Callius stared at her face intently but turned his head when Nora brought out the food.

Even though a warm soup and bread were placed before him, he looked down at it as if he had no intention of eating.

“What’s wrong? Should I bring something else?”

“No. There’s no need.”

When he glanced to the side, Leticia was silently focused on her meal.

Callius idly stirred his spoon in the soup before finally starting to eat.

“I organized the documents well.”

“I’ll take a look.”

After an exchange that didn’t seem like one between a married couple, Leticia was the first to rise from her seat.

It was an unspoken rule between them: the one who finished eating first would leave the table first.

“What are you planning to do now?”

He had never stopped her from leaving before. It was only natural. The one who usually finished eating first and left was Callius, not her.

“I think I’ll read a book. Unless you have something specific for me to do.”

“It seems there’s nothing for you to do at the moment.”

Leticia nodded and left the dining hall.

Callius thought about Leticia’s smile.

Leticia rarely smiled.

She hadn’t smiled during their journey from the capital to Siscreek, nor during her time living in Siscreek.

But now, she had smiled.

Callius tried to think about what that smile might mean, but his thoughts got nowhere.

“She’s beautiful when she smiles.”

Whatever the meaning behind her smile, it was clear that a smiling face had the power to make a beautiful person even more radiant.

Callius quickly finished his meal.

His steps were light as he headed to check the documents Leticia had organized.

—

Leticia went to the study but found she didn’t want to stay there any longer.

The study, which seemed like it had been filled with bookshelves moved directly from Rearbon, constantly reminded her of what Callius had done.

It made her think about his achievements.

In truth, whether or not he had contributed to Rearbon’s downfall didn’t change anything, so Leticia decided not to delve into that fact.

At least, not for now.

She needed him.

Since she had claimed she would read a book, it would seem strange if she didn’t actually read anything. But the book she had picked up was utterly uninteresting.

She had grabbed one at random, only to realize it was a bird guide featuring species from various regions—a poor choice.

Leticia tried to focus, tracing the finely drawn illustrations of birds with her fingers.

But the more she tried, the more her mind filled with other thoughts.

“How exactly am I supposed to seduce him?”

She had never tried to seduce anyone in her life.

She had never needed to.

Nor was she supposed to.

She was meant to be the object of men’s courtship—and she had been—but she herself was never to initiate courtship.

Her partner had to be chosen entirely according to her father’s wishes.

In the end, marriage was her responsibility but not her decision.

Thus, love, seduction, secret affairs, and passionate emotions—things often associated with marriage—were foreign concepts to her.

Callius, on the other hand, was probably different.

His passionate feelings for his lover were proof enough.

That was why she felt a fearful unease that he might lash out at her any moment, asking what on earth she was trying to do.

Or worse, he might not care at all, even if he realized her intentions.

“What a foolish idea.”

Callius also seemed to have no idea why she had smiled.

She barely remembered the rest of the meal. She had focused solely on eating and even finished before Callius did.

“…The length of the azure-winged magpie’s body is approximately from the tip of an adult woman’s hand to her elbow. Its head and nape are black, while its wings and tail are a pale blue….”

Unable to concentrate, Leticia began reading the book aloud.

“They live in mountain forests or flatland woods and have an omnivorous diet….”

As she read absentmindedly, she realized that this bird was often seen in Filia’s forests.

Its pale blue tail feathers were beautiful, so she had remembered it.

Though the book’s black-and-white illustrations lacked color, Leticia mentally painted over them with the bird’s true hues.

“I didn’t know you were interested in such things.”

She had momentarily forgotten that Nora had left the door and windows open for better ventilation.

Callius was leaning against the doorframe, watching her read.

“Sometimes, it’s nice to read about a subject I have no interest in.”

It was a lie. Leticia had been regretting her random choice of book until just moments ago.

She wondered when she had become such a liar, but before she could find an answer, Callius responded quickly.

“Will you continue reading?”

“For a few more pages….”

“I mean, will you keep reading out loud like that?”

He interrupted her, as if that were the more important question.

It was unusual for him to ask follow-up questions.

For some reason, she felt like she had to answer that she would.

“I was planning to, since it helps me focus.”

With that, he walked further into the room.

Seeing him standing in her bedroom felt unfamiliar.

He calmly dragged a chair over from the desk and sat down.

“I won’t interrupt. Keep reading.”

He closed his eyes as if he were attending a recital.

Since he had turned the chair sideways, Leticia could only see his profile.

Unless he had a deep interest in bird guides, she couldn’t fathom why he was doing this.

But Leticia decided to continue reading.

Reading aloud was something she could easily do.

The strange reading session that had started early in the morning continued well past noon.

When Leticia finally stopped reading, Callius slowly opened his eyes.

“Thank you for the reading.”

His eyes, hidden behind his eyelids until now, glistened faintly.

As Leticia tried to examine his expression more closely, he stood up.

With just a few steps, he was already at the doorway.

“I plan to read aloud at this time every morning.”

Before he could leave, Leticia spoke.

“I mean, I’ll read aloud.”

He didn’t ask what that had to do with him.

Instead, he quietly closed the door and disappeared.

Though it wasn’t even a novel, he had occasionally furrowed his brows and listened intently to her reading.

Leticia didn’t know what that meant.

But one thing was certain: it stirred something within him.

—

The next day, as promised, Leticia picked up a book at the same time.

He appeared promptly and took the same seat as before, with the same posture and expression, attentively listening to her reading.

One day turned into two, two into a week, and by the tenth day, he finally spoke.

That day’s reading, which had started in the late afternoon, continued until nightfall.

The books ranged from bird guides to novels, history, philosophy, religion, and even military strategy.

He didn’t seem to have a preference for any particular genre.

It seemed he simply wanted the act of “reading aloud.”

Or perhaps, he wanted her voice.

“Your voice resembles hers the most.”

Could someone’s voice resemble another’s, just like their eyes, nose, and lips?

Before meeting her, he wouldn’t have believed it.

But she was real, and the person who had loved her was standing before her now.

Doubt was pointless.

“It’s fascinating. To think someone could resemble her so much.”

Callius’s expression remained unchanged, as if he found nothing fascinating about it.

“…Doesn’t it bother you?”

For the first time, he cautiously sought her opinion.

“The fact that you’re seeing someone else in me.”

It was as if he thought she should be bothered.

Leticia hesitated before answering. But she didn’t need to think long—her answer had been decided long ago.

“Doesn’t it torment you?”

“Should it torment me?”

When he asked back, as if her question was strange, Leticia nodded.

“Because the person you love has my face, but doesn’t love you.”

For a moment, he was silent, as if caught off guard.

For a fleeting moment, he even seemed genuinely hurt.

As if he felt guilty for searching for his beloved in a woman who merely resembled her.

“If I say it doesn’t torment me….”

“…….”

“Is that strange?”

The sudden heat of late spring made it necessary to leave all the doors and windows open, even late at night.

Leticia felt as though the cool breeze blowing against his back was enveloping her.

“It’s not strange.”

The more he saw her as his beloved, the better it was for her.

So, he had to keep thinking that way.

Even if it was just a delusion, he had to continue seeing her as if she were that woman.