The dim dawn light roused me from a deep sleep. After tossing and turning a few times, I slowly opened my eyes.

“Umm…”

I could feel the passage of time in a room where hardly any light entered unless the sun was strong.

Moreover, my body felt refreshed, as if I had truly awakened from a deep slumber. Ah, since I was actually dead, should I say my soul felt refreshed? In any case, not feeling any pain was a rare experience, and my limbs felt strangely light.

Perhaps God had a hobby of showing mercy to those who had passed away, allowing the deceased to experience the dreams they had longed for.

Anyway, I savored the refreshing sensation as I gently sat up. A pleasant fragrance wafted in from somewhere.

If scents had colors, my room would have been filled with a gray hue, but today, unlike usual, it was infused with an aurora-like floral scent. It was a strangely familiar fragrance, a harmonious blend of roses, lilacs, and lilies. I focused on the scent at the tip of my nose and pondered why it felt familiar. Soon, a fragment of a memory buried deep in my heart began to surface.

The perfume I had personally prepared for my honeymoon.

Following the advice of my friends, who suggested I should become an enchanting bride, I had eagerly roamed the shops of Terra, filled with excitement before my wedding. I had no idea that all that time and effort would turn out to be in vain.

‘What a terrible scent.’

That was what Leopold had said the moment he saw me at the dining table on the second day of our honeymoon.

My face turned bright red from his shocking words, and since that day, I hadn’t even glanced at the perfume. I probably lost my appetite completely after that, surviving on nothing but soup for several days—poor me.

I took a deep breath to soothe my suddenly melancholic feelings and rose from the bed. As I lowered my legs over the edge, the white slip fell softly, tickling my calves. I hadn’t worn this dress more than a few times before discarding it.

Having never properly learned noble etiquette, I didn’t know that I shouldn’t wander around the mansion in my nightgown. During my time at the academy, everyone wore the same clothes at the same time, and before that, I had only owned a tattered rag.

One day, when I was unable to sleep, I had thrown a shawl over my shoulders and stepped out, quietly walking down the mansion’s corridors in my slip. When I reached the second-floor terrace that led to the garden, I spotted Leopold’s silhouette and, feeling delighted, called out to him in an excited voice.

‘I see you here.’

However, when he turned to look at me, he spoke coldly, his expression blank.

‘Doesn’t the academy teach you any manners? You’ve lost your mind. Go back to your bedroom immediately.’

I was taken aback, not understanding what was happening, and he added, looking down on me.

‘As the mistress of the Duke’s household, do you really want to hear from me how inappropriate it is to wander around the mansion in your nightgown?’

Only then did I realize how shocking it was, and I fled back to my bedroom in a panic. I had never envied the nobility, but that night was the first time I regretted my background.

Carrying a sigh that lingered in a corner of my heart, I walked to the window. I let past memories, which wouldn’t be easily erased, drift away with soft breaths.

If the continuation of death was just a replay of such experiences, I wanted no part of it…

Unlike my light and easy movements, my heart sank, heavy with despair.

If, as Leopold had said yesterday, we had just gotten married, then everything that happened afterward was filled with things I never wanted to experience again.

No matter how wrong the relationship had been from the start.

***

The wedding of Leopold Lawrence and Hazel was such a monumental event that even a ten-year-old child in a remote village talked about it.

Not only was she a mere commoner without even a family name, but an orphan abandoned by her parents who didn’t even know her own name became the mistress of the Lawrence family, considered the most powerful among the empire’s five ducal families.

People endlessly speculated about how the two became connected.

Rumors persisted until the wedding day, ranging from Leopold being so in love with Hazel that he defied his mother’s opposition to marry her, to Hazel persistently pursuing Leopold until he eventually surrendered, to the Duke’s family recognizing Hazel’s abilities and forcing the marriage to acquire them.

Most of these stories were nonsense, but some contained a grain of truth.

The National Academy, from which Hazel graduated, was the core institution for nurturing talent in the Denhaph Empire, offering education free of charge. Anyone with ability could enroll, regardless of status, but the standards were so high that only a few were admitted each year. After graduation, working for the royal family was the natural course.

The Lawrence family was the academy’s biggest patron, largely because Lady Lawrence was passionate about discovering talent. Hazel knew all too well why she had been chosen.

To heal her crippled leg.

Though she was never directly pressured to do so, it was the only way to repay the favor she had received, so Hazel resolved to heal Lady Lawrence’s leg somehow.

Her only weakness—her lowly status—became a form of power when Lady Lawrence offered to be her patron. Most nobles were eager to associate with Hazel.

As talk of the marriage spread, the situation shifted.

Since the Duke of Lawrence had been rejecting all forms of courtship, many families were disappointed by the sudden and swift marriage.

Naturally, rumors began to circulate, gaining traction with the idea that Hazel had used her abilities to blackmail Leopold. The narrative suggested that he had no choice because he wanted to heal his mother’s painful leg.

But the reality was quite different from the rumors.

***

Memories from the past kept flooding my mind. I was just about to reach for the window to catch some cool air.

Creak, click.

A cautious metallic sound reached my ears slightly faster than my movement. Unfortunately, the noise wasn’t as discreet as intended, causing the person responsible to freeze suddenly.

Who could it be at this hour? There was no one who would come without being called at this time. I fixed my curious gaze on the crack in the door.

Soon, the door slid open gently, just wide enough for an adult to pass through. The figure that appeared was truly surprising.

“…Leopold?”

Why did he keep appearing like a hallucination since yesterday?

Leopold raised his eyebrows slightly, perhaps not expecting me to be awake, but quickly composed himself.

And then…

“Good morning.”

He greeted me with the kind eyes I had longed for—something he had never done during our married life—and even initiated the greeting.

I supposed this was what they called a wry laugh.

“Am I still dreaming?”

I asked him, exhaling a small breath through my nose.

“I don’t know about that, but I do know today is our second day of honeymoon.”

His response was overly confident, enough to convince me that what I was seeing and hearing was an illusion.

The Leopold I knew wouldn’t visit my bedroom consecutively, nor would he specifically mention a day like the second day of our honeymoon. Above all, he wouldn’t carry warmth in his voice.

Not knowing how to reply, I simply stared at my husband. Then he approached, eyes slightly crinkled, explaining in a soft tone.

“I only meant to see your face and leave; I didn’t expect you to be up already.”

“…My face?”

I asked, pointing at myself with my index finger, and received a carefree answer.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Why, you ask? Because, of course, I wanted to see you.”

It was all over, and now this.

God’s mercy seemed overly generous.

“I don’t want to see you at all. So please leave.”

I tried to imitate his usual cold tone as much as possible to urge Leopold out. But he stood still, staring at me like a statue.

It was those bright green eyes that always held my gaze. When I looked into those mysterious green depths, it felt as if I could sense the fresh scent of a forest.

Afraid of being entranced again, just as I had been in life, I averted my eyes. Simultaneously, a cold voice echoed in my mind.

‘Do you really not know that staring so intently at someone is rude? I’m not someone who’s eager to hear a scolding. Tsk.’

At that dismissive reprimand, my face had probably turned redder than an apple at harvest time.

Just as my feelings had burned for so long, Leopold remained consistently cold, and such sarcasm would occasionally resurface.

I steadied myself and spoke, trying to keep my tone as flat and emotionless as possible to avoid sounding sarcastic.

“Staring at someone so intensely is rude. You should know that.”

It wasn’t that I wanted to return the hurtful words he had said to me. Besides, this was just my illusion anyway.

I decisively turned my back on him and headed back to the window. However, instead of the sound of retreating footsteps, I sensed hesitation behind me.

“I know, but… it’s hard to take my eyes off you. Please forgive my rudeness.”

What had I been hearing since yesterday?

Asking for forgiveness. Leopold, who would pretend not to know even if he needed to apologize for something—especially to me.

Surprised, I turned my gaze back to Leopold, and there it was again—that expression on his face. A look that seemed to be suppressing emotions, so unfamiliar. Was he wanting to cry or get angry?

“What is there to forgive? I’m already dead…”

Regret seeped into my voice without my realizing it.

Did I actually want to live a bit longer?

I didn’t know.

At that moment…

“Hazel.”

He called my name in a voice so warm it made my heart ache.