James Isle arrived on the morning he had announced.

He arrived in three carriages, two of which were laden with various cargo.

His servants unloaded luxurious fabrics, ornate decorations, rare spices, and countless other expensive goods, one by one.

Each item was lavish enough to reveal the nature of his business dealings.

James finally stepped down from his carriage once the unloading had begun.

Like the other men of the Isle family, he was strikingly handsome, with golden hair that immediately drew attention.

Richel and Edwin stood side by side, waiting to welcome him.

“It’s been a long time, Uncle.”

“You must have had a tiring journey.”

James gave a small nod before gesturing toward the items being unloaded.

“Those are gifts. They’re goods I brought back across the sea during this latest trade expedition, and they turned out to be rather worthwhile.”

At the mention of them having crossed the sea, Richel looked over the items again.

Among them were several fairly large paintings.

“Did those paintings come across the sea as well?”

“The paintings didn’t. Those are works by a promising young artist I recently discovered.”

“Ah, do you sponsor painters as well?”

Richel asked without thinking.

Supporting artists was considered one of the more aristocratic pursuits, yet she had never once heard of the Isle family sponsoring painters before.

James answered casually.

“It’s less sponsorship and more investment. I only support artists whose value is likely to rise.”

“Investment?”

“He’s an artist with extremely bold colors, so people’s opinions are divided. But those kinds of artists are usually the ones who grow the most.”

After finishing his explanation, he remarked that he should rest for now.

From where he lived to this estate, the journey took four days by carriage.

“I’ll show you to your room, Uncle.”

Edwin stepped forward naturally and guided him inside.

He looked completely normal—far too composed for anyone to suspect even the slightest problem with his mental state.

Watching him, Richel found herself somewhat surprised.

‘He seemed incredibly unstable during the practice sessions at dawn… but now that it matters, he looks perfectly fine.’

Maybe Edwin performed better in real situations than he did in rehearsals.

If so, that would be a relief.

For now, Richel was reassured just by seeing him act normally.

As James Isle wanted to rest until the afternoon, the late lunch they had planned together was postponed until dinner.

Dinner was a much more formal affair.

The kitchen quickly became hectic as the staff prepared extra dishes and the servants decorated the dining hall, creating a heavier, more dignified atmosphere befitting the occasion.

Meanwhile, Ena, the head maid, and the butler carefully inspected the gifts that James had brought, before arranging them neatly in a room.

“We’ve organized the gifts your uncle brought. Wouldn’t it be best to go down and take a look at them?”

Once a gift had been received, it was customary to make polite remarks about it afterwards.

Before sitting down to dinner together, it was polite to familiarize oneself with the gifts.

Guided by Ena, Richel made her way downstairs.

The whole process was exhausting, but if she wanted everything to run smoothly, there were certain things she simply had to endure.

Edwin was standing in front of the room.

He was still wearing the same immaculate clothes that he had worn earlier when he had escorted his uncle.

However, the moment he saw Richel, he became strangely flustered.

“The butler thought it might be good for us to look at the gifts together… Since the gifts will probably come up during dinner, I-I thought it’d be better if we viewed them together.”

He even stumbled over his words.

Compared to how naturally he had behaved in front of his uncle, he seemed like an entirely different person.

Richel frowned slightly.

“Why are you so nervous?”

“It’s just… I came down here on my own first. I thought you might dislike that.”

“We had to do this anyway. Why would I be upset about it?”

After saying that, she tilted her chin towards the door.

It was an invitation for him to go inside, albeit silent.

Only then did Edwin finally seem to relax, stepping over to join her.

Inside, tables and chairs of various heights had been brought in solely for displaying the gifts.

Luxurious fabrics, ornaments, and jewelry were elegantly arranged on the tables, while framed paintings and rich curtain fabrics had been draped over the chairs.

There were far more gifts than Richel had expected.

A faint frown crossed her face.

‘Is he planning to overwhelm us with gifts before questioning us thoroughly?’

If that was the case, then dinner was bound to be exhausting in more ways than one.

Richel sighed and looked slowly around the room.

Every gift was extravagant and expensive.

She stopped in front of a table covered in sumptuous fabrics.

“It looks like he brought these for the spring season.”

All the fabrics were dyed in soft, delicate shades of yellow, sky blue, pale green and cream.

Richel gently brushed her fingertips over one of the fabrics.

It was astonishingly soft as it slid against her skin; its smooth texture seemed to melt beneath her touch.

A faint sheen shimmered across its surface, leaving no doubt about its exceptional quality.

As she absentmindedly stroked it a few more times, Edwin suddenly addressed her.

“Do you like that one? Should I call a tailor?”

“A tailor?”

“People usually order a lot of spring clothes around the New Year anyway. Since these were gifts, I think it’d be fine to have several outfits made… This one would suit you well too.”

He lifted the pale yellow fabric and held it against her body.

The cloth draped softly over her.

Although the color was vibrant, the subtle lustre woven into the fabric stopped it from looking too light-hearted.

It suited her beautifully — bright yet elegant.

Edwin smiled faintly.

“This would make a perfect dress for a soirée.”

He put the pale yellow fabric to one side and continued looking through the rest.

His expression gradually brightened with excitement.

He was happy just to be having ordinary conversations with Richel, but he was even happier to discover that he could help her.

“Is there any color you particularly want? Or something you’ve been wanting to buy?”

Richel felt slightly flustered.

She could not understand why he seemed so excited.

‘By the time spring comes, I won’t even be here anymore…’

If he had been deliberately pretending not to know about the divorce, she would have shattered the atmosphere immediately.

But his excitement was so sincere and unguarded that it only left her more unsettled.

‘Let’s just let it pass for now. His uncle is already here… and provoking him won’t do any good.’

Richel decided to handle the situation carefully.

She would not bring up the divorce, but neither would she actively indulge this atmosphere.

“I’m fine, so if there’s anything you need tailored, you should just buy more for yourself instead.”

“But I was trying to have clothes made for you…”

“I’ll take care of my own clothes.”

A clear line had been drawn between them.

Unable to respond, Edwin quietly replaced the fabric.

Richel moved further into the room and began examining the ornaments and paintings.

Of all the gifts, it was the paintings that caught her attention the most.

The colors were strikingly bold, and many of the shapes were painted in vague, indistinct forms.

Perhaps because of that, the vivid flow of color felt even more intense and captivating.

Edwin, who had lingered nearby the entire time, slowly approached her once again.

“Do you like this painting?”

“I think it’s certainly unique.”

“If you like it, we can buy more. If you’re curious because of how unusual the work is, I could invite the painter and—”

He stopped there, trailing off awkwardly.

If someone became interested in the artwork, it was only natural for them to become curious about the artist as well.

Among nobles, it was common to invite painters to stay at their estates.

‘What if the painter is a man…?’

While he hesitated, Richel looked away from the painting and spoke.

“Do you remember what your uncle said earlier? About how supporting painters is actually an investment?”

James was spending money on these works because he foresaw them becoming highly valuable in the future.

Not sponsorship—investment.

As she continued examining the painting, Richel spoke thoughtfully.

“What made your uncle think these paintings would become popular and sell for high prices? To me, they just look unusual.”

She looked over the painting again.

It was undeniably different from ordinary artistic styles, but that alone did not seem enough to predict future value.

“There must be some kind of reason…”

Studying the painting from different angles, she fell deep into thought.

By now, she seemed to have completely forgotten Edwin standing beside her.

At that moment, Edwin felt an all-too-familiar emotion.

Inferiority.

Richel’s attitude right now was exactly the kind of attitude his parents had once expected from him and tried desperately to teach him.

“Edwin, this is the sort of thing that should make you curious. You need to think more deeply.”

For him, those demands had always been painfully difficult.

Because he never understood what he was supposed to question, how he was supposed to approach it, or which direction his thoughts were meant to follow.

The questions he managed to force out always went in strange directions instead.

And every time, his parents would look disappointed.

“I truly don’t know how I’m supposed to teach you. You simply can’t keep up at all…”

At some point, Edwin stopped speaking altogether.

Whenever he asked a question, his parents would look at him either in disappointment or quiet frustration.

His education, intended to mold him into a suitable heir, gradually became unbearable.

The things that came naturally to his parents never came naturally to Edwin.

This innate difference between them was precisely what made it hurt so much more.

“It can’t be helped. Just do what you can manage. There are easier methods as well.”

Edwin knew that his parents were disappointed in him.

They had given up on him.

No one ever said as much, but he could sense it clearly.

Each time, his sense of inferiority grew heavier.

Admitting his own incompetence was agonizing.

So he constantly struggled to hide it.

‘If only I had been even half as capable as Richel…’

“Edwin? Why are you standing there spacing out?”

Richel lightly nudged him.

Only then did Edwin finally return from his memories.

“It was nothing. I just… suddenly remembered my childhood for a moment.”

“You startled me. You looked completely out of it.”

Letting out a relieved sigh, she turned away again.

Just as she headed toward the table displaying the jewelry, Edwin grabbed her arm.

“You know… haven’t I gotten a lot better?”

“…What?”

“My face, for one… compared to before…”

He bit down on his lip again.

He had spent all this time trying to become the kind of person that Richel would like. But now, when he wanted to tell her, he realized that he had nothing to offer her.

Nothing, that is, except the face he had been born with.

Richel frowned.

“What on earth is wrong with you?”

“It’s nothing… really, it was nothing.”

He released the arm he had been holding onto.

If she looked at him strangely here, he felt like he would no longer be able to endure it.

Steadying his voice, he turned his gaze toward the gifts spread throughout the room.

“Let’s just keep looking through the rest.”

He forced a smile.

He didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere, even if only slightly.

This was the most he could do.

He maintained his appearance by eating chicken feet pudding and holding conversations with the polished manners expected of a nobleman.

Ultimately, all he could do was continue to exist in a way that resembled the person he used to be.

That was as far as Edwin could go.