She’d thought she’d only slept briefly like she’d promised herself before falling asleep, but that wasn’t the reality.

Waking up with the vague sense that someone was watching her, Rayenne stared blankly at the candle glowing softly in the dark room.

Blinking slowly as she grasped the situation, the moment Rayenne saw Jin’s face reading a book with the candle before him, she bolted upright.

“Did you sleep well, my lady?”

Feeling like her skirt had been flipped inside out, Rayenne bit her lips firmly. At least she was fortunate that the room was dark enough that her flushed face wouldn’t be visible to Jin.

Though she was curious about his intention in bothering to greet her asking if she’d slept well, Rayenne pretended not to notice and brought up something else.

“Did I keep you from sleeping?”

“No. I was just about to wake you.”

“What? Why?”

Jin closed the book he’d been reading without hesitation, stood up from his seat, and approached Rayenne.

“You should eat dinner before sleeping, shouldn’t you?”

“I don’t really have an appetite…”

“You didn’t eat breakfast properly either. I heard you had a simple lunch at an early hour as well.”

At the excessively close distance, Rayenne’s eyes searched for a place to stand up.

But Jin’s hand was faster.

“I haven’t had dinner yet either, so let’s go together.”

Even as she was pushed by his forcefulness to take the hand extended before her and stand up, Rayenne widened her eyes in surprise.

“What time is it now?”

“The perfect time for dinner.”

Looking at Jin’s profile as he calmly led Rayenne out of the room, she hurriedly glanced around inside.

The hour hand on the clock hanging on the wall was already pointing at 9.

“It’s already nine? You still haven’t had dinner?”

Even at Rayenne’s successive questions, Jin remained calm.

“I didn’t have an appetite either.”

She had a strong feeling it wasn’t true, but she couldn’t very well press him on it.

As she inadvertently held hands with Jin and walked side by side to the dining room, Rayenne quietly looked down at their clasped hands.

Then she put strength into her hand and easily slipped out of Jin’s grasp.

Both Jin and Rayenne walked on like nothing had happened, and it didn’t take long to reach the dining room.

***

“I must have napped too much during the day—I’m still not sleepy.”

This was what Rayenne said as soon as they returned to the room side by side after finishing another meal where she’d only picked at salad and fruit in the uncomfortable atmosphere.

“Is there somewhere I could read late into the night?”

When she picked up the book she’d been reading before her nap and turned around, Jin nodded briefly.

“I also have work I need to look at until late.”

After just a few conversations now, she felt like she knew what Jin was trying to say.

He probably wanted to tell her to read in the room.

But no matter how far apart they were, being in the same room with Jin would definitely be uncomfortable.

“I think I’ll be up quite late. So is there somewhere I could read until late and sleep there?”

At her repeated question, Jin turned his gaze from Rayenne to the book.

Somehow getting the feeling he was glaring at the book, Rayenne quietly held her breath.

“If you’re going to read that late, that one book won’t be enough.”

Saying only that, Jin breezed right past Rayenne.

Though he didn’t specifically tell her to follow, Rayenne tactfully chased after him.

The place she arrived at following Jin out of the room again was a study.

One on a scale that could be called a small library.

But being a study, there was no space to sleep like Rayenne had asked about.

At most, there was only an armchair and sofa.

“It’s close to the room and has lots of books. Is this your personal study?”

Jin whipped around quickly.

It was behavior unlike him, who usually showed movements imbued with leisure.

Rayenne just blinked her eyes after meeting Jin’s characteristically emotionless face.

“…That’s right.”

“Did I say something wrong?”

Conversing with a man who wasn’t expressive with his emotions was truly difficult.

Even though the atmosphere had changed with very subtle differences, she couldn’t be certain whether what she was feeling from those subtle differences was correct.

Rayenne clearly felt Jin’s mood wasn’t particularly pleasant, but he only shook his head once.

It was frustrating that even though she felt uneasy, she had no choice but to let it go since the person in question denied it.

“Feel free to read comfortably, my lady.”

It seemed like he was putting particular emphasis on the address “my lady,” but with his monotonous tone matching his monotonous expression, it was still impossible to be certain.

“Yes. Thank you, Your Grace.”

Jin, who had been about to leave, stopped once more.

Turning back to Rayenne and pressing his lips firmly together, he ultimately didn’t add anything more and returned to the room.

“It seems like something’s bothering him. Does he not like me being in his study?”

But since it wasn’t like Rayenne had asked to be brought to Jin’s study, that probably wasn’t it either.

“Even if he doesn’t like it, we’re divorcing in a year anyway, so whatever.”

So maybe Jin was just enduring it without saying anything.

Rayenne stopped thinking about Jin’s subtle attitude and sat in the armchair to open the book she’d brought.

Since she now had a space where she wouldn’t have to be mindful of anyone or be disturbed by anyone, she could quickly concentrate on the book.

***

“Ugh…”

A groan flowed from her mouth even before her eyes opened at the stiff feeling.

Frowning as she woke from sleep, Rayenne was stretching when she stopped mid-motion and her eyes flew open at the strangeness.

At the sight of books filling the tall bookshelves reaching up to the ceiling, Rayenne belatedly recalled last night’s memories.

“Right. I was debating whether to go back to the room or not.”

Rayenne, who had recalled the memory of just thinking ‘whatever’ and falling asleep, was about to get up from her seat when she stopped.

The moment Rayenne tried to stand, something slid smoothly off her lap.

“A blanket?”

But she had no memory of sleeping covered with a blanket.

“…Could it be?”

Jin’s face came to mind, but Rayenne shook her head. Was he the kind of person to show such kindness?

If it was Jin from the original story that she’d originally known, there was absolutely no way he would do that.

Rayenne bit down firmly on her lower lip and picked up the blanket.

The blanket’s cozy texture made her feel inexplicably soft inside.

“But in reality, the duke…”

He’d signed the sudden divorce papers, and personally came to find Rayenne, who had disappeared drunk, all the way to the terrace.

And he ate with her as she wandered the corridor, took a walk, and suggested having tea.

Even when she napped until nightfall, he didn’t wake her but waited and ate with her, and though he seemed displeased, he even guided her to the study as Rayenne wanted.

So if it was the Jin she’d directly experienced—

“He might have brought the blanket.”

Rayenne recalled Jin’s gaze as he’d looked at her intently.

Unlike her imagination, pure and upright blue eyes.

“Still, the duke is a jerk, a jerk. I absolutely can’t be fooled.”

Shaking her head to dispel Jin’s face, Rayenne neatly folded the blanket, placed it on the armchair, and stood up.

“If I go now, I probably won’t run into him. I need to hurry and eat, then go for a walk!”

She clenched her fist, resolving that today she would definitely find the place the original Rayenne had loved most.

She’d napped yesterday, and though she was stiff, after sleeping soundly she was overflowing with energy.

Rayenne, who was even humming as she left the study and headed toward the dining room, held her breath to avoid making footsteps in front of Jin’s room that she unavoidably had to pass.

‘I can’t eat another awkward meal today.’

She was fortunate that her actions came naturally, but there were more than one or two things to worry about, like whether it might not match etiquette, or when she should wake up.

So in trying to avoid meals with Jin as much as possible, Rayenne was passing in front of his room while holding her breath.

Click.

But she ended up running right into Jin, who was coming out of his room with uncanny timing.

“Um… Good morning?”

When she greeted him with an awkward laugh, Jin nodded slightly.

“Good morning.”

“Are you on your way to eat?”

That was the only thing that came to mind in a hurry.

Unlike Rayenne’s wish that he would refuse, Jin nodded again.

“Shall we go together, my lady?”

“Yes. Of course. Haha.”

She felt like burying her face in both palms and screaming, but all that actually came out was laughter.

***

The breakfast laid out on the table was incredibly lavish.

Looking down at the meal plan full of vegetables and fruits in diverse colors, with only one palm-sized steak as meat in the center, Rayenne tilted her head.

Having experienced the Duchy of Daihan’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner yesterday, the table setting was completely different from yesterday.

‘It was definitely a meat-focused menu, wasn’t it? Does it change daily?’

Whatever the reason, it was welcome news for Rayenne, who especially enjoyed salad and fruit.

Only after confirming that Rayenne was happily moving her fork to taste various salads did Jin also put steak in his mouth.

Perhaps thanks to the steak cut into bite-sized pieces, a faint satisfaction seemed to show on his face.

“How is today’s menu, my lady?”

A sharp-featured man dressed entirely in white suddenly appeared and asked.

Judging by the fact that he came from the kitchen connected to the dining room, he was clearly the chef who had prepared this meal.

“It’s really delicious.”

“As expected, it suits your taste, my lady. Then you two, please enjoy your meal.”

When he returned to the kitchen with a satisfied face brimming with pleasure, Rayenne was left alone with her thoughts in a puzzled mood.

‘As expected?’

Amid the strange silence, Jin’s movements as he ate, making only faint sounds, stopped.

“I thought perhaps the food didn’t suit your taste.”

At the out-of-the-blue comment, Rayenne widened her eyes and looked at Jin.

His gaze, which had been directed at the steak that was already less than half remaining, slowly rose to meet hers.