I couldn’t understand Ian’s sharp reaction. I felt upset at the thought of him taking something that was mine, and the resentment in his gaze left me feeling wronged. Still, I tried my best to answer calmly.

“Yes, it’s the only option left now, isn’t it?”

Ian suddenly gave a hollow smile, which soon turned into laughter, like a person losing his mind. Frustrated, I spoke up.

“Ian, you said it yourself. Wasn’t this the only option left, even beyond the emperor’s power? Fortunately, this method is so rare it lacks precedent, making it more lenient than divorce. With the agreement and testimony from both families, it’s entirely possible. I thought you felt the same way.”

Ian was now staring at me, expressionless. He didn’t agree with me. Instead, he threw the affidavit he was holding into the fireplace. Watching the paper burn up in seconds, I felt a surge of anger.

“Ian!”

“I don’t want this.”

He said it coldly.

“I don’t regret this marriage, so I can’t agree with that.”

As if afraid to hear my reply, Ian stormed out of the study alone. I sat down where I was and took a deep breath. That piece of paper burning didn’t change anything. I could simply ask Mother for another. Still, my heart hurt.

A short while later, Jane hurried in, presumably called by Ian, and helped me up. I felt so upset that tears welled up in my eyes.

“Why is he acting like this?”

“My lady…”

I leaned on Jane’s shoulder and cried, then returned to my room and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. And then, I dreamed for the first time in a long while. In fact, I realized it was a dream because I opened a hidden passageway in a way that my waking self wouldn’t know.

I was in the master’s bedroom, and when I manipulated one of the wall sconces, I heard a click. I pushed against the wall, revealing a narrow corridor. It was just wide enough for one adult to pass through, yet reasonably clean. I opened the wooden door at the end, and the sound of wind rushed in, leading to a spiral staircase.

I climbed the endless tower. The bedroom was already high up, but the tower went even higher. The stairs were perilous, where one misstep could lead to a deadly fall, yet dream-me ascended without hesitation. I thought it might be the tallest spire I had seen from outside.

Finally, when I reached the top, I saw a man standing by a large window overlooking the whole estate. His back, unwavering against the fierce wind, reminded me of someone.

“Ian?”

The moment I spoke, I awoke.

I felt strange. It seemed like I’d seen Ian in the dream, yet not. On closer thought, the man in the dream was bigger than Ian and had a different hair color. It could have been Ian’s father. Driven by curiosity, I called for Mrs. Willow to ask.

“A portrait of the late Duke?”

“Yes, where might it be hung?”

“It’s not here anymore.”

It’s gone?

“Not even in the gallery?”

“No. His Grace had them all removed.”

Was it because of Mother-in-law? I thought Ian would have left at least one, despite his resentment toward his father. Mrs. Willow seemed uneasy, as if she found it strange to answer me this way, and bowed her head.

“I’ll check again.”

But even after Mrs. Willow, ever loyal, searched tirelessly all day, nothing turned up. I smiled at the deeply apologetic Mrs. Willow.

“It’s all right. If it’s not here, it can’t be helped. It wasn’t that important.”

“…”

“But… how did His Grace pass away?”

I’d heard he’d died from injuries from a fall, but I feigned ignorance and asked again, thinking the truth might differ from what was told in the capital. Mrs. Willow, as if anticipating my question, responded immediately.

“He passed away in a riding accident.”

“I see.”

Was it just my imagination? Mrs. Willow had become the housekeeper at a young age because the previous housekeeper retired shortly after His Grace’s death.

Upon reviewing the records, I found that most of the main estate’s staff served for generations, but after Ian became Duke, many had retired. I’d assumed Mother had disliked the former staff, leading to such an atmosphere. But if there was another reason…

“If Mrs. Willow says so, then it must be true.”

Mrs. Willow gave an awkward smile in response to mine. Feeling as though I was troubling her, I told her she could leave, then lay still on the bed. A while later, Ian knocked on the door.

“Liv, can I come in?”

“No.”

I didn’t want to see Ian’s face right now, as I was still upset. Instead of opening the door, he spoke in a pleading tone.

“I wanted to apologize face-to-face. I must’ve been out of my mind yesterday.”

“…”

“Liv, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”

His childish way of apologizing made me feel even more frustrated. It seemed he hadn’t learned any other way than to stubbornly plead. Eventually, my frustration got the better of me, and I spoke.

“Why on earth did you do that?”

“…”

“If His Majesty holds his ground, there’s no other way. You promised to me let go. Was it all a lie?”

Ian remained silent for a long time. If he had begged me one more time to stay, I might have relented. But the words he finally spoke were disappointingly mundane.

“Aren’t you coming down for dinner?”

“…”

“Should I bring it up to you?”

Feeling as though I might burst, I kept silent no matter what Ian said. Later, Jane came in with a trolley and said, “I told him to leave, that you should be able to eat in peace.”

“You did well.”

“Aren’t you going to tell me why you two argued?”

“It wasn’t a fight.”

Jane squinted at me, and I sighed.

“It really wasn’t a fight. I’m just feeling upset on my own.”

“If it wasn’t a big mistake, could you consider forgiving him?”

I was surprised that Jane was actually taking Ian’s side.

“He looked so pitiful. He only has you, after all…”

“Does he look that bad?”

“He looked as if he’d received a death sentence.”

At that, my heart softened a bit. What am I supposed to do with him—someone who can’t even apologize or explain himself properly, yet isn’t shameless about it either? How will he survive in a world without me? After eating the dinner Jane brought and preparing for bed, I asked her,

“Are the lights outside already out?”

“No, not yet. Why?”

“Then could you leave a lamp here?”

Jane looked at me with concern.

“Are you afraid? Still not comfortable in this room? Should I stay?”

“No, it just feels a bit dark. Just leave one lamp here, that’s all I need.”

Jane said she’d come early in the morning and then left. I felt a bit guilty. I didn’t ask her to leave the lamp because I was afraid but because I planned to sneak into the secret passage.

Just like in my dream, I turned off the wall sconce and activated the mechanism. I heard a click, and with a push, the wall moved easily. Holding the lamp, I peered down the narrow corridor, which appeared cleaner than I had expected.

Did Ian clean this?

It seemed likely he’d opened the passage recently, as it was unimaginable that he would have spread word of a hidden passage in the master’s bedroom. I passed through the corridor and opened the wooden door that led to the tower. The stairs looked exactly like they had in my dream.

The moss-covered steps were slippery from the constant rain, and the wind blowing through the cracks in the stone was eerie. I climbed the stairs, relying on the lamp, even though I questioned why I was ascending such a dangerous staircase. But somehow, I felt compelled to reach the end.

When I finally reached the watchtower, I found several portraits, presumably of my father-in-law, carelessly left to rot. With the large window wide open, the rain had soaked through, and the paintings would soon be damaged if left like this.

But there wasn’t much I could do. Ian must have placed them here. I certainly couldn’t carry them down myself. I stared at the man in the portrait, who I assumed was my father-in-law, and laughed softly.

“He doesn’t look like him at all.”

Ian clearly took after his mother’s side. Any resemblance between Ian and his father that his mother saw was likely due to her trauma. Objectively speaking, they didn’t share any likeness. Losing interest, I turned to the large window that overlooked the estate.

The arched window was built for the lord to survey the land, more like a gigantic door than a window. My legs were tired, and with nowhere to sit, I sat on the window ledge and took in the view.

The sky was filled with stars, and the still-lit lanterns in the distant villages below created the illusion of a massive Milky Way. I swore it was the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen since coming into this world.

The climb had been exhausting, but I was glad I’d come. I felt fortunate to capture such a view before my death. Although the whole of Keppel territory wasn’t visible, I tried to take in as much as I could, saying a silent farewell to the land.

Goodbye. It’s been wonderful.

It hadn’t been fully mine, so I hadn’t been able to do everything I wanted, but I’d left arrangements for Keppel’s future successor. That was enough. I felt tears well up and was wiping them away when suddenly, the door flung open.

“Liv!”

I was startled. I hadn’t expected Ian to follow me.