If the Grand Duke of Norhart had decided to become Odelia’s ally, if he had judged that the truth of her childhood was necessary for Odelia… then soon, many things would change.

Their relationship, Odelia’s attitude.

At the very least, she hoped that Odelia’s strange resignation—like someone willingly awaiting death—would change.

‘As long as I know the cause, I’ll find a way to deal with the symptoms…’

* * *

After Dame Gwendolyn left, I leaned against the railing of Angie’s bed, recalling my conversation with her. Angie’s soft, rhythmic breathing became an ASMR-like sound that brought me peace.

“The Marquis might be able to leave the Coffin of Atonement.”

The moment I heard those words, I felt as if I had been struck on the back of my head.

Ah.

I had only been thinking of my own safety.

‘I’ve never really had a family before.’

The Marquis of Lure was said to have been terrible to Odelia, and yet, I had completely forgotten about such a father.

At times like this, the excuse of memory loss was convenient—Dame Gwendolyn hadn’t found my reaction suspicious.

‘When I first came here, I really thought I was completely alone. Everyone felt like people from another world to me.’

Then, I formed bonds, got entangled in various matters.

Even after two months, I still felt this way, so how ridiculous it was to think I could just spend a year here as if it were a vacation and then leave.

‘I still don’t want to get involved in troublesome matters… but even if I die, the people I spent this year with will remain here and continue living. So, it’s only right that I do something.’

If the people I’ve connected with could have a happy future, maybe they would remember me more fondly… such thoughts crossed my mind.

Even though Odelia was the character I felt the least attachment to in Princess Flora Is Lovely, living as Odelia had been a rather decent experience.

Spending my remaining days so peacefully, surrounded by people who felt like family… well. Even experiencing a bit of excitement over a ridiculously handsome man being considerate toward me.

Ha.

At the sudden realization, my face grew warm.

“Hu-ang…!”

Angie, who had been soundly asleep, let out a small whimper before suddenly bursting into sorrowful cries.

I checked her diaper, but it wasn’t time for a change. Even when I offered her the emergency warmed milk bottle, she just spat it out.

Lifting her into my arms, I patted her tiny back.

“Mmm, Angie. Did you have a bad dream?”

“Waang! Mma, uaeeng…!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m right here.”

“Uma… uuang… Mmma…”

Lately, she had been doing well on her own, so… had she dreamed that I left her behind and ran away?

Angie cried out for her mother, her wails filling the room. I spent a long time pacing back and forth, trying to soothe her.

“Hng, umma, hing, Noo, hu-ang…”

“Mmm, Angie. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Ga, maa… heoong…”

“There, there. Good girl, good girl.”

Yes.

For Angie’s sake, I had to spend the rest of my days meaningfully, right up until the end…

“Waaeng…! Noo! Ga, hing, ma…!”

“Mmm, Angie, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

Even after a long while, she would start wailing every time I so much as thought about my remaining days or what would happen after I was gone.

“Angie, let’s keep spending time together like this, having fun, okay?”

“Um, Mua… hing.”

“In summer, we’ll go to the valley and the beach. In autumn, we’ll watch the leaves change. In winter, we’ll stay in a warm room and eat roasted sweet potatoes.”

It was only after I rambled on about three years’ worth of plans that Angie finally calmed down.

I had started feeling like Angie could sense when I was thinking about the end of my life.

Whether it was by crying like this or by acting sweet to comfort me…

Did this mysterious baby truly not want me to dwell on death?

If so, could my illness be cured? Even Dame Gwendolyn, whose medical skill was unrivaled in this world, had deemed me terminally ill.

‘How are Odelia’s illness and her childhood connected…?’

I had tried to ignore it, thinking only about peacefully living out my last year, but I couldn’t avoid it any longer.

What was the childhood secret Cedrion wanted to reveal to me?

What loophole existed in Lure’s judgment?

And just how deep was the bond between us for him to go so far as to protect me through Angie?

Yes.

Angie was a reason, but more than that, Cedrion was trying to protect me—no, to protect Odelia.

When news came that Odelia had collapsed, he dropped everything and rushed to the Blue Roof Manor.

Upon hearing that she had lost her memories, he kindly offered to guide her through everything she needed to know.

Worried about her frailty, he even nagged her about tending the vegetable garden…

That cold and imposing man’s occasional displays of kindness were dangerous. Even more so because they were not for me, but for Odelia of his childhood…

‘If I find out the story behind it, I’ll be able to sort out my feelings too.’

**

Late at night, in the Grand Duke’s office.

“That is Lure’s secret. Until you reveal Norhart’s secret, don’t try to dig too deep.”

For some time now, whenever Cedrion thought of Odelia, that clear voice of hers followed.

‘To think we’d come to the point of speaking so informally like this.’

Until recently, Odelia Lure had existed in Cedrion’s mind in two distinct forms.

The child who wandered the forest paths with an adorable bonnet on her head. And the lady praised as the most beautiful in Arcadia, the subject of both admiration and envy in high society.

But now, when he thought of Odelia Lure, only one image remained.

The woman tending the vegetable garden at the Blue Roof Manor, protecting the oracle baby, accepting his high-handedness for the child’s safety while constantly drawing lines and waiting for the day she could distance herself.

At the first banquet in Norhart, the goddess in a sunset-colored dress, her violet eyes filled with the light powder he had created.

Whenever Cedrion found himself alone, he repeatedly pondered the disparity between these versions of her.

The twenty-two-year-old Odelia Lure he met in Meldorf resembled none of the Odelias he remembered.

She was neither the child who chattered about her predetermined future under her father’s overprotection, nor the dazzling lady who wielded her fan in society, calculating everyone’s value as a means to an end.

She was neither the child who once called him ‘Cedion’ and followed him around, nor the refined lady who later acted as though their past memories were merely the foolish notions of a naïve girl.

She was too skilled in social maneuvering to be the former, and too easygoing and unpretentious to be the latter.

Naturally so. The Odelia of his childhood was a friend from long ago, and Arcadia’s most beautiful lady was a stranger with whom he had barely exchanged words.

Then, should he consider this version of her—the one revealed through circumstance—as her truest self?

‘She worked so hard in society, yet in the end, all she received in return was the fall of her family after the crown princess’s fatal accident. It would be understandable if she felt everything was in vain. It’s no surprise she lost her memories from the shock…’

Cedrion would sometimes recall Odelia’s words.

“You may need me for Angie’s sake, but I have no need for a marriage with you.”

When asserting her opinion, her clear voice always carried a unique emphasis.

‘Well, the rumors about my conduct… for example…’

The peculiar tone of her voice when hesitating, the way her violet eyes rolled as if gauging his reaction—those moments always managed to capture his full attention.

Where had the high-handed lady gone, the one who used to raise her chin and scrutinize people from the bridge of her nose?

Perhaps that was why, without realizing it, he kept seeking her out, striking up conversations—just to confirm whether this Odelia Lure was truly the same woman he had once known.

‘Either way, I’ve managed to protect Odelia like this.’

Perhaps, as Franz had said, it was because he had resolved hundreds of times to become stronger while holding onto the memory of the little Odelia in her bonnet that such an opportunity had come to him.

He would never again lose those he had allowed into his world.

“Sasha.”

At his call, a shadow descended into the office.

Sasha, who had left the Grand Duchy for a while to carry out a mission, had returned to deliver her report.

She got straight to the point.

“A few days ago, the crown prince visited the lord’s manor. I have confirmed that it was not a one-time occurrence.”

“As expected.”

“I also found evidence that part of the royal palace’s private funds has been funneled into the manor’s budget through several layers of transactions. The expenditure records show no allocation for the butler’s salary, and it appears he frequently leaves the manor.”

“He’s the informant, then.”

“Yes. The crown prince’s visits are recorded as those of an anonymous guest, and no one seems aware of his true identity. However, given that this has been ongoing for over ten years…”

“…It means they’ve been in collusion at least since ‘that incident.’”

“My apologies.”

There was nothing for her to apologize for, but Sasha lowered her head in response to her lord’s somber expression.

“What about Lure’s side?”

“We are gathering information from the royal capital. However, since the royal family and Lure have long been engaged in an alliance as prospective in-laws, it will take time to obtain anything substantial.”

“A few weeks of waiting is nothing.”

It had taken over ten years for the opportunity to bring that incident to light. Waiting a little longer would only make the eventual reward all the sweeter.

The only bitter part was that this opportunity had come only after the Marquis of Lure had been accused of treason.

“…Have you heard of Raven, the information guild in the royal capital?”