The villagers were utterly terrified.

Not only was the Countess standing before them, but the Count was standing beside her, too.

They could only tremble.

No one dared to speak.

The desperation they had shown earlier had disappeared.

Now, fear had completely overwhelmed them, leaving them unable to move.

The children clung tightly to their mothers, their small bodies trembling.

Richel ran an irritated hand through her hair.

“If you’re this terrified, then why did you force your way here in the first place? Did you think I’d welcome this kind of stunt?”

“Hng… w-we truly… had no other way to speak with you…”

Richel’s expression hardened sharply.

“That’s why I’m telling you to speak. Or would you rather be dragged away without saying anything?”

“W-we’re sorry for taking soil from the embankment without permission. We thought it would be fine during winter since it was dry… Hnghk… We planned to restore it before spring, but we never expected that much rain…”

“Do you even understand what nearly happened because of that? You almost killed us. Do you think this is something that ends with a simple apology?”

“K-killed…?”

The women went deathly pale at the word.

Just like their husbands—the ones truly responsible—it seemed they had never considered this matter to be a serious crime.

“The order within this territory is a mess. After all that explanation about the embankment, this completely ruins the impression.”

Richel recalled the words James had spoken earlier.

If she had been a cruel and merciless ruler, these people would never have dared to rush in like this.

No matter how unjust they thought their punishment was, the prospect of facing an even worse fate would have compelled them to remain silent and obedient.

This realization suddenly left her feeling exhausted.

For the past three years, she and Clompo had travelled tirelessly throughout the territory, taking no rest.

She believed it was her responsibility, and it had to be done.

After silently watching the crying women for a long moment, Richel finally turned to the guards and spoke.

“Take all of them away and lock them in the cells.”

As they were dragged away, the sound of loud sobbing continued to echo behind them.

Richel urged her horse forward, trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and the sound.

Edwin followed close behind her.

The embankment road stretched wide and seemingly endless before them.

However, the snow covering it had already begun to melt into wet slush.

Anything beautiful eventually becomes ugly once its surface is stripped away.

Only once the cries had completely faded into silence did Richel slow her horse.

Edwin slowed beside her and rode alongside her.

The entire situation suddenly felt faintly absurd to her.

‘The same situations keep repeating themselves.’

There had been a time before when Richel stood in front of Edwin after feeling betrayed by the people of the estate.

Back then, she had poured every ounce of her emotions onto him as though venting her anger.

Because she had been utterly sick and tired of everything.

Those feelings still remained even now, but she was no longer as emotional as she had been then.

At the very least, she no longer wanted to take her anger out on Edwin.

Richel tightened her grip on the reins again and guided her horse into a slow walk.

Edwin rode alongside her.

He did not ask a single question.

Only after a long silence did Richel finally speak.

“Aren’t you curious why those people acted like that?”

“No. If you don’t want to talk about it, then you don’t have to. I’m not particularly curious.”

He truly had no interest in the circumstances of the villagers.

To him, the fact that they had recklessly rushed onto the road and damaged the dignity of the Count and Countess was already more than enough reason to punish them.

The villagers meant absolutely nothing to him.

They were not worth spending time or emotions on.

‘And it’s not like Richel would’ve mishandled it.’

So he had no desire to press her for explanations, hear the details, and pass judgment on the situation himself.

Even after his response, Richel remained silent for a long time.

Edwin began replaying his own words in his mind.

It felt as though he had made some kind of mistake.

Then, suddenly, he remembered something his parents used to tell him when he was young.

That he needed to think more deeply and learn to question things.

After hesitating for a moment, Edwin awkwardly spoke again.

“Now that I think about it… what I said just now sounded too irresponsible. If there’s something you want to say, you can tell me. So… I’ll try to think about it too.”

The apology he blurted out based on assumption was clumsy and disjointed.

It was painfully obvious that he was anxiously watching her reaction, unsure what to do.

He could speak shamelessly to his uncle without hesitation, yet whenever he stood before Richel, he always became like this.

Richel let out a small laugh.

“I’m not upset because of what you said. I was just thinking for a bit.”

The reason she had fallen silent had nothing to do with him.

It was because of herself.

This entire situation had happened because she had failed to maintain enough distance from the people of the estate.

For a moment, she wondered whether Edwin’s complete indifference might actually be better than her own tendency to break hierarchy by becoming too emotionally involved.

Richel spoke quietly.

“Don’t worry so much about my reactions or try too hard to watch my mood. This is also partly my fault, and if you’re not curious about it, then you don’t have to listen.”

“No, that’s not it. I want to hear it.”

He answered quickly.

The ones he had no interest in were the villagers themselves, not Richel.

Whatever explanation she chose to give him, he wanted to listen.

Richel spoke again.

“Then I’ll start with the embankment road. Back when the heavy rains came…”

Her explanation continued for a long time.

She explained why the embankment had weakened during the storm, why the villagers had committed such an act, and even the fact that she planned to exile all of their families once spring arrived.

After hearing the full story, Edwin felt that even exile was far too lenient a punishment.

If anything, the villagers who had barged in today only seemed more contemptible to him.

“Why didn’t you exile them immediately? Even that would’ve been too merciful.”

“Because people can easily freeze to death during winter. Spring is still dangerous, but at least it’s less so.”

“…Do you really need to consider things like that?”

Punishment was the price of sin.

It should have been firm and absolute.

Either punish them decisively or forgive them completely.

This kind of ambiguous mercy accomplished nothing.

And Richel knew that too.

She gave a faint, self-mocking smile.

“You’re right. I probably don’t need to consider it. It’s just… mm, maybe it’s self-satisfaction. I hate seeing people die, and especially when I think about children dying, I just can’t bear it somehow.”

“……”

“Those children only happened to be born to the wrong parents. Thinking they might die meaninglessly because of that just feels too…”

She trailed off after hesitating for a long moment.

She didn’t know how to explain the sudden emotion swelling inside her.

It was a strange kind of sadness.

An emotion so irrational that even she found it absurd.

Richel abruptly changed the subject.

“About the guards stationed along the road today. They’ll need to be disciplined for negligence. Earlier, I absentmindedly told them to bring the list to me.”

Now that Edwin knew the full situation, there was no longer any reason for her to handle it herself.

Commanding and punishing the estate guards was the lord’s authority.

“When we get back, call Hans and review the list yourself. Punish them appropriately. It’s your responsibility now.”

“…If you want to handle it yourself and finish things properly, you can. I didn’t come back here intending to take over.”

“No, it’s right for you to do it. After all, I won’t be staying here for very long anyway.”

Only after the words left her mouth did Richel realize her mistake, and she quickly fell silent.

What she had just said assumed they would eventually divorce.

Richel hurriedly changed the subject.

“The weather’s getting worse. We should head back quickly.”

She adjusted her grip on the reins.

Since they had already sent the guests ahead first, it was best to return as soon as possible.

“Shall we ride?”

At her words, Edwin tightened his hold on the reins as well.

The moment Richel spurred her horse forward, he immediately followed after her.

***

Dinner that evening unfolded much like it had the night before.

Because the day’s outing had ended in such a mess, a strangely subdued atmosphere lingered over the meal.

Richel was exhausted, but she still forced herself to smile.

No matter what, tonight was the last evening.

James would be leaving tomorrow, and Cornelia and David were scheduled to depart with him as well.

The centerpiece of the meal was roasted lamb chops.

The seasoned meat had been grilled over an open flame until the outside turned crisp, while rich juices burst out with every bite.

“I guess they brought out the best dish since it’s the last day. The lamb and this sauce go incredibly well together.”

The pale green sauce trembled softly like jelly.

It carried a sweet and tangy flavor mixed with the refreshing scent of mint, pairing perfectly with the rich lamb chops.

Cornelia ate with genuine admiration.

Beside her, David joined the conversation.

“I’m honestly a little worried too. By the time we get back, I feel like I’ll have gained quite a bit of weight…”

“Then just exercise more.”

“If I eat more and exercise more, I’ll only end up getting bigger. And if my movements become sluggish, that’ll be a problem.”

The two of them continued chatting back and forth.

Thanks to them, the atmosphere at the table softened at least a little.

Richel found herself grateful to them.

“I’m glad you like it. Eat as much as you want.”

She called over a servant.

Before long, a fresh serving of lamb chops was placed onto David’s already emptied plate.

“At this rate, I really am going to gain weight.”

“You’re tall and well-built already. You need to eat properly to maintain that.”

David was tall, and his build was solid and broad.

He looked completely different from the boy she remembered from childhood, but the result certainly wasn’t bad.

No—he looked undeniably handsome.

Cornelia spoke up.

“David really does have a great build, doesn’t he? They say he’s completely different from how he was when he was younger, but I honestly like how he looks now. He’s very handsome.”

“Yes, he is.”

Richel answered with a smile.

She found Cornelia’s proud praise of her lover oddly adorable.

A faint blush spread across David’s face.

It seemed he still wasn’t used to receiving compliments like that.

Seeing his reaction, Cornelia laughed out loud.

“I think he’s embarrassed because the Countess praised him.”

David’s face turned even redder.

His helplessly awkward reaction was so endearing that Richel laughed as well.

Cornelia glanced sideways at Edwin.

Just as she expected, his expression had completely hardened.

It seemed hearing Richel speak favorably of David bothered him more than he could bear.

Yet strangely enough, the sight was nowhere near as satisfying as she had imagined.

Instead, irritation surfaced within her first.

‘The Countess should know just how disgracefully Edwin behaved…’

At this point, she felt Richel was far too good for him.

The Countess was capable, intelligent, and overflowing with charm.

Even someone as ignorant about such things as Cornelia could clearly see how impressive the long, sprawling embankment road truly was.

And at the same time, even that achievement felt unfair in a way.

Because in the end, all of it benefited Edwin.

‘To think the Countess worked so hard for something that would eventually go back to him.’

The thought upset her deeply.

‘She never needed to do any of that…’

Watching Richel manage the estate while waiting for Edwin reminded Cornelia far too much of her former self.

Of the version of herself who had trusted her father and waited in a foreign land for the day she could finally return home.

A bitter resentment slowly built inside her chest.

It was while she sat there quietly swallowing down that anger that she noticed Edwin subtly switch his plate with Richel’s.

The neatly cut lamb was moved in front of Richel, while Edwin pulled the untouched meat toward himself and began cutting it apart instead.

‘After locking up his pregnant wife and causing all that chaos, how does he still have the nerve to act considerate now? Pretending to be caring as if nothing happened.’

Cornelia found the sight utterly disgusting.

After rumors spread that the Countess was pregnant, Edwin had effectively imprisoned his own wife.

And confinement had not even been the worst part of it.

Even while vile rumors and disgusting speculations spread everywhere, Edwin neither defended his wife nor tried to protect her honor.

To Cornelia, that had been the most despicable part of all.

‘He must have been completely blinded by jealousy. And considering the child was lost, and the Countess herself died not long afterward…’

It was obvious he had pushed her far beyond what anyone could endure.

And now, that same man had returned here pretending to care for his wife so tenderly.

If Cornelia had followed her true feelings, she would have exposed every terrible thing Edwin had done.

Of course, she could never actually do that.

If she did, people would only think she had gone insane first.

Richel’s gaze drifted toward the plate of neatly cut meat.

Meanwhile, Edwin kept stealing glances at his wife, wearing an oddly excited expression.

Cornelia suddenly spoke.

“Oh, right. Are the two of you not planning to host a party?”

“A party?”

Edwin answered first.

Cornelia looked at him and smiled faintly.

“Yes, a party. News that the Count has returned has already spread all throughout noble society. You were such a famous figure back then, after all. Everyone must be anticipating it.”

“I don’t intend to appear publicly yet. I only just returned…”

“But shouldn’t you at least host one by spring?”

At those words, Edwin cautiously glanced at Richel.

Once the spring social season began, countless estates would start hosting parties.

And naturally, hosting a gathering to announce Edwin’s return would not have seemed strange at all.

At least, not if the relationship between the two of them had been normal.

Piercing a piece of sliced lamb with her fork, Richel answered,

“We’ll probably host something small at least. We can’t stay shut away in the territory forever.”

By next spring, an overwhelming number of invitations would surely begin arriving.

And alongside them, more and more letters from people requesting to visit the estate.

If she wanted to avoid endless inconveniences later, it would be easier to show their faces publicly beforehand.

‘Though whether that happens before the divorce or after it… I don’t know.’

If it happened before the divorce, it would merely serve as a way to show society that Edwin was supposedly doing well.

And if it happened afterward, then it would no longer have anything to do with her at all.

Just as she found herself hoping it would happen after the divorce if possible—

Cornelia spoke again.

“Then… may I ask the two of you for a favor?”

“A favor?”

“David and I are planning to hold our marriage announcement gathering next spring. I was hoping you might allow us to host it at the Count’s estate.”