The opening of the letter revealed a polite greeting followed by the phrase ‘I am ashamed.’

“…Indeed, it seems so.”

It appeared that his wife had contacted the Count while she was outside.

If he knew he would be ashamed, he should have prevented such a situation in the first place.

Thinking this, Gillian folded the letter he was reading and tossed it aside, then spoke.

“This is convenient. With the Count here, that woman won’t be able to entertain any other thoughts. Tell him I’ll be down shortly.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Gillian tidied his clothes and hair, preparing what he would say to the Count.

Your daughter is out of her mind. Do you know what she dared to say to me? She wants a divorce…

Surely, the Count would jump up in outrage, exclaiming how absurd it was.

While the marriage was necessary for him, it was Count Crient who had been much more desperate and persistent. It was something Gillian remembered well.

“Welcome, Count Crient.”

“Duke, it’s been a while.”

“The last time we met was at the New Year’s banquet, so it hasn’t been that long.”

Cutting off the Count’s greeting to show his displeasure, Gillian gestured toward the upper floor, speaking as if for him to hear.

“I just came down after checking the letter from the post office. There was indeed a problem, but there was no need for the Count to come all the way here just to apologize…”

Saying this would make the Count smile and bow even more.

Then, he would humbly plead for leniency, promising it wouldn’t happen again.

As expected, the Count smiled broadly, clasping his hands together.

“I’m sorry for causing you trouble, Duke. How could I pretend nothing happened? Naturally, I should come and speak with you.”

Of course.

Gillian barely suppressed a sneer at the Count’s predictable behavior.

He could now put an end to his wife’s madness.

Now, he only needed to use this incident as leverage to extract a gift in the form of money from Count Crient.

With such thoughts, Gillian was planning to send the Count away with a few appropriate words when he suddenly heard something strange.

“My daughter’s misbehavior is a disgrace to me as her father. It’s my fault for not teaching her better. So, I’ll take this opportunity to bring her back with me and educate her properly before sending her back.”

“…Take her back?”

“Yes. As mentioned in the letter, I’ll soothe and teach her so that this doesn’t happen again.”

The Count smiled amiably as he spoke.

A slight crack appeared on Gillian’s face.

Who gave permission to take her away?

But the Count, who would normally notice such changes, was unusually focused on saying his piece today.

“Duke, this is a token of my sincerity.”

At Daniel’s gesture, attendants who had been waiting behind began bringing in some items.

Gillian, not hiding his annoyance, asked,

“…What is this?”

“I found these while exploring the capital. Aren’t they quite impressive? I plan to invest in them, so I brought them to show you, Duke.”

What he pointed to was a finely carved hawk statue.

“…And those?”

“Ah, dresses for Ellen. You see, when moving people, you need both a stick and a carrot…”

He seemed slightly embarrassed, introducing the mountain of gifts right after talking about educating his daughter.

“Ellen hasn’t visited the north in a while, so it’s about time she had some new ones.”

“Ah, I see. The north.”

Hearing up to that point, Gillian rubbed his temples against the oncoming headache.

Count Crient had bought dresses for his daughter to wear in the north.

And he even brought gifts for the Duke of Krembell.

Now, rumors would spread in the market.

Count Crient loves his daughter dearly. Since he bought dresses for the north, the Duchess of Krembell must be visiting her family…

Gillian, who had no intention of letting Ellen leave the mansion, was met with an unexpected turning point.

‘Though unplanned, when analyzed coldly, it’s not really a loss.’

Despite his rising irritation, Gillian calculated calmly.

He could gain a good reputation among the people in the territory and the neighboring nobles.

It would also serve as an opportunity to boast about the strong alliance between the families.

And perhaps, after visiting her family, the woman who was stressed in the mansion might feel a bit better.

At least it was a hundred times better than refusing Count Crient’s request and sending him back empty-handed, only for rumors to spread that ‘the Duchess of Krembell is confined within the mansion.’

Having thought this far, Gillian sighed and said,

“Hoo… Fine. I’ll do it for the Count’s sake.”

“I’ll resolve this well so you won’t have to worry in the future.”

“I hope so. James!”

“Yes.”

“Go and bring the lady.”

“…Yes.”

James replied weakly, wondering if he were charged with insulting a noble, would the master defend him.

* * *

“Ma’am.”

“I don’t know why you’ve come after locking me up in a place like this.”

As expected, the Duchess was quite sharp.

James quickly bowed his head at her cold rebuke and said,

“It’s not that… Your father, Count Crient, has come to visit.”

“Father?”

“Yes. You must go out now.”

“You just locked me up, and now you want me out again? I’m sick of being treated like an object, but the Duke’s orders are truly capricious.”

“……”

James couldn’t meet her eyes and simply bowed his head.

When they descended to the first-floor parlor, Count Crient, who had been waiting, exclaimed with delight.

“Ellen!”

“Father. I came down after hearing you arrived.”

The Count, who seemed ready to rush to her, calmed down at his daughter’s composed demeanor and spoke quietly.

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

Then, as if nothing had happened, he calmly smiled and greeted Gillian.

“Then, Duke, we’ll be on our way.”

“Please do. I won’t go far.”

Gillian looked intently in Ellen’s direction.

Ellen met his gaze.

As soon as their eyes met, Ellen closed her eyes and turned her head away, as if she couldn’t bear to look at him.

Gillian gritted his teeth and said.

“…I hope you resolve the issue soon.”

“Of course. Then, Duke, until next time.”

Finishing his farewell, the Count took Ellen’s hand and left, closing the door to the Duke’s office.

Now, only Count Crient, his daughter, and the butler, James, remained in the hallway.

The eyes of the father and daughter met.

Ellen spoke first.

“Father. Shall we depart?”

“Let’s leave immediately. Come on.”

Count Crient, eager to leave the place as soon as possible, firmly grasped his daughter’s hand and led her away.

At a glance, it looked as if she were being dragged away, but in fact, a very refreshing smile adorned her lips as she was led out.

* * *

After a short carriage ride, the Crient father and daughter arrived at the Crient estate.

Ellen looked around, immersed in nostalgia.

It was her hometown, one she had only drawn in ink in her diary for years.

A white castle famous as a winter destination.

Though it wasn’t the snowy landscape from her memories, the vibrant spring greenery was still beautiful.

As the gates of the estate opened, a man who had lived with the scent of grass as his perfume for years greeted the arrivals.

“Welcome, master. Miss.”

At the low voice, Ellen turned her head toward the one who caught her attention.

Seeing the owner of the voice, Ellen’s eyes widened a little. She ran to the old man and exclaimed.

“Harry!”

“Oh dear, Miss! You’re still calling me that!”

A face marked by time instead of youth and vitality.

Wrinkles carved from worrying about her, roughened hands from caring for her.

Though his face was lined with enough wrinkles that it couldn’t be called handsome, Ellen loved those things.

“You shouldn’t call me that at your age!”

“It’s fine, Harrison. There’s no one to scold me.”

“Miss.”

As Harrison sighed, Daniel laughed heartily and said,

“She’s just happy to see you.”

Ellen, having stepped back from Harrison’s embrace, now hugged the maid who had come to greet her.

“Sally. Have you been well?”

Sally, who had been standing quietly behind the butler, was suddenly pulled into Ellen’s embrace.

One might expect her to be startled and say something, but Sally calmly returned the embrace and said,

“Miss. Welcome back.”

“Yes.”

Ellen’s response was equally calm.

A few pats on each other’s backs followed, and soon they released each other.

The girl whose cheeks had been soft and rosy before marriage had now become a woman both physically and emotionally worn.

Ellen smiled faintly.

“I’m back.”

She had missed this place that had made her who she is now.