“When will you come next?”

“Hm?”

Lorina turned back, puzzled.

“I was hoping you could set a time in advance. It would be inconvenient if I happened to be out.”

“Pfft. You?”

Eliza already knew Lorina would mock her—as if you have anyone else to meet but me—so she simply smiled gently and replied.

“You could tell me when your new dress is ready. That would be proper etiquette, wouldn’t it?”

‘You can’t resist running to me to show off whenever you get a new dress, after all.’

“….”

Most people would say manners, not etiquette. That was a word used by those of noble blood.

In other words—if you’re going to act like nobility, then behave like it. Don’t show up unannounced.

Even ordinary people knew it was basic courtesy to send word ahead or arrange a visit.

‘You won’t be able to drop by whenever you please to watch miserable Eliza anymore.’

Lorina’s smile faltered for a brief moment as she caught the meaning behind those words, but she quickly recovered, beaming brightly.

“Oh, Eliza. What are you saying between friends? Well then, I’ll be going.”

Waving her hand, Lorina walked away. Eliza smiled and waved back.

‘Goodbye, Lorina. If you refuse to keep boundaries, then neither will I.’

***

That evening, James returned home after nightfall.

‘Why is he back so early?!’

At this hour, the house was usually steeped in the deepest silence.

But today, the moment Eliza heard the carriage stop in front of the house, her breathing grew uneven with stress.

To make matters worse, he entered and immediately asked for dinner to be prepared, making the veins in her forehead throb.

Before, when he came home late on an empty stomach, she would feel so distressed she didn’t know what to do.

But now that her feelings had cooled, nothing was the same.

Still, until her escape plan was complete, she had to continue playing the role of the dutiful wife—so she quietly prepared the meal.

Once James sat at the table, Eliza swept her gaze over the spread, making sure nothing was lacking.

As she turned to head upstairs, he called out to her. His tone carried a sharp edge.

“Where are you going?”

“What?”

Only then did Eliza remember—on nights like this, she used to sit quietly by his table.

‘I completely forgot.’

“……”

James expressed his displeasure with a slight furrow of his brow.

The way his dark brows drew together over the straight bridge of his nose—he would have been striking even if he were a murderer.

For a moment, Eliza caught herself focusing on his looks and resented the habit ingrained from her past.

She asked coolly,

“Do you need anything else?”

His brows knit tighter before he gave a curt order.

“Sit.”

“……”

Only then did James begin his meal.

Seated like a still life, Eliza found herself bitterly recalling how she used to feel happy just watching him like this.

Once, every moment of looking at him had made her heart flutter.

Now, he was nothing more than a beautiful painting.

A cursed painting that would ruin whoever hung it in their home.

Still, she found herself watching the elegant way he ate, as if it were some dark enchantment—then remembered that it was the very same allure that had ensnared even a devil like Lorina.

The reason Lorina Winclare had first taken an interest in James was, of course, his appearance.

And that peculiar arrogance of his—treating even a noble lady of the Winclare family with the same cold indifference as a roadside stone.

In that sense, the most dangerous and wicked person in this world was James Ashton.

‘At least I’ve taken my soul back with my own hands.’

With that thought, Eliza found, to her surprise, that she could look at him with complete indifference.

Then, she imagined the way this man would one day look at Lorina.

When Lorina wore a dress that revealed her shoulders and pinned up her red hair, exposing the elegant line of her neck, she looked stunning.

The thought that James—like the other men of Athern—would one day desire to press his lips against that nape sent a sharp ache through her chest.

She decided the unpleasant thought had taken hold because she was forced to remain here at his table.

‘What a devil. Why am I being made to sit here and watch him eat?’

With that, Eliza spoke calmly, intending to excuse herself.

“James, is there something you wanted to say to me?”

It was a question he had never heard from her before. James paused, then looked at her intently.

“Are you bothered?”

For a moment, she pressed her lips tightly together.

‘Yes. I am. Very much. No—this is irritating.’

‘…When I wanted your attention so desperately, you never spared me a glance!’

She was about to smile softly and say she had something to tidy upstairs.

But before she could, he spoke, idly moving his knife.

“Do I need a reason to look at my woman?”

“…!”

Eliza failed to compose her expression in time, her eyes widening.

Words that would once have made her heart pound now stirred something far more turbulent.

‘My woman? James Ashton, if you have no conscience, at least have some decency!’

Gripping the armrest of her chair, Eliza forced herself to calm down.

He was only saying such nonsense because he hadn’t fallen for Lorina yet.

Without a shred of guilt.

But it was only a matter of time. The only reason James believed himself an honorable man was because Lorina had not yet made her move on him.

Unable to hold back, her face flushing faintly, Eliza decided to provoke him for the first time.

The irritation rising in her chest refused to settle.

“Miss Winclare came by today.”

“……”

Eliza always referred to Lorina as Miss Winclare when speaking to others.

Even though the class system had officially been abolished years ago, people still considered it more offensive to show disrespect toward the nobility.

As she spoke Lorina’s name, Eliza carefully watched for any change in his expression.

But he remained composed, calmly cutting a piece of boiled vegetable and placing it in his mouth.

She knew his composure proved nothing.

In her previous life, after James had grown close to Lorina, Eliza had confronted him, driven by a growing sense of dread.

Back then, with that same impenetrable expression, he had treated her like a madwoman.

He had even worn a faint smile.

Only then had she realized—

‘I have never truly understood his expressions… nor his heart.’

Lowering her gaze to the table, she felt a flicker of self-awareness.

Even after deciding to hand him over to Lorina, she was still behaving like a woman who had just discovered her husband’s affair.

Eliza only wanted one thing now, to escape this suffocating table as quickly as possible.

At that moment, James fixed his gaze on her and urged her to continue, his tone lightly reproachful.

“You said Miss Winclare came.”

“So?”

“We had tea together. Miss Winclare had a new dress made by a madam from Silomon.”

“If you need one, buy it. Don’t try to save money.”

“…!”

‘What is he even saying?’

As if she were envious—his response was so absurd that Eliza had to tilt her head back and stare at the ceiling for a moment.

‘I’m a woman who wouldn’t even glance at the expensive jewels you bought me! …I don’t even have anywhere to wear such things.’

While she searched for an appropriate reply, James met her eyes and slowly curled one corner of his lips.

It was a faintly mocking smile.

“Don’t let those of noble blood look down on you.”

“……”

This time, Eliza truly felt defeated and fell silent.

Had he already known that Lorina came to this house just to show off her clothes?

James was used to the humiliation of being looked down on by nobles and wealthy elites—people who, without his help, wouldn’t even know how to manage the fortunes passed down to them.

His words came from that wounded pride, and she couldn’t dismiss them outright. She remembered, too, how difficult Lim A-young’s working life had been in her past life.

Gazing at him steadily, Eliza spoke more calmly.

“Sometimes, I wonder… why Miss Winclare seems to like me so much.”

“……”

This time, it was James who fell silent.

And that silence cut sharply into Eliza’s pride.

He couldn’t even offer a polite lie—that his wife was a woman admirable enough for the “flower of Athern society” to seek friendship with.

As Eliza recalled how she had failed to adapt to Athern’s social circles, a thought surfaced.

If she hadn’t been so afraid for his sake, she wouldn’t have been pushed around by Lorina.

She could have lived more like herself.

But regret was meaningless.

Looking back, James had never asked her to gain recognition in society for his sake.

If anything, he had asked for nothing at all, and that was what had left her so lonely.

All of her failures had been choices she made herself, under the name of love.

She thought of the title of the novel that had contained her past life as Lim A-young.

‘At the End of Foolish Love.’

There had been nothing there.

With a faint smile, she answered,

“I will.”

‘I won’t be looked down on by those of noble blood.’

‘Not by you, either.’

“Then I’ll go upstairs now. It seems you’ve looked at your woman long enough.”

When Eliza rose with a gentle smile, James did not stop her.

He simply watched her retreating figure as she left the dining room.