His blue eyes, which had held a strong light, somehow seemed to tremble faintly.

Rayenne, who had been quietly watching him, belatedly understood everything.

Jin had been concerned about Rayenne, who had only picked at her food during all three meals yesterday.

So it seemed he’d instructed the chef separately after keeping a close eye on the foods she’d eaten well.

“I must not have had an appetite yesterday because of the unfamiliar environment. All the food is really delicious.”

Saying that, she deliberately took a bite of steak to show him.

She was so focused on showing him she was eating deliciously with a bright face that she couldn’t taste anything, but thanks to that, the awkward atmosphere disappeared.

“I’m glad it suits your taste. Please eat slowly so you don’t get indigestion.”

After Jin’s words of concern, there was no more conversation during the meal.

After finishing the meal and coming out to the garden, Rayenne repeatedly rubbed her bloated stomach with her palm.

Following yesterday’s uncomfortable meal and then this morning’s uncomfortable breakfast, her stomach felt terrible, like she’d gotten indigestion.

At least it was fortunate that Jin, unlike yesterday, had gotten up early saying he had work to do.

Perhaps it was only natural that when Jin, seemingly busy, left the dining room first and looked back, a bright smile and words wishing him well automatically came out.

“Maybe it would be less uncomfortable to just eat together and get used to it quickly.”

Since she kept running into Jin anyway, maybe it would be better to do that.

“But where is this lady’s hideout…”

Even though she was going in the opposite direction from where she’d gone with Jin, the place the original Rayenne had loved most still wouldn’t appear.

Rayenne fumbled through her memories of the original story.

“The deepest part of the garden, full of pure white flowers.”

It was so deep in the garden that the mistress who came to the ducal estate later never found it even once.

That’s why the original Rayenne always went there whenever things were hard.

“It was called the ‘Secret Garden.’”

A place hidden like a secret in the deepest part of the garden, full of pure white flowers.

“And…”

Like a dream, like reality, a warm and comfortable space appeared.

“A place with a willow tree where two trunks grew like one tree.”

Though it wasn’t full of pure white flowers, there really was a willow tree where two trunks grew attached like one tree.

The willow tree, with its fresh green shoots just beginning to grow, made a cool swishing sound in the breeze.

“Come to think of it, was it summer when Rayenne discovered this place?”

With the willow branches hanging long, sitting in that shade, the original Rayenne had let all her pain drift away on the wind.

Looking at the pure white petals blooming all around, watching the clouds floating in the sky, aching from a love she couldn’t let go.

“If she’d known she would die like that, would she have asked to break up like me?”

Rayenne patted the thick trunk of the willow tree with her palm, then tried embracing it fully.

The willow tree was so large that even spreading both arms wide to embrace it, she couldn’t hold even half its circumference.

Rayenne, who had closed her eyes tightly, opened them as she released the willow tree.

“Why did I want to come here so badly?”

Now that she’d come in person, she liked it—it was a secretive space, just like the name Secret Garden.

“If the weather just gets a bit warmer, it would be perfect to read books and nap here.”

She naturally imagined reading books while feeling the cool breeze in the willow tree’s shade.

Rayenne stayed in the Secret Garden for quite a while longer without erasing the smile that had bloomed on her lips.

***

Jin didn’t return until late in the evening, and for two full days like that, there was no encounter with Jin.

“Is he some kind of fairy housewife or what?”

Though Jin was clearly nowhere to be seen, Rayenne suspiciously glared at the blanket covering her body.

Every day, a blanket was covering Rayenne’s body as she fell asleep in the study, whether he was returning to the ducal estate at night or not.

“Or… maybe it’s not the duke covering me?”

That would make sense, but that raised its own question of who was covering her then.

Stark, the Duchy of Daihan’s butler? Or someone else?

Rayenne brought the blanket up to her nose without withdrawing her suspicious gaze.

“It does seem to smell like His Grace.”

The scent that spread heavily, like flower fragrance and also like wood fragrance, had filled Jin’s room.

Even the study had that scent spreading faintly, so Rayenne couldn’t possibly not know.

After sniffing around for a while, tracking(?) the scent from the blanket, Rayenne suddenly came to her senses.

“What am I doing…”

Even though no one was watching, Rayenne quickly got up out of embarrassment and neatly folded the blanket first.

After gently placing the folded blanket on the armchair, she headed to the dining room like it was now a set schedule.

***

Rayenne, who had finished breakfast comfortably and leisurely for once, came out of the dining room with a satisfied face.

“My lady.”

A low, calm yet clear voice. She could tell who it was without turning around to check.

Rayenne turned around and bowed her head slightly to Jin, who had approached her.

“Good morning, Your Grace.”

When Rayenne, whose heart had relaxed thinking he must have already finished eating, greeted him with a smile, Jin also bowed his head in return.

“Have you already finished eating?”

“Yes. Are you about to eat?”

Jin’s lips pressed together firmly, then slowly opened again.

“Yes. Are you going back to the study now?”

“Probably. Since there’s nothing else for me to do.”

When she let out an awkward laugh at the end, Jin was silent for a moment.

Just as Rayenne was about to feel puzzled by this, Jin asked carefully, which was rare for him.

“Then would you like to go out with me today?”

“With you?”

At a glance, he seemed to be just standing still without answering, but Jin’s gaze was intense.

Confirming his quiet affirmation, Rayenne was conflicted.

“If it’s the imperial library, there would be far more books to read.”

Jin added more words, perhaps noticing Rayenne’s conflict.

‘The imperial library!’

Rayenne unconsciously nodded while imagining a splendid and magnificent building filled with books.

“I’ll go.”

It was already the fifth day since Rayenne had come to the ducal estate.

Having spent five days doing nothing but walking and reading every day, she couldn’t help but bite at the big bait called “imperial library.”

“I’ll be eating, so please prepare to go out and come back, my lady.”

Belatedly, she wondered if she’d followed along too readily, but the water was already spilled.

Trying hard to hide the embarrassment that brought a flush to her face, Rayenne smiled brightly.

“Alright. I’ll prepare and come down.”

“I’ll send Stark right away.”

Rayenne, who answered with an eye greeting instead, turned around inconspicuously in a hurry.

Her mouth was on the verge of cramping from forcing a smile.

***

Rayenne was on the verge of mouth cramps again, but for a different reason than before.

‘Wow!’

From the moment she entered the imperial palace by carriage, the exclamations that burst out one after another in her head disappeared without being able to burst out from inside her tightly closed mouth.

Rayenne, who had been frantically looking around secretly so Jin wouldn’t notice, eventually stumbled when she caught on a slightly raised step.

The moment her body, which had been walking one step behind Jin, tilted forward, Rayenne was caught by a firm arm and pulled into Jin’s embrace.

“Are you alright, my lady?”

The low, neat voice seeping into her ear was too close, so Rayenne squeezed her eyes shut.

Otherwise, she felt like she would end up looking at Jin with a completely flushed face.

“I’m fine. Thank you.”

Even though she quickly collected herself and straightened her body, Jin’s hand around Rayenne’s waist still remained.

“Your Grace?”

Jin’s gaze, which had been directed forward, looked intently at Rayenne.

It was that gaze that had been repeated several times over the past few days.

When Rayenne lifted her head at the gaze that seemed to have something to say, staring at her piercingly, Jin finally opened his firmly closed mouth.

“It’s fine at the ducal estate, but outside, please call me Jin.”

‘In the original, she called him Your Grace though?’

During the years the original Rayenne called him Your Grace, he had never once asked her to call him Jin.

Not even until the day Rayenne drew her last breath.

She had only barely called Jin’s name at that final moment.

Rayenne, who had been fumbling through the original story’s contents, suddenly remembered one difference.

“Ah. It would look strange if I called you Your Grace outside too, Your Grace the Duke.”

No matter how much it was a contract marriage, if the duchess followed around calling her officially public husband “Your Grace, Your Grace,” it would be perfect fodder for gossip.

Rayenne changed the form of address after being convinced by her own thoughts, but Jin stopped walking entirely and looked down at Rayenne.

“Call me Jin, my lady.”

At first hearing, it seemed like he was just repeating the same words identically, but to Rayenne, there was definitely a feeling of emphasis somewhere.

On top of that, his steady gaze wouldn’t let up.

Rayenne, for now, accepted his opinion before continuing this back-and-forth and drawing people’s attention.

“Alright, Jin.”

The feeling that Jin’s gaze finally softened was probably just Rayenne’s imagination.

At the end of Jin’s slowly departing gaze, Rayenne, who secretly let out a sigh of relief, noticed Jin’s arm still around her waist but decided not to say anything more today.

Since Jin was supposed to guide her to the library and then leave, she planned to endure this awkward situation just until then.

Fortunately, the two arrived at the imperial library without it taking long.

“Um… Jin?”

“Yes, my lady.”

Unlike Rayenne, who stood at the entrance smiling awkwardly, Jin’s expression was just indifferent.

Jin, who had said he would only guide her to the library and then leave, stood facing Rayenne with no intention of leaving.

Rayenne carefully asked Jin, who just looked at her without moving even at her call.

“Don’t you need to go?”

“…”

There was no answer.

Rayenne sighed inwardly and called Jin again with an awkward smile.

“Jin?”