And the final blow.

But strangely, instead of feeling refreshed, Daphne’s chest grew stuffy.

What is this feeling?

When he’s making that face, why doesn’t my heart feel relieved but instead feels like a stone has been placed on it?

“Don’t make that expression…”

Daphne, who had been muttering, swallowed the rest of her words. Even she couldn’t describe her own emotions.

And then, Astaire’s frowning face gradually moved away from her.

Far, farther away.

The distance between them widened. It felt like an invisible giant wall between them was gradually swelling in size.

“Ah!”

Daphne reflexively reached out her hand, trying to grab Astaire. Even in the midst of this, her body kept moving farther from Astaire.

Gradually, until that man became a small dot and eventually disappeared completely.

* * *

“…phne!”

Someone urgently called out.

“Daphne!”

When she realized it was her name, Daphne wiggled her fingertips.

“She’s regained consciousness! Can you open your eyes?”

Who was making such a racket? Daphne frowned.

She thought she’d give them a piece of her mind when she woke up. But somehow the voice was very familiar.

Her blurry vision became clear. Instead of the ceiling, Daphne finally recognized the presence that filled her entire view. It was Astaire, as expected.

‘Why are you here with me at this hour?’

Daphne swallowed what she wanted to say. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but no voice came out, like her vocal cords had broken.

“Aah…”

Only a terrible sound that even she found horrible came out. This time Daphne tried to sit up. But her limbs wouldn’t budge, like someone had tied them down.

‘Ah, I remember.’

She had been confined.

And the person who confined her was this very man looking down at her pitifully right now—Duke Astaire Seyfried.

Why are you making that face?

How annoying.

Didn’t someone say dreams are mirrors reflecting reality?

Astaire, who had done annoying things even in her dream, was the same in reality.

“Eat, quickly.”

Then, soup was shoved into her mouth. Before she could spit it out, the appetizing warm soup went down her throat.

“Eat more.”

Daphne just laughed. Who was it that locked her up and only gave her food?

She was so annoyed with him, wanted to die so badly, that she deliberately didn’t eat.

Yet she stubbornly survived.

While accepting the soup this man gave her.

This time she deliberately didn’t swallow the soup. Then the deep yellow soup with sweet pumpkin dripped down the corners of her mouth.

Astaire, seemingly anticipating even this, picked up a towel and wiped the corners of her mouth without hesitation.

“What are you doing…!”

She couldn’t even finish her sentence. Astaire was still carefully wiping the corners of her mouth. Daphne was flustered and soon lost her words.

“Eat.”

After cleaning around her mouth, Astaire once again scooped up a spoonful of soup and held it out to Daphne.

“What are you doing…”

“You can see for yourself.”

Astaire shook the spoon, telling her to hurry up and eat. He even poked her lips.

The pumpkin scent touching her nose was so sweet that Daphne unconsciously opened her mouth.

“Good. Keep eating.”

It was delicious. Though it was just ordinary soup, it went down smoothly like it had been sprinkled with magic powder.

“More?”

While speaking, Astaire scooped up another spoonful. Daphne naturally opened her mouth and ate it.

Like that, she frantically emptied a bowl of soup. It was a natural reaction for someone who hadn’t eaten for several days.

“Drink water too.”

He got up and tilted a water cup to her lips. Gulp, gulp, gulp. Daphne frantically drank the water too. It was lukewarm water to soothe her stomach.

Only when food entered her stomach did her reason return.

Daphne looked at Astaire with hollow eyes. He was sitting beside her, looking at documents.

“Why did you come? You must be busy.”

“Because they said you collapsed.”

Astaire responded while still keeping his gaze fixed on the documents. At that, Daphne felt her insides boiling.

Who was it that confined her in the first place?

“Have you forgotten that you’re the one who locked me up, Your Grace?”

“Don’t worry. I remember that clearly.”

Astaire retorted sarcastically.

Thud.

He now closed the thick file of documents, set it aside, looked at Daphne and said.

“And you’re the one who stupidly skipped meals and collapsed.”

“…Why, why is that my fault?”

Daphne rebelled with a trembling voice full of anger, then remembered there was one more thing to confront him about.

Maria.

What exactly did he do to Maria?

“What happened to Maria?”

“Well. What do you think happened?”

“You demonic man, no, you’re a demon itself! You damned person!”

Daphne sat up abruptly and spat out curses. Perhaps because anger suddenly surged, as soon as she sat up, her vision spun around.

Huh?

Strength left her limbs. Her vision distorted on its own and began flipping upside down. All strength left her body and Daphne swayed.

This was dangerous. Just when she thought she might get hurt again.

Astaire stood up and firmly held her waist.

“Be careful.”

He gently laid Daphne on the bed like a dancer finishing a waltz at a ball.

It happened so suddenly and in an instant that Daphne just blinked her eyes.

Then, realizing her current situation, she quietly gripped the blanket tightly.

Her body still wasn’t in a healthy state.

“Starving yourself only hurts you.”

Astaire spoke like he could read her mind completely.

“Stop doing stupid things and eat more of this.”

He brought another bowl of soup and held it out to Daphne.

Daphne narrowed her brow and snapped.

“I can eat by myself.”

“Stop with the pathetic pride.”

Astaire sneered like he was mocking her, as though asking what she could possibly do. It was an expression that made her blood boil just looking at it.

“I can do it.”

Daphne snatched away the spoon Astaire was holding. Surprisingly, the man readily gave up the spoon.

Daphne held the spoon and scooped up soup. But somehow her hand holding the spoon lost strength and trembled.

“…”

Still, she could do it. She gripped her trembling hand tightly and brought it to her mouth.

“When you can’t even do it properly.”

Astaire took the spoon back and put it in her mouth.

It was so sudden that startled Daphne swallowed the soup.

“Wipe.”

Just when she thought he was holding out a towel for her to wipe, he soon sighed and began wiping under her chin.

“…I’ll do it myself. I’m not a child.”

“You’re not a child, but you are a patient.”

“I can do this much.”

“When you can’t even hold a spoon properly, yet you say…”

Since that was true, Daphne soon lost her words.

How much time had passed doing such trivial things?

“Now that you’ve finished eating, sleep.”

“…What about you, Your Grace?”

“I’ll be here.”

Her eyes that were about to close snapped open. Thinking he would be beside her, she couldn’t fall asleep at all.

Daphne stared at Astaire.

“Even if you look at me like you want to kill me, I’m not leaving.”

“You must have a lot of busy work.”

“That’s why I’m doing it now.”

Astaire fixed his gaze on the documents again. He never lost with even a single word. Daphne gripped the blanket tightly.

Was he this kind of man?

Was he a man with so many words, so sarcastic?

Recently, she felt like she was seeing many aspects of Astaire she hadn’t known before.

Somehow, the past few months seemed to be the period when she learned the most about Astaire, more than the past few years.

From when she declared divorce until now.

Thinking about it, it was utterly ironic.

“And how long are you going to keep calling me Your Grace?”

“We’re going to part ways soon anyway.”

“What ambitious dreams you have.”

Astaire responded coldly. He still reacted like divorce was absolutely impossible.

Sunlight flowed through the window into the sickroom and spread warmly over Astaire’s documents.

The beam of light on the bedside table gradually lengthened, warmly filling the space.

Daphne suddenly looked at the flowers in the small vase beside the bed.

The flowers had already wilted.

“I should have them changed to fresh flowers.”

Astaire, seeing them, muttered.

Suddenly, Daphne thought she was no different from the flowers in his vase.

“Once you cut flowers, no matter how much water you give them, they eventually die.”

Astaire, perhaps catching her metaphor, said nothing afterward.

“Of course, you can replace flowers as much as you want. You must have plenty of flowers prepared.”

To Astaire, she might be nothing more than an easily replaceable substitute.

Having spent the past few years as Astaire’s close associate, Daphne had seen how many people around him changed and disappeared. The only ones who remained unchanged were Germo and the head butler.

“Still, I have to cut that flower.”

Astaire answered quietly.

“So others can’t touch my flower, so only I can see it, I have to put it in my vase.”

“…”

Terrible possessiveness.

At his emotions burning fiercely like fire, Daphne couldn’t even reach out her hand. It was too hot to approach. If she got even a little closer, it would completely burn her up.

She didn’t want to die burning in love like that.

In her foolish youth, she thought that was romantic, but not anymore.

Daphne opened her mouth. This was a question she absolutely had to ask.

“I’m curious about something.”

“What?”

Astaire looked straight into Daphne’s eyes. This time he looked like he would answer whatever question she asked.

Daphne didn’t miss this opportunity. However, she hesitated for a moment. She was afraid of the answer that would come back.

What was she so afraid of?

Was she afraid of the truth?

“Reina Melanian, that woman, even now…”

Are you still friends?

Are you still lovers?

There were many ways to finish the sentence. Daphne briefly struggled with which one to choose.

It couldn’t be friends, it must be lovers, but she trembled because she had never asked him such a direct question before.

In truth, she was afraid of what he would answer.

“Even now?”

Astaire asked back, opening his eyes slightly wider. It seemed like he was waiting for her to speak.

“…”

Daphne eventually closed her mouth. Again, stupidly.

But Astaire opened his mouth like he would tell her.