After a tense silence, Alisha finally bowed her head.

“Understood.”

Only after the door closed did Adeline slowly exhale.

Not long after, Anton entered. Anton had always been neat and cautious, unlike most young men his age. He appeared today unchanged, just the same.

“It’s been a while, Princess. I hope you’ve been well.”

Adeline rose from her seat to warmly greet Anton as he bowed deeply.

“Yes, I’ve been fine. Come sit over here.”

At Adeline’s request, the table was filled with coffee, tea, and various desserts. Adeline sat across from him and offered him this and that.

“Try this coffee too. The aroma is quite nice. I can’t drink it because I’m taking medicine. Drink it for me.”

“Yes, thank you.”

As soon as Anton cautiously sipped his coffee, Adeline pushed a colorful dessert plate toward him.

“Look at the shape—isn’t it pretty? It’s the most popular dessert in Varden right now. If you don’t line up at opening time, you can’t even buy it.”

“Ah, yes. Something this precious… It looks too good to eat.”

“I’ll pack some for you when you leave. If you’re seeing someone, give it as a gift. She’ll love it.”

“What? …S-seeing someone? I don’t have anyone like that… Princess.”

Anton hastily set down his coffee cup and waved his hands. Adeline laughed, asking what was wrong with him, then said he should share it with the people at the Harden estate.

“Alright, but make sure you take it when you go.”

Their conversation naturally flowed to her mother’s well-being.

“I didn’t think Mother would send you. Honestly, I’m happy about it. Is Mother still busy? What about the others?”

Does she go out often these days? How are things at home? Is Mrs. Neumann doing well? 

Last time Mrs. Neumann looked gaunt, she’s worried. Adeline spoke without pause about everything she was curious about.

Anton answered faithfully within what he knew.

However, at some point, his expression subtly stiffened.

“How is Mother’s health these days? Has her cough improved? Around this time of year, she always suffered…”

“The truth is, Her Majesty has never been healthy. And recently, her health has deteriorated rapidly.”

Adeline’s hand stopped while holding her teacup.

“We changed her medicine this time. But there hasn’t been much improvement yet, so Mrs. Neumann is very worried.”

She’d wanted to visit her for a long time. Though she’d been told to stay away, how could her long-held love for her mother disappear overnight?

She always wanted to take the train to Harden, but Adeline was afraid her mother might collapse at the sight of her face.

“I should go see her…”

Adeline was about to say she couldn’t go because of circumstances, but she swallowed her words.

After all, regardless of the reason, she hadn’t visited. She felt there was no need for meaningless excuses.

“I know a good doctor. A very skilled one. I’ll introduce you soon. Don’t tell Mother I recommended him—just mention it quietly to Mrs. Neumann.”

“Yes. But Princess…”

Anton continued cautiously.

“Actually, the reason I came today is because Her Majesty asked me to deliver a letter to you.”

A letter.

Her mother sent her a letter.

She hadn’t even opened the envelope yet, so premature hope was too early, but still, one corner of her heart swelled.

That day, after being driven out of Harden and turning her back, she thought it would be difficult to see her mother for a while.

Maybe, just maybe.

Had her mother’s heart softened? This quickly…

Was she curious about her married life? How well that person treats her… How their relationship as a couple is, whether she’s lonely.

Anton set down the letter.

“Here, read it comfortably.”

Strength entered Adeline’s fingertips as she gripped the paper knife.

“She commanded me to wait and bring back a reply.”

The moment she broke the seal and unfolded the paper, Adeline felt like a 9-year-old girl. When she first set foot in that foreign land, Grofen—that feeling from back then.

“…”

However, the moment she opened the paper, Adeline’s expression strangely hardened.

Luise’s letter was clear from the first line. Leopold.

I urgently need money for Leopold’s matter.

It’s not a trivial problem, and there’s no time to delay.

As you know, most of my and Leopold’s personal assets are tied up in pensions and land, so there’s no money we can withdraw immediately.

So this time, I hope you can arrange money that will be useful.

The hand holding the letter trembled.

Nowhere in the letter did it ask about her daughter’s well-being.

Just money.

What was absurd was that there were no detailed circumstances about the money or where it would be used. Just that it was needed, so produce it.

Mother was always like this. Even without explanation, she as the daughter had to understand her mother, and even without being convinced, she had to comply.

Adeline’s gaze slowly moved down. The moment she counted the number of digits in the amount her mother demanded—an amount difficult to handle—her breath caught.

Not a speck of affection could be read in the letter.

Entrust your reply immediately to Anton, who carries this letter.

It’s urgent, so please hurry.

I’m finally beginning to understand the use of that husband you called destiny.

If you want my understanding and recognition of you two, prove your husband’s usefulness even now.

Though it wasn’t written in the letter, she seemed to hear her mother’s voice saying exactly that. Adeline swallowed a bitter smile.

The path to becoming her mother’s beloved daughter was truly difficult. To be loved, Adeline always had to prove herself, and no matter what she proved with difficulty, it was never enough in the end.

As Adeline’s complexion visibly changed, Anton couldn’t hide his anxious expression. He clasped and unclasped his hands, just keeping his head bowed.

At the end of her mother’s letter, a sentence saying she would allow visits to her estate in the future if she sincerely helped Leopold drove the final wedge into her heart.

“Wait just a moment. I’ll be right back. Make yourself comfortable in the meantime.”

Adeline told Anton to wait a moment, then slowly rose with the letter and headed to the desk.

She took out stationery and stared blankly at it for a moment before finally gripping her pen.

Adeline also didn’t ask about her mother’s well-being, just like her mother. After all, it was content Mother wouldn’t be curious about anyway.

I received your letter well. However, your foolish daughter doesn’t have the ability to freely manage that amount.

However, since you say it’s my brother’s problem and it’s very urgent, I will do my best to arrange it within the limit of assets I can dispose of.

Please send Anton again next Friday. I’ll have it ready by then.

Adeline wrote only the main points, as she’d learned from her mother. Then she sent Anton off with small gifts and a letter for the people at the Harden estate.

After going out to the central hall to see Anton off and returning, Adeline opened the safe in her dressing room.

She didn’t even glance at the jewelry box Kailen had prepared. She just took out the accessories she owned and her bankbook in turn.

She opened the box and looked down at the valuables before her for a moment. Adeline sighed and roughly estimated the worth of the accessories.

This won’t even come close.

Even if she disposed of everything she had, it clearly wouldn’t reach the absurd amount her mother demanded.

But this was Adeline’s limit. She knew her mother would never accept the sincerity she’d prepared, but even so, she didn’t want to find another way.

Click—Adeline’s complexion was pale like someone standing in a snowstorm as she closed each box and put them in her handbag.

* * *

Adeline boarded the carriage clutching her handbag tightly.

The street scenery passing by the window felt unusually unfamiliar. It didn’t feel real, like her feet were floating in midair.

The jeweler’s shop was quiet. Inside the glass display cases, masterless jewels shone indifferently.

The merchant bowed politely. And the moment she took out the accessories from the box one by one, his eyes subtly changed.

“Are you disposing of everything?”

Adeline nodded. She urged herself not to show hesitation.

While the merchant took out a magnifying glass and appraised the value, she just fidgeted with her fingertips.

“Here, if you sign, I’ll give you the money.”

The merchant finished calculating and held out the amount he’d written. She’d thought it would be far short of what she expected, but it was an even smaller number than that.

“…So this is it.”

“I can’t offer more.”

Adeline’s eyes wavered momentarily, but she soon suppressed her agitation and signed.

The sound of the check being placed in an envelope and passed over sounded strangely loud.