“To be so instinct-driven even while attending a court ball in another country… In some ways, it’s impressive.”

Mel couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh, feeling like she was watching a caricature of a third-rate comedy—your typical libertine character brought to life.

“Please don’t misunderstand. I merely conversed briefly with the lady whose name I cannot mention.”

Though he said that, Louis made no attempt to straighten his disheveled appearance. It was clear he didn’t care much.

“Yes.”

Mel replied calmly, sipping from the water she’d brought from the ballroom. Louis, slightly flustered by her indifference, quickly adjusted his demeanor, softening his gaze as he continued.

“I must admit, I was disappointed the last time. I wanted to speak with you more, but your husband showed up and interrupted our conversation, didn’t he?”

“You should have said whatever else you had to say back then.”

“I could tell you were uncomfortable.”

No wonder he’d acted as if she had left him an opening.

Realizing the misunderstanding, Mel responded firmly.

“It was because I wanted to gift that person a fountain pen.”

“Is that so? You must have a good relationship with your husband.”

“It seems you think that’s just an excuse.”

Louis’s lips twitched slightly. As Mel stared at him silently, his ingratiating expression faded, gradually replaced by an embarrassed look. His flushed ears didn’t help; it wasn’t a good sign. Sighing inwardly, Mel averted her gaze.

“Whatever you think, it’s not important.”

She emptied her glass and turned away. Men approaching her like this were hardly a rarity, and Mel knew from experience that Louis wouldn’t give up easily. Avoiding his unwanted attention would mean returning to the ballroom.

Before she could take a step, Louis blocked her path. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“W-Wait! Aren’t you curious about the fountain pen anymore?”

“No, I’m not.”

Looking back, the matter hardly seemed worth discussing. No matter how exquisite Defiem’s artisan-made pens might be, even placing an order now wouldn’t guarantee delivery within the desired time frame. If it couldn’t arrive before her planned date, it was meaningless.

“Would you like me to transfer my reservation to you?”

Louis, sensing her hesitation, made an offer.

“The artisan may have a two-year waitlist, but I’ve secured an earlier slot. If you’d like, I can transfer it to you—on one condition.”

“I’m not sure what I could do for you.”

“There’s an opera I’d like to see. It feels awkward to attend alone. Would you accompany me?”

Louis was undoubtedly skilled at charming women, likely aided by his good looks. Unfortunately for him, Mel wasn’t moved in the slightest—she saw a face far more striking daily.

She glanced over his shoulder. The woman who had disappeared into the garden earlier had reappeared, peering toward them as if puzzled by the man’s lack of pursuit. Though the darkness obscured her features, her silhouette was familiar—someone Mel had seen not long ago…

Ah.

Realizing the woman’s identity, Mel was impressed, in a way. Given recent events, both she and Louis were quite something.

Any fleeting thought of accepting Louis’s offer evaporated. Using someone like him to secure Gopher’s gift would only upset her husband.

“I think you’d enjoy the opera more with Lady Emera.”

Mel gestured over Louis’s shoulder as she spoke. He turned to look, his expression dull with surprise. Watching his clueless reaction, Mel stifled a chuckle.

At that moment, the terrace door opened, revealing Gopher.

“Gopher?”

Was it already time to leave? Mel blinked, surprised. She had only made a brief appearance. Gopher seemed about to speak but hesitated when he saw the man beside her.

Mel didn’t feel awkward or flustered since she wasn’t standing remarkably close to Louis. Gopher, too, spoke in his usual calm tone.

“Were you in the middle of a conversation? Should I come back later?”

“No, let’s go.”

Mel immediately walked toward Gopher without much as a parting word to Louis. There was no reason to, nor did she want to. Gopher watched Louis, who hesitated as if to reach out but stopped short. Then he opened the terrace door.

The noise of the ballroom rushed in, momentarily deafening. Gopher offered his arm to Mel but walked half a step ahead so she couldn’t see his expression.

Once outside, with the noise receding, he spoke.

“He’s not exactly the best kind of person.”

“I’m sure you already know, but there’s been plenty of talk about his issues with women.”

Realizing what he meant, Mel was caught off guard. She quickly scanned her surroundings and replied swiftly.

“There was nothing unusual. I went out to the terrace and saw him in the garden. He was having a tryst with another woman.”

He looked like he wanted to say something but instead cut off the conversation entirely.

“…I see.”

His subdued voice betrayed the emotions he was trying to conceal.

Gopher often behaved like this. It was as if he had vowed not to repeat what had happened during Mel’s time as Bleria—refusing to interfere. Yet, his act of indifference wasn’t perfect. He tried to appear unfazed but couldn’t completely hide his feelings.

Ironically, this very behavior made Mel pay closer attention to Gopher’s emotions. She reflected on her own actions. She had only spoken with Louis Mute twice. Neither conversation had lasted long, nor had she given him any encouragement.

Still, Gopher didn’t know what had been said. Considering Louis’s reputation as a womanizer, it wasn’t surprising that Gopher felt uneasy.

‘I should just be honest.’

She needed to abandon any notion of a surprise explanation to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. Mel decided she would bring it up during the carriage ride and carefully chose her words. Before long, they reached their destination. Gopher helped Mel into the carriage but didn’t sit across from her.

“Gopher?”

“There’s something else I need to discuss. Go on ahead.”

Mel hesitated, her lips parting slightly, before asking,

“…Are you upset?”

“No.”

His immediate reply was accompanied by a polished smile. However, the flawless mask only made her feel more uneasy.

“Truly, nothing happened. I just thought with autumn coming—”

“It’s fine. Even if something had happened.”

“What?”

“You look tired. Go inside and rest.”

Gopher leaned in as if to kiss her forehead, but at that moment, the scent of mingled perfumes from the ballroom lingered in the confined space of the carriage.

The sudden intensity of the smell triggered a wave of nausea, and Mel instinctively pulled away.

“Oh.”

She widened her eyes in shock, realizing what she had done. Gopher’s face paled, and he immediately stepped back, putting even more distance between them. His expression twisted as if something inside him had broken. Gripping the edge of the carriage door tightly, he looked like a man crumbling under the weight of something unbearable.

“Gopher, it’s not—!”

Mel hastily opened her mouth to explain, but he didn’t let her.

“I love you, Mel.”

With a voice tinged with steel and sorrow, Gopher shut the carriage door.

***

Sending off the overnight carriage, Gopher returned to the ballroom. With the emperor and crown prince already gone, he had no real reason to stay. He had sent Mel ahead, needing time to collect himself.

Throwing himself into conversations with nobles over business matters, he focused on work, drowning out other thoughts with alcohol. As the night stretched into the early hours, he finally climbed into his own carriage. By then, Mel would surely be asleep.

The carriage was silent, but the thoughts he had been suppressing crept into the quiet, filling the void.

Mel. And Louis Mute.

He didn’t believe Mel had lied to him. If she had a change of heart, she was the kind of person who would be honest about it, even suggesting divorce. Just imagining such an honest resolution felt like a dagger to his heart. But it hadn’t come to that—yet.

The only one harboring ulterior motives was Louis Mute. Gopher couldn’t forget the man’s flushed, foolish face, staring at Mel the entire time. It wasn’t the first time Gopher had encountered men like him. Their presence was irritating, but he didn’t usually give them much thought. Mel was perceptive and wouldn’t entertain such types for even a moment.

‘Then what made this time different?’

The slightest deviation gnawed at him, even if it was just a brief conversation. Especially now, when Mel seems to subtly avoid him more often than not.

Or perhaps it had already gone beyond “subtly.” Gopher vividly recalled her expression when he tried to kiss her forehead. That look of suppressed revulsion—he had never seen such a face from her before. Thinking about it made his chest tighten painfully.

‘Has she grown tired of me?’

The thought struck like lightning, leaving his entire body cold. It felt like he had opened a box that should never have been touched.

Gopher struggled to keep his thoughts from spiraling further. Forcing his eyes shut, he bowed, repeating that everything would be fine. Eventually, the chronic fatigue weighing on him overtook his restless mind.