Chapter 10.8

After finishing her preparations and coming downstairs, passing servants knelt and greeted her. Mischievous smiles lingered on their faces.  

“Good morning, Iela. Linda.”  

“Good morning, Young Madam.”  

The villa’s servants had all returned to the Ducal Household and were leading cheerful lives.  

“Where are you headed?”  

“I’m stepping out for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”  

“Take care. We’re about to bake pancakes for a snack.”  

At the sudden memory that popped into her mind, Solnia burst into laughter. Iela and Linda giggled along with her.  

After passing them, Solnia headed straight to the drawing room. There, she found the Duchess of Trovill.  

As always, the Duchess was impeccably dressed, her black hair neatly pinned up.  

In her hands was the same newspaper Solnia had been reading earlier. With a deep sigh, the Duchess turned around, sensing her presence.  

“Good morning.”  

When Solnia greeted her with a bright smile, the Duchess nodded.  

“Are you going out?”  

“Yes, I have some errands to run.”  

“Your husband just said the same thing before he left. How alike you two are, even in such matters.”  

Barely recovered, yet already so busy with errands. The Duchess shook her head, and Solnia smiled bashfully at the sight.  

She had heard about the things the Duchess had done without her knowledge. The words the Duchess had spoken while embracing her upon her return weren’t meant for her alone.  

The Duchess must have feared losing Solnia as much as she had mourned the loss of her old friend—Solnia’s mother.  

She was someone who remembered and missed her mother just as much as Solnia did. Someone who could share the stories her mother never got to tell her.  

“Why are you smiling?”  

“Just because. I’m happy.”  

The Duchess furrowed her brow as if she had heard something ridiculous, but,  

“I’ll be back soon, Mother.”  

“…”  

At the affectionate title of “Mother,” the Duchess eventually let out a chuckle.  

*

The increasingly chilly air seeped into the carriage. Solnia sat upright, her eyes fixed on the scenery outside the window.  

The Oberon Mansion, which always exuded an unpleasant grandeur, looked unusually shabby today.  

Several baggage carriages were parked in front of the mansion’s entrance, and servants were busily loading piles of luggage.  

As she had suspected.  

It seemed her grandmother intended to leave the capital for the time being.  

Although the trial had concluded with a verdict of innocence, the reputation she had fought so hard to preserve had been irreparably tarnished. There was no way she could endure it any longer.  

Before long, the Heston Dowager Madame appeared, heavily dressed in a bonnet and gloves. That wretched cane was with her as well. She boarded a golden carriage that seemed fit for royalty. Alec Heston followed behind her.  

The procession of carriages soon passed through the gates and moved past Solnia’s carriage.  

After the clunky baggage carriages rolled by, the dazzling golden carriage passed right beside her.  

At that moment, the Dowager Madame, who had been lowering the window shade, met her gaze.  

Though it lasted only a fleeting moment, they clearly saw each other.  

The face of the old woman who had lost everything was utterly pitiful.  

It was no different from the face of any elderly person one might see on the street.  

The expensive jewelry adorning her body and her impeccable attire looked utterly unimpressive.  

She hadn’t realized this before. Not even when she had resolved to escape this hell through marriage and went to meet Luette Trovill. She hadn’t known things would end like this. That she would part ways with the Heston family in this manner.  

That she would witness not her own downfall, but theirs.  

The procession of Heston carriages eventually disappeared from view.  

Looking back at the Oberon Mansion, she saw the servants, who had finished sending off the carriages, quietly returning indoors.  

Solnia took a deep breath. Just as she was about to knock on the carriage ceiling, another carriage pulled up beside hers.  

The black window shade slid up, revealing Luette Trovill’s face.  

“What are you doing here?”  

At his sudden appearance, Solnia furrowed her brow and asked,  

“What are you doing here? Didn’t you leave earlier?”  

“I had some errands to run.”

“I had some errands to run as well.” 

“It must have been quite the spectacle, I presume.”

“You must’ve enjoyed it just as much.”  

Exchanging trivial remarks, the couple burst into laughter simultaneously.  

“I’ll be off now. Linda promised to bake me some extraordinary pancakes.”

“Then I should head back too.”

“I wonder if there’ll be any left for you.” 

“First come, first served.”  

With those words, Luette knocked on the carriage roof with a flourish. As his carriage began to move, Solnia, not to be outdone, knocked on her own carriage roof and called out,  

“To the Ducal Mansion! Faster than that carriage!”  

***

There were nights when everything seemed perfect, yet unhealed wounds surfaced vividly.  

Awoken by groaning sounds, Solnia turned around to face Luette, lying beside her. It was the third time she had witnessed him having a nightmare.  

“No… I…”  

Indistinct words slipped intermittently through his labored groans. Solnia gently placed her hand on his furrowed forehead, just as he had once watched over her in slumber. It seemed like her turn now.  

What kind of dream are you having?  

What kind of dream could make you struggle so much even in your sleep?  

As she placed her hand on his cheek and softly brushed his eyelids, his long lashes quivered like a fan.  

“…It’s okay.”  

She whispered softly, pressing her forehead against his.  

“It’s okay. I’m here.”  

Perhaps you’re searching for me in your dream.  

As if you’re still in that time, desperately seeking me without regard for your injuries.  

“I’m here, Lu.”  

How long would it take for the Luette Trovill in that place to reach here? She hoped it wouldn’t be too hard on him.  

Carefully snuggling into his arms and wrapping herself around his broad frame, the heavy breaths he had been exhaling began to steady. Solnia closed her eyes in his embrace.  

Tomorrow, she decided, she would do what this man had long wished for.  

***

It was now a season that could rightfully be called autumn. The carriage carrying the couple passed through a plaza that had grown noticeably quieter.  

Solnia raised her hand and knocked on the roof just before they reached their destination.  

“Could you stop by Rainpark for a moment?”  

“Yes, Young Madam!”  

The coachman responded energetically, while Luette Trovill looked at his wife with a dissatisfied expression.  

“What’s with the sudden change?’  

“Just taking a moment to gather my thoughts. I’m on my way to make a lifelong promise as a married woman.”  

Her playful smile left Luette dumbfounded, but he still agreed to the stroll.  

Rainpark, once showcasing beautiful scenery, could not escape its melancholic transformation. Red leaves were scattered around the circular lake, and the gentlemen and ladies who used to discreetly observe each other had disappeared. Only a few couples, having reaped their harvests, enjoyed a quiet morning walk.  

“Just one lap. That should be enough time for you to prepare yourself.”

“Don’t rush me. I’m one of those ‘wives whose feelings change all the time,’ remember?”

“I thought I said I wasn’t friends with someone who says that.”

“Did I say otherwise?”  

Luette gritted his teeth, vowing to deal with Pavro Hudson if he ever crossed paths with him. Yet, walking beside the woman next to him made all those thoughts fade away.  

The woman, with her serene smile, harmonized perfectly with the season. Her light chestnut hair, unusually pale skin, and neatly arranged features all suited the autumn backdrop.  

He suddenly recalled the time she had appeared with a flower petal in her hair and a dazed expression, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.  

“Why are you laughing?”

“Surely, you’re not going to say my sudden laughter changed your mind, are you, Madam?”

At his playful response, Solnia burst into laughter.

“By the way, is there anything you want to eat?”

“Why do you ask so suddenly?”

“Or anything you’d like to have?”

“Suddenly?”

Solnia asked suspiciously.

“Is this to celebrate our reunion?”

“It’s your birthday.”

The unexpected comment made Solnia stop in her tracks. Naturally, the man, who had taken a step ahead, turned around to face her with a smile.

“You’re twins with that Alec fellow, aren’t you?”

“…”

“Then your birthday is today.”

She hadn’t even thought about it. At some point, her birthday had become associated with summer. It had to be summer.

In an instant, memories of those hellish days flashed through her mind. Or rather, they tried to.

Before they could take hold, he lightly kissed her and whispered softly.

“Happy birthday, Solnia.”

“…”

A bashful smile spread across her face as she stared at him in a daze. When he leaned in to kiss her again, she lifted herself onto her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Wait a moment.”

The deep kiss ended with a soft sound as Solnia pulled away and gave him a playful glare.

“Don’t think you can get away with just this.”

“Don’t worry. Your husband has plenty of money, time, and youth.”

“Why does youth matter…?”

“Isn’t it nice? Handsome and young.”

At his cheeky remark, she rolled her eyes as if she couldn’t believe him. He responded with another kiss, brushing the tip of her nose lightly as he spoke.

“I hope you stop teasing me. The deliberation period is almost over, and it’s driving me crazy.”

“Well… fine.”

Her response, given as if she were doing him a favor, made Luette take a deep breath in an exaggerated manner. Solnia laughed and linked arms with him.

“But what if people think we’re being too dramatic for submitting the agreement in person?”

“Everyone in the capital already knows.”

“Our title was ‘The Most Beautiful Couple of the Season.’”

“There’s another one now. It came about while you were staying at that hunters’ cabin.”

“Oh dear…”

Her voice sounded disheartened, and Luette Trovill laughed aloud. His low, resonant laughter was so pleasant to hear that she couldn’t help but look up at him.

“If you keep looking at me like that, you’ll trip. I’ll make sure you pay for it later.”

In the now fully autumnal Rainpark, the couple stood out as an exceptionally striking pair.

<The End>