Even when Etia covered her eyes with her hands, the sunlight still blinded her, forcing her to squint and blink. 

The shimmering heat waves in the distance made her vision blur, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to get away as fast as possible, so she pressed forward, even though she could barely see where she was going.

“Madam!”

But just then, a carriage came barreling down the alley toward her. Mary, who had been approaching, screamed in alarm when she saw Etia step into its path.

Etia finally noticed the carriage, but it was already too late. Her body froze, unable to move in the face of the sudden danger.

“Etia!”

Someone grabbed her and pulled her out of harm’s way. It was none other than Derek.

“Are you alright?! Are you hurt anywhere?”

As Derek’s face filled her upside-down vision, Etia struggled to comprehend what had just happened. She stared at him blankly, her mind still reeling.

Derek, his face filled with worry, quickly examined her for injuries. When he noticed her torn skirt and the blood trickling down her leg, his expression darkened.

“We need to get you back to the Duke’s manor immediately.”

The moment he realized she was hurt, Derek scooped her up in his arms without hesitation. Even then, Etia remained dazed, allowing herself to be carried without protest.

Her silence only deepened Derek’s concern. Was she more seriously injured than she appeared? Or had she suffered a severe shock? 

These thoughts tormented him as he carried her back to the manor. Yet, even upon their return, Etia remained quiet.

“Are you sure you’re alright? If you’re in pain anywhere, you need to tell me. Etia.”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes, I really am.”

“…Thank goodness. Thank goodness.”

Derek summoned a physician to treat her leg, but even as her wound was tended to, Etia remained in a daze. 

She answered Derek’s questions when he asked, but her subdued demeanor made him worry that she was too shocked to even feel pain. 

Only after the physician confirmed that there were no other injuries did Derek finally feel some relief.

“What happened?”

Once the physician and servants left the room, leaving them alone, Derek cautiously asked her about the incident. Her expression was still troubled, and he couldn’t ignore it.

But Etia didn’t know how to respond. Saying she’d argued with her sister seemed childish, but denying that anything had happened felt like a lie.

“Nothing happened. I was just startled. The carriage came out of nowhere.”

“…”

Etia chose to lie. She didn’t want to burden Derek with something so trivial, especially when he had far more important and dangerous matters to deal with. She also didn’t want to expose her vulnerabilities to him.

But Derek felt his heart sink at her words. He knew their relationship had grown strained and awkward recently, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was all his fault.

He hated how powerless and pathetic he felt.

“The deployment ceremony is next week.”

“…I see.”

“I’d like you to return to Sylvester the day after the ceremony.”

In the end, Derek had to deliver the worst possible news to her. He didn’t want to say it, but he knew it couldn’t wait any longer.

Etia, however, was stunned. Her sorrowful expression vanished, replaced by one of shock as she looked up at him.

“…What?”

“I mean it. I want you to go back to Sylvester.”

“…”

“The battle will take place in the Land of Fire, so it’s dangerous. But I’ll make sure you’re safe. You don’t need to worry—”

“Why?”

“Etia.”

“You said I could do as I wished.”

“…”

“You promised. So why? Why are you abandoning me again?”

“Etia, it’s not like that—”

“Is it because of the rumors?”

“…”

“Is it because of the rumors about me and the Crown Prince?”

For a moment, Etia forgot that she had wanted to leave the capital and return to Sylvester. The despair in her heart drowned out everything else.

She couldn’t think clearly. Normally, she would have known that Derek’s decision was out of consideration for her, but right now, she couldn’t be sure.

‘Does he really suspect me? Is that why he’s been so distant?’

Why now, of all times? Why did he have to say this when she was already doubting herself? 

The timing made her feel like he was accusing her. Her frustration and hurt boiled over, and she couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Etia. Please calm down and listen to me—”

“Why didn’t you say anything before? You knew, didn’t you? You heard the rumors, didn’t you!”

“…”

“Did you doubt me? Is that why you didn’t say anything? Is that why you don’t want me in the capital anymore? Did you really think that while you were gone, I could have done something improper with my sister’s fiancé?”

Etia poured out her feelings in a torrent, unable to stop herself. She didn’t even know what she was saying anymore. All she knew was that she felt betrayed by Derek.

She had never thought of Dahlia as pathetic—at least not until Dahlia had said so herself. But could she honestly say that she had never looked down on her sister, even for a moment? Just as she had hesitated to answer Dahlia, Etia couldn’t be sure.

So when Derek told her to return to Sylvester, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the rumors were her fault. If she hadn’t gone to the garden that day, if she had been better at mingling with others, she wouldn’t have met the Crown Prince. If she had set clearer boundaries with him, maybe the rumors wouldn’t have started. These thoughts spiraled endlessly in her mind.

“Etia! Please calm down and listen to me.”

“…”

“I’m trying to protect you. Staying here will only hurt you more.”

“…”

“I don’t care what others say. I never believed the rumors. I didn’t bring them up because I knew how much they were already hurting you. I didn’t want to remind you of them. I stayed silent because I trust you.”

Derek knelt beside her, holding her hands as he tried to calm her down. He had never seen her so upset before. Even when they had fought over their potential divorce in Sylvester, she had been quiet and composed. Seeing her like this broke his heart.

He realized that what he had thought was consideration had only caused her more pain. And knowing that he had done nothing to prevent her suffering made him feel utterly hopeless.

“There’s no reason for you to stay here and endure such hurtful words. The capital may seem safer, but… still—”

“How am I supposed to believe that?”

“…”

“Derek. Are you really not hiding anything from me?”

Her voice was cold as she looked at him with empty eyes. Derek didn’t know how to respond. When she asked if he was hiding something, it felt like his heart dropped.

“Hiding? What would I hide? I haven’t kept anything from you.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me about your injury?”

“That’s… I didn’t want you to worry—”

“Is it because you don’t trust me?”

Derek froze when she mentioned his injury. He had genuinely wanted to spare her from worrying, but now he wasn’t sure if that was his only reason.

His silence made Etia feel even more defeated. She had hoped he would deny it. She wanted to believe that he trusted her. But the fact that he had hidden his injury from her cut deep.

“Not long after you left for the Land of Fire, people started talking about an ‘immortal’ in the Empire. It was even more absurd than the rumors about me and the Crown Prince.”

“…”

“But now they’re saying that immortal is you. That it’s Duke Derek Sylvester, lord of the North.”

“…”

“It sounded so ridiculous, I thought it was just a silly superstition born out of fear of the monsters.”

“…”

“But then I started to wonder if something had happened to you. And when I found out, I wasn’t shocked by the rumors—I was shocked that you had hidden your injury from me. The knights begged me not to tell you, saying it was a secret. Do you know how that made me feel?”

“…Etia. I only—”

“You didn’t want me to worry? I’m your wife. I’m the wife of a knight! If my husband gets hurt in battle, isn’t it natural for me to worry?”

“…”

“Or do you think I’m not worth as much as the knights you’ve shared life and death with?”

“Etia!”

Derek couldn’t stay silent any longer. He shouted her name, startled by his own outburst. He immediately closed his mouth, but the pain in his heart was unbearable.

He wanted to tell her she was wrong, but he couldn’t find the words. He felt like everything was his fault, and simply saying “no” wouldn’t fix anything.

Knock, knock—

As the two of them sat in their shared misery, a knock on the door interrupted them. It was Solver, the head steward.

“I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, but, Your Grace, there’s an urgent message from the Imperial Palace. You’re needed immediately.”

When Derek gave his permission, Solver entered the room, as composed and professional as ever, to deliver the message. Sensing the tension in the room, he quickly left after Derek acknowledged him.

“I’m sorry to leave like this. I’ll be back soon.”