The letter was from the Schmehart count family, the ones whose child she had helped find not long ago. The count and countess wrote of how dearly they cherished their child, and said they absolutely wished to express their gratitude to the duke and duchess who had returned him to them.

It hadn’t been anything remarkable, yet the fact that they had gone so far as to send a letter told her they hadn’t been able to rest easy about it. Lionette scratched her cheek. It seemed wrong to keep refusing when they were showing this much sincerity.

The letter closed by saying they hoped to treat the duke and duchess to a meal at whatever time suited their schedule in the near future.

Even after having Ephine bring her stationery to write a reply, Lionette couldn’t bring herself to pick up the fountain pen. She knew Dante had been keeping a packed schedule lately. Since Elise’s arrival, he had grown even busier, and it had been difficult to see his face at all recently.

At a dinner they finally managed to share together, Lionette brought it up with some effort.

“……So, they said they’d like to treat us to a meal sometime.”

“Ah…….”

Lionette stopped there and watched his expression. Dante’s face, unable to find the words, was clouded with difficulty. Reading his meaning from that alone, a shadow crossed Lionette’s face too, only to vanish just as quickly.

“It’s all right. I can’t very well ignore their sincerity, so I’ll go on my own.”

“……Lionette, if it’s next week—”

“You have your business trip next week.”

Lionette cut off Dante’s words, his habit of pushing things to another time. Dante hesitated, seeming to want to say more, but soon closed his mouth. After that, only silence passed between them at the table.

The next day, Lionette dressed herself with care and boarded the carriage. The Schmehart count estate sat on the exact opposite side of the lake from the ducal manor.

The count and countess had already come down to the first floor by the time the carriage arrived. They welcomed her the moment she stepped inside, but their expressions quickly turned puzzled. They had certainly invited the Siegfried couple, yet the only person standing before them was Lionette.

Hoping her face looked all right, Lionette opened her mouth.

“Ah, Dante was busy, you see.”

“Well, he is a duke, so it’s only natural he would be. We set the date far too hastily on our end.”

The count’s words, turning the blame onto themselves, left Lionette with nothing to do but smile. Then Jamie came running out, and his face lit up at the sight of her. She had assumed children’s memories weren’t particularly reliable, but he still seemed to remember her.

“Let’s not stand around here. Come, let’s go eat before the food gets cold.”

The count and countess naturally led Lionette along on her own.

Walking ahead, the couple whispered something to each other. It wasn’t directed at Lionette, just the sort of private teasing that passes between a husband and wife. When Jamie began to fuss, soothing him and settling him into his chair looked like something they did every day without thinking.

Without Dante there, she felt like a complete outsider. No, not just a feeling. She actually was an outsider. Lionette let out a tired sigh.

……What was Dante doing right now? Was he with Elise? Did he even know that Lionette had gone out today? Or……

Under normal circumstances, she would have been fine without Dante. Their relationship had always been steady. But today it weighed on her. Because of everything that had happened recently.

Lionette tried to push down the anxiety rising inside her and looked over at the count and countess. The countess was scolding Jamie for being a picky eater. A picture-perfect scene unfolded before her, the kind she felt she had seen somewhere in a dream once.

The dinner spread was lavish, and since she couldn’t very well ignore the gesture, Lionette slowly picked up her fork.

She thought she would have to ask Ephine for a digestive the moment she got home.

***

Days passed with something heavy pressing against her chest. Dante was still busy, and even falling asleep together had become difficult. He came to bed after her and rose before her.

Only on the rare occasions when Lionette woke in the small hours of the morning could she feel his warmth beside her. Yet even that warmth felt suffocating somehow, she thought.

If there was one thing that gave her room to breathe, it was her dear friend Charlotte, and Charlotte alone. Charlotte was the only one she could open her heart to. She had been her one and only friend since their academy days.

Charlotte didn’t know about the two of them and their contract marriage, so she had no idea what scheme her friend had pulled off to become the Duchess Siegfried, but she was entirely in Lionette’s corner. She would have been a perfect friend if not for the fact that she traveled abroad so often that exchanging letters was the best they could manage.

Even that felt like too little this time, and Lionette was filled with regret at missing Charlotte, who had come into the capital briefly because of the rain. She dipped her pen in ink and began writing in neat, careful strokes.

Dear Charlotte,

I hope this rain doesn’t put a crack in our friendship. The days have been going by with me stuck inside the manor, unable to step out because of it. I hope it hasn’t thrown off your schedule. That’s what worries me.

I’m the same as ever. With Dante, I mean. I still can’t read his heart, and my own feelings are just dragging along. Even thinking about it makes me sigh.

If I could just let it all out, it wouldn’t be this painful. I feel like I want to confess every feeling that’s been building up inside me and just take whatever comes from it. I tried doing what you told me last time, taking out a piece of paper and making myself list his flaws, but Charlotte, this man is too perfect. Flawless. How am I supposed to find fault with him.

Anyway, thank you for the advice. You know you’re all I have. Maybe I should have made more friends back at the academy? That was a joke. You’re more than enough.

I heard you’re leaving again soon. Take care of yourself! And now that you have a fiancé, please stop running around without a thought for your own safety.

See you when autumn comes.

With the goddess’s blessing, Lionette Siegfried

Lionette finished the short letter, wrapped it up, and leaned back in her chair with a slow breath.

Outside, the rain was still falling steadily. The ducal manor, soaked through with damp, felt gloomier than usual.

Lionette was sitting blankly, watching the raindrops patter against the garden, when Ephine spoke up in a careful tone.

“My lady, the master is inviting you to dinner. Will you be joining him?”

The maids, having noticed that the atmosphere between the two was far from ordinary, had taken to asking Lionette’s preference like this lately. She was fairly certain that back in early summer, when she and Dante had been getting along without a care in the world, they would have simply said “We’ll help you get ready” without asking at all. They were clearly treading carefully too.

She hadn’t meant to make everyone else walk on eggshells. Lionette swallowed the sigh trying to escape and gave a nod.

“What time do I need to be there?”

“Well, he’s waiting now…… but he says you may take your time.”

“Keep it minimal.”

Ephine nodded and began running a comb through her hair. The silky strands were gathered and pinned and loosened again under Ephine’s hands, over and over.

After three attempts, Ephine stepped back with a satisfied look at the finished style. Lionette gave an approving nod in return, rose from her seat, and picked out a suitable indoor dress. She chose a deep green gown, and while Ephine helped her into it, Lionette drifted off into her thoughts.