A small portrait painted a year ago depicted only Elicity and Bella. Her husband was absent.

Elicity stared at the frame for a while. Inside the solid gold frame, inlaid with finely cut jewels, she was smiling beautifully.

But she had not been happy then.

‘My husband wasn’t by my side.’

She had tried to console herself, saying it didn’t matter if he wasn’t there. But that wasn’t true.

When the painter said he would fill the empty space where her husband should have been with a vase, she felt a pang of sorrow.

She had wanted to say she would wait until her husband returned home.

But her husband—Alex—had left for the battlefield without even telling her. Even if she had waited for him to return, she doubted he would have agreed to sit for the portrait with her.

So, she had simply taken the portrait with her daughter alone. It wasn’t as if it was an official piece meant to be displayed on the wall.

Even though she knew she couldn’t hold onto time that had already passed, Elicity couldn’t help but keep recalling the past.

Her husband had never been kind to her. He had turned away from their daughter. To both of them, he had only been indifferent.

So no matter how many times he said he loved her, wasn’t it natural that her heart refused to harden?

‘It’s only natural that I can’t go out to greet him…’

Elicity was quietly murmuring to herself when she suddenly heard the sound of ragged breathing outside the door.

She stiffened in surprise, but only for a moment.

“Elicity.”

It was her husband.

Recognizing him instantly, Elicity sprang to her feet.

“I have something to say.”

For a brief moment, a shocking thought crossed her mind—that if she didn’t open this door, he might very well break the doorknob himself.

That was how heavy his voice sounded.

But the reason she approached the door wasn’t because she was intimidated by his imposing presence. It was simply that, before she could even think, her hands and feet moved on their own.

As the door creaked open just a little, Alex suddenly pushed it wide open.

The first thing she saw was his eyes.

Two red flames burned with the sharpness of a finely honed blade. His firmly pressed lips radiated determination.

Faced with that resolute expression, Elicity didn’t know what to say.

“……”

But before she could utter a word, Alex spoke first.

“I went to the royal palace to ask if Sir Serad was truly sent by Prince Helios.”

“……What?”

“Sir Serad was not sent by Prince Helios.”

For a moment, relief washed over her at the thought that he had truly gone to the royal palace. But then his words left her utterly dumbfounded.

Had he really run all the way to her study just to say this, to the point of being out of breath?

If Alex was panting, it meant he had run faster than lightning itself.

As Elicity stood there, bewildered, her gaze soon shifted to her husband’s forehead, and she frowned.

His disheveled hair was damp with sweat. Half the buttons on his shirt were undone, exposing his chest.

Where was his dignity as a duke?

Instinctively, she reached out to touch his forehead, wanting to tidy up his tousled hair.

Then, she met his startled expression.

‘……Ah!’

Elicity realized it then.

At some point, they had become so accustomed to touching each other like this.

Her violet eyes began to waver.

Alex didn’t miss the slight tremor in her gaze.

As if seizing something, he suddenly caught her hovering hand.

“Ah, I…”

“The knight was sent by Princess Lucellia. If you don’t believe me, I can even give you a handwritten letter as proof.”

From his coat, Alex pulled out a letter stamped with Lucellia’s seal.

On the envelope, in Lucellia’s handwriting, was written: “To the Duchess.”

“Princess Lucellia?”

“Yes.”

The thought of ‘Why?’ quickly faded.

The only person in the Madonia Kingdom who would use the prince to drive a wedge between her and her husband was that woman.

Alex firmly placed the crumpled letter into Elicity’s hand.

Still dazed, Elicity looked down at the princess’s letter, now messily wrinkled.

The long, elaborate name of the princess was carelessly distorted in her grasp.

Suddenly, it felt as though it symbolized her husband’s heart.

Not the past, perhaps, but at least in ‘this life,’ that must be the case.

‘Can I trust him…?’

Can I love him again?

Last night, Alex had left her alone.

If Elicity had lived only one life, voicing her resentment would have been easy.

But Elicity was living her second life.

And he had unknowingly driven another nail into her wounded heart.

‘But… this man doesn’t know that…’

No matter how hard she tried to push them away, fragments of the past kept surging back, unbidden.

And with them came fear, sorrow, and silence—leading all the way to the depths of despair.

‘This Alex in this life does not know. The target of my resentment is misplaced.’

Elicity looked down at the letter in her hand once more. He had run a long, long distance just to bring this to her…

Somewhere between suffocation and gratitude, Elicity’s eyes turned red. With reddened eyes, she parted her lips slightly.

‘Alex, the truth is, I wished you had stayed by my side last night.’

‘I no longer wanted to spend cold, lonely nights alone.’

‘I hated watching your departing figure, and I hated spending my days without you.’

All those words swirled inside her mouth. They threatened to overflow, making her anxious that she wouldn’t be able to speak properly.

Suddenly, a warm touch brushed her cheek. Her husband was stroking her face.

Elicity lifted her head to look at him. Today, more than ever, his jet-black hair was particularly disheveled, and beneath it, his blood-red eyes shone calmly.

He touched her as if handling something precious, yet he looked tormented. His smile, as if suppressing something, was enough to make anyone feel a heavy sorrow.

Why?

Elicity had intended to reproach him, but her lips clamped shut. Instead, she wanted to ask the reason for his dazed expression.

“Alex. Why do you look like that…?”

But at that moment—

From the garden, a loud “Jingle, jingle!!” of a bell rang out.

Both Elicity and Alex turned their heads simultaneously toward the garden outside the window.

It was the alarm bell, signaling an emergency.

***

Lately, Bella had been forming the habit of sleeping with Lorraine because her mother’s mood hadn’t seemed good.

“Now then, my lady. Shall we take a short evening stroll before getting ready for bed?”

“Alright!”

The garden path was somewhat dim, but the abundance of blooming hydrangeas made it beautiful.

“My lady, the hydrangeas in the duchy’s garden are truly lovely.”

“Aren’t they? That’s because Gardener Jean is very skilled!”

Just then, they spotted a man sprawled lazily on a bench near the fountain.

‘Oh no, leaving Dame Louise behind was a mistake.’

Fortunately, there were alarm bells placed throughout the garden to call for help in case of danger.

Recalling the locations of the bells, Lorraine quickly embraced Bella and sharply questioned the man.

“It’s late at night. Who are you, alone in this ducal estate?”

The slumped man slowly lifted his head. His unfocused eyes suggested he was drunk.

Drunk, in the Zeroden Duchy, of all places. Just as she was reeling in shock, his next words were even more absurd.

“Oh, but who might you be, fine lady with such a lovely figure?”

Fine lady with a lovely figure?

Though the words felt like an evaluation, Lorraine barely restrained herself and asked,

“Who are you? This is the Zeroden Duchy. This is not a place for someone to lounge around so disgracefully.”

“Teacher, he’s my uncle.”

A small, guilty voice came from below. It was Bella.

“Your uncle… could it be Lord Daniel Reten?”

“Yes.”

Now that she thought about it, she had seen him once before. That dark brown hair and murky orange eyes…

‘I heard he bears no resemblance to the Duke of Zeroden in either appearance or character, and that no one favors him.’

Lorraine hesitated but decided to greet him properly, as she was, after all, employed at the estate.

“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am the ducal family’s tutor.”

“Oh! You must be the Miss Lorraine Fertel, the one with four sisters?”

Daniel’s gaze then changed into something unsettling.

“I heard your younger sisters are all beautiful. Have they all found suitors?”

“There is no need for your concern. And since you have arrived, wouldn’t it be proper for you to head straight to the reception room?”

“I can’t simply pass by when I see a flower. It means you are beautiful.”

Lorraine frowned.

‘What an utterly vulgar manner of speaking. He is nothing like the Duke.’

Clicking her tongue discreetly, she forced a smile.

“There are much prettier flowers blooming all over the garden, so I hope you enjoy them. Now then, I must put the young lady to bed. Shall we go, my lady?”

Lorraine grabbed the young lady’s hand and urged her to hurry.

Daniel, displeased by this, blocked her path.

“Lady Fertel, send my niece ahead first. Then join me in the reception room for a drink.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Why act so coy? Do you think I don’t know the kind of women who come out of the Royal Academy? I’ll treat you well tonight.”

For a moment, Lorraine doubted her ears.

But when he staggered a step closer, her face turned deathly pale.

She considered screaming.

But this man was the Duke’s younger brother.

If someone were to find them, she couldn’t be sure the Duke would protect her.

One thing was certain—Lorraine’s reputation would suffer immensely.

In Madonia, a woman’s reputation was always determined by men.

In the end, Lorraine whispered urgently to the frightened Bella beside her.

“My lady, if you follow this stone path a little further, you’ll find the fountain where the gardener is, and a bell. Ring the bell and call for the knights.”

“What? B-But, Teacher, you must come too.”

“I will handle this man. Don’t worry. Nothing bad will happen in this garden. Now, hurry.”

Bella hesitated but soon ran off quickly.

Watching Bella disappear, Lorraine turned back sharply.

“Step aside, my lord. Otherwise, I will tell the Duchess exactly what you tried to do to me tonight.”

“I don’t understand. Frankly, wouldn’t becoming my concubine be a good choice? Where else will you find a young, wealthy noble like me?”

“Are you out of your mind?”

In the end, harsh words burst from Lorraine’s lips.