The first time Richel ever heard about Edwin was through rumors.

The Jewel of High Society.

That was the title attached to his name.

At the time, Richel had thought the nickname was so exaggerated it bordered on embarrassing.

Back then, she had not expected much from him. Rumors within noble society were always filled with exaggeration, after all.

People either praised someone to the heavens or tore them apart completely. There was never any middle ground.

Which was why, the first time she saw Edwin in person, the feeling that struck her was close to shock.

It was the first time in her life she had ever seen someone so breathtakingly handsome.

‘So sometimes the rumors really are true.’

He truly looked like a jewel.

His golden hair shimmered brilliantly beneath the light, and his blue eyes were so vivid they stood out even from a distance.

His face was striking yet delicate, as though it had been sculpted with painstaking care.

Many people surrounded him, yet not a single one of them caught her attention.

If someone had not spoken to her, Richel likely would have stared at him the entire evening without ever looking away.

“Haha, Lady Rainer, you truly never change. This time, I—”

The man standing before her continued speaking, but Richel barely heard him.

All of her attention remained fixed somewhere behind her.

“Hahaha—!”

Laughter rang out through the ballroom.

Without realizing it, she glanced toward the sound.

Edwin was laughing brightly, apparently amused by something.

“…or so they said.”

The man in front of her finally finished speaking.

Richel reflexively smiled and responded politely, but she could not remember a single word he had said.

The sound of Edwin’s laughter from across the ballroom echoed more clearly in her ears than the voice of the man standing right in front of her.

‘I really must be crazy.’

Richel had fallen for Edwin.

Every time she recalled the sound of his laughter, her heart raced uncontrollably, and her cheeks flushed red in an instant.

Her everyday life was suddenly filled with entirely different emotions.

That did not mean, however, that she had approached Edwin first. From the very beginning, Richel had never intended to become close to him.

It was obvious that Edwin probably did not even know her name, and it was equally obvious that she was far from the only person captivated by him.

There had been no connection between them at all.

Feelings that began alone usually faded just as quickly. So she decided to simply wait for her heart to calm down on its own.

Which was why—

“You’re alone today, aren’t you, Lady Rainer?”

When Edwin suddenly spoke to her, Richel became so startled that her mind went blank.

Edwin… speaking to her.

Unable to react properly, she accidentally let the glass slip from her hand.

Edwin hurriedly caught it before it could fall.

The glass did not shatter, but wine spilled over his gloves instead.

And of all things, it had to be red wine.

“I-I’m sorry. You startled me so much that I….”

Panicking, Richel quickly pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve.

“No, it’s alright, the glass didn’t break, and no one was hurt. That’s enough.”

“But your gloves are soaked….”

The gloves were far beyond something that could simply be wiped clean.

As though it did not bother him in the slightest, Edwin smiled and removed them.

The hand revealed beneath was just as long and elegant as his face was beautiful.

“I must have approached you too suddenly. Your friend who’s always with you wasn’t here today, so I thought I’d say hello. I didn’t expect to frighten you this much.”

Richel, who had been staring blankly at his hand, belatedly looked up.

“My friend?”

“The lady you’re always with. The one with black hair….”

“Oh, Elina. You know Elina?”

When people became too flustered, they often blurted out whatever came to mind.

That was exactly why she had suddenly thrown out a name at someone who had only described a hair color.

Edwin paused awkwardly for a moment before laughing softly.

“I only knew she was someone who accompanied Lady Rainer. I’ve just learned her name now.”

“Ah….”

Only then did Richel’s face turn bright red.

She was embarrassed by her foolish question, yet at the same time, her heart fluttered.

Because it meant Edwin had paid enough attention to notice who she usually spent time with.

For a long while, Richel hesitated over what she should say next.

Just standing this close to him made her cheeks burn and her thoughts fall into complete chaos.

Gathering every bit of courage she had, she finally spoke.

“If you don’t mind… may I gift you a new pair of gloves?”

“It would be my honor.”

Edwin answered with a smile.

From that day onward, the two of them gradually grew closer.

Edwin thanked her for the fine gloves by gifting her a hat in return.

It was a wide-brimmed hat decorated beautifully with lace and ribbons.

Wearing it, Richel wandered from place to place alongside Edwin.

“Richel.”

At some point, Edwin had begun calling her by name.

As though it were proof that their relationship had deepened.

Richel could never forget the way her heart raced the first time she heard it.

“Yes, Edwin.”

A relationship freed from rigid formality felt sweet and precious.

Edwin took her everywhere with him, and together they experienced countless things.

Most of them were strange and exciting experiences Richel had never once encountered before.

Edwin loved giving her those kinds of experiences.

“Next time, let’s go see the ocean.”

“The ocean?”

“You remember the friends we met before, right? One of them owns a villa by the sea, so we decided to hold a gathering there. They’ll send a proper invitation, so show it to your parents.”

“An invitation? But I’m not part of that group. If I suddenly join them, won’t everyone feel uncomfortable…?”

At that, Edwin smiled. Then he leaned down and whispered softly beside her ear.

“Don’t worry. The gathering is only an excuse. We won’t be attending it. We’ll stay somewhere nice nearby instead.”

“Ah, then the invitation is….”

“A shield to keep people from talking. We’ll be gone for more than two weeks.”

“Two weeks?”

“If we’re going all the way south, we should stay at least that long. Let’s spend as much time together as we want.”

Edwin said it with a smile.

‘As much time together as we want.’

At those words, heat rose to Richel’s cheeks.

That summer, Richel saw the ocean to her heart’s content.

Edwin taught her how to swim, and each day, they decided their plans on a whim. Sometimes they explored the bustling harbor, and sometimes they sat by the shore, watching the red sun sink beneath the horizon.

At times, they stayed up terribly late. On other days, they woke before dawn and took a boat out to an island.

It was a kind of freedom entirely different from the way Richel had lived until then.

Edwin took her to many places and shared all sorts of experiences with her.

“Richel. Look at this.”

“What is it?”

“I caught it.”

A tiny crab slipped from Edwin’s hand and landed in Richel’s palm.

It remained motionless as though dead, only to suddenly scuttle away and escape from her grasp.

Richel was utterly flustered that the gift Edwin had given her had run away.

“W-what should I do?”

If she had known this would happen, she would have held it tightly. Richel lowered her gaze and saw several similar crabs scurrying around.

“Ah, there’s another one here. I’ll catch it again and— Ow!”

A claw clamped sharply onto her finger.

Startled, she shook it off, and the crab went flying away before disappearing. Perhaps frightened by the commotion, the few other crabs she had spotted also vanished at once.

Though disheartened, Richel soon focused again.

This time, she was determined to catch one properly.

Edwin pulled her into his arms.

“How long are you going to keep doing that?”

“Wait a moment. I’ll catch one again. I think I know where to hold it now.”

“And what are you going to do once you catch it?”

“Hm? Well….”

Now that she thought about it, there was no particular reason she absolutely had to catch one.

Even if she caught another, it would not be the same crab Edwin had given her.

“A gift for you?”

Remembering Edwin’s words from earlier, she answered like that.

He burst into loud laughter.

“Is it really that funny?”

“No. It’s just cute when you imitate me.”

Whenever Richel experienced something new in a new place, she often copied Edwin.

And apparently, this situation was no exception.

Feeling needlessly embarrassed, Richel lowered her head and pretended to search for the crab again.

Edwin kissed her cheek and whispered.

“There’s something else I want to receive.”

It was a tender expression of affection.

Something he wanted to receive.
Something he wanted to have.

Richel understood that feeling too.

‘Did I learn this from Edwin as well?’

Her heart pounded fiercely, and her mood rose until she felt almost breathless.

Love.

That was the name given to the new emotions and sensations that had overlaid her ordinary life.

Richel fell deeply into it.

The two of them became engaged naturally the following spring.

Their engagement was the first step toward marriage.

That summer, Richel decided to stay with House Isle.

Edwin worried that she might feel uncomfortable, but fortunately, nothing of the sort happened.

On the contrary, Richel came to like Edwin’s parents very much.

The Count and Countess of Isle were exactly the kind of married couple she wished to become.

They loved each other, respected one another, and handled the affairs of their household together.

If she married Edwin, then she too would live that kind of life.

“Look, Edwin. The Count gifted me a foal.”

Richel gently stroked the young horse she had received as a gift.

The white horse, its coat completely pure, belonged to a particular breed. She had heard that the ladies of House Isle traditionally used horses of that breed as their own.

Which meant Edwin’s parents had truly accepted her.

Excitement colored her voice as she spoke.

“I heard the men of House Isle have always loved horses. Didn’t your family even run a breeding business at one point? They said that’s why there are so many fine horses here.”

“…Father even told you about the business?”

The Count and Countess adored Richel. They often called her over to chat and tell her various stories.

“Mhm. He briefly explained the kinds of businesses House Isle used to run. I told him I was interested in those things.”

She was overflowing with excitement.

It felt as though she could already see the future ahead of her, a life where she would marry Edwin and stand beside him while handling work together.

“I want to learn a lot from the Count moving forward. I’ve handled estate matters before, but I don’t know anything about business.”

‘I hope I can help you as much as possible.’

Thinking that, she continued stroking the foal affectionately.

Then Edwin suddenly said.

“I think I need to take a walk nearby.”

“A walk? Wait a moment, let’s put the foal back in the stable first and go together.”

“No… no, it’s alright. There’s something I need to think about alone.”

Rejecting her offer, Edwin quickly strode away.