“Thank you for being fond of my inadequate sister.”

While you never considered me family,

you use that name so well.

What would it be like to see her family again? Would anger rise from sorrow? Sadly, no. Only emptiness remained.

“My lady.”

Nancy clung to Catherine, who then shook her off with a weak gesture.

“Don’t worry too much. We were bound to meet again anyway.”

“Oh my. Oh my….. I’m worried that you might get hurt again, my lady.”

You’re still the same. Out of my sight, you talk about me and laugh happily. That laughter reaches all the way here.

“So you and Lady Milden are sisters?”

“Of course. Their relationship is a bit awkward. But still, can family be separated just because you try to separate them? I was so worried after sending my sister to a faraway place.”

There, we become close sisters. Just like now. Today too, my sister acted out the role of close sisters.

Her white dress fluttered and dragged on the ground. Catherine brushed back her long blonde hair and took one step closer to Emily.

‘Though the matter with Count Cavin is now forgotten….’

Even if Catherine spoke about that incident directly, it would only worsen her position as the lady of Helen. Still, the matter of salsa remained.

Emily also looked back at Catherine from a distance. Though they were family not related by blood, they recognized each other disgustingly well.

The world…… feels filthy.

Catherine smiled brightly. It was the last smile of a child who had nothing left to lose.

“You’re having a pleasant conversation with my sister?”

“La-Lady Helen!”

“Since I don’t host social gatherings, I rarely have the chance to meet with all of you. It’s nice to see you like this.”

She mixed warmth into an appropriate distance.

“It’s been too long, sister.”

“What brings you here?”

Emily widened her eyes and stepped back.

“Come on, sister. Is it so surprising that I’m in Helen? I stand under the name of Helen.”

“Y-yes. It’s good to see you. Catherine, you’ve become so pretty I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“I was sad to part with my family so suddenly. My marriage was rather abrupt.”

Her composure became dignity, which in turn became a subtle pressure. There was something different about her transcendent expression.

“Now that you’re married, have you forgotten your country home? Mother feels neglected. My dear sister, what if you forget the viscountcy? Although we……”

“Milden is my everything. How could I sever those ties?”

Catherine clasped hands with Emily. Her eyes grew hot. Her grip trembled slightly, and her knuckles turned white as she squeezed tightly.

“Where is Mother?”

“She’s a little further from here. Why don’t you come greet Mother while you’re at it?”

Emily was quiet. For some reason, her gaze toward Catherine was gentle. That’s how Catherine knew.

‘She already knows everything too.’

Is this her last display of family love for a sister who will soon die?

Seeing that smiling face, even guilt fades away. Though her sister is a bystander, she cannot escape just because she is a bystander.

Our frail-hearted sister, Emily Milden. Catherine faintly smiled to herself as she stroked Emily’s hair. Resting her chin on Emily’s shoulder, she smiled, and Emily’s eyes followed her.

“Ca-Catherine, you must have missed your family a lot.”

“Mmm. I’ve been ill lately, so I couldn’t even send proper letters to my family. But I’ll definitely invite you all later. The inner castle is spacious and beautiful. I’m sure you’ll like it too, sister.”

Emily smiled brightly. Even when she mentioned being ill, she smiled brightly saying “Is that so?” and hugged Catherine tightly.

“I’ll definitely see you again. Sister.”

Catherine smiled faintly.

It made her a little sad.

* * *

Lorendis put his cufflinks in a storage box after removing them. The intricately carved cufflinks glowed blue when they caught the light.

“Where is my wife?”

“The lady has gone out. She sent someone to tell you, didn’t you hear?”

“I think I heard it in passing. But it’s already time for her to return, why isn’t she back? Isn’t her outing getting too long?”

Brady answered with a slight frown.

“The sun hasn’t set yet. She rarely goes out, so please don’t pressure her too much. Even Dr. Dennis said that healing the lady’s heart should be the priority.”

If one is sick, it would be good to receive treatment and rest, but for the master’s lady, strengthening her heart came first. That point was directly emphasized by Dr. Dennis.

“Also, Your Grace….. Did you fight with the lady?”

“Why do you ask?”

“The lady’s expression was dark when she went out. Please be careful when you get angry, Your Grace. Warriors rolling around on battlefields might be fine with shouting, but the lady is not.”

Lorendis, who was about to take off his uniform, paused and put it back on properly.

“Are you going to reconcile?”

“We never fought.”

Then please ease the awkward atmosphere a bit. When the master and lady are distant with each other, the servants feel even more uncomfortable. Brady carefully added, and Lorendis seemed to understand. At least until that evening.

And that day, his superior, at the peak of his anger, snapped at the lady.

* * *

Dark clouds filled the sky. Catherine quietly looked up at the dark sky. Storm clouds gathered and a mixture of snow and rain fell.

The chill made her skin sting. As she leaned against a pillar feeling the cold wind, her fair skin grew unusually pale today.

The maids watching her fidgeted anxiously and whispered among themselves.

“What did she talk about with her family……”

“She’s been like this since she came back from outside.”

“Someone please stop the lady. Even the people in the medical wing are all anxious, aren’t they?”

The maids’ concerns deepened. The atmosphere in the inner castle also became gloomy. It worsened as the master and lady spoke less.

Catherine extended her palm under the eaves and caught white snowflakes. They mixed with rainwater and settled heavily.

“My lady, if you stay here like this, you’ll collapse!”

The maids’ breath quietly stopped. Those who had been muttering, ‘Oh dear. Something’s wrong,’ bowed flat as if dead.

Snow and rain fell in a dreary mix. Lorendis was passing by in his black uniform, accompanied by his aide.

“Are you crazy?”

Lorendis immediately frowned.

He swallowed his breath. His wife stood under the nearby eaves. Her white dress was soaked, making her shoulders appear transparently.

“Did I see something wrong?”

“Is that the lady?”

“The mistress of Helen is standing there pitifully in the rain. What are the servants doing……”

Brady awkwardly signaled to the servants with his eyes. Who would want to see someone die by leaving the lady out there!

“Is that really……”

“Your Grace, Your Grace please, the lady is different from the uncouth men rolling around on battlefields. Please be careful with your words!”

Brady trembled on both legs, saying he was going mad with apology. Lorendis approached Catherine with a rough demeanor. Then he grabbed her wrist sharply. The wrist he held trembled slightly.

He knew his wife treated her body like a stone, but seeing her like this made his anger rise to the top of his head.

“Are you crazy?”

“My lady, I apologize. I truly apologize.”

“You really are crazy. You truly are.”

Brady carefully avoided them, glancing at the couple with an expression that said ‘He’s done it.’ Brady quietly gestured. Everyone close your ears. If you don’t want to die caught in the crossfire between the master and lady.

“You’re here, Lorendis.”

“Why are you in that state?”

“My clothes are wet, so I look pitiful.”

“Is that what I’m asking? I’m asking why you’re standing here in that state. Should I round up all the maids and make them kneel to restore discipline in the inner castle……”

He was starting to get the idea. When excited, he used language suitable for the battlefield. That language was rough, explicit, and sometimes barbaric.

“Come here.”

Her body trembled from the cold. Her shoulders, getting soaked, shrank particularly miserably. As if he couldn’t stand the sight, Lorendis covered her with his jacket and pulled her sharply. Blue veins bulged in his hand gripping her wrist. It stung and burned.

“Why are you standing in the rain!”

Lorendis stopped shouting midway, and swallowed his breath as if he felt this wasn’t right. Not knowing what to point out first, he just bit his innocent lips.

Seeing his raw change of expression, she vaguely realized that this person also had human aspects.

“I’d rather pretend I didn’t see it. Seeing you like that turns my stomach.”

“Then you can pretend you didn’t see me.”

“Do you always have to talk like that……! No. That’s enough, let’s stop here.”

His harsh words abruptly stopped. Lorendis was angry, but his expression showed he didn’t know where to begin or end his anger.