Richel sat alone in the study, staring at the letter the butler had left behind for quite some time.

The contents of James Isle’s letter were brief and straightforward.

He had heard the news of Edwin’s return and intended to visit in order to check on his nephew’s condition.

‘A sudden visit at a time like this… He must’ve heard the rumors that Edwin has gone mad.’

After the embankment collapse, Edwin’s bizarre behavior had been far from limited to just one or two incidents.

No matter how strictly the estate servants were warned to keep quiet, rumors always found a way to leak out.

She had thought that if they simply pretended not to notice, they could buy themselves a little more time.

But this was an entirely unexpected complication.

“Why does everything keep going wrong…? What exactly is the problem here? Is Edwin returning the problem itself?”

A weary sigh escaped her naturally.

Ena placed refreshments in front of her and tried to comfort her.

“Still, don’t we only need to get through a few days somehow? If anything, this could become an opportunity to give the impression that the Count returned completely fine. It’s not as though he acts strange all the time, even if he occasionally becomes… unusual.”

“But we never know when he’s going to become strange. That’s exactly what makes this impossible to deal with. Maybe… we should just say Edwin isn’t here.”

“You mean hide the fact that the Count returned?”

“We could simply say he’s staying somewhere else. If we claim he’s recovering at another estate for his health, that wouldn’t seem strange, would it?”

“Do you really think the Count would willingly leave Madam behind and go alone?”

“Ah… right.”

Thinking about Edwin’s strange obsession with her, there was no way he would ever agree to leave by himself.

In the end, there was only one real solution.

Edwin needed to behave normally in front of his uncle.

That was the most proper and effective method.

If it was even possible.

Richel let out another deep sigh.

***

Edwin was sitting propped up against the bed, quietly eating his lunch.

The tray that the butler had brought was neatly arranged, with each dish placed carefully in its own section. The butler portioned out small bites one by one and handed them to Edwin with great care and patience.

But even these tiny servings were too much for Edwin to finish.

The butler continued to coax him gently, pleading with him to take just one more bite. Then, suddenly, a loud growl echoed from Edwin’s stomach.

It was unmistakably the sound of hunger.

Yet Edwin slowly lowered the spoon in his hand once more.

“Take everything away now. I don’t want to eat anymore.”

“You’ve eaten far too little, my lord. At least have a little more soup.”

It was a smooth soup made from finely mashed potatoes simmered in milk.

Thinking perhaps swallowing itself was the problem, the head chef had poured all his effort into making every dish as soft as possible.

Even so, most of the food remained untouched.

“I can’t eat anymore. Take it away.”

“Count, you cannot maintain your health like this.”

The argument had become exhausting.

Watching from the side, the physician furrowed his brows.

Even witnessing it was tiring.

‘You need to eat.’

‘I don’t want to eat.’

The same exchange was repeated endlessly.

Eventually, the doctor decided to step outside for a moment.

He was fed up with looking at the scene.

As he entered the outer sitting room, someone entirely unexpected appeared.

“Madam? What brings you here?”

Startled, the physician hurried toward Richel.

Ever since the disastrous meal that day, she had not once come looking for Edwin.

She answered.

“I came to speak with Edwin. He’s inside, isn’t he?”

“Ah… the Count is still having his meal.”

“He’s still eating?”

“We’ve been trying to persuade him to eat at least a little more. The butler has been struggling quite a bit.”

“It’s already long past lunchtime, and they’re still doing this?”

The physician fell silent.

More than two hours had passed since the meal began, and it seemed as though the ordeal would continue for at least another half an hour.

Every meal was like this.

Richel’s expression hardened as she walked towards the inner bedroom.

The physician followed her cautiously.

“Richel?”

Edwin looked utterly flustered by her sudden appearance.

Without hesitation, she walked directly to the bed where he was lying.

“You still haven’t finished eating?”

Her gaze briefly swept over the large rolling tray beside the butler.

At a glance, she could see how desperately the butler had been trying to make Edwin eat even a little more by increasing the variety of dishes.

Edwin hurriedly tried to explain the situation away.

“It just… took a little longer. I’m done eating now, so they were about to clear everything away.”

He gestured towards the food laid out on the bed.

It was an obvious signal that it should be cleared away quickly.

The butler let out a small sigh before clearing the dishes away.

Edwin tried hard to remain calm.

This was the first time Richel had been in his room since he came back.

‘…She probably came because of the divorce.’

Edwin remembered the conversation they had shared in the dining room.

‘The chances you had are already gone.’

Those words meant Richel would never give him her heart again.

He bit down hard on his lip.

Richel spoke.

“I came because there’s something urgent I need to discuss…”

Her gaze fell on the plates that the butler had cleared away.

The soup, which had been poured into smaller bowls, showed hardly any sign of having been touched.

Edwin looked worse now than when he had first appeared.

His complexion had deteriorated, and he had become even thinner.

‘There’s no way anyone would think he looks normal in this state.’

Richel decided that she needed to address his eating problem first.

It would be problematic to have him greet visitors while looking like this.

However, if he refused to eat in front of his uncle, that would cause an even bigger issue.

When she remained silent, Edwin spoke cautiously.

“Don’t just stand there. Sit down while we talk. I’ll have someone bring you a chair…”

At that exact moment, he growled.

Another growl echoed from his stomach.

The unmistakable sound of hunger.

Edwin’s face flushed deep red.

Pretending not to notice, Richel asked.

“Aren’t you still hungry?”

“No, I already ate. Butler, hurry and take the food awa—”

“It doesn’t look like you ate much at all. The plates they just cleared barely had anything touched.”

“Hm? Ah, that’s because I ate something else earlier. I ate enough to fill me u—”

Grrrrrr.

His stomach growled again.

His face turned even redder.

Richel turned toward the butler.

“Take the covers off those dishes.”

If anyone had eaten from the plates, traces would naturally have been left behind.

She had intended to check the remaining food on the serving tray herself.

However, Edwin interrupted her hurriedly.

“I-I told you I ate already! Butler, what are you doing? I said clear them awa—”

His tone had become sharp and irritated.

Ignoring him completely, Richel stepped forward herself and lifted the dish covers.

Every single dish remained almost untouched.

“This is what you call eating?”

“That’s… well… my stomach hasn’t been feeling very good. It feels like I can’t digest anything properly.”

Richel turned toward the physician.

“Did you examine him? He says his stomach feels bad.”

“…His digestion itself is not the issue. If his stomach is growling like this, it actually means his digestion is functioning very well.”

For a brief moment, Edwin glared at the physician before silently closing his mouth again.

Seeing that reaction, irritation flared inside Richel.

He was always like this.

He never properly explained what he was thinking or clarified the situation.

‘There’s no reason for me to let myself get dragged around by this attitude.’

Gesturing toward Edwin, she spoke.

“Butler, set the food back out again.”

Both Edwin and the butler stared at her in surprise.

Richel remained completely unmoved.

“If you want to recover, then you need to eat properly. Hurry and bring it back.”

After taking a quick look around, the butler sprang into action.

He, too, was eager for Edwin to eat more.

He soon had his hands busy again, carefully placing the dishes back in front of Edwin.

A faint distortion crossed Edwin’s face.

He wanted to demand that everything be taken away at once, but he could not bring himself to say the words with Richel watching him so closely.

Richel pulled a chair up beside the bed and sat down.

From her posture alone, it was clear that she intended to supervise him personally.

“Edwin. Eat.”

“…I truly don’t have an appetite.”

“Then think of it as medicine and eat it anyway. We’re not in a position to care about your appetite right now.”

People everywhere were trying to confirm Edwin’s condition.

She had neither the time nor the patience to delicately consider his emotions and search for gentler alternatives.

‘Not that I have any reason to treat him that carefully in the first place.’

Without offering any real explanation, he was stubbornly insisting on doing only what he wanted.

Richel decided she would simply ignore that stubbornness altogether.

“Edwin. Eat.”

Unable to withstand the pressure in the room, Edwin finally began drinking the soup.

Richel spoke again.

“Your uncle will be visiting next week.”

“My uncle? Why all of a sudden?”

“He says he wants to check on his nephew’s condition. Don’t put the spoon down.”

“Ah… alright…”

Edwin obediently resumed eating the soup.

His face looked utterly miserable and wilted, but the expressions of the butler and the physician visibly brightened.

Watching Richel carefully, Edwin continued to lift his spoon to his mouth.

By the time he had finished half the bowl, Richel spoke again.

“In front of your uncle, behave the way you used to. We can’t afford strange rumors spreading.”