“If I sold this perfume, I could make a lot of money. But as long as I’m Luden’s wife, I’ll only give this perfume to Luden. I’ll have people who come to the counseling center drink tea infused with magic, but I won’t sell it.”

At my gentle words, Luden nodded.

“I’m special to Annelia.”

“Of course. You’re my husband!”

“Just because I’m your husband?”

Luden’s voice was trembling. How should I put it – he seemed nervous.

I shook my head.

“You’re special because you’re Luden.”

The person I love. Someone special and precious.

At my sincerity, Luden turned away.

“Luden?”

“Annelia makes me afraid.”

Luden kept saying things I couldn’t understand. He turned back and embraced me while trembling.

“Please stay right here.”

He spoke like a whisper.

I could read the emotions felt from his body. He was afraid I would change.

“Of course.”

I don’t want to change.

I wanted to keep living like this with Luden.

* * *

Lorina was walking after leaving the dormitory on some business. Then she saw Luden and Annelia on the street.

Annelia’s beautiful face was shining brilliantly. Luden’s eyes were directed at Annelia.

The way he looked at her affectionately made it seem like he truly loved Annelia.

“Marquis Charlot!”

Lorina approached them. The emotion disappeared from Luden’s expression. Annelia quickly saw Lorina and bowed her head.

“I greet Your Imperial Highness.”

“Yes, it’s been a while, Marquis Charlot’s wife.”

The corners of Lorina’s mouth trembled. Seeing Annelia happily with Luden suddenly twisted her insides.

She knew why she felt this way. Because someone was occupying the person she was interested in.

“I meet with Luden often during knight training. So I’m getting along well with him.”

Lorina wanted to shake Annelia. No matter what Luden said, he was the man who would someday become her husband. So it was fine to say such things.

“Is that so?”

Annelia looked at Luden, then smiled at Lorina.

“It’s good for the imperial family and the Charlot family to be close. I look forward to it.”

Annelia spoke leisurely. And smiled brightly. Like a victor.

“Luden, let’s go.”

Annelia linked arms with Luden, turned away from Lorina, and walked toward the knight order entrance.

Lorina bit her lip and glared at Annelia’s retreating figure.

Why isn’t she getting angry? Why isn’t she anxious?

She couldn’t understand her thoughts.

* * *

Luden’s feelings were complicated. Hadn’t Annelia once again made it seem to Lorina like she didn’t care much about him?

He should have intervened then and said something to Lorina. But Annelia spoke first and pulled him away, so he missed that opportunity.

“Luden, are you really getting along well with Princess Lorina?”

Annelia asked him curiously.

“Nothing like that.”

Luden quickly seized the moment and told her how much Lorina bothered him. Annelia’s eyes gradually narrowed.

“You don’t like Her Imperial Highness at all?”

“I have a wife.”

“Even if you have a wife, you can still fall in love.”

“Annelia…”

Luden was about to get angry when Annelia spoke her feelings first.

“If that happened, I’d be sad.”

Hearing those last words, Luden raised his head.

“Do you care about Princess Lorina?”

At his question, Annelia’s face slowly heated up. She turned her head sharply, grumbled, and quickly climbed into the carriage.

“I’m leaving.”

Annelia left without resolving Luden’s curiosity.

Annelia cared about him. But then why did she say those things to Lorina at the imperial palace before he left for knight training?

Luden was certain there was some fact he didn’t know.

* * *

The corners of my mouth naturally lifted.

“Miss, did something good happen?”

Lella asked.

“Does it look that way?”

“You’ve been smiling constantly since returning from knight training.”

That’s because Luden doesn’t love Lorina yet. Because we might be able to stay together longer.

I climbed into the carriage happily.

“I’m just happy because I saw Luden!”

Without telling Lella, I headed to the counseling center. I’d closed for two whole weeks, so I needed to open again.

I’d also sent a letter to Sallen. Telling her I was reopening.

I opened the counseling center door and sighed. I wished more customers would come and make it bustling.

I went to the counseling room, quickly sat at the desk, and was organizing this month’s rent and documents when I heard the bell ring. Seeing the bell I’d hung at the entrance ring, it seemed Sallen had arrived.

But the person who opened the counseling room door was Laysia.

“Oh my, welcome.”

I was just about to send her a letter.

“Can I receive counseling?”

She was clenching both fists. She gave off a feeling like she’d gathered a lot of courage to come here, a solemn feeling.

“Of course.”

I offered her a seat.

That’s how I welcomed my second customer.

* * *

Sallen slowly opened the door. She’d been visiting the counseling center once every three days, but not going for two weeks made her heart feel too frustrated. Being at home suffocated her too much.

She’d been enduring until now, but once she started talking, there was no end.

‘I wanted to die. Why are you saying such things to me?’

She recalled shouting like that at Annelia.

Her past self came out and cried, and she kept vomiting emotions and emptying them, but living like before for two weeks felt like dying.

So she often lingered around the counseling center.

She rushed over as soon as she received Annelia’s letter.

When she opened the door, she heard a woman crying.

“So I couldn’t cry.”

Hearing the sobbing voice, she realized someone else had already come for counseling. Soon after, Annelia’s gentle voice was heard.

“It’s not your fault.”

Hearing those words, Sallen pressed her chest.

Ah…

No one listened to her story. Even though everyone knew it wasn’t her fault, they all told her to endure.

But Annelia was different. When she visited, Annelia listened to her story, and when she vomited her emotions, Annelia silently took her side. Spoke to her gently. Did she know how sweet that was?

Hmm.

From the looks of it, she’d just burst into tears not long ago.

It seemed she’d have to wait a bit. But the door opened and Annelia came out.

“You’re here.”

Annelia smiled at Sallen.

“It seemed like someone was already in counseling…”

“Mm, it would probably be better to make appointments, right? That way Sallen won’t have to wait.”

At Annelia’s words, Sallen nodded.

“I’ll do that.”

“Then let’s talk here.”

Annelia guided Sallen to an empty room.

“There’s a customer.”

“She won’t stop crying. I think I need to give her some time to calm down.”

Tears were welling in Annelia’s eyes too.

“She must have many sad things too.”

Sallen smiled bitterly.

“That’s right.”

“It’s so amazing that I can cry freely here.”

At Sallen’s words, Annelia nodded.

“Right. That’s how it is. But what story did you come to tell today?”

Sallen sat in the chair and began her story.

* * *

Long blonde hair swayed. The ornament in her hair seemed newly bought by her husband.

‘Madam, hello.’

Count Pahel’s name was Amon. The mistress wore a ring engraved with Amon’s name and naturally showed it to Sallen.

‘This ring, I had it custom made.’

‘It’s beautiful.’

Sallen spoke indifferently to the mistress like always. She’d lived enduring for too many years to react passionately. Sallen walked slowly past the mistress Alline.

But Alline shouted from behind.

‘That position will be mine anyway, so how about stepping down gracefully?’

At those words, Sallen, who was heading to the counseling center, hesitated. She tried to just ignore it and pass by, but somehow her words stuck in her heart.

‘Not now.’

Sallen smiled brightly.

Not yet.

What?

‘I’m still the wife. You’re just a mistress.’

Sallen said that and looked at Alline.

‘My husband is fickle. Be careful.’

At Sallen’s words, Alline’s face reddened.

‘Even though you’re not loved.’

‘If you think I’m lying, investigate my husband’s past.’

Alline closed her mouth for a moment. She too knew well about Amon’s past. But because Amon said he was sincere only with her, she believed him.

‘Then I’ll be going.’

Sallen bowed her head to her. And as she left the mansion, she ran into her son. The son frowned seeing Sallen.

‘Did you say something to the mistress?’

‘I just told her the truth.’

‘Raising your voice at the mistress – that’s why Father hates you, Mother.’

Even without such things, her husband ignored and hated her. Before, she would have spoken gently to her son, but not anymore.

And she met Annelia and told her about what happened with the mistress and son today.

“I know I’m pathetic.”

Sallen smiled bitterly. She thought Annelia might get tired of it too since the same things kept repeating.

“You were hurt.”

Annelia drank a cup of tea.

‘Was I?’

Sallen pressed firmly near her chest. That part hurt so much. It felt like her inner self was begging for someone to acknowledge the pain.

Annelia smiled gently. That smile was so warm that Sallen shed tears without realizing it.

She didn’t wail like before. She just cried quietly. It was strange that she’d vomited so many emotions that she didn’t cry her heart out like before.

“Sallen has already vomited many emotions. You’ve started crying more naturally than before. Of course, that doesn’t mean everything’s resolved.”

It felt like her chest had opened up. She used to beat her chest because it felt so frustrated, but that had decreased a lot. Sallen thought it was amazing.

“Sallen, how do you want to live from now on?”

At Annelia’s question, Sallen was at a loss for words.

It was a question she always thought about.

How should she live?

At Annelia’s question, she couldn’t say anything.

* * *

I looked at Sallen. I really wanted to shut up both the mistress and the son.

I wouldn’t say anything if Sallen had done something wrong.

Let’s say the mistress could do that to keep the wife in check. Because she’s a stranger. But the son was family. When someone close treats you coldly, it hurts more. Because of the special emotions that come with the name of family.

Sallen pondered my question for a long time, then shed tears.

“I can’t think of anything.”

Sallen shook her head. Like seeking an answer from me.

“You can keep living like this and come vent to me occasionally. That’s Sallen’s choice.”

“Is that so?”

“People say resignation is bad, but it’s also hard to tell someone who’s actually experiencing it to change. Because it’s that person’s life, and you can give advice about that life, but only that person can change it.”

Sallen nodded.

“Will you give me advice?”

Am I qualified to give advice?

After pondering, I just told her.

“I think I’d try not to be ignored. Not with words, of course. Because words won’t work on them.”

“I heard about how Annelia scolded Duke Hanel’s son.”

“Haha, I just did that. I just wanted to show someone who looked down on me that I’m not insignificant.”

Sallen’s eyes wavered.

“I don’t want to be touched either. I don’t want to be hurt, and I want to stop suppressing my emotions stoically about everything.”

After vomiting her emotions, Sallen must have realized. How much sadness she’d lived suppressing.

“Sallen has suppressed too much. That’s why you’ve become numb. I don’t want you to live like that. Then you should take what’s yours and escaping is also one method!”

Sallen tilted her head.

“Take what’s mine and escape?”

“Sallen, are buildings and such in the household under your husband’s name?”

“No. My husband hates working. So I always managed them, and they’re in my name.”

Oh my goodness! I cheered inwardly.

“What about money?”

“I manage it. Of course, I always managed it so my husband’s money wouldn’t run out.”

“What about estate management?”

“I did it. I’m the one who built up the household, so without me, things don’t work.”

“Does your son know?”

“He doesn’t know well.”

So the wife did all the work, and the husband ignored his capable wife and just spent money. I don’t understand the husband’s attitude at all! But anyway, Sallen had a chance to strike back. More than enough.

“One more thing. Sallen, do you want a divorce? If you place meaning on being a countess, I won’t tell you to divorce.”

“I don’t particularly care. I let go of any attachment long ago. Only my father is attached to it.”

Sallen spoke bitterly.

“Sallen, do you love your father?”

“I loved him.”

She did before, but not now.

“How about this?”

I explained the plan that came to mind. Sallen’s hands were trembling.

“But!”

“Sallen needs to live too.”

Since I was listening to her, Sallen could breathe for now. But living like this would soon reach a limit. If she didn’t resolve the situation now, Sallen would have to keep living in a hellish reality.

Of course, the choice was Sallen’s.

“My advice ends here. I can introduce you to someone.”

Sallen was silent for a moment.