How to Reverse My Wife’s Death

“Her Highness the Grand Duchess is feeling unwell and says she won’t be able to join you for dinner this evening.”

At Mollys’s words, Rafez rose from his seat.

She had shown no signs of illness just that morning — could the cold have come back again? The rain had been relentless, and the capital air had turned sharp and biting.

‘Or is she avoiding me again.’

He quickened his pace, but Lacy’s room was irritatingly far. With good reason — the guest room she had chosen was the one farthest from Rafez’s.

When he arrived at her door, he came face to face with Siz, who was just stepping out.

“Your Highness, what brings you all the way here——”

Siz moved to greet him, but Rafez walked straight through the open door without a word.

And there was Lacy, perched on the edge of her bed.

“Are you very unwell? Did the cold come back?”

Rafez crossed to her without hesitation and pressed his hand to her forehead first. No fever, thankfully.

Lacy startled, but quickly lifted his hand away.

“I’m simply a little tired, that’s all.”

“That’s a relief, but we should call for the physician just to be safe.”

“No. The estate is already busy with preparations — there’s no need to trouble anyone over me as well.”

“……What do you mean by that.”

Rafez’s expression hardened at her words.

Lacy had noticed. From the moment she stepped back into the estate — the movements, the glances, all subtly different from before.

What Louis had let slip seemed to be taking shape. She had always been something of an outsider here as Grand Duchess, but if a mistress was now to be installed, that was an entirely different matter.

“I heard it from Siz. That preparations to receive a mistress had already begun before we even returned.”

Rafez had nothing to say.

The very thing he had refused was being carried out without his knowledge, without his consent. Every soul in this estate already knew it as fact — and it had, inevitably, reached Lacy.

“So there’s no need to concern yourself with me. I don’t know what you hope to gain by treating me this way, but you needn’t come to me like this anymore.”

Through it all, Lacy remained composed. That, somehow, made it worse — the way she simply accepted that a mistress was coming and stepped aside as a matter of course.

“I never wanted anything from you. And I didn’t order this. I didn’t know. I had no idea this was being arranged in the estate——”

He was defending himself against something he hadn’t even done. It was absurd.

“Is that so? The former Grand Duke told me you were already aware.”

“……What?”

“On the last night at the Grand Duchy, he told me. That a mistress would be brought in. That you had agreed to it.”

Rafez was struck speechless. Louis had called Lacy aside — and told her that something Rafez had already refused was being done with his blessing?

He didn’t know whether to laugh or rage. The absurdity of it left him without words.

“That’s why I asked you on the way back. Why you had brought me to the Grand Duchy.”

That question had meant that?

It was as though a piece that had long sat crooked was finally falling into place.

“Then — if you heard that — why didn’t you say something to me? You should have asked me directly.”

“You told me that I am your Grand Duchess. Your wife.”

Lacy closed her mouth after those words. And looked at him.

Rafez found he had nothing left to say either.

What had she made of those words? What was she thinking now?

‘She may no longer be willing to trust me. To trust anything I say.’

He understood then that he had said the wrong thing. After being summoned by Louis and hearing what she had heard — could it truly have been easy for her to bring that to Rafez?

And in truth, even “I never wanted anything from you” was a lie. Rafez wanted far too much from Lacy. He wanted her to stop dying. He wanted her beside him, useful against the ducal house and the imperial family. If he could make proper use of her, she wouldn’t merely be their pawn — she could become his ally.

She could be a hostage, or she could be an insider. If only she would open herself to him.

But he couldn’t say any of that now.

And he couldn’t be certain that was truly all he wanted from her.

“I meant what I said. Every word.”

“……You meant it?”

“My father lied. I told him plainly that I had no intention of taking a mistress.”

At that, something shifted behind Lacy’s eyes.

He didn’t seem to be lying — but he was close to Mary, and it was difficult to believe he would have refused. Going against Louis’s wishes wouldn’t be easy for anyone, either.

And above all, why would Louis tell such a lie? Why push forward with something Rafez had rejected?

But what Rafez said next was more startling still.

“Move into the Grand Duchess’s chambers.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I understand that you doubt me. That you don’t trust me. That’s exactly why I want you closer.”

“What are you saying?”

Lacy couldn’t make sense of it. Because she doubted him, because she didn’t trust him — and his answer to that was to bring her closer?

But Rafez’s resolve was unmistakable.

“I’ll show you my sincerity. By staying at your side.”

He held her gaze with steady, unflinching eyes. Then he reached out and took her hand first.

“…….”

Lacy could neither push him away nor pull her hand free.

It was at that moment.

Knock, knock — and the conversation broke apart.

Rafez said nothing. But—

Knock, knock.

The sound came again. To knock a second time without an answer meant this was not something that could be left alone.

“Come in.”

Rafez said it with his eyes fixed on the door.

A soft click.

“Your Highness, Your Highness the Grand Duchess — I apologize for the interruption.”

Mollys stepped inside, reading the room carefully as he spoke. Rafez had his back to him, staring out toward the window without so much as a glance in his direction.

“State your business and get out.”

His voice was low, his face still turned away — but Mollys knew from that alone that he was angry.

Unfortunately, this was no simple matter.

“A guest has arrived at the estate.”

“Who?”

A guest. As far as Rafez knew, there was no one expected.

“Lady Eileen of House Schkotz, and Young Lord Pierre of the Marquess Jin household.”

“What?”

Rafez turned around at Mollys’s answer, hardly believing his ears.

Eileen and Pierre — both people close to Lacy. His gaze shifted from Mollys to Lacy, but she looked no less surprised than he was.

“What shall I do? I’ve shown them to the drawing room for the time being, but——”

“Showing up unannounced like this. Tell them to come back another time.”

He was answering Mollys, but his eyes never left Lacy. It sounded like something meant for her. Lacy knew it too.

“They’re my guests. I’ll go out to them.”

Lacy rose from her seat.

Mollys stood frozen for a moment, glancing back and forth between the two of them, unsure what to do.

“Lacy.”

Rafez called her name to stop her, but she looked back at him with cool eyes.

“We can finish this conversation another time.”

And then she was gone.

***

Lacy followed Mollys to the drawing room. She was caught off guard, but the warmth of knowing they had come all this way outweighed her surprise, and she quickened her steps.

“Lacy!”

Eileen and Pierre were seated inside. The moment she walked in, both rose with bright expressions.

“Mollys, some tea, please.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Noticing the empty table, Lacy gave the instruction before taking a seat across from them.

“It’s so wonderful to see you again, Lacy. I was afraid we might have to leave without catching you.”

“How did you end up coming all the way here?”

“We heard you’d returned from the Grand Duchy. Wanted to make sure you were well. And — we missed you.”

“……Yes, I’m glad you came.”

She knew these two would serve as the eyes and ears of House Lennon. They must have worried when she went to the Grand Duchy — but the ducal house could hardly come to the Grand Ducal estate themselves, nor send anyone directly.

“Thank you for making the trip, Pierre.”

Lacy spoke first to Pierre, who had been quiet.

“Not at all, Your Highness.”

“Watching the two of you like this is really something. Who would have thought it would come to this?”

Eileen glanced between Lacy and Pierre, covering her mouth to hold back a laugh. It wasn’t entirely a laughing matter, but even Lacy found herself smiling.

“Peppermint tea, Your Highness.”

The maids set the tea and a few light desserts on the table.

When Lacy looked up at Mollys, he added,

“His Highness was concerned you might still have traces of the cold.”

Even now, when he surely knew she hadn’t been avoiding dinner out of illness.

Lacy made no move to drink, only stared down at the cup.

“Your Highness, are you ill? Did you catch a cold?”

Pierre’s worried voice pulled her back. She shook her head.

“It’s nothing. And please, just use my name. I prefer it.”

“……As you wish, Lacy.”

“Peppermint does suit a rainy day. Though you always loved chamomile, as I recall.”

“I did, didn’t I.”