Lorraine, upon arriving, heard something completely unexpected.

“What? You want me to accompany you to the cruise party hosted by Countess Charante?”

“Yes.”

Elicity nodded and held up an invitation. It was a letter from her friend, Penelope, inviting her to a banquet in honor of her husband, Count Charante, who had won a victory in the Iris naval battle.

As befitting a naval officer, the party was to be held on a cruise ship.

“Bella is very fond of you, Miss Lorraine, and many of the children’s tutors will be attending as well.”

“Oh my, madam. But still…”

Elicity had an idea of why Lorraine was hesitating. The banquet hosted by Penelope was a week-long cruise party.

There would be a ball every evening, and she would need gowns and accessories for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Most of the guests on board would be high-ranking nobles, and likely a few members of the royal family as well.

“Your Grace, if you truly have me in mind, please grant me a leave of absence instead.”

Lorraine hesitated before speaking.

But Elicity had no intention of letting her go.

She felt genuinely sorry for placing this mental burden on Lorraine, but having her accompany her carried great significance for Elicity.

“I will provide you with the finest dresses, bags, accessories, and shoes necessary for the cruise party. So please, do not refuse.”

“…Excuse me?”

“As you know, some noblewomen have been gossiping about why I hired you.”

“That’s…”

“So, I want you to attend the cruise party with me and show them that you are indeed a qualified tutor for my child.”

Lorraine tilted her head slightly.

“Is that really possible at a party where people are just eating and drinking? Besides… no matter what I do, people will still see me as a fallen noble.”

“The guests at this party have a different eye for people. They may be arrogant, but they are not foolish. They will be able to distinguish a person’s worth.”

Still uneasy, Lorraine lowered her gaze.

Elicity stood up from her seat and took Lorraine’s hands in hers.

“Miss Lorraine, if this truly feels like too much, I won’t insist… But please, for my sake, will you come with me?”

Faced with Elicity’s earnest expression, Lorraine confessed her true feelings.

“Your Grace, to be honest, I’m afraid I’ll make a mistake. I don’t know much about high society etiquette.”

“There’s no need to worry about that. My aide will be by your side.”

Lorraine was truly torn.

But then, she thought of her younger sister, who was preparing for marriage.

Her sister’s engagement was entirely thanks to the duchess.

Not only had Elicity provided an enormous dowry, but she had also arranged for the third son of a baronial family—who adored Lorraine’s sister—to propose.

Even Lorraine’s third sister, the most beautiful in the Fertel family, was overwhelmed with marriage proposals.

Though their suitors were not of the highest rank, they were all well-off enough that her sisters would never have to worry about making a living.

‘How could I possibly refuse the duchess’s request?’

Lorraine quickly nodded.

“Yes, Your Grace. I will accompany you.”

***

After sending Lorraine off, Elicity focused on her work for a while. However, there was a limit to how long she could concentrate.

After staring at documents for hours, her vision grew blurry, and she pressed her fingers against her temples.

“My lady, why don’t you take a walk? The gardener has just finished tidying up the greenhouse garden.”

Unable to watch any longer, Olivia suggested a stroll.

Elicity hesitated for a moment, but she realized that a short walk might actually improve her efficiency. She stood up.

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

Elicity draped the shawl Olivia handed her over her shoulders and stepped out into the greenhouse garden.

Before her return to the past, Alex was rarely at the duchy, making this greenhouse garden entirely her own.

Elicity loved the greenhouse garden.

The lush green leaves and the riot of blooming flowers seemed to fill the emptiness in her heart.

She began walking slowly along the straight stone path. As she strolled along the neatly maintained walkway, the scent of flowers tickled her nose.

‘Come to think of it, I walked here with my husband last time.’

The moment she thought of him, a dull ache throbbed in her heart.

It was then that Elicity realized, more than ever, just how deeply she loved him.

And that realization only made her heart ache even more.

‘My husband whispered excessively of his love for me, yet I was still trapped in the past, doubting him.’

‘Perhaps I am someone who can neither love properly… nor be loved?’

Whether it was because of parents who never truly loved me as a child, an older brother who inflicted violence upon me, or a husband who once turned away from me, I was already broken.

Elicity bit down on the soft flesh inside her mouth. Bella’s voice kept echoing in her heart.

—Mom, I just want you to be happy!

‘My happiness is my daughter’s happiness, yet my daughter says her happiness is mine.’

Elicity suddenly wondered—had she ever wished for her own mother’s happiness as a child?

To be honest, her mother had only ever loved her brother, Calix, so Elicity’s feelings toward her mother were more of resentment than love. At one time, she even hated her.

But as she grew older, she began to understand, at least a little, why her mother had been so fixated on her son.

‘But that doesn’t mean my mother’s happiness was my own.’

Her happiness was solely Bella’s happiness.

‘But aside from that, Elicity, what else do you want?’

Had there been anything she desired beyond her daughter?

Elicity reflected on her entire life. She carefully revisited every moment, especially the years before Bella was born, from her eighteenth year and earlier.

Sadly, it felt too distant, as if shrouded in mist.

Just as Bella had once lost herself under the title of a duchess’s daughter, Elicity had also lost herself in the role of the duchess.

Then what about now?

‘Now, aside from Bella, what do I want?’

That question made her heart ache as if it were being pressed down. Elicity already knew the answer.

‘At least, with my husband….’

Just then—

“My lady…!”

A voice called from behind her. It was Celon, the head steward.

“Celon? What is it?”

His face was bright, a faint smile of expectation appearing on his lips.

“The master has returned.”

“…Ah.”

“Shall I make preparations for you to welcome him?”

There was nothing to prepare for a simple greeting. It was a roundabout way of asking whether he should go ahead and prepare their bedroom if she agreed.

Everyone present, including Celon, looked at Elicity’s lips, awaiting her response.

“I… will go to the study.”

***

By the time Alex reached the Duchy of Zeroden, the rain had stopped.

However, the sky remained overcast.

He looked up at the murky sky as he waited for the gates of the duchy to open.

The guards murmured among themselves. He could hear faint whispers wondering how he had returned from the royal palace so quickly.

Alex scowled at them.

“Open the gate.”

“Ah, y-yes! Right away!”

The guards scrambled to open it.

The creak of smoothly turning hinges, the crisp salutes of the knights, the sound of his horse stamping its hooves—though he was just one duke, his return still caused a commotion.

Which meant that word had likely already reached his wife.

‘Normally… by the time I reached the mansion, my wife would be waiting to welcome me.’

But this wasn’t a normal time. Would she be at the front gate to greet him?

He wasn’t sure.

His horse’s pace gradually slowed. Alex realized he was riding at an abnormally slow speed, yet he made no move to spur his horse forward.

If he reached the mansion’s gates and did not see his wife waiting there, he wasn’t sure he could bear the disappointment.

Please.

Soon, the white street lamps illuminating the mansion’s entrance came into view.

No one stood beneath them. His strength drained away.

“Y-you’ve returned, Your Grace.”

The steward hesitantly reached out, gauging Alex’s mood. Suppressing the overwhelming weariness washing over him, Alex handed over the reins.

Yet no matter where he looked, the only ones waiting for him were the anxious steward and servants. The face he longed for was nowhere to be seen.

He didn’t know what to do.

Taking a deep breath, he forced his voice to remain steady as he asked,

“Where is my wife?”

“She is in the study, Your Grace. She must be very busy…”

Too busy to come out.

Alex understood the words left unsaid. But it was just an excuse. Even on the eve of his victory banquet, she had come to greet him.

A faint smile formed on his lips, one filled with sorrow.

“I’ll go to the study. No one needs to follow.”

***

“Why didn’t you go out to greet him?”

What?

Elicity took a moment to process the question. Olivia’s face was unusually stern.

Though she was Elicity’s personal maid, she looked more like a mother scolding her child.

“It isn’t an obligation, of course, but you have gone out every time lately.”

“…Ah.”

‘So that’s what she meant.’

Elicity, feeling uncharacteristically small, bit her lip like a reprimanded young girl.

She was afraid.

What if—just as she feared—her husband carried the scent of another woman’s perfume?

She might shatter, as fragile as a dried leaf.

“……”

Instead of answering, Elicity averted her gaze and quietly moved her hands.

But the hand holding the pen trembled, and her breaths were unsteady. Having been with her for over twenty years, Olivia would undoubtedly notice.

Indeed, after staring at her intently, Olivia silently left the study. Soon, silence filled the room.

Elicity eventually set down her pen.

Her mind was a tangled mess.

She considered drinking some tea and lifted her head, only for her gaze to land on a portrait of herself and her daughter.