Hans did not return to the estate until quite some time after Richel had left.

‘Idiots. They don’t even realize she spared them by postponing the expulsion until spring instead of throwing them out in the middle of winter.’

Although Richel had ordered their banishment with cold indifference, she delayed the punishment despite her anger.

Ordering the expulsion to take place in spring was an act of mercy in itself.

Of course, none of the villagers realized that at the time.

If they had been more aware, they would never have ended up imprisoned in the first place.

‘This is exactly what happens when stupid people try to be clever.’

Hans clicked his tongue in irritation as he made his way towards the study.

As he expected, the atmosphere inside was unbearably gloomy.

At a glance, it was clear that Richel had been crying. Her eyes were red and her face was slightly swollen.

Beside the bed, the physician was quietly examining her. He gently pressed against her ribs.

The moment he did so, Richel’s brows knitted together in pain.

“That hurts.”

“You were managing yourself so carefully until now… You need to rest quietly for a few days. Until you fully recover, you absolutely must be more careful.”

“Alright. It’s not like I’ll end up like this again anyway.”

Richel answered weakly.

Hans approached the bed and bowed his head politely.

“I’ve returned, Madam.”

Richel looked at him briefly before turning her head away again.

An awkward silence lingered between them.

Carefully reading the mood, Ena nudged the physician with her elbow.

“What?”

Without another word, Ena forcibly dragged him to his feet.

“We’re going to fetch some medicine. Please continue talking.”

“Medicine? What medicine are you—”

The physician still looked utterly confused when Ena pulled him out of the room.

Richel let out a quiet sigh.

Perhaps because her emotions were in such disarray, the thought of facing Hans was exhausting.

Managing the territory felt draining.

“If you still have reports to make, bring them to Edwin from now on. My role as acting Count is over, and I want to completely step away from estate affairs.”

“I just came because I was worried.”

Hans pulled a chair beside the bed and sat down.

Without looking at him, Richel spoke quietly.

“There’s nothing to worry about. It’s not like something terrible happened…”

“Well, people don’t only get hurt when accidents happen.”

His tone remained calm and steady.

Richel lowered her head and bit down hard on her lip.

She didn’t want to cry anymore, but she couldn’t stop her emotions from churning inside her.

The fact that she still cared.

Still tried.

Still felt disappointed.

Despite all that, she longed for comfort.

This made her feel unbearably foolish and pathetic.

Pressing her lips tightly together, she finally muttered.

“I think I tried too hard. I was only acting in his place anyway, but I kept stepping forward to handle things I didn’t even need to involve myself in…”

“As you already know, not all the villagers are like those idiots.”

“……”

“There are far more people who are grateful for what you’ve done. Far more people who genuinely care about you. You know how many villagers eagerly wait for you to visit them, don’t you?”

Even then, Richel’s expression did not soften.

She still looked gloomy and full of bitterness.

Hans knew exactly what she was thinking.

‘She’s probably telling herself that even the people who claimed to like her might secretly feel differently.’

Whenever something like this happened, Richel would turn the cruelty inwards, interpreting everything in the harshest possible way.

It was a form of self-protection, a desperate attempt to minimize the pain.

Ultimately, however, it only drove her deeper into her own misery.

She distrusted kindness and affection, brushing them aside as though they meant nothing while clinging only to cruel and malicious judgements. She would tell herself, ‘I knew it.’

‘It’d be easier if you could just curse those bastards and move on… But this part of you never really changes.’

Hans deliberately changed the subject.

“Do you remember the owner of the sow farm?”

“The sow farm? You mean the man who got hit with a liquor bottle?”

“Yes, him. His household sent over some alcohol.”

Hans pulled a bottle out of his coat.

It had a long, narrow neck and a rounded base.

Without hesitation, he uncorked it.

The fragrance that drifted out immediately indicated the quality of the liquor inside.

Sweet.

Fresh.

Richel’s gaze slowly shifted towards the bottle.

Hans continued speaking.

“They said they brewed it carefully for the New Year. You know the special batch families make once a year and save separately? Apparently it’s one of those.”

“The New Year gratitude liquor? Then what are they planning to use for the upcoming New Year instead?”

“They’ll probably replace it with something more ordinary.”

“But… gratitude liquor is supposed to be made from the finest batch, isn’t it? That’s how you pray for blessings and a peaceful year ahead…”

“Exactly. Which means they must’ve been grateful enough to give up even that blessing for your sake. For what you did for them back then.”

Richel hesitated before quietly falling silent.

Her distrustful eyes lingered on the bottle.

Hans shrugged casually and continued.

“If it were just empty politeness, they never would’ve sent something like this. Farmers take those traditions very seriously.”

He lightly shook the bottle.

Vague suspicions tended to lose their strength when faced with visible proof.

“Don’t convince yourself that the people of this territory are all the same as those trashy fools. This liquor is far too fine for that, isn’t it?”

Richel could not answer.

From the very beginning, her emotions had been uncontrollable.

Just as she became attached to things against her will and got hurt despite her best efforts, she did not want comfort either.

And yet, somehow, she was comforted anyway.

Once again, she could not stop herself from crying.

***

After getting married, Richel and Edwin first lived together in an estate residence in the imperial capital.

Situated in a lively and prosperous district, the house had everything they needed, and it was extremely convenient to live there.

It also happened to be relatively close to the Isle territory. Because of that, the Count and Countess frequently invited — or rather, summoned — them to visit.

Edwin hated those visits.

He always said they were exhausting.

In truth, Richel found this excuse utterly absurd.

Whenever the subject arose, the two of them would inevitably end up arguing about it.

“You spent over two weeks in the south just recently. So how can you say you’re too tired to visit your own parents?”

“That gathering only happens once a year. This is different. They call us over every single month without fail. Why do we need to keep going back and forth like this?”

His attitude was sullen and crooked, like a rebellious child.

Richel simply could not understand it.

“What do you mean there’s no reason? You’re going to inherit the title someday. You should go and learn how things work there. Listen, study, understand the estate…”

“That won’t happen for at least another ten years.”

The reply was cold and immediate.

For some reason, Richel suddenly felt sad.

These visits were among the few opportunities the two of them had to spend quality time together.

Since their marriage, Edwin had treated every moment with her as though it were a burden.

“Is it because you don’t want to go with me?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“You attend every other gathering just fine. You don’t make excuses or become this irritable then…”

“Why are you so desperate to go in the first place? Isn’t it because my parents adore you? If you enjoy it that much, then go by yourself!”

At those words, Richel’s eyes reddened instantly.

Only then did Edwin falter and awkwardly apologize.

“…I spoke too harshly just now. But you shouldn’t keep stepping in like this either. You make me more sensitive because of it.”

“What exactly did I step into? Then what am I supposed to do…?”

Tears streamed down her face.

No matter how hard she tried to make things work, the outcome was always the same. Ultimately, all she was ever left with was pain and tears.

Edwin fell silent once more.

After standing restlessly for a moment and listening to her cry, he brushed past her and walked out of the room.

After that, Richel cried alone for a long time.

The life she had once believed would make her happy no longer seemed possible.

And with each passing day, everything became more unbearably painful.

‘Let’s stop going to the Isle territory.’

Ultimately, she decided to honor Edwin’s wishes.

Enduring his increasingly cold and irritable behavior had simply become too painful.

As he had said, whenever she got involved unnecessarily, she only ended up hurting herself more.

A heavy weight seemed to settle deep inside her chest.

So, she wrote a letter to Count Isle.

She explained that Edwin had been exhausted lately and that frequent visits would therefore be difficult for the time being.

However, the reply she received was entirely unexpected.

If frequent visits were inconvenient, he would simply send Richel the necessary information by letter.

‘Maybe this is better.’

Richel accepted the arrangement and started exchanging letters with Edwin.

On days when Edwin was away, the letters became her only source of comfort.

Having something to read, study and learn from gave her a quiet sense of accomplishment.

Most of all, she enjoyed finally understanding Edwin’s work.

‘Ah… so this is why Edwin went to the south.’

Every time those letters satisfied her curiosity, she experienced a strange alternation of happiness and disappointment.

Gradually, the correspondence became more in-depth.

The letters began to cover more specific matters relating to the Isle family business.

Richel regularly exchanged study materials and documents with the Count.

Until Edwin discovered them.

“What is this? Since when… Since when have you been exchanging these with Father?”

Edwin’s face had turned deathly pale.

He held a thick file containing every letter they had exchanged, each one organized meticulously.

Richel was completely taken by surprise.

She had never imagined Edwin would react this way to the letters.

Suddenly, he shouted furiously.

“I asked since when this started!”

“…Y-you said it was difficult to keep visiting the territory all the time. So when I explained the situation to the Count, he said he would just send the necessary information through letters instead…”

“You told Father that? You told him everything exactly like that?”

“I didn’t say you hated going there. I only explained that you’d been tired lately and that traveling there directly was difficult—”

“Are you seriously out of your mind?!”

Edwin shouted at her, his face burning red with anger.

Richel didn’t know how to respond.

The way he spoke made it sound as though she had told on him.

In some ways, he was right.

If only she had mentioned that she felt uncomfortable about the visit.

Why hadn’t she thought that far ahead?

This realization made her feel unbearably foolish.

“…I’m sorry. I only wanted to smooth things over because you hated it so much…”

But Edwin was no longer looking at her.

Instead, he glared at the pile of letters, threw them onto the desk, and stormed out of the room.

Richel slowly sank to the floor.

This time, not a single tear fell.