she just nodded and left the room.

‘So curt……’

Daphne was stroking the pillow when she paused at the gentle fragrance. Margaret had placed dried lavender inside the pillowcase.

‘She’s truly attentive.’

Thanks to this, Daphne was able to forget her troublesome day and fall asleep.

The next morning at dawn. An unfamiliar carriage broke through the thick fog and entered the main gate of the Armin family estate.

‘Who could it be at this hour?’

The gatekeeper, who had just changed shifts, approached the coachman with a tense expression.

“Who is the passenger in this carriage?”