Amel closed her eyes and panted for breath. All she could hear was her own soft, ragged breathing. Haa… haa… Amel tried to steady her breathing, but she was trembling all over.

Her legs shook as though seized by spasms and she could feel herself growing damp and wet between her thighs. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to touch herself there, so she simply continued to tremble.

Amel ran her palm over her lower abdomen. A dull, stabbing ache pricked her lower belly. As the spasms subsided, a hollow sense of emptiness washed over her.

At the same time, she felt the urge to urinate. She had been drunk at the inn and couldn’t remember experiencing this kind of afterglow before. Yet the aftermath felt even more awkward and uncomfortable.

They weren’t husband and wife, nor were they lovers. And yet, they had shared an intimate bond. In a way, it was irresponsible. But it was precisely this irresponsibility that made it liberating.

Now that the afterglow had passed, she felt awkward and hollow. Her heart felt strangely light. She had been born into a conservative noble family and had lived every moment of her life weighed down by responsibility.

But now, she had simply given up. She had already broken off her engagement, and the broken engagement itself was a blemish.

Would it really matter if she acquired one more stain here? At this stage, worrying about propriety seemed almost laughable. Even if she returned to the marriage market, no respectable family would consider her a suitable match.

She had long since passed the usual age for marriage, and she had been engaged for ten years. Typically, when an engagement ended in this manner, the man’s family would be expected to offer a polite apology and assist the woman in finding another suitable partner.

But if Daniel had been capable of such courtesy, he wouldn’t have carried on his affair so brazenly in the first place.

For now, Amel simply felt empty and dazed. Once the afterglow had faded, a hollow feeling remained between her thighs.

Her heart felt light, yet empty. She couldn’t identify the emotion. Cervel tied off the used condom, stood up, and held it in his hand.

There was a trash bin in the room, but instead of throwing it away there, he carried it over to the fireplace and disposed of it in the flames.

Amel lay there weakly, watching him. Cervel approached her as he adjusted the front of his robe.

“Does your stomach hurt?”

Seeing her touch her abdomen, he moved toward the head of the bed.

“No. It’s just a little sore.”

“Does it hurt?”

“No… I’m fine.”

“Is there anywhere else that feels uncomfortable?”

Amel awkwardly pulled the blanket over herself, covering her body.

“…I don’t have any strength left.”

All the strength had drained from her arms and legs, leaving them limp. Cervel lightly tapped her cheek with his hand.

“Lie down for a while.”

“No, I should get up. If you could just close your eyes for a moment…”

Amel let her voice trail off as she glanced at him uncertainly.

Cervel closed his eyes and turned his back to her.

“Please stay like that for a moment.”

While Cervel was facing away, Amel hurriedly picked up her negligee. She slipped her head through the opening and pulled the skirt down.

As she smoothed out the wrinkled fabric, Cervel spoke.

“I’m going to Haska Mine tomorrow.”

“Pardon?”

She had missed what he said while getting dressed. Amel turned toward him.

“Where did you say you’re going?”

When the rustling stopped, Cervel turned around.

“I’m going to Haska Mine. I’ll be leaving early in the morning, so I’ll probably be gone by the time you wake up, Miss Amel.”

“What time are you leaving?”

“Six.”

“That’s so early.”

“Yeah.”

“What are you going there for?”

“To inspect the mine.”

“Are you going yourself, Your Grace?”

“I could just receive a report, but seeing things firsthand is more accurate. So I’ll go myself.”

“It must be important.”

“We received a report that production has dropped significantly recently, so I’m going to investigate. If I want to return before dinner, I’ll have to leave early.”

Amel looked at him quietly before nodding.

‘If he’s leaving early, he should get to bed early, too.’

‘I should go. That way, he’ll be able to rest.’

Amel picked up the robe she had taken off and left beneath the sofa.

“I’ll be going now.”

“You’re leaving already?”

“I’d like to go before the maids arrive. You won’t be able to rest unless I leave, too.”

Amel looked at him calmly. Perhaps she was being too matter-of-fact, but they weren’t close enough to share the afterglow of the night together in bed.

“Get some rest, Your Grace.”

***

When Amel woke up in the morning, Cervel had already left.

He had said he would leave early, and apparently he had departed before sunrise.

She heard that he had taken all the knights of the Grand Ducal House with him.

It seemed that he had gone to the Haska Mine, as he had mentioned the previous evening.

Amel had slept in and missed him leaving.

Cervel was partly to blame for her oversleeping.

She hadn’t noticed it the night before, but when she got up, her whole body felt heavy.

Nothing actually hurt, but she felt subtly sore all over.

Even after opening her eyes, she continued to toss and turn in bed for quite some time.

“My lady, it’s time for breakfast!”

Lilline brought breakfast to her room.

“Would you like to eat in bed, my lady?”

Since she had slept in, Amel decided to enjoy breakfast in bed.

Leaning against the cushions and basking in the morning sunlight, she watched as Lilline brought her breakfast on a tray.

The seafood soup was free of any fishy smell and tasted light and delicate.

Having finished her meal while still in her nightdress, Amel stepped out onto the terrace to enjoy the sunshine.

“My lady, would you like a cup of black tea on the terrace?”

Lilline set up a tea table on the terrace and poured her a cup.

“Isn’t the sunlight making you feel all warm and drowsy?”

“Mm.”

“The sea is sparkling so beautifully, too. My lady, look over there. The sunlight shimmering on the water is gorgeous.”

Amel gazed at the glittering sea beyond the terrace for a long while. Beneath the clear, cloudless sky, the breeze was gentle and calm.

Before long, Lilline turned toward Amel with a smile.

“My lady, the weather is so lovely. Shall we go out for a short walk?”

“Now?”

Lilline encouraged her to go outside, and that was how Amel ended up getting dressed and heading out.

“Oh, isn’t that the bonnet you bought at the market that day?”

Lilline pointed to the wide-brimmed bonnet.

It was the one Cervel had bought for Amel at the market. The hat was made of cream-colored cotton and decorated with a wide ribbon.

“You must really like it. You have other hats, too, but you chose to wear this one again.”

“I happened to see it.”

Amel reached up to adjust the ribbon beneath her chin, which felt uncomfortable.

Noticing that the bonnet’s ribbon was crooked, Lilline untied it. She straightened the shape of the hat before tying the ribbon again.

“I think the head maid was absolutely right.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

‘What had the head maid said again?’

When Amel asked what she meant, Lilline replied.

“She said that your face looks brighter now that you’ve broken off your engagement.”

“Oh. She said something like that yesterday.”

‘That I looked better after breaking off my engagement.’

‘Did everyone think I looked so dejected because my engagement had ended? They all seem desperate to find some way to comfort me.’

“My lady, I probably sound like I’m just saying that to make you feel better, don’t I?”

“Weren’t you?”

“No, I mean it, my lady. You might not notice it yourself, but I’ve been watching you all this time, haven’t I?”

“Yes, but…”

“Your face really has become more radiant. It’s as though a summer rose has fully bloomed. Your whole face has blossomed.”

“Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?”

“No. I really mean it…”

Amel shrugged.

‘I don’t really notice it myself.’

After breaking off her engagement and going through all that hardship, it wasn’t as though her face should have improved. If anything, it should have looked worse.

‘Then what was different?’

Amel touched her cheek absently before looking up at the sky.

The sunlight was harsh, but the sea breeze was pleasantly cool and refreshing.

‘Ah… Could this be it?’

Her heart felt lighter, and with that came a sense of ease.

Unlike the capital, where buildings stood packed together and crowds filled the streets, this place was quiet and uncrowded.

‘I see.’

Certainly, it did feel as though a little breathing room had opened up in her life after breaking off her engagement.

“Something definitely has changed.”

***

Cervel finally returned late in the evening.

He had left with the Knights of the Grand Ducal House, but now he was alone.

He arrived on a white horse that Amel had never seen before. Its gleaming mane revealed it to be a well-kept warhorse, its muscular frame visible from quite a distance.

Cervel dismounted and walked towards the villa.

Amel looked down at him from the hallway.

Cervel was speaking with one of the villa’s servants when he looked up. Amel greeted him with a nod through the window and he returned the greeting casually, tilting his chin slightly.

While Amel stood in the hallway looking out of the window, Cervel came upstairs.

“You’re back.”

Cervel noticed Amel and approached her.

“Why are you out here?”

“I was taking a leisurely walk after dinner. Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.”

“Shall I have them bring your dinner to your room?”

Cervel nodded.

When Amel glanced to the side, Lilline tactfully excused herself.

Amel turned her attention back to Cervel.

“Did everything go well at the mine?”

“Yeah.”

“What about the people who went with you?”

“I sent them somewhere else for a while.”

Amel nodded slowly.

‘Where did he send them?’

Had he sent them all off on leave?

She was a little curious, but she didn’t ask.

There was no need to pry into it. She didn’t really want to know the details.