Her thoughts continued under a deep veil. Then suddenly, she met Andert’s eyes as he raised his head. In the silence, their gazes, entangled for an instant, went straight to each other.

Momentarily flustered, Chloe gently pulled out her feet that had been held all this time.

“It really doesn’t hurt anymore. No, actually, it’s been fine for a while. So please get up.”

She tried to stand after putting on her slippers. But Andert, still kneeling, spoke first.

“Chloe, if something’s wrong like before, please tell me the truth rather than saying you’re fine. I really want you to do that for me.”

“……I will.”

Chloe nodded without further protest at his voice that sounded like a once-in-a-lifetime request.

She wanted to look away from those eyes whose depth was hard to gauge. But at the same time, she wanted to face him like this.

At that moment, Andert, who had been silently watching with a face where many emotions crossed, slowly rose. He kissed Chloe’s forehead as they came close enough for their breaths to touch.

After burying his lips on her forehead where fine hair was slightly disheveled, Andert immediately stepped back. It was after barely suppressing the desire that went against his will.

He wanted to stay in Chloe’s space a little longer. But if today’s arrangement had caused her pain, it seemed better for her to rest soon.

“Thank you for the invitation today, Chloe. You must be tired, so get some rest.”

Leaving a brief greeting, Andert returned before the night deepened.

Chloe’s gaze, lowering the curtain on the window where the crescent moon showed its face, turned to a small square box. Her hand approached the table and slightly pulled the case.

A birthday gift from Andert.

An unfamiliar subject and object. Chloe, who had been gently stroking the velvet cloth that left texture with every touch, softly opened the box.

With a clear click, the bracelet sat inside the opened case. And the card placed underneath.

「Happy birthday, sincerely.

May the days unfolding before you shine brighter than the time that has passed.」

Chloe gently put down the small card that wasn’t even half the size of her palm.

The round-fixed bracelet was an elegant design with small green sapphires woven into a platinum chain. Chloe tried on what appeared to be a quite intricate piece of craftsmanship at a glance.

The bright light reflected pure brilliance, casting a beautiful shadow over her wrist. Chloe stood in place, watching the bracelet dangling from her arm for a long time.

* * *

“If I may be so bold, Your Grace, how about visiting the Old Duke sometime soon?”

The unexpected suggestion following an ordinary report was surprising. Roman was someone who rarely offered his own opinion.

Andert temporarily deferred his answer by not immediately rejecting it. He hadn’t sent any separate message to the Duke’s mansion since returning to Artion. The same was true for the Old Duke of Dietrich.

In any case, news of his return would have already reached him.

“I’ll decide on that later.”

Andert, who finally gave his answer, signaled Roman to leave.

In fact, excluding the servants, the Old Duke of Dietrich was the only one staying in the vast ducal mansion now. Fabiana, awaiting trial, was detained somewhere in the capital. That was according to Johannes’s orders, based on the high possibility she might attempt something else.

Additionally, Johannes had formally requested Daloa to properly punish those who had directly participated in the Hanover accident instigated by Fabiana.

‘From there, it’s up to the King of Daloa and Count Hassel.’

He raised his gaze from the frost-covered corner of the window.

In any case, revealing the full details of Fabiana’s schemes at once was possible because of the evidence his father had handed over. Though he still didn’t know why he had placed it in his hands.

He didn’t want to improve his relationship with his father now. But thanks to that, he had been able to reveal all the truth to Chloe.

Yes, so visiting there first wouldn’t be a bad idea.

* * *

「To Count Hassel,

First, I hope you are well. I heard Daloa is rapidly regaining stability.

I’ve been busy every day since moving to the Grave residence. The works that arrived at Vasa Station earlier are temporarily stored at the Bergen Artists Association.

We plan to open the works to the public as a permanent exhibition as soon as the exhibition hall in Bergen is completed. I decided it would be better for many people to appreciate the works rather than keeping them in this house as a personal collection.

I thank you and my late aunt in heaven in many ways. And I pray that you spend peaceful days.

Above all, I hope you stay healthy.

—Chloe Hardin」

Chloe folded the letter to send to Count Hassel and placed it neatly on the desk. She planned to stop by the post office on her way back from her hospital appointment tomorrow.

The paintings sent from Daloa recently had been sent to Bergen after lawyer Logan completed his verification.

There was no point in piling up works in this house. The Bergen Artists Association came to mind then. So she had just transferred the works to the association’s storage in the form of a free loan.

From then on, Chloe continued to fill her ordinary but precious daily life bit by bit. As time added up, the sun pouring through the window grew longer day by day.

Chloe, who had successfully taken the re-enrollment exam, received notice from the admissions office a month later that she could officially register from the next semester.

“……Since I’ll be attending from next semester, it’s exactly one and a half years until graduation. Of course, many things will have changed from a few years ago, so I’ll need an adjustment period.”

Chloe smiled as she answered Andert’s question about her recent situation. He captured her casual smile in his eyes with a deepened gaze. He liked this moment.

His heart rippled when facing a smile that spread to her eyes, not just lips consciously raised. Did Chloe know?

That the time she took to answer his questions was gradually getting longer.

He felt indescribably happy when listening to her voice, but at the same time, a corner of his heart felt heavily pressed. Chloe, gradually regaining stability, was someone who made even onlookers smile. And he was the very person who had made her exhausted to the point of collapse.

This undeniable fact occasionally tormented him mercilessly.

Andert, who arrived at a bench where long branches of a large tree hung down, put down a heavy bag on one side. It was the bag that had been on Chloe’s shoulder until they met in front of the Royal Library.

“Is it heavy? Did it strain your shoulder?”

Chloe still treated him like a patient, though he had long recovered.

Well, even if I injured one arm and a leg, would I be worse off than you?

Andert laughed weakly as he looked at her slender forearm that seemed like he could grasp it all in one hand with room to spare.

He had just returned from a long business trip to Belfast Island. With drilling operations starting, which the palace showed great interest in, there were endless matters to review.

Still, the effort of moving directly wasn’t in vain, as the Belfast office of “Artron Oil” had smoothly taken its first step. When he returned from the business trip that lasted over a month, the capital was already in full spring.

Only after receiving a small gift box handed over by Roman did he realize his birthday had passed in the meantime.

“Miss Chloe sent this to the mansion. It must be because there was no way to send personal letters or packages to Belfast from the mainland yet.”

Roman carefully added. Inside the small box was a fountain pen engraved with his initials.

「Happy birthday.

You’re probably seeing this after your birthday has passed, but I didn’t want to miss today.」

He rushed here immediately after confirming the message that she didn’t want to miss his actual birthday.

Chloe maintained a regular pattern of staying at the library almost every weekday afternoon. And as expected, he met the face he wanted to see.

“Thank you for the gift, Chloe.”

“……Actually, I was a bit conflicted. I thought it would be better to congratulate you in person like this. But still, a birthday is meaningful on that specific day. More importantly, how was your time in Belfast?”

Chloe awkwardly changed the subject. But she truly had been curious about Andert. Since she couldn’t send mail to Belfast yet, she had no way of knowing anything.

“I think I was buried in work to the point where I can’t remember anything else. Above all, I missed you.”

It was an honest confession delivered without reservation. A gentle smile spread across Chloe’s lips as she tucked her hair behind her ear. Andert, who captured that face in his eyes as if embracing it, stood up first.

“Well, shall we go? There’s something else we should do first on a day like this.”

“Something else we should do?”

“I don’t mind where we go, but I’d like this date from now on to be entirely where you want to go.”