After that, Richel tried countless times to speak to Edwin about marriage, yet each time, she failed.

Because he treated her no differently than before. No, if anything, he seemed to enjoy being with her even more than he had in the past.

“Do you remember when we stayed in the south of the empire? By the seaside.”

“Hm? Ah… yes.”

“How was it back then? Weren’t we happy there?”

His smiling voice was so unbearably gentle that every time, Richel lost the courage to say what she intended.

In truth, it was not simply because he was kind. It was because she, too, could not bear to lose him.

Richel knew that if she brought up marriage again, this relationship would finally break apart.

And preparing herself for separation was not an easy thing to do.

‘At this rate, nothing will ever be resolved. I need some distance from Edwin too… I need time to sort out my feelings.’

For a while, she stayed at her maternal grandmother’s estate.

The mansion, built like a secluded villa in a remote region, was peaceful and quiet.

It happened after she had stayed there for about a month under the excuse of taking a rest.

Richel’s aunt came to visit her.

“Do you know what news I’ve brought?”

Her face was glowing with excitement.

“Richel, your marriage has finally been confirmed!”

“My marriage? Mine?”

“Yes, your marriage to Edwin Isle. Hurry and prepare to return home. The date for the marriage announcement has already been decided!”

A marriage announcement?

That was impossible.

Edwin had not contacted her even once.

“There’s no way… I haven’t heard anything about this….”

“Well, of course you haven’t. You’ve been hiding away here this entire time. House Isle sent an official marriage proposal two weeks ago, and your father already responded to it.”

Her aunt looked utterly thrilled.

The niece she had cherished so dearly was finally getting married.

“They arranged the engagement announcement so suddenly! Things will get very hectic once you get back home. Let’s start by packing your things.”

Led by her aunt, Richel packed her belongings.

Her grandmother and aunt both offered their congratulations, but even until the moment she returned home, Richel could not believe the situation was real.

The marriage announcement gathering had been set for three months later.

It was twice as rushed as the usual schedule.

As soon as Richel returned home, she was pulled from place to place without a moment to breathe.

During the day, she had to go around arranging the necessary dresses and items. In the evenings, she had to greet the guests invited by her parents.

She tried to meet Edwin, but he was no longer at the capital residence. He had already returned to the Isle territory to prepare for the marriage announcement.

‘What on earth is going on?’

It took a full five days by carriage to reach the Isle territory.

Ten days for a round trip.

Even as a journey, it was a burdensome distance.

Considering how rushed the marriage announcement already was, she could not possibly visit the Isle territory in the middle of preparations.

In the end, Richel arrived at the Isle territory only two weeks before the marriage announcement, ten days earlier than her parents.

“Richel, welcome. I missed you so much.”

The Countess greeted her warmly. Count Isle also patted her gently, telling her she must have had a hard time coming all this way.

Behind the Count and Countess stood all the servants of House Isle.

Remembering her visit that summer, Richel exchanged greetings with them.

Edwin was not there.

They said he was feeling unwell.

Startled, Richel immediately went to his room.

“Are you alright? I heard you were sick.”

“…It’s been a while.”

He had lost a little weight, and exhaustion was clearly written across his face.

The schedule must have been so rushed that he, too, had pushed himself too hard.

Pity came to her first.

Richel gently caressed Edwin’s cheek.

“You must be exhausted. Once the marriage announcement gathering is over, maybe we should go somewhere to rest. We don’t have to rush the wedding. We could go to the south, like you mentioned before, and—”

“I’m still tired, so could I rest now?”

As he said that, he took Richel’s hand and lowered it away from his face.

Richel felt startled and embarrassed, but she did not let it show.

People could act that way when they were tired.

“Alright. Rest well.”

Even after that, although the two of them stayed in the same mansion, they never had time alone together.

The only conversations they managed were during meals with everyone else present.

And that remained the same even after the marriage announcement was over.

The peaceful vacation she had hoped for never even had a chance to happen.

The wedding schedule was just as rushed as the marriage announcement had been.

Moreover, as though House Isle meant to silence every rumor that had followed them until now, the scale and quality of the preparations were extraordinary.

House Isle poured an enormous amount of money into supporting the wedding.

“My goodness, Richel. You look so beautiful! Pale colors truly suit you. Shall we look at more fabrics in similar shades? We should match the jewels as well.”

Richel spent nearly every day with the Countess.

Splendid ceremonial gowns and jewels.

The dazzling decorations of the mansion.

The countless invitations sent out one after another.

Her days passed in a blur.

By the time she came to her senses, it was already the wedding day.

The wedding and the reception of guests continued for an entire week.

Every night was filled with grand, noisy celebrations.

“I knew those two would eventually get married. Edwin was simply being unusually stubborn, that’s all.”

“Now that I think about it, maybe a late marriage isn’t so bad. It means they enjoyed a long romance together first, doesn’t it?”

“You could say the two of them opened a new path in the process of marriage.”

Once the marriage was completed, everything that had happened before was somehow treated as something good.

Amid the praise and excited congratulations, Richel smiled often.

Only after all those moments had passed did she realize something was strange about Edwin.

He no longer smiled at her the way he used to.

After their marriage, Edwin changed more and more.

He did not try to speak with her for long, nor did he try to spend time with her.

“Edwin, are you still working? If there’s anything I can help with…”

Among the documents on his desk were quite a few matters she recognized.

Thinking she might be able to help, her hand moved first.

She lightly looked through the documents and said.

“Ah, this is what your father mentioned before. The matter related to the mines…”

“My father entrusted these documents to you?”

“Hm? No, he didn’t show me the documents themselves, but he explained it to me. He told me a few things related to the mines before.”

In that instant, Edwin’s expression twisted sharply, and he snatched the documents from her hand.

Their strength pulled in opposite directions, and the papers scattered, spilling all over the floor.

Startled, Richel bent down to pick up the scattered papers, but Edwin snapped irritably.

“Why are you looking through someone else’s documents without permission? Stop it and leave! It’s nothing you need to worry about, and there’s nothing here you could help with.”

“I just wanted to help…. I’ll organize these first and then go.”

“I said I don’t need your help! Just leave already!”

Edwin gathered the fallen papers with obvious irritation.

Richel froze at the sight of his unfamiliar behavior.

Edwin had been acting strangely for quite some time now, but until this moment, he had only seemed to avoid her.

He had never lashed out at her this harshly before.

Without realizing it, tears welled in her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I was only trying to help. I thought maybe I could assist with the simpler things since I understood some of it….”

“No. Don’t touch anything here.”

His tone was unbearably cold.

Edwin did not even look at her.

Not knowing what to do, Richel eventually left the room as though she had been chased out.

***

Richel woke before dawn.

It was far too early, and her body was still exhausted, but memories of the past kept surfacing one after another, making it impossible to fall asleep again.

‘Is it because Edwin came back?’

As she recalled the severe insomnia she had suffered through in the past, she slowly sat up.

Just thinking about those days made her mood sink heavily.

She felt tired. Exhausted.

Throwing a robe over her shoulders, she stepped into the study.

Whenever her mind became troubled, the best way to calm herself was always to review the divorce papers.

She flipped through the documents quickly until she found the section she wanted.

Divorce Settlement: 5000 Gold

When she first drafted the divorce agreement, the amount had not even reached a thousand gold.

It was barely enough to buy a modest house.

At the time, Richel had been too emotionally drained to argue over anything further.

‘This is why important documents should only be written when you’re in a healthy state of mind. Only then can you think clearly about your own interests.’

Considering the misery she had endured during the marriage and all the labor she had taken on after Edwin’s disappearance, even five thousand gold honestly felt insufficient.

‘Maybe I should increase the amount further before negotiating. He’ll definitely try to lower it.’

She was seriously considering exactly how much higher she should raise the amount when suddenly the study door opened.

“Ah! You startled me. Edwin?”

Edwin stood there wearing loose sleepwear, his hair flattened from sleep.

It seemed he had woken up and come straight there without even properly fixing himself.

‘He’s not going to lunge at me again, is he?’

Tensing instinctively, Richel slowly rose from her seat.

Like someone cautiously avoiding eye contact with a dangerous hunting dog.

But Edwin only stood quietly near the doorway.

Feeling awkward for no reason, Richel cleared her throat lightly.

“Ahem… what are you doing awake at this hour?”

Edwin simply stared at her blankly.

He was not charging toward her, but something about him still felt strange.

Richel asked again.

“Are you alright now? Is your head feeling strange— no, I mean, are you in pain anywhere?”

“Ah….”

Hesitating, he looked her over once more before quietly asking.

“Are you alright? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

“Me? I’m fine. There’s no reason for me to be hurt.”

“…I see. That’s a relief.”

Richel relaxed slightly.

Something about him still felt subtly off, but at least they were managing to have a normal conversation.

And if they could communicate properly, then it meant he was still capable of rational thought.

‘The physician said he might improve after sleeping…. He really does seem better.’

Richel glanced briefly toward the divorce agreement she had left out.

If Edwin truly was in a stable state now, then there was no reason to delay talking about divorce any longer.

‘I should at least give him some warning first.’

Thinking that, Richel spoke calmly.

“Edwin, don’t just stand there. Sit on the sofa. I actually have something I want to talk about.”

“…Talk?”

She nodded and gestured toward the sofa.

Edwin hesitated for a moment before slowly walking over.

And then—for an instant, Richel thought her eyes were deceiving her.

Bare white feet.

He was completely barefoot.