Leticia couldn’t immediately comprehend what she had just read.

A letter that began with “My love.”

The writer of the letter was unmistakably Callius.

This meant that he had a lover.

Suddenly, the conversation at the Winstleton estate came to mind.

“Or a noble mistress?”

It had been a joking remark about his suddenly refined demeanor. There had been no evidence to suggest the truth of that statement—until she read this letter.

In a daze, Leticia continued reading the rest of the letter.

…I’m sure you must be surprised to receive a letter from me. I know. I find it strange too. But if I don’t write like this, I feel like I’m going to lose my mind.

The part where he wrote “lose my mind” had been pressed so hard that the words were indented, as if engraved into the paper.

I won’t use crude words. So when we meet again, please praise me for this restraint.

The letter was unfinished. It seemed he had written and rewritten it multiple times. The stack of papers was all in the same state. Some letters contained only a single phrase without any context.

I miss you.

That one phrase carried more weight than the other letters filled with long, drawn-out words.

Leticia, forgetting her situation, wondered who the woman was that Callius Maxis missed so desperately.

The more she learned about him, the more she realized he was different from the man the rumors described.

The man in the rumors was said to desire nothing except wealth and honor.

Leticia had thus assumed that he wouldn’t be the type to immerse himself in feelings of love.

But she had been wrong.

He loved a woman as deeply and fervently as he sought power.

For a moment, Leticia thought that such intense emotions might be enough to motivate him to oppose Mathias.

If Mathias knew about the existence of the lover and still forced Callius to marry Leticia, then his sudden hostility toward Mathias made sense.

‘What is love, really?’

Leticia recalled how her father had ruined their family over a woman.

Whether or not it had been love, it was clear that he had cared for Isabella.

Was Callius about to make the same mistake?

Whatever the case, this was an opportunity for Leticia.

The existence of a lover was a weakness for Callius.

‘For now, I’ll focus on that.’

Leticia found it difficult to put the letter down.

The desperate emotions in the letter were so raw that they stirred even her heart, though she had no connection to them.

Even with the power she had long desired now within reach, Callius’s love for this woman was so deep and heavy that it might ruin everything.

Leticia didn’t understand such feelings.

Yet she didn’t find herself looking down on him for it either.

—

“Have you been out for a walk?”

“You returned quickly, Christine.”

Christine held up a pouch of medicine and placed it on the table.

“Nora doesn’t know that I went to see the healer.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Oh, but the healer said the amount of medicine is less than last time.”

“Why is that?”

“It seems that there are limits to gathering the ingredients here in Siscreek.”

That might be true, but Leticia didn’t think that was the whole story.

Jeremiah was being cunning.

By reducing the amount of medicine, Jeremiah would ensure that Leticia would seek him out sooner.

At the very least, it gave her more frequent reasons to send Christine to meet him. Since the medicine wasn’t something she needed daily, the reduced quantity wasn’t a problem.

“I’ll make sure to go earlier next time.”

Christine spoke as though it was only natural for her to go again.

—

It was the first time Leticia sought out Nora on her own.

Usually, Nora would come to Leticia first—whether to suggest a meal, tea, or a walk.

Nora, who had been busy moving about, immediately approached Leticia upon seeing her.

“What brings you here, Madam? Are you looking for something?”

“I have something to ask you. If you’re busy, I can come back later.”

“No, I’m fine. Would you like some tea?”

Leticia was about to decline but thought the conversation might take longer than expected, so she nodded.

The weather had grown warm. Under the gentle sunlight, a tea table was set.

After the maids brought the teapot and left, Leticia invited Nora to sit across from her.

Nora hesitated but eventually took a seat, looking nervous as if unsure of what Leticia would say.

“I want to ask about the bedroom I saw on the first day.”

“The… the bedroom?”

Nora, who had been about to sip her tea, set the cup down again.

“Is there a problem with that room?”

“You said that room doesn’t have an owner, right?”

“Of course. It’s just like any other room in the castle.”

Nora answered quickly, as if she knew hesitation would only cause more problems.

Leticia realized the conversation would go nowhere like this.

“Is that bedroom perhaps the room of Lord Maxis’s lover?”

“L-lover? What are you saying, Madam?”

Nora jumped up in surprise, nearly dropping her cup. Thankfully, no hot tea spilled.

While Leticia remained calm, Nora’s face turned pale.

Leticia realized she needed to clarify her question before Nora became even more flustered.

“First, let me say that I’m not blaming anyone for the existence of a lover.”

“What? What do you mean? If your husband has a lover, of course you should blame him! N-not that I’m saying Lord Maxis actually has a lover…”

But the more Nora spoke, the worse her expression became.

Her reaction only served to confirm Leticia’s suspicions.

“I read the letter.”

“T-the letter…”

Just the mention of the letter was enough for Nora to understand what Leticia meant.

Realizing she couldn’t deny it any longer, Nora closed her eyes tightly.

“What is Lord Maxis thinking…?”

Nora muttered to herself with a sigh.

Her shoulders slumped as she looked at Leticia, trying to gauge her reaction.

But Leticia was fine. She wasn’t upset—just a little surprised. That was all.

“If you know anything, tell me everything.”

“…I don’t know much.”

Nora now looked like a prisoner confessing her crimes.

But Nora hadn’t done anything wrong.

Even if her kindness toward Leticia had stemmed from pity after learning about the lover, it didn’t change anything.

“One day, Lord Maxis just changed. He stopped using crude language and became a gentleman overnight. I didn’t realize it was because of a lover…”

Nora spoke as though Callius having a lover was somehow her fault.

“I did hope Lord Maxis would find someone important to him, but I never imagined it would be a lover… I didn’t expect this at all.”

“This isn’t your fault, Nora. It’s no one’s fault.”

Not even Callius.

If anything, he was already paying the price for being tied down by the existence of his lover.

“I’ve never seen her. I only suspected before, but when I saw the letter, I knew. He really does have a lover.”

That meant Nora didn’t know much more than Leticia did.

But there was one thing Leticia could confirm from Nora’s words.

Callius, who had suddenly become noticeably more polite, might have been influenced by his lover. If that lover was a noble, it made sense.

If that was the case, why hadn’t he married her?

‘Could his lover be Mathias’s lover?’

It wasn’t impossible.

Lady Marilyn Winstleton, for example, was Mathias’s lover.

It wouldn’t be the first time Mathias had married off one of his lovers to someone else.

If she wasn’t Mathias’s lover, perhaps she belonged to a family opposing him.

There were too many possibilities for now.

“Thank you for being honest, Nora.”

“…I’m sorry, Madam.”

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for. Don’t worry.”

In truth, the one who should be worried wasn’t Leticia but Callius.

Now, Leticia held one of his weaknesses in her hands.

That didn’t mean they were on equal footing yet.

There was still one more day before Callius returned.

For the first time, Leticia found herself waiting for his return.