Ultimately, it was decided that Richel would be the only one to attend the evening banquet.

The decision was entirely hers.

Edwin had absolutely refused to miss the dinner.

Nevertheless, Richel stopped him from going.

His delusions had become so severe by now that he was no longer capable of making rational judgements.

“David Nathan’s first love was you. He waited because he wanted to marry you… and even now, he definitely still—”

Edwin was convinced that either David already loved her or that he would eventually fall for her.

This belief alone was irrational.

David was five years younger than Richel and was destined to inherit his noble title.

Most importantly, however, he was engaged.

Richel had pointed this out to Edwin countless times.

But Edwin refused to believe it.

In fact, he acted as though he could not bring himself to believe it.

“That can’t be true. They’re definitely lying. He only pretended to get engaged so he could see you…”

Edwin had no intention of escaping the delusions consuming him, and Richel could not allow someone in that state to attend the banquet.

The dining room was decorated much as it had been the previous evening.

Cornelia and David had arrived first, while James was still upstairs.

As Richel took her seat, she quietly acknowledged them with a glance.

A servant stepped forward and carefully poured water and wine into her glass, one after the other.

Then David spoke first.

“How is the Count feeling now?”

“Ah, he’s much better. The doctor said he should recover as long as he rests for today.”

“That’s a relief.”

Cornelia, seated beside him, finally spoke.

Her gaze lingered briefly on Edwin’s empty seat.

“What a shame. I thought we’d be able to see the Count during dinner tonight.”

David immediately stepped in to comfort her, saying that the atmosphere at the outdoor event the following day would be much better anyway.

He was always very attentive when it came to caring for his partner.

Watching the two of them together, Richel sighed quietly to herself.

‘Exactly what part of this makes Edwin think David has feelings for me? There’s a limit to how absurd a delusion can get.’

Perhaps she should have gone downstairs with Edwin after all.

If he saw how the two of them acted together, he would definitely change his mind. But there was an overwhelming chance that he would either cause a scene or burst into tears first.

Swallowing another sigh, Richel addressed the two of them.

“Edwin will definitely attend tomorrow’s schedule, so don’t be too disappointed.”

Tomorrow’s event involved horseback riding across the territory.

Naturally, the conversation shifted toward the following day’s plans.

“There are plenty of excellent horses, so you’ll be able to enjoy yourselves tomorrow.”

“What’s the riding course like? Is it the kind of route where we can really pick up speed…?”

David asked excitedly.

Richel answered each question in turn.

She loved horse riding and enjoyed racing across open ground.

They got on well, like close friends who shared the same interests.

Watching them, Cornelia could not hide her disappointment.

‘Edwin really should’ve seen this.’

She wondered what face Edwin would pull and how he would behave if he saw how close the two of them were.

Would he react as he had at the funeral, wandering around looking completely insane?

Or would he hyperventilate and end up writhing across the floor again?

‘I even deliberately told David to take especially good care of the Countess too.’

She and David had visited the Count’s estate rather rudely. Paying extra attention to the Countess as an apology was hardly surprising.

Whether Edwin would interpret it that way, however, was another matter entirely.

‘Still, tomorrow I’ll probably get to see something entertaining.’

With a bright smile, Cornelia glanced at the empty seat.

She found herself genuinely looking forward to tomorrow.

Right then, James entered the dining room.

“It seems I’m a bit late.”

He spoke only to Richel before taking his seat.

Despite his daughter and her fiancé being seated right there, he did not greet or acknowledge them.

This kind of attitude instantly made everyone uneasy.

It was the sort of behavior that forced everyone else to watch his mood carefully before speaking.

Just as Richel swallowed a sigh, thinking, “Here we go again”, Cornelia suddenly smiled brightly and picked up a piece of bread.

“I heard the food at the Count’s estate is incredibly delicious.”

Completely unfazed by James’s attitude, Cornelia continued smiling.

As though her father refusing to speak to her was something utterly insignificant.

“Oh my, this butter is amazing. It’s so soft and savory—it almost tastes like cheese…”

“I’m glad you like it. I’ll pass the compliment on to the chef. He loves praise.”

“Really? Then I’ll make sure to praise every single dish.”

That made Richel laugh.

The cheerful conversation continued naturally.

James’s expression darkened further, but he didn’t interrupt the two women.

Instead, he changed the subject himself.

His gaze landed on the empty seat beside Richel.

“Where’s Edwin?”

“He’s not feeling well, so I came down alone tonight.”

She deliberately avoided going into too much detail about the situation.

After all, Edwin was due back on schedule the following day.

Richel carefully maintained a gentle and composed expression, acting as though Edwin’s absence were nothing particularly serious.

James clicked his tongue, but chose not to pursue the matter.

Soon, the servants began to bring out the dishes.

Compared to the previous evening, the presentation and flavor were clearly far more carefully prepared.

Cornelia enthusiastically praised the food.

“The food is so good I feel like I’m drinking even more wine because of it.”

“I’m glad it suits your taste.”

“If I ate like this every day, I think I’d become an alcoholic. Don’t you think so, David?”

“Hm… I think I’d gain weight before that.”

He answered while cutting into the meat.

The juicy meat was so tender it practically melted the moment it touched his tongue.

He was already finishing his third plate.

“I wonder whether it suits Uncle’s tastes as well.”

Richel would occasionally speak to James and encourage him to have a drink.

She was trying to ease the awkward tension that lingered in the room.

As more glasses were emptied, the atmosphere gradually became more relaxed.

James started talking about his recent voyages aboard merchant ships.

“Just the time spent crossing the sea takes two months. You can run into typhoons or get caught in whirlpools, so a skilled captain is essential. This time…”

The dinner went on for a long time and also doubled as a drinking session.

By the time it finally ended, it was late at night.

Richel climbed the stairs to her room.

Although her vision had remained perfectly clear during the meal, she now felt slightly dizzy.

It seemed the alcohol was only now catching up with her.

She moved slowly up the stairs.

‘I’m glad everything ended well.’

Unexpected guests had arrived, and Edwin had even collapsed, yet the schedule itself had still concluded safely.

The thought left her feeling satisfied.

‘Tomorrow I’m going to ride as much as I want.’

The event tomorrow was horse riding.

After a late breakfast, they were all going to ride together along the river embankment.

It was the same embankment road that she had spent the last two years painstakingly widening and restoring by hand.

Just imagining herself galloping across it lifted her spirits further.

The alcohol continued to warm her body, gradually releasing the tension in her emotions.

Just as she reached the top of the stairs, Edwin suddenly appeared in front of her.

She was so startled that she nearly collapsed on the spot.

“Why are you here? Weren’t you resting in your room?”

“…I came out because I wanted to see you come back.”

“You weren’t standing here waiting the whole time, were you?”

“No. I just came out a little while ago.”

Richel reached out and touched his cheek to check.

Edwin froze in surprise at the sudden contact.

Completely unconcerned, she brushed her fingers lightly against his face.

Just as she had expected, his skin was freezing cold.

“Then why are your cheeks this cold?”

“Ah… I wasn’t out here that long. The hallway’s just cold. I only waited a little.”

Richel let out a small laugh.

She was already halfway drunk.

Perhaps because she was in such a good mood, even his vague excuses did not irritate her very much.

“Well, sure. That’s understandable. You must’ve been curious how everything ended too, right?”

“…Ah. Yeah.”

“And surprisingly enough, everything went perfectly! Dinner was great too.”

She smiled brightly.

This was not only because things had gone smoothly, but also because she had genuinely enjoyed herself.

The food was delicious, the wine was fragrant and the conversations were interesting.

Meals like that were always enjoyable.

“Uncle James talked quite a bit about traveling by ship. The trade stories were actually really interesting.”

Richel happily rambled on about ships crossing the sea.

Everything she said had simply been stories James had told her over dinner.

Once the divorce was finalized, perhaps she could board one of those ships and travel far away herself.

The thought delighted her so much that she laughed out loud.

“…Was the dinner really that enjoyable?”

“I was honestly worried at first, you know? But the atmosphere turned out better than I expected. David seriously eats a lot. The kitchen staff must’ve been shocked.”

David had eaten an astonishing amount.

An ordinary serving would disappear in just three or four bites.

Once the servants realized this, they began piling far more food onto his plate than onto anyone else’s.

Richel remembered this and couldn’t help but quietly laugh to herself.

Watching her, Edwin finally managed a response.

“I’m glad… it ended well.”

“Exactly. It was fun too. Maybe because it’s been so long since I had such a lively dinner? I really enjoyed it.”

Edwin’s expression gradually darkened.

But wrapped in alcohol and excitement, Richel failed to notice any of it.

After humming lightly to herself for a moment, she suddenly asked,

“Ah, right. You know tomorrow’s schedule, don’t you?”

“They said we’re going out into the territory for horseback riding.”

“Right. Did you rest properly? You can ride tomorrow, can’t you? Cornelia kept asking about you.”

Throughout dinner, Cornelia had repeatedly expressed her disappointment.

In fact, Richel found herself wondering if the two of them had always been that close.

Then she remembered David sitting beside Cornelia.

The young couple had fussed over each other constantly throughout the evening.

‘Though it did feel a little strange how eager Cornelia seems to be about getting married quickly…’

Occasionally, Richel caught glimpses of Cornelia’s former self when she looked at her.

Of course, this was an erroneous assumption.

After all, Cornelia was not Richel and David was not Edwin.

‘Just because my marriage fell apart doesn’t mean Cornelia’s marriage will end the same way.’

Thinking that, Richel let out a slow breath.

The alcohol surged through her body in waves before fading again.

At this rate, she really needed to rest if she wanted to enjoy tomorrow’s schedule properly.

“Let’s go inside and get some rest. Otherwise tomorrow will be exhausting.”

She gave Edwin a light smile then quietly turned away from him.