‘Until Joel died.’

A heavy grief and a burning anger pressed down on her heart.

Just then, the soldiers of House Knowles came into view, standing at the front gate.

Was his life so precious to him that he had brought soldiers along and lined them up for all to see?

Or was he the real killer, brazen enough to do something like this?

If he was the killer, what an extraordinary display of arrogance.

He might even feel as though he had taken possession of this residence.

The mood that had lifted slightly during the outing soured in an instant.

Confinement and control.

The image of a vile person surfaced in her mind, someone who had spread their influence in exactly that way and deluded themselves into thinking it made them powerful.

‘I love you! You’re the one who drove me to this! How could you not see my love, you’ll spend your whole life……’

Those words, like a curse, flashed through her mind. Without realizing it, Angela clenched her hand tightly in the folds of her skirt.

“Angela, your face has gone pale. Are you all right?”

Isaac had drawn close without her noticing and was looking at her. He had gone down on one knee to meet her eyes. His obsidian eyes rippled with worry.

Angela quickly composed her expression and straightened her back.

“I’m fine.”

“Even so, your color is off. What if……”

Lurch!

The carriage jolted. Isaac reflexively reached out and caught Angela as she swayed.

The hand gripping her tight called up the memory of another hand, rough and brutal, from long ago.

Smack!

Angela struck his hand away sharply.

“I would prefer you not touch me without permission, Lord Galland. I am perfectly capable of keeping my balance on my own. I believe it would help if you returned to your seat.”

At Angela’s flat, cold words, Isaac looked quietly at the hand she had struck away.

His head was bowed, so his expression was hard to read. Only the scar running in a lightning bolt shape through his left eyebrow twitched briefly.

“……Understood.”

Short and blunt.

No easy charm, no playfulness. With those two words, Isaac moved to the seat on the opposite side. He turned his gaze to the carriage window and did not look at Angela once.

‘To find out whether he’s the killer or not, I’ll need to play along at times, but……’

Angela did not.

More precisely, she could not.

She was too busy desperately keeping her own emotions in check, without letting any of it show on the outside.

A small carriage. A large man’s hand.

Her breathing grew short and the air felt like it was closing in.

It was a sensation she had not felt in a long time. Angela recognized immediately what it was the precursor to.

‘Not here. Not now.’

And so, in silence, the carriage reached the residence. When the door opened, she felt as though she could finally breathe again. Even so, her racing heart would not slow.

Isaac escorted her as she stepped down, then fixed her with a long, piercing look and walked away without a word.

“Miss, did you enjoy the outing?”

“It was good.”

Angela answered with what composure she had left and grabbed hold of Emily. Emily had been asking brightly, but she caught on quickly and pressed close.

“You’ve been out all day, so you should rest right away. Let me take you to your room.”

Angela nodded, and Emily moved without delay.

The moment they reached the room, Angela sank onto the bed. Emily threw all the windows wide open, then quickly loosened Angela’s outer dress from the waist and chest.

Angela’s breath came in short, ragged gasps.

A terror that felt like dying surged up from somewhere deep inside and rose all the way to the top of her head.

She was relieved that tears did not come. She did not want to cry.

“Is your breathing all right?”

Angela nodded with difficulty. Emily finished loosening her clothes, then took both of Angela’s hands and rubbed them gently.

“I’ll tell them you’re resting because you’re tired. Don’t worry about a thing.”

“Thank you, Emily.”

“My love for you is more than enough reason. Save the thanks.”

Angela heard those words faintly as she opened and closed her eyes.

She could not keep them closed. Closing them entirely felt like she might not come back.

All she could do was wait for this moment to pass.

Emily’s murmuring voice drifted in and out like a song, a steady, soothing sound.

Through ragged breaths, Angela let the truth slip out.

“In the end, the one who’s always there when I need someone is you, Emily.”

“Of course. I will always be by your side, Miss.”

This time, Emily did not make any jokes about bonuses or raises.

Her earnest expression wanted to make clear that every word she said was genuine.

As though she wished Angela’s fear would simply disappear.

Angela was grateful for it. She was glad to have someone she could trust beside her.

❀❀❀

There was a great deal of work piled up.

Angela had risen before dawn to work through it, and only set it down around midday.

The episode that had come on late the previous day had mercifully subsided without incident.

It had not always been like this. It did not happen often.

After the wedding, she had thought it was gone, settled at last. In truth, she had not experienced it even once after marrying.

The men courting her seemed to have some sense, and none of them came looking for her. Even Isaac, who seemed most likely to be a nuisance, had apparently taken genuine offense and had not shown his face.

‘He’ll be waiting for me to smooth things over. That’s the sort of person he is.’

But for now, she intended to leave it alone. She was tired.

After a simple lunch alone, Angela went to find Ashley, partly for a walk.

Ashley was seated elegantly by a sunlit window, reading a book. The sunlight caught his golden hair and made it gleam softly.

Seeing Angela approach, he smiled and rose. His neat, measured movements were like a textbook illustration of noble etiquette.

“Countess Maister, have you finished your work?”

“Yes. The urgent matters are done.”

“Managing an estate and a residence is something you don’t notice while you’re keeping up with it, but the moment you let it go, it shows immediately. Seeing how well this place is kept tells me just how diligent and capable you are, my lady.”

“You flatter me. I only do what needs to be done.”

“What needs to be done is always the hardest thing.”

“Thank you for the kind words.”

A few exchanges in, Angela came to the point.

“When would you prefer to spend time with me, Lord Wilton? If it suits you, shall we arrange it for tomorrow?”

She had no desire to drag things out.

If anything at all could be pinned on one of the three men, this absurd charade of dates would come to an end.

“Any time would do, but I’d rather you didn’t approach it the way you’d approach a task.”

Ashley’s face still wore its gentle smile. His blue eyes, however, seemed to have grown cooler. Perhaps it was because his eyes were sharper than his soft features suggested.

“Once you’ve seen to everything you need to do and find yourself with some ease of mind, why not set a time then?”

The chill that had briefly passed through his gaze was gone, and he continued in his usual manner.

“I’d prefer that meeting me not feel like something to be gotten out of the way. Wouldn’t it be rather bleak if that’s how one approached spending time with another person?”

The tone was gentle and warm, befitting his reputation as a kind and considerate man, but the words struck directly at the truth.

Had it shown.

Even so, Angela did not let her feelings surface, as any refined noble would. She simply stood straight as always and responded with a composed expression.

“I have been lacking in consideration for my guest. Lord Ashley Rai Wilton is naturally an important person in this residence. If I made you feel as though I were treating this like a business matter, that is my oversight.”

“My, I didn’t say it to receive an apology.”

Ashley swept the blond hair from his forehead. The gesture revealed a smooth, well-shaped brow, and his face came alive with it.

It was a classically handsome face, different from Isaac’s strong, masculine impression.

“I simply want a more personal exchange, as someone who has come to court you.”

“I’ll take that to heart. I believe the urgent matters will all be resolved the day after tomorrow. Would that day work for you?”