Did he leave a message before going back? Yesterday, he remained seated on the bench until she stood up. So she didn’t know if he returned immediately or how long he stayed by the river. She returned straight to the office to leave no lingering attachments.

Carefully removing the envelope, Chloe checked its contents.

「Chloe.
I must return to the capital this morning.
I will come back exactly two weeks later.
— Andert」

That was all — just two short lines.

It was the first time he had left a card or letter. Yet even this writing was just like Andert. It truly matched his personality of disliking lengthy words and superfluity.

But two weeks later… he would come back?

Though the content was clearly simple, its true meaning wasn’t easily readable.

Come to think of it, it could mean he would carefully weigh the pros and cons of divorce over two weeks. Of course, by his calculations, the conclusion was as good as decided.

After all, since the union of Dietrich and Hardin, Andert had always been the one taking losses in reality.

Swallowing the familiar ache, Chloe folded the card and placed it on her desk. She couldn’t stay lost in thought forever. Time had already been delayed by unexpected events, so she needed to hurry.

Chloe locked the door and left the residence. But her feet, which usually followed the same path, headed in a completely different direction.

“Please take me to the entrance of Block 5.”

After boarding the carriage, Chloe rechecked the documents she had brought.

Today was her first meeting with Tickelon, the artist who was the subject of the feature article being prepared for publication. The pre-arranged time was 9 AM.

Considering that association staff usually went out for fieldwork in the afternoon, this was quite early. Though Tickelon’s request was unexpected, Chloe didn’t mind. She planned to practically live in the office from early morning until late night for the time being.

Having decided to properly handle her newly assigned work, Chloe watched the carriage window as they slowly came to a stop.

“We’ve arrived.”

The place where she alighted, following the coachman’s announcement, was the entrance to Artists’ Village Block 5. The residential area, where all inhabitants were artists, was as quiet as midnight.

Chloe felt nervous about her first field assignment. Her eyes, hiding her turbulent feelings, rechecked the memo in her hand. 2nd Street, No. 12. The address Tickelon used as both studio and residence.

Walking along the neat street, she soon arrived at a gray brick house. The time was exactly three minutes before 9.

While repeatedly checking her bag that was heavy with documents, the clock hand pointed exactly to 9. Taking a deep breath as if to encourage herself, Chloe finally knocked on the door.

“Hello? This is Chloe from the association.”

Her neat voice clearly spread through the quiet alley where people had barely awakened.

***

Late at night, the family doctor rushed to the Dietrich mansion in the capital.

“Is the master alright?”

Roman, who had been waiting for the examination to end, couldn’t hide his anxiety. This was because Andert had started suffering from severe body aches after returning from Bergen.

“I’ve prescribed medicine to help bring down the fever. Since he’s usually healthy and has no particular chronic illnesses, there shouldn’t be any special problems. But he needs to rest until he fully recovers.”

“Yes. If there are any unusual developments, I’ll send someone right away.”

Relieved by the doctor’s assurance that there was nothing to worry about, Roman gestured to the waiting maid.

“Keep checking if the master’s fever rises further.”

“Yes, Butler.”

As the maid with a wet towel headed toward the head of the bed, Roman worriedly looked at the face of someone who was sleeping like the dead.

What could have happened to make the master so ill? Another endless sigh escaped.

Though Roman had devoted his life to House Dietrich, he had no memory of seeing Andert sick. That’s how rarely he had been ill in his childhood.

So it was natural for Roman to be shocked seeing his master suddenly suffering from a high fever. But in a way, it was also understandable.

Wasn’t it the master who had been losing weight and suffering from insomnia daily since the madam disappeared? After living like that for over two months, it would be stranger for him not to fall ill.

Moreover, things clearly hadn’t gone well in Bergen. Roman, who hoped Lady Dietrich might return together, firmly pressed his lips together.

Leaving the maid watching over Andert’s bedside, the butler closed the bedroom door and turned around. His position was already quite awkward.

Another deep sigh escaped as he recalled the telegram sent by the Duchess just yesterday.

「How much of the circulating rumors are true?
Is it true that Chloe is staying secluded in Hanover?
And that Andert and Chloe are effectively separated?
I trust you, who has protected House Dietrich for a lifetime, won’t say you’re unaware of these rumors.」

In many ways, it was becoming difficult to keep things quiet any longer.

So Roman had held onto a thread of hope that all problems would be resolved when Lady Dietrich returned. But seeing the master bedridden like this after returning from Bergen, that seemed impossible.

When Roman entered the reception room after walking through the long corridor, Daniel, who had apparently been waiting, jumped up from the sofa.

“Has the doctor finished the examination?”

“Fortunately, he says there won’t be any problems if the fever just comes down.”

“Ah… Yes, that’s a relief at least.”

Daniel, looking extremely tired, immediately slumped his shoulders upon hearing this. He had been so worried throughout the train ride. When he got home, he just wanted to rest dead asleep in bed for days.

Roman, who had been silently watching him, finally asked about what had happened.

“What exactly happened?”

“Well, there was nothing wrong until we departed from Bergen Station. It was around halfway through the train journey when the master’s complexion started looking unwell. Though I got him some medicine that was available on the train, it wasn’t very effective.”

Daniel accurately reported what he knew.

At first, though Andert’s complexion was poor, his condition wasn’t serious. His forehead started burning like fire two hours before arriving at the capital.

From that exact moment, Daniel had been restless, barely able to sit properly. Still, it was a relief that the doctor said it wasn’t serious.

After rubbing his face several times with his palm, he picked up his hat. With the late hour, he desperately wanted to rest for the day. But before he could even offer his farewell, Roman held him back again.

“What happened in Bergen?”

Though known for being taciturn, the butler seemed to want to know the circumstances. Daniel clutched his hat and chose his words carefully.

In truth, he didn’t know exactly what conversation had taken place between the two. However, there was something Andert had told him on the train just as they were leaving Bergen.

Daniel decided to at least share that information. He could somewhat understand Roman’s frustration after waiting days for good news.

“The master said he plans to return to Bergen in two weeks.”

“…Is that all?”

“Yes. That’s all I know.”

Daniel put on his hat after finishing his answer. That was truly all he knew. Andert was the type who was sparse with words and disliked when subordinates talked too much.

“Well, I’ll take my leave then. I’ll come back tomorrow morning.”

“Yes. Take care.”

Though Roman looked puzzled, he couldn’t ask more when Daniel bowed. After seeing off the lawyer leaving the mansion, his steps turned back to the long corridor. The butler, who stopped by the bedroom where Andert lay, suppressed another sigh that was trying to escape.

Going back to Bergen in two weeks? Perhaps he had arranged to meet with the madam then.

In any case, the priority was for the master to recover and get up quickly. Roman firmly steeled his heavy heart.

***

Chloe had been spending hectic days.

The manuscript work that began with meeting Tickelon was now in full swing. Tickelon, whom Chloe interviewed for the first time, was, to put it kindly, a genius artist. And to be honest, he was someone with such extreme mood swings that it was difficult to maintain a conversation.

“Ah, so where was I? But I want to stop for today. I stayed up all night because inspiration wouldn’t come, so I’d like to rest.”

“Your name was Chloe, right? What comes to mind when you see this sculpture? No, no. Don’t think too deeply, just tell me what first comes to mind. You can express it in words or colors.”

“Today I’m really not in a good mood so I don’t know how to answer. I just woke up feeling bad this morning.”

Throughout the interview, his answers kept straying off topic.

Moreover, because of his personality that made it hard to focus on others’ words, Chloe had to visit him three more times. But for Chloe, who had planned the theme of the most noteworthy sculptor in Artion, Tickelon’s interview held important meaning.

Anyway, she had barely managed to finish the prepared questions, so it wasn’t bad so far.

The internal review of the manuscript was in a week. Chloe double-checked several heavy art history books without missing any. While it wasn’t a problem for the planner’s opinion to be included in a feature column, it still needed to be based on proper information.