“You have a point.”

“……What?”

He listened. That man had properly listened to my words.

Radilt looked up at Pendlore in surprise. The blue-gray eyes that had been fiercely turbulent had now settled calmly. They appeared so cool and even intellectual that the earlier oppression seemed unbelievable.

“The contract is only for three months, so considering what comes after, you would hesitate to give up an already secured job. I understand your circumstances sufficiently, Mrs. Brill.”

“……Wh-what?”

What did Sir Duston just say? That he understands my situation, that is, he understands? Radilt blinked in bewilderment. He understands? Understands?

“But you’re still clumsy. You could have simply asked for a stable new job without damaging my reputation.”

“……A new job, you say?”

“You want to be responsible for yourself, right.”

Pendlore, who had been momentarily lost in thought, continued.

“Rather than a simple job, I own a perfume workshop where you can learn. Not as a menial worker but proper skills as a craftsman. The workshop master is excellent, so even if you stay only three months, you could easily find a position as an assistant in any workshop using that name. Beyond that depends on your talent and effort.”

“A craftsman……”

“I’ve heard that ladies sometimes run perfume workshops as a hobby, so we can say it’s practice before you have your own shop.”

Of course, most ladies’ shops employed all the craftsmen and clerks and merely enjoyed the atmosphere. Still, it made for a good appearance as a generous sponsor.

“I hope you won’t reject this as well.”

“Re-reject? I……”

Radilt’s shoulders trembled violently. A more stable new job. An opportunity to learn skills that would sustain her future life. She clutched her pounding heart and looked at Pendlore.

The man who had been like an ice-cold iron wall had listened to her words and even accepted them. He had withdrawn his firm stance that she quit her job and extended a new proposal advantageous to Radilt.

It felt strange. This world-class, genuinely impressive man had listened to my words, which were nothing…

Along with the flooding relief came a peculiar emotion. It filled to overflowing and then—plop.

“……Hic.”

It overflowed as tears. Her eyelids, which had remained calm even when hearing harsh words from Pendlore and her mother-in-law, now turned completely red and wet.

“……Mrs. Brill?”

“Hic…… ugh……”

Radilt sobbed quietly. She didn’t want to cry in front of this man, but she couldn’t stop. Pendlore’s brow furrowed at the continuously flowing sobs. He watched Radilt silently without saying a word.

* * *

The sweet tea aroma gently circled the room. Red small berries, dewy petals, a spoonful of golden honey. In that fragrance that might carelessly attract a plump little bee, Radilt tightly hugged a large cushion to her chest.

The goose down beneath the sunbathed cushion whispered rustlingly. Radilt buried her face halfway, only her green eyes blinking slowly and quietly, as though listening intently to that sound.

‘……How embarrassing.’

The shame that had flooded her wouldn’t easily fade. How old am I? A mature woman crying her eyes out like a careless girl who spilled a skirtful of wild strawberries into a stream. And in front of that man, no less.

Though it was worthy of ridicule, Pendlore had silently waited for Radilt to calm down. Then he went outside, called a maid to attend to her, and left.

Almost as though trying to pretend he hadn’t seen her embarrassment.

‘……Though I doubt that was his intention.’

Would that cold, dry man show such tender consideration? More likely, he left out of annoyance. Because a woman who couldn’t control her emotions was troublesome and boring. Because he couldn’t bear to watch that ridiculous sight any longer.

‘Truly…… pathetic.’

After washing away her tears with warm water, changing into a soft new dress, and drinking tea meant to calm her mind, the n*ked red reality danced before her eyes.

What was she thinking, shouting and crying like that?

The clearer her mind became, the more vividly her embarrassment reflected like a mirror. Radilt’s hand twisted and tore at the corner of the cushion. She wanted to run away from this place immediately but was too afraid of encountering Pendlore to even open the door.

With what face, what shamelessness could she speak before those eyes?

Unable to move forward or back, she kept sighing deeply when….

Click—

“……!”

With the sound of the doorknob turning, the dark man entered. Radilt’s shoulders shrank with a start. Her gaze, colored with shame, dropped straight down as though burying itself in the cushion.

“Mrs. Brill.”

His voice was brusque, as though nothing had happened. Radilt bit her lower lip gently and slowly raised her head. Naturally, somehow composed.

“……I apologize for my rudeness.”

Her voice, drawn out with difficulty, trembled faintly despite her efforts. Though she had raised her face, her eyes still couldn’t meet his and remained facing slightly to the side. Her long eyelashes cast shadows over her cloudy green eyes.

“I, too, lacked consideration.”

“No, not at all.”

Radilt raised her head a little more. Her throat bobbed slightly with tension.

“Then I will understand our contract remains in effect. Are there other aspects I should consider?”

Pendlore’s attitude proved unexpectedly courteous. However, his voice remained coldly dry, like discussing a simple business transaction.

Their relationship was indeed a dry transaction. Nevertheless, Radilt felt a slight disappointment she couldn’t explain as she stared up at the man.

“……How dare I hope for more? However.”

Radilt’s hands gripped the cushion covering her upper body a little more firmly.

“From now on, please refrain from…… touching me in that manner.”

“In that manner?”

Radilt’s neck flushed with shame at Pendlore’s questioning attitude. To have to speak of such things with her own mouth. Yet she couldn’t let it pass unaddressed.

“……We are lovers only for outward appearances. Therefore, that excessive contact at the door, I refuse.”

The end of Pendlore’s thick eyebrows rose slightly at Radilt’s words. He opened his mouth with an expression that seemed to say, “well now.”

“You seem to have misunderstood something.”

“……Misunderstood?”

“Mrs. Brill. I have not the slightest desire to have a child  of flesh and blood who would insist my wealth and rights belong to them. Naturally, I have no interest in the act that might produce one either.”

“But……!”

Radilt’s voice suddenly rose at Pendlore’s cold words.

Then what about that fierce gaze, those rough hands? The man’s hot breath touching her nape? The fear that gripped her entire body, her struggles like a trapped animal. All that was merely a misunderstanding?

Pendlore looked down at the indignant Radilt as though addressing a young, naive virgin.

“Recall why I bother to act as your lover, Mrs. Brill.”

No intention to marry. No desire for children. The blue-gray eyes held a cool sculpture.

“Above all, would I need to commit the foolish act of giving you grounds to entangle me, all for some trivial s*xual desire?”

Crack.

An ice-cold blade sliced through the depths of Radilt’s chest. It mercilessly cut away her heart that had raced without knowing its place.

Her excited green eyes settled darkly, and her flushed cheeks cooled to white.

Right, there’s none. Not the slightest reason. What great benefit would that man gain by laying hands on her body? Rather, as he said, it would cause more harm than good.

If a poor, shabby widow clung to him claiming to carry his child, how troublesome and burdensome that would be.

Radilt laughed silently, softly. What a truly stupid, presumptuous misunderstanding. How foolish.

“Yes. That’s absolutely right. I made a strange misunderstanding.”

“I’m glad your judgment isn’t so deficient.”

Radilt slowly lowered the cushion in her hands. She rose from the chair and smoothed her crumpled dress with her palms. She straightened her back and lifted her eyes slightly to meet Pendlore’s gaze. Her eyes resembled a night lake, washed clean of shame, anger, and even the slightest trace of bewilderment.

Radilt displayed a perfectly polite smile. Like the man before her, as though nothing had happened between them. Courteous and dry.

“I apologize for my rudeness, Sir Duston.”

“Let’s say it was a productive time since our desires became clearer.”

“Yes. You have shown me much consideration, so I too will strive to align with your purposes, Sir Duston.”

“An excellent attitude, madam. I will provide a carriage for your comfortable return.”

“Thank you.”

A small jewel box was extended to Radilt as she bowed formally. The green light of the jewel reflected and sparkled in her green eyes. That ripple momentarily disturbed Radilt’s calm expression.

“……I must politely decline the gift. As I mentioned, I lack the strength to keep it.”

“I cannot send you away empty-handed when you’ve come all the way to my mansion.”

“Then…… yes, flowers will do.”

Flowers that would lavishly fill both hands yet soon wither and scatter. A bouquet of futile beauty that would fade without bearing a single fruit, its roots cut away.

Such flowers would suit the meeting between Radilt and Pendlore. Their intense fragrance momentary, a brief and splendid crossing that would vanish without a trace like dried dew.

“Give me any flowers. I will display them in my bedroom window. When they wither, I will hang them by the door to dry, and show the face of one longing for her lover whenever I pass through.”

“How plausible. As you wish, I shall fill your arms with flowers.”

The man’s courteous hand extended. Light fingertips like a white bird settled gently upon his firm, large guidance. The two walked out like a portrait of an affectionate couple.

While the carriage was being prepared, roses were cut from the garden. Deep red roses, beautifully bloomed under the gardener’s careful hands, had their thorns smoothly removed and were wrapped with lace and silk ribbons before being handed to Radilt.