Or could it be an actual memory that existed?

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

It didn’t matter.

It was a dream but not a dream. Even if it is a dream, it couldn’t be just a dream.

Why hadn’t she known? Yuri would surely have been like this after her death. Beyond grief and mourning, he would have raged, and ultimately might have staked his own life on those emotions.

And that probably had something to do with Yuri being erased in this current life.

A twin’s intuition can be quite accurate at times.

“Yuri…”

Lost in that sorrow, Saena wept.

It was a sorrow she couldn’t share with anyone in this world, one no one could understand.

* * *

Recently, the atmosphere in Castle Cream had been quite gloomy.

Their master, Duke Kramer, wasn’t originally very talkative, so by his standard, not much had changed, yet it felt that way.

It had been a week since Saena had secluded herself.

The Duchess’s depressed spirit and the Duke’s attitude that seemed to accept it as natural created a chilly atmosphere throughout the castle.

“Madam. Your meal is ready.”

“Not interested.”

“Please eat even a little. Shall we bring it here instead of the dining room?”

“I said I’m not interested.”

Darielle, seeing Saena refuse food, apparently decided this time wouldn’t do, and suddenly knelt down.

“…Darielle?!”

Startled, Saena jumped up and grabbed Darielle’s arm to try to raise her.

“Why, why are you doing this? Get up.”

“I don’t deserve to be a maid.”

“…What are you saying.”

“I didn’t know that the Madam cherished this creature so much, didn’t know when he disappeared, and now I can’t even ensure you eat properly—what kind of qualification do I have?”

“I just… don’t have an appetite.”

“His Grace specifically asked me to make sure you eat before he left, if nothing else, and I’m so incompetent… Please punish me!”

Darielle spoke with an almost solemn voice.

“…Left? Where did he go?”

Among her words, the fact that Constantine had left caught Saena’s attention.

“Yes. When he suddenly left for subjugation last night, he earnestly asked me… sniff. Madam, please eat even a little, okay?”

Subjugation? Had demonic beasts overrun somewhere again?

Hearing that he had gone to dangerous territory where blood would flow freely after not seeing him for several days made her already poor mood sink even lower.

While Saena had been crying, projecting Yuri onto Yolly, he had gone to struggle on another battlefield where life and death coexisted.

‘…Come to think of it, he hasn’t really done anything wrong.’

Saena had been avoiding Constantine these past few days. Or rather than avoiding, she had been completely preoccupied with Yolly, putting him on the back burner.

But Constantine had simply accepted her attitude.

Thinking about it now, it was strange.

In their occasional encounters, he would look at her from a distance as if seeking forgiveness, like someone who had committed a great wrong against her.

Why had he done that?

Usually, Constantine would have come before Darielle to stop and comfort her…

He would have held Saena in his arms, kissed her forehead, and told her everything was alright…

Not only did he silently accept Saena’s near-rejection, but he even seemed to agree that her behavior was right.

‘…What’s going on here?’

When she came to her senses, she realized the situation was peculiar.

She had no reason or right to blame him.

His only fault, if any, was bringing back a sleeping Yolly after promising to bring him back safely.

No, that wasn’t even really his fault, was it?

Though Saena’s depression seemed to be because of Yolly, that was just the surface reason.

The real cause was Yuri’s absence, and her own helplessness at being unable to do anything about it.

Since no one but Saena remembered Yuri, she had no one to confide in. She didn’t even know if there was a way to bring Yuri back into existence, let alone how to do it.

It felt like being trapped alone in a glass case that both belonged and didn’t belong to the world.

‘But why is he acting as if all of this is his fault?’

That’s probably because…

Saena let out a small sigh.

‘He is a kind person.’

He might be blaming himself on her behalf.

Thinking that way made all of this feel like very wrong complaints. She seemed to have been unfairly harsh to Constantine while her nerves were on edge. The unreal shouldn’t consume the real.

Perhaps she had been projecting too much of Yuri onto Yolly simply because he was found at Yuri’s tree.

Saena reflected on this.

“…Bring the meal to my room.”

She should at least honor his request.

“You’ve made a good decision! I’ll bring it right away!”

Darielle jumped up.

Worried that Saena might change her mind, she brought the meal at an incredible speed. The table in the room was quickly filled with food.

Seeing that it was arranged with foods Saena usually enjoyed, it was clear they had been constantly mindful of her meals. Though her appetite was still poor, Saena ate as much as she could.

While Yolly was certainly precious to Saena, Constantine was precious too.

‘He’s alive… so he’ll wake up someday.’

He had been strange from the first discovery. He had been full of mysterious aspects. So this strange long sleep must have some reason too. He will surely wake up.

Saena viewed the situation as hopefully yet as objectively as possible. It made her feel a bit more at ease.

‘When he returns… I’ll welcome him happily.’

Saena made that promise to herself.

* * *

She tried her best to live her daily life.

Saena tried not to act like Yuri, who might have staked his entire remaining life on his sense of loss.

That dream and Constantine’s request had made her realize this anew.

Though he hadn’t returned yet, that was all the more reason why she, as the Duchess, needed to keep her wits about her.

While Nadia was excellently fulfilling her role as head butler, Saena was still the Duchess of House Kramer—the person in charge of the territory when the Duke was absent, even if she had nothing to do.

Though she didn’t eat much, she ate at mealtimes, and divided her day between her duties as Duchess, the translation work, time spent with Yolly, and time for walks. And she tried to stick to this schedule.

The first document Saena began to examine was the budget proposal. The budget allocated to Saena personally.

Perhaps this was natural since she hadn’t yet been assigned her overall duties. However, her expression was quite serious.

“Could you go to Nadia?”

“Yes?”

“Ask if she can come here now, and if she can, bring her.”

“Understood!”

Darielle quickly went outside. And returned alone shortly after.

“The head butler is absent, so I left a note. She’ll come as soon as she returns.”

“Absent?”

“Yes.”

“There’s no urgent matter outside, is there?”

That was her first thought since Nadia didn’t seem the type to leave the castle for personal reasons.

“Ah, it doesn’t seem like that.”

“How do you know?”

“She went… home for a moment, they said.”

“Home? At this hour?”

“Actually… the head butler has a sick family member. And apparently they’ve been quite ill these past few days. So…”

Nadia’s family? Could it be…

“You mean His Grace’s nanny?”

“Oh, did His Grace tell you?”

Darielle seemed surprised that Saena knew about the nanny’s existence. Unable to understand why knowing about the nanny’s existence should be surprising, Saena looked at Darielle.

“Yes. He introduced me to her before. Is that strange?”

“Ah, no. It’s not that…”

It seemed like a reaction expecting that Constantine wouldn’t have mentioned it.

“The nanny lives in quite a remote place, you see. So…”

Darielle was clearly evading something.

Since before, this nanny had seemed… off. There seemed to be some issue between her and Constantine, but she couldn’t figure out what.

But she couldn’t interrogate Darielle about it either…

“Is she very ill? Has she seen a doctor?”

More than that, she was worried about the nanny’s health. She hadn’t looked very well last time, but if they’re using the word ‘critical,’ isn’t it serious?

“Tell her I’m ordering Castle Cream’s physician to examine her, and find out how her condition is.”

If she were to pass away while Constantine is away, wouldn’t that be terrible?

“Ah… about that.”

But somehow Darielle showed a very troubled expression.

“What’s wrong?”

Darielle let out a short sigh and carefully added.

“…It probably won’t help.”

“Huh?”

“It’s not an illness that regular doctors can cure.”

“What do you mean?”

“I cannot speak more deeply about it. I’m sorry.”

Darielle apologized hesitantly.

She can’t say more even when the Duchess is asking?

‘That means…’

It’s a matter involving authority higher than the Duchess.

The only conclusion is that it’s related to the Duke.

‘Is this also related to the Guardian Spirits?’

The markings engraved on his back were also related to Guardian Spirits. Most secrets about him seemed to be like that.

While Saena had noticed the existence of Caligo, there were still more secrets… What could they be?

“…I understand.”

“I’m sorry. It’s beyond my authority… But I didn’t want to lie to you either, Madam.”

“I get it. I understand what you mean. But more importantly.”

“Yes.”

“So is the nanny alright now?”

“Ah, she had been unconscious recently, but apparently she woke up today.”

“What…?”

She was unconscious? That could have been serious!

“Hah. Thank goodness.”

“Yes.”

Saena recalled the nanny’s complexion when they met.

‘Come to think of it, though she said she’d visit occasionally…’

She should visit tomorrow.

The nanny seemed to like news about Constantine, so she could share some, and brew her some tea…

While thinking about it, she wanted to visit, socialize, and check on her health condition personally.

So Saena adjusted tomorrow’s schedule.

* * *

The next day.

Saena went out early carrying a basket she had had a maid prepare the day before. The basket contained several gifts for the nanny. Fruits and preserved fruits that wouldn’t be hard on the stomach. And tea leaves since she seemed to like tea. There were also several soft dairy desserts.