***

Rose Silmera—who styled herself as an “international divorcée”—was staying long-term in the penthouse of the Goar Hotel, right in the heart of Athern.

As Eliza followed her down a corridor adorned with gilded relief patterns, she realized just how insignificant her two million four hundred thousand derk truly was.

The cost of staying here was already exorbitant—yet Rose had practically rented out the entire place. It was impossible to even guess how wealthy she was.

‘Some kinds of wealth simply defy calculation.’

Rose seated her in an imposing drawing room—one that could intimidate anyone—and ordered refreshments.

‘Wait… that’s real?’

Eliza was rendered speechless at the sight of a slice of cake dusted with actual gold flakes.

Noticing her gaze, Rose cut a piece and placed it into her mouth as she spoke.

“Gold preserves youth. A secret of Silomon. That’s the only useful thing those Silomon fools ever gave me. Well, I suppose I don’t need to explain why my surname is Silmera—you do read the newspapers, don’t you?”

It was the kind of remark that felt awkward to respond to in front of its speaker, and Eliza could only look at Rose with slightly teary eyes, overwhelmed by how effortlessly she unsettled people.

And then, somewhat mournfully, she thought—

‘But she looks exactly my age… She’s definitely being deceived…’

Awkwardly, she changed the subject.

“Did you purchase anything at the auction? I didn’t see you there.”

“Of course not—I used an agent. That marble statue of the n*ked man, I bought that. Then I spotted you tucked away in the corner.”

“I see.”

The thigh-high marble statue of the god of war had been the most expensive item sold that day.

So that had been Rose.

‘But why buy something that leaves the impression of nothing more than a ‘n*ked man’?’

Rose asked,

“So, what did you think of it? To someone who buys anything just because it’s cheap.”

“Master Emilio’s sculptures never lose their value.”

“That’s why I bought it too—but it’s not like it has any real use. Makes me wonder if that agent of mine just coaxed me into it for the commission. Still, it was worth going out today. I got to see you again, after all.”

“I didn’t expect it either, but I’m glad to see you again, Mrs. Silmera.”

“Hmph! Just words.”

Eliza let out an awkward smile, meaning to deny it, and Rose narrowed her eyes as she spoke.

“Then how about coming out with me to a social club tonight?”

“…Pardon?”

Women’s social clubs did not operate at night. There were elderly noblewomen, freed from the strict standards of social reputation, who indulged in nightlife—but for Eliza, it was still a shocking suggestion.

Seeing her expression, Rose waved her hand with a deflated look.

“So, you have a husband, is that it? You’ve got the face of someone who’s never even been out at night once!”

“I—I’m sorry.”

For just a moment, Rose looked so lonely as she said that, that Eliza found herself apologizing without meaning to.

“If it’s during the day, I’d be happy to accept your invitation.”

“I sleep during the day.”

Rose waved her hand again, her expression dimming.

“Don’t mind me—I was just being petulant. Still, thank you for not looking at me the way the other women in Athern’s society do, like I’m something unpleasant.”

By then, Eliza had become convinced that Rose Silmera was a wounded, pitiable soul.

After all, it was said that her ex-husband had twenty-three mistresses—at least the ones publicly known. In truth, there were likely far more. No matter how strong-willed a woman might be, enduring something like that in a foreign land without scars would have been impossible.

‘Even just one mistress was enough to tear my heart apart.’

Eliza spoke earnestly.

“Who would dare look at you that way? Even if your surname has changed, there’s no one who doesn’t know how noble your lineage is.”

“Hmph. So you’re saying such honeyed words too?”

“….”

Eliza hesitated, a little flustered.

Rose’s usual boldness seemed at odds with the self-doubt she was showing now.

But it wasn’t something impossible to understand.

Loneliness and loss were the most corrosive poisons to the soul.

Rose burst into laughter.

“Well, it’s better than people being openly hostile, isn’t it? Then I’ll just call for you on a day when you’re awake during the day. Will you come?”

“Gladly.”

At that, Rose suddenly shouted loudly toward the outside, her voice ringing through the room.

“Is anyone there? Bring some champagne for Mrs. Ashton!”

Eliza’s lips parted in alarm.

‘No, not alcohol in the middle of the day…!’

***

On the evening of their dinner appointment with Aedrin, James left work early for the first time in a while and began preparing to go out.

After his bath, James appeared in the dressing room, carrying his usual clean, crisp scent.

The exhausted man she had seen yesterday was nowhere to be found. Today, he looked as composed and immaculate as he did in his portrait.

A chill crept up Eliza’s spine as she looked at him.

‘Could I end up being chased by a man with that much stamina later?’

She quickly shook her head and focused on getting ready. She could not afford to lose to Lorina in front of James.

Biting her lip, Eliza glared into the wardrobe before taking out her most modest dress.

‘There’s no chance of competing in appearance against Lorina, who leads Athern’s latest and most luxurious fashions.’

She decided to make herself as unnoticeable as possible and wait for Lorina, grown arrogant before her simplicity, to make a mistake in front of James.

“Tsk.”

Just then, she heard someone click his tongue behind her. The dress was snatched from her hand and tossed back into the wardrobe.

It was James.

With his brow deeply furrowed, James scanned the wardrobe and took out another dress.

“Wear this.”

“….”

Eliza looked back and forth between the pale dress embroidered with small flowers and James’s face.

‘Now even my clothes aren’t good enough for him?’

But even to her eyes, the dress he had chosen suited the atmosphere of a high-class social club much better. It also didn’t look as if she were trying too hard.

More than anything, she didn’t want to argue with James before leaving, so she silently took the dress and went to the bedroom.

But she couldn’t fasten the row of buttons running down her back by herself.

“Ugh!”

While Eliza was struggling to bend her shoulder as far back as it would go, James appeared.

“When you left to put that on by yourself, I assumed you had some talent for twisting your arms backward.”

Clicking his tongue as if she were hopeless, James took her by the shoulders and turned her around so her back faced him.

Then he brushed her hair over her shoulder and began fastening the buttons one by one.

Her face heated at his scolding, and the tension from his touch made her back straighten without her meaning to.

‘He must have chosen this dress just to torment me!’

But Eliza quickly rejected her own guess.

James was a man who knew far more convincing ways to look down on her than this.

She concluded that he was merely trying to keep his inadequate wife under control before two important noble acquaintances.

If he had thought she could prepare herself properly, he would not have bothered coming home and would have simply sent the carriage.

Just as Eliza pressed her lips together to hold back the resentment rising in her chest, James lightly caught her hair from behind.

Her hair had slipped down and covered the buttons because she had unconsciously shaken her head.

Eliza had expected him to click his tongue in irritation.

But instead, he said nothing.

He simply lifted her hair over her shoulder and moved his fingers slowly through it.

When he was done, he carefully gathered it again and let it fall neatly down her back, even smoothing it once more with his fingers, as if the arrangement still displeased him.

Eliza swallowed hard, her body tense.

It felt… almost like she was being toyed with.

“Perfect.”

She didn’t understand what he meant by that murmur, but when she turned around, she could clearly recognize the dissatisfaction in his gaze.

Then he said,

“You should wear some jewelry. How about a diamond necklace?”

The moment James mentioned her jewelry, Eliza felt as though she might lose control of herself.

‘If I hadn’t gotten that back from the pawnshop… what kind of situation would I be in right now?’

She forced an awkward smile and shook her head.

“It’s just a dinner. That necklace would be too much.”

“Hmm.”

James’s brow only tightened slightly, but to Eliza, it felt as though her heart had gone cold.

‘…Did he ask that on purpose?’

Quickly, she added,

“A bracelet should be enough, James.”

Only then did his expression ease.

“Fine.”

When Eliza returned wearing a red ruby bracelet over her gloves, James looked her over from head to toe, satisfaction finally showing on his face.

He offered his arm and stepped forward.

***

Inside the carriage heading to the Swan Club, Eliza sat in silence, staring out the window.

James, who rarely paid attention to her mood, assumed it was only natural for her to feel nervous about attending a social gathering after so long.

Though it didn’t show on his face, he felt a considerable sense of satisfaction as he looked at the bracelet on her wrist.

When he suggested she wear jewelry earlier, he expected her to refuse, either saying it was wasteful or that she might lose it.

She had always been overly timid and sensitive to the opinions of others, a trait that he hadn’t noticed when they first got married.

Yet, unexpectedly, she readily brought out the bracelet.

And it suited her brilliantly.

At least all the times he had rejected the designs Sierra had chosen for her hadn’t been in vain.