Romei was speechless at the revelation that he had actually created a garden and stared at him with bewildered eyes. Barmas confessed honestly:

“I might seem out of my mind to you, but it’s not just a flower bed—it’s a proper garden.”

“…”

“I had to extend the castle walls since there wasn’t space for a garden, but please don’t look at me that way.”

“…”

“Would you like to take a walk? I put quite a lot of effort into it.”

“…”

“You might find this absurd and ridiculous now, but you might actually like it once you see it.”

When Romei simply stared at him without responding, Barmas tried earnestly to persuade her. Though his actions seemed preposterous, his sincere desire for her happiness was genuine.

And the garden truly was beautiful.

Romei swallowed a deep sigh rising from her core and gazed steadily at Barmas, who fidgeted nervously under her gaze.

‘I thought he would abandon me if I kept lying in bed, but instead he built a garden…’

She couldn’t understand his reckless behavior in abandoning the easy path, but he was someone who would rather die himself than kill her. His seemingly unreasonable actions made some sense when viewed along that continuum.

“What do you think, Romei?”

“…”

“Physical movement helps with sleep too.”

When no answer came from her, an anxious Barmas tried again to persuade Romei.

Her heart wavered inexplicably at his earnest, almost desperate appearance, and she finally had no choice but to nod.

“…Alright. Let’s do it, let’s take a walk.”

Barmas’s face instantly brightened. He looked thoroughly excited and elated, like someone who had been waiting for this moment.

“Great. You made the right choice. You definitely won’t be disappointed. I made it jaw-droppingly beautiful.”

“…”

Romei glanced briefly at the excited Barmas before looking away and carefully rising from her seat.

After lying in bed for so long, the sensation of standing on the floor felt unfamiliar. She steadied herself with one hand on the bed and slowly stood up, but suddenly lost her balance and collapsed forward.

“Romei!”

Barmas, who had been ordering a servant to bring shoes and clothes, quickly caught Romei’s falling body.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”

Fortunately, Romei fell into Barmas’s arms, so she had no injuries, but the fact that she couldn’t even stand up from the bed was quite shocking.

‘If I can’t even stand, I certainly can’t walk… I really am no different from a living corpse.’

Forgetting that Barmas was worried about her, Romei bitterly reflected on her physical condition. She hadn’t expected to realize how close to death she was in this manner.

With mixed feelings about whether it was fortunate that she was properly dying, Romei spoke.

She didn’t want to change her mind so easily, but there was no choice.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can take a walk.”

“Why? Did you twist your ankle?”

“No, I just can’t walk.”

“…”

She tried to speak as calmly and nonchalantly as possible, but Barmas’s expression suddenly hardened. He understood what her inability to walk meant, despite not having injured her ankle.

Romei continued:

“I can barely stand properly, so naturally I can’t walk.”

“…”

“Please put me back in bed. My legs are trembling even now.”

Barmas lowered his gaze to examine Romei’s lower body. Even while leaning against him for support, her legs were trembling slightly.

Instead of laying her back in bed, he sat her down. Then, with a completely serious face, he said:

“It doesn’t matter if you can’t walk. We’ll still take that walk. I’ll carry you.”

“…”

“I’m not doing this just to show off my garden to you.”

“Then why?”

“It would be good for you to change your mood by seeing beautiful things. Clear your head a bit.”

Romei could no longer judge whether he was being sincere or trying to manipulate her.

Nevertheless, his determination to take her there even if he had to carry her made her somewhat curious about what the garden looked like.

Romei exhaled a deep sigh that already felt tiring, then said:

“…Won’t I be too heavy?”

Recognizing this as a kind of acceptance to visit the garden, Barmas pulled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

“Who do you think I am? There’s no way you’d be heavy for me.”

At his remarkable confidence, Romei slowly blinked, signaling her agreement to go to the garden with Barmas.

Just then, the servants appeared with clothes and shoes for Romei, following his orders.

Barmas gestured toward her and said:

“Dress her comfortably and appropriately. The wind is chilly, so choose a cloak that’s light but warm. And make sure her feet don’t touch the floor for even a moment.”

“Yes, understood, Lord Barmas.”

“I’ll change into outdoor clothes and return.”

Only after reporting his destination to Romei, who was sitting on the bed, did Barmas leave the bedroom.

As soon as Barmas left, the servants approached Romei and began changing her clothes and fixing her hair.

Thanks to his instructions, fortunately, she didn’t need to stand or walk. Rather, the servants handled her with skilled hands, like they had been doing this for a long time.

“Is there anything uncomfortable?”

“…No.”

“Do you like the clothes?”

One servant asked while tying a ribbon at her waist. Another was dusting off a cloak in the corner, while someone else was bringing a mirror in front of the bed where Romei sat.

Romei stared at her reflection in the mirror. Somehow she was still alive, but she was so emaciated that it wouldn’t be strange if she died at any moment.

She looked so fragile that even a slight push might cause her to collapse. She had wanted to die and still did, but facing such a clear image of death was quite shocking.

“…Perhaps you don’t like it?”

When Romei didn’t respond, her expression frozen, all three servants turned their attention to her simultaneously.

They all seemed on edge, anxiously awaiting her reaction, as though something terrible would happen if she expressed dislike.

Romei found their reaction quite burdensome but chose not to mention it.

“I like it.”

“…”

“It’s pretty.”

Though her answer wasn’t sincere, it visibly relieved the tension that had momentarily frozen the air. The servants’ expressions softened considerably.

Romei silently observed their reactions from the corner of her eye before asking a question, not directed at anyone in particular:

“Does Barmas get irritable often while I’m asleep?”

“…Pardon?”

“Last time, I saw him grab someone by the collar because I wouldn’t wake up. So I wondered if the atmosphere in the mansion was tense this time too. You all seem to be walking on eggshells.”

“…”

When Romei brought this up, the servants exchanged silent glances.

After a brief silence, the servant who had been tying the ribbon carefully answered:

“I’m not sure how this will sound, but Lord Barmas hasn’t been angry with us even once these past few months.”

“…?”

Romei looked up at her incredulously, finding this news impossible to believe. However, the servant’s expression was so serious that it was impossible to doubt.

“We’re actually concerned about Lord Barmas not showing anger, so we’ve been especially careful with our behavior.”

“…”

“In particular, since Lord Barmas cherishes you greatly, we’re even more cautious with our words and actions. So if you ever feel uncomfortable or need anything, please don’t hesitate to let us know.”

“Ah, yes…”

Romei nodded blankly in response to the servant who bowed respectfully while making this request.

Still, Barmas’s sudden change remained incomprehensible. Of course, people can change, but such a dramatic transformation seemed impossible unless he had been replaced by someone else.

‘I understand why they feel concerned. He’s become so… different while I was unaware.’

While Romei was lost in these thoughts, the servant who had been dusting the cloak in the corner approached and draped it around her shoulders.

The color and feel of the cloak wrapping around her body felt familiar—it was the same cloak Barmas had given her freely to replace her soiled one.

She hadn’t worn it for a while, but someone must have been maintaining it, as the yellow ribbon fastening the front remained vivid.

“How is it? Are you not cold?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Romei answered while quietly fingering the edge of the cloak.

The feeling was strangely complex—perhaps because she was wearing clothes after so long, or because memories surfaced of how she had endlessly suspected the cloak might be enchanted.

After completing the preparations for going out, with putting on shoes being the final step, the servants busily began tidying the room. They neatly organized the several outfits and pairs of shoes they had brought, and returned the mirror they had pulled over for checking her appearance to its proper place.

Romei sat curled up on the bed, quietly watching them move about busily.

While looking around the room without any particular thought, her eyes caught something that somehow seemed familiar yet out of place.