“My Lady! My Lord!”

A familiar voice came from the second floor.

Marie, who had never been seen running in the mansion before, was seen hurrying down the stairs.

For this moment, no one reproached her for being unladylike.

Eve greeted Marie with a smile.

“Marie, have you been well?”

“I’ve been waiting for your return, My Lady. When we heard that your return was delayed due to an incident in the Grand Duchy, I was so worried…”

She seemed to have genuinely been concerned, as her eyes were moist.

“But I’ve returned safely, as you can see.”

Eve smiled and comforted Marie.

“Indeed. I’m so relieved you’ve returned safely. Oh my, listen to me. You must be tired from your journey. Let’s go to your room right away. I’ve prepared bath water for you.”

Marie greeted Eve warmly and carried her luggage up to the second floor.

Eve followed her up the familiar stairs.

“I need to talk to you about what we discussed recently. Let’s talk in the evening after you’ve rested.”

Medric spoke to her back.

Eve replied “Alright” without turning her head and followed Marie to the second floor.

The recent discussion he mentioned was certainly about their “divorce.”

‘Will he now suggest we start the divorce process? Or will he ask me to stamp the documents?’

The divorce was certainly something Eve had requested and wanted first.

Yet, why did her heart feel so turbulent now?

Eve shook her head.

There was barely a month left until the subjugation campaign. With so many preparations still remaining, she had no time to indulge in idle thoughts.

Eve followed Marie directly into the bathroom.

Once she immersed herself in warm water, her mind would clear.

Eve removed her many layers of clothing and entered the bathroom, sinking into the bath Marie had prepared. Seeing flower petals floating on the water truly made her feel like she had returned to the Archild estate.

While staying here, she had grown accustomed to Marie’s attendance.

Though she initially refused bath assistance a few times because she preferred bathing alone, at some point she began to always rely on Marie. There was no reason not to accept it when being properly attended to during a bath completely relieved her physical fatigue.

Marie changed the type of flower petals floating on the bathwater every day. Purple petals, white ones, and even red ones.

‘To think I’d even get used to this piercing fragrance.’

Eve picked up a floating petal and smelled it.

The mixture of the petal’s scent and the bath oils stimulated her sense of smell.

“…When the subjugation campaign begins, this place will be covered in white snow.”

As Eve muttered to herself, Marie, who was wiping her body with a damp towel, replied.

“Yes, it will become a pure white world. It’s so beautiful. I’ve never been to the Grand Duchy, but I’ve heard it has a different atmosphere.”

“It must be truly beautiful.”

Eve looked at Marie and thought to herself. The royal palace of the Grand Duchy felt like viewing a cold ice castle. But the Archild estate made her heart feel warm, as if she had come home.

‘What do I mean by home?’

Surprised by her unconscious thought, she corrected herself.

Home? Eve’s only home had been Modga. Since it had burned down, it was as good as having no home at all. She might understand feeling lonely without a home, but to think of the Archild castle that way…

‘I’ve become emotional after staying in the Grand Duchy too long.’

Eve closed her eyes and surrendered herself to Marie’s care.

With meticulous hands, Marie dried her body with a dry towel and helped her into a robe.

It felt incomparably refreshing compared to when she had bathed alone in the Grand Duchy.

As Marie styled her hair, Eve asked:

“Did anything happen while I was away?”

“No, thanks to Head Butler Hans managing everything well… Oh, now that I think about it, many invitations have arrived for you, My Lady.”

Come to think of it, she hadn’t paid attention to such matters while away in the Grand Duchy. After all, she hadn’t engaged in any social activities since her marriage.

‘Well, I did meet Lady Marvel once, so perhaps I did one.’

Eve wondered if she should resume social activities now, but shook her head.

What was the point of social activities when she was about to get divorced?

It would be better to stay quiet and proceed with the divorce rather than creating complications that would trouble Medric.

‘Divorce. Divorce…’

The more time she spent with Medric, the more her heart wavered, making her initial determination to part ways seem meaningless.

She began to think she had grown too close to Medric. While she had thought there was no need to actively prevent it, it was time to draw a line.

Eve tried to gauge when that time should be.

‘Come to think of it…’

Soon, Medric would leave to participate in the subjugation campaign.

The three-month divorce postponement Medric had proposed meant that by the third month, circumstances would make it impossible to properly proceed with divorce.

Whether she liked it or not, she had to maintain the marriage with Medric.

Eve wondered if he had calculated this as well, and decided to discuss it with Medric when they met later.

After resting in her room for a while, Eve went to Medric’s study at the appointed time.

In the study, Medric was literally buried under piles of documents. No matter how quickly he processed work, the towering stack of papers seemed unlikely to diminish.

Surprised, Eve looked at David, who was working alongside him, and he clicked his tongue as he explained:

“This is the karmic retribution for resting so much in the Grand Duchy. I told him to return earlier.”

Rested in the Grand Duchy? As Eve recalled, Medric had said he remained in the Grand Duchy because he had business there. So that business wasn’t work-related?

Medric, who had been looking down at documents, glared at David. Only then did David make a startled sound, close his mouth, and focus on his work.

Medric looked at Eve and said:

“I’m sorry. I called you here but look at this state. Would you mind sitting there and waiting for a while?”

Eve said it was fine and sat at the reception table in front of the desk to wait for him.

Although it had been less than half a day since she last saw him, Medric’s face was already filled with fatigue.

It must have been a difficult matter, as Medric stared at one document for a long time.

Sighing softly, Medric took off his glasses, tossed them aside, and pressed his fingers between his eyebrows.

“I thought I’d finish this before our conversation, but it’s taking longer than expected.”

Finally rising from his seat, Medric extended his hand to Eve and asked:

“Shall we take a walk first?”

Eve nodded and took his hand.

The two left the study.

They strolled through the garden where green flowers had withered, leaving only bare branches visible. The garden was well-maintained, without a single fallen leaf on the ground.

Only the rustling sound of Eve’s dress trailing and Medric’s footsteps could be heard.

Thinking of what David had said earlier, Eve broached the subject:

“Why didn’t you return to Ptotr earlier?”

“…I told you. I had things to do in the Grand Duchy.”

The thing Medric did most in the Grand Duchy was taking care of Eve. There might have been other matters, but they couldn’t have been more important than the documents piled in front of him in the study.

“You seem to have a lot of work.”

“I always have a lot of work. Don’t mind what David said.”

How could she not mind? She had been too preoccupied with other matters in the Grand Duchy to think about it, but now she realized that Medric had stayed in the Grand Duchy because of her.

Eve glanced at him and said:

“I think work piled up because of me.”

“How is that your fault?”

“You postponed work you should have done in Ptotr to take care of me.”

Caught off guard by her words, Medric stopped abruptly. He shifted his gaze from the distance to her.

She could feel his surprised look.

“…It was more important than the work in Ptotr.”

“Taking care of me?”

Medric resumed walking and slowly answered:

“Yes. What husband would leave his wife alone in a foreign country?”

Eve kept pace with him and replied:

“…But we’re getting divorced soon.”

“Still. We’re still married for now.”

Why did the phrase “still married” make her heart ache so much? It felt like hearing that things weren’t over yet.

“For now… yes.”

Eve deliberately set aside her strange feelings and changed the subject.

“By the way, you’ll be participating in the subjugation campaign in a month, right?”

“That’s right. David will also participate in this campaign. He’s currently helping me process work, but he’s originally excellent in martial arts.”

Eve nodded and said to Medric:

“I heard that Viscount Asa and Viscount Iosif rose to their viscount positions after serving as elite knights of the duchy. That must mean they’re also excellent in martial arts.”

Medric looked at Eve with surprise.

“I didn’t know you knew so much about David.”