James let out an openly amused chuckle.

“You are, after all, my nephew and the heir to the Isle County title, so naturally I was concerned. Though it’s unfortunate that your personal well-being has little to do with the stability of the County itself.”

James summoned a servant to refill his glass.

Along with the wine, an uncomfortable tension filled the room.

He continued speaking.

“Over the past three years, not a single part of the County’s businesses seemed to suffer from the absence of your presence. I’m sure you understand better than anyone what that means.”

“……”

“Ah, though the social circles did search for you for quite some time.”

No noble, no matter how incompetent, could calmly endure hearing such words to his face.

Just as Edwin’s hand clenched into a fist, Richel interrupted the atmosphere by calling for a servant.

“The water glass here is empty.”

The servant hurried over and refilled the glass.

The sound of water being poured softened the atmosphere ever so slightly.

Edwin lowered his head.

Once the initial anger had passed, only shame remained.

James’s criticism had been humiliating, but, as always, it had also been true.

‘Incompetent Edwin Isle.’

Being confronted with that truth in front of Richel felt unbearably humiliating.

The rims of his eyes slowly began turning red.

“Edwin, drink some water.”

Richel spoke quietly.

She was starting to feel deeply anxious by now, too.

The atmosphere at dinner had completely deteriorated and Edwin looked as though he might burst into tears at any moment.

Honestly, things would have been better if he had just got angry or started throwing punches instead of looking like this because of his uncle’s harsh words.

Fortunately, Edwin obediently drank the water she handed him.

He emptied the glass almost immediately, and little by little, the flush on his face began to fade.

Then James spoke again.

“It seems your patience has certainly improved. Compared to the rumors claiming you returned insane, your train of thought appears perfectly intact.”

He spoke as though evaluating livestock before casually drawing his conclusion.

“Well, this is good enough. What are you all standing around for? Go bring the next dish.”

He gestured lazily towards the servants.

Reading the situation carefully, they moved hesitantly.

Finally, the braised pork was placed on the table.

It had been cooked until perfectly tender and was drenched in a rich, flavorful sauce.

The servants sliced the meat and placed portions onto the three plates in front of them.

“The head chef is certainly talented.”

James continued to eat leisurely, remarking.

Having ruined the atmosphere, he simply carried on eating as though nothing had happened.

Richel had completely lost her appetite.

Without touching the meat at all, she asked.

“Were you testing him?”

“Testing him?”

“You deliberately provoked Edwin, didn’t you? To see what state he was in…”

“Why are you upset? I simply did what needed to be done.”

“What needed to be done?”

“Was I wrong? It’s only been three generations since the Isle family rose to the rank of Counts. An incompetent Count may be unfortunate but tolerable. A mad Count, however, is something that cannot be ignored.”

He did not soften a single word.

He genuinely did not care whether his words wounded others or shattered the atmosphere.

That was what angered Richel.

“You didn’t have to go this far. This could have been resolved through an ordinary conversation…”

“An ordinary conversation? You can’t see the depths of a person through something like that.”

Even hearing the way he spoke was enough to make her lose all affection for him.

Richel’s brows furrowed sharply.

James continued.

“I don’t understand why you’re offended. You know better than anyone that Edwin amounts to very little, don’t you? After all, you’re the one who’s managed this County for the past three years.”

He smiled faintly.

Even when he was being arrogant, he carried himself with complete confidence, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

It was the characteristic self-assurance of the Isle family — the kind that assumed others would like them.

Richel felt a surge of irritation.

“It seems the Isle family’s rudeness is hereditary.”

“…Rudeness? Are you speaking to me?”

“Yes. Because you looked down on me and treated me lightly.”

“You think I looked down on you?”

“If you truly respected me, you wouldn’t have made the atmosphere so uncomfortable that I lost my appetite.”

“……”

“And you certainly wouldn’t have used the past three years of my life merely as a tool to mock Edwin. Isn’t that rude enough already?”

Richel met James’s gaze directly.

James looked momentarily surprised before turning to Edwin.

“Was your wife always like this? I don’t remember her being this way before.”

It was an unconscious assumption that her husband would naturally know her best.

Richel stared at him in disbelief.

“You’re asking someone who wasn’t even here for the past three years about me? And asking the very person you were doubting as insane just moments ago?”

“Ah, that was my mistake.”

His gaze returned to Richel.

“On my way here, I felt the territory had changed quite a bit. It seems that wasn’t merely my imagination. So the Isle territory did have a proper Count ruling it during these past three years.”

He looked at Richel with clear satisfaction.

A gentle, refined smile spread across his face—completely at odds with his cold features.

Richel cut straight through it.

“Please apologize first. Complimenting me doesn’t erase your rudeness.”

She had developed a strong immunity to the appearance of the Isle family.

Of all the family members, Edwin was the most beautiful, and she had spent five years of her life married to him at the height of his beauty.

At her cold response, James let his smile fade.

Then, surprisingly obediently, he spoke.

“My apologies, Richel Isle. I behaved discourteously.”

It was an incredibly plain apology.

Because it showed neither hesitation nor displeasure, it almost felt insincere instead.

Still, once the other party apologized, she had no choice but to step back as well.

‘There’s nothing good about letting this tense atmosphere continue. Who knows when Edwin might start acting strangely again…’

James may have concluded that Edwin was perfectly normal, but in reality, he was not.

He had improved considerably compared to before, yet he was still unstable.

One example was how he burst into tears at the slightest thing.

‘A grown man who’s suddenly become a crybaby at this age…’

Richel sighed inwardly, though she smiled politely toward James instead.

“If I behaved too harshly as well, then I apologize. I hope you enjoy the meals and arrangements we prepared during your stay.”

“I will.”

James invited them to continue drinking together.

Richel suppressed a sigh and quietly raised her glass.

The liquor was undoubtedly of the finest quality, yet she could barely taste it.

Drinking alcohol in such a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere was never going to be enjoyable.

For a moment, she considered leaving the dinner altogether and going upstairs to drink heavily with Hans instead.

Even cheap liquor would taste far better than this.

This thought brought back memories of the drinks they had once shared at the Sow House.

That liquor had truly been excellent.

Clinging to that memory as her only comfort, Richel finished her drink.

Then Edwin called over a servant and gestured towards her plate.

“Replace the meat. Bring a warm serving.”

The servant quickly replaced the dish.

Steam still rose gently from the freshly served meat.

‘What is he doing now?’

Frowning, Richel looked toward Edwin.

His face was faintly flushed.

“It’s not good to drink on an empty stomach. You should eat with it…”

That single remark left Richel utterly bewildered for a number of reasons.

His unnecessary kindness was absurd enough, but the excited look on his face when he said it made it even more so.

This was a complete contrast to the Edwin who had wavered between humiliation and anger moments earlier, after enduring his uncle’s criticism and ridicule.

He had even become slightly more talkative.

“Maybe because the chef put so much care into it, but it’s really good. The flavor too.”

Edwin glanced subtly at the plate before her.

It was the gaze of someone hoping she would hurry and taste the meat.

For a moment, Richel found herself wondering why he was acting so openly affectionate.

‘Surely he doesn’t think I asked James to apologize for his sake?’

After all, she had only objected to the disrespect shown towards her.

During her conversation with James, she never mentioned Edwin’s humiliation or wounded pride.

This meant that she had never stepped in for Edwin’s sake in the first place.

Edwin might have been half insane, but he was not stupid. There was no way he had failed to notice the distance she deliberately kept between them.

For this reason, she truly could not understand why he looked so pleased.

‘Don’t tell me he’s this happy simply because I didn’t side with James?’

How low had his standards for happiness sunk?

Richel let out a deep sigh.

James’s rudeness was irritating enough, but Edwin’s overexcitement and odd behavior were equally unwelcome.

Without touching the braised meat, she asked for the dish to be removed.

She had no appetite and, truthfully, did not particularly want to eat it either.

Turning to the servant, Richel said.

“Just refill the drinks instead, and bring some cheese and simple snacks.”

Alcohol needed an accompaniment, but it did not have to be a full meal.

Once she had finished her dish, Edwin called over a servant.

He had lost his appetite as well.

As the servant moved to remove Edwin’s dish, Richel immediately spoke up.

“You still need to take care of your health. Eat at least one plate whenever food is served.”

“But I don’t have an appetite either…”

“Edwin.”

It was a firm command.

Richel instructed the servants to place a fresh serving of braised pork in front of him.

Edwin felt slightly wronged.

‘She could at least eat a little of the portion I gave her. Yet she’s making me finish everything…’

Needless to say, he could never have said those words aloud.

Swallowing down a sigh, he began to eat the meat on his plate.

The warm pork was tender, but tasteless.