While there was somewhat of an accepting atmosphere for male nobles to indirectly operate trading companies since they were responsible for livelihoods, it was different for women.

With many believing a woman’s role was to care for the home, a noble woman engaging in outside work would clearly cause significant scandal.

Moreover, this would bring not only me but also my family and Father into gossip.

Throughout my two years running the trading company, I had never revealed my identity to anyone, nor had I been discovered.

At least, that’s what I believed—until this very moment meeting Duke Esteban.

Thinking about it again, something seemed strange.

“Rose,” the head of “Black Rose Trading Company,” was publicly known as a commoner. It made no sense for him, the Duke of Esteban, to propose to someone like me.

He must have proposed because he knew I was a noble, thinking our conditions matched and everything aligned.

Of course, this was merely my speculation, so after taking a moment to organize my thoughts, I immediately asked:

“Do you perhaps… know who I am?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Though the Duke pretended not to know at my question, his expression subtly hardened.

Seeing this, I was certain. He definitely knew my identity. But why would he pretend not to know?

“You proposed marriage to me.”

A high noble like him couldn’t possibly be unaware. In noble families, marriage was an act of weighing and comparing each other’s conditions.

“Do you still not understand my question?”

At my question, the Duke’s gaze deepened. After staring at his thoughtful expression for some time, he finally spoke.

“Ah. So that’s what you meant when you asked if I knew who you were?”

“What?”

“I thought you were baiting me to show you something interesting. And to answer you, I did know.”

At that moment, my heart sank.

Something that didn’t feel real when it existed only as a vague suspicion felt different once it became a “fact.”

I felt anxious.

“What do you mean by ‘did know’?”

At my words, the Duke swept his bangs back once, picked up his teacup, brought it to his lips, and answered deliberately slowly.

“The difference between pretending not to know and knowing but choosing not to mention it.”

“What does that…”

Just as I was looking at him with puzzled eyes:

“I met you, Levedi Ophelia, in front of the courthouse two years ago.”

“……!”

He whispered with his voice lowered considerably.

‘What, we’ve met before? Could it be…’

In that moment, the puzzle pieces I had been pondering seemed to fit together. In this situation that finally formed a complete picture, my first thought was:

“What does that have to do with you helping me? It seems excessive as a thank-you for helping that child back then.”

“I told you. I’m proposing marriage.”

“Marriage isn’t something to speak of lightly. And if you know my identity, you shouldn’t casually mention such things.”

Levedi Ophelia. I hated my name. After my divorce, it had become a name virtually buried in society. Just for that one reason—being divorced.

It was also one of the reasons I had been obsessively focused on my trading company work for the past two years, using the pseudonym Rose.

Given all this, I couldn’t understand why he would propose to me.

But my doubts were soon resolved.

“Mommy, can I live with you every day now?”

Looking down, the child in my arms was gazing at me with sparkling eyes.

And after examining him, the Duke said:

“I’m proposing a contract marriage.”

“A contract marriage?”

“…I heard you promised to become that child’s mother.”

“That was…”

I wanted to say it just happened while comforting the child…

But seeing the loving eyes of the child looking up at me, I couldn’t bring myself to say such words.

And adding fuel to the fire, unexpected words escaped from between the Duke’s lips.

“That child has longed only for you since that day two years ago.”

“What?”

I couldn’t help but widen my eyes at these unexpected words.

The moment I asked in surprise, a faint melancholy flashed across the Duke’s eyes. Then, lowering his eyelids, he added:

“He turned the ducal residence upside down, making a fuss about where his mother was and demanding we bring her. The servants went without sleep for months trying to comfort him. He’s calmed down a bit lately, but…”

“……”

“…He still has that void of not having a mother.”

The Duke’s words made my heart ache. I glanced down at the child in my arms.

The child, meeting my eyes, smiled broadly. However, his eyes gazing at me were trembling anxiously. After smiling for a while, he carefully opened his mouth:

“Mommy, are you going to leave again?”

The word “again” felt like a heavy stone lodged in my chest. Back then, I had merely left a child I was comforting, but to him, it had been an unforgettable wound.

Should I have just brushed him off rather than acting awkwardly? But that was in the past. Regret was futile.

So what should I do now?

‘Marriage to the Duke.’

Holding the small, soft hand of the fidgeting child lightly, I sank into contemplation.

But no matter how much I thought about it, marriage seemed too unreasonable. Especially for me, having lost so much from one marriage already, deciding on the next one like this… it didn’t seem right.

After deliberation, I opened my mouth.

“Your Grace, could you take the child for a moment?”

Realizing instantly that I was asking him to leave, Elysion’s eyes began to moisten.

“Mommy, do you hate Elysion? Do you… hate seeing me?”

“…Uh, no?”

“Then can’t Elysion see Mommy every day? Daddy said if I just waited a little longer, I could see you. Was that all a lie?”

Elysion whimpered with his cheeks puffed up.

“Even though you said… you’d be my mommy…?”

And that was when it happened.

The Duke approached me and lifted Elysion.

“Shh, Sion, be good. Stop being fussy and come here.”

“No! Daddy, you liar! You said after a hundred nights passed, I could see Mommy! You said she would really become my mommy!”

“Elysion!”

The Duke called him in a stern tone, and tears immediately welled up in Elysion’s eyes. Seeing Elysion reluctantly being held by the Duke made my heart ache. But I quickly turned my head away.

‘My life is already burdensome enough.’

I didn’t want to create more burdens.

❀❀❀

How much time had passed since the Duke carried Elysion outside?

Just as I was growing tired of waiting while fidgeting with my teacup, the Duke appeared.

When we met again, he looked somewhat tired.

“I’m late.”

“Not at all.”

“I feel like I’ve been quite rude.”

The Duke’s eyes were troubled. Somehow, I could understand. Why he had invested money in my trading company, arranged this meeting, and proposed.

“It’s not your fault. It’s because I made a promise I couldn’t keep two years ago.”

“No, my lady, you’re not at fault.”

From that point, silence flowed between the Duke and me for a while. Perhaps because we both understood each other’s feelings.

It must be an awkward situation. Who could have known the child would miss me and follow me for two years?

It was the same for me; in fact, this current situation was somewhat unbelievable.

Along with that, though I knew rejection was the right thing, I kept doubting whether that decision was truly correct.

The hurt look in the child’s eyes as he clung to the Duke kept coming to mind.

“It’s strange. He’s not a child who easily gives affection to anyone.”

“Really?”

At the Duke’s words, my intense first meeting with Elysion flashed through my mind.

He had made the absurd proposal that he would be my mother if I would be his mother.

His boldness and childlike innocence had been lovable. Enchanted by that, I had unknowingly parted without correcting his belief.

It left a slightly bitter taste.

“I thought he was originally a friendly child, so this is surprising.”

At my words, the Duke’s eyes widened.

“Friendly? Are you sure you’re talking about that child?”

“What?”

“Actually, as you might know, that child is my late sister’s son.”

“…Ah.”

Now I understood.

Two years ago, on that day, Elysion had clearly called him uncle.

But I had been wondering why he called him father today.

‘So that’s it.’

The Duke was raising his deceased sister’s child.

But there was still one curiosity that hadn’t been resolved.

“May I ask just one thing?”

At my question, the Duke looked at me with wide eyes, then nodded indifferently.

“Go ahead.”

And after a moment’s consideration, I opened my mouth.

“Why are you raising the child instead of his father?”

I asked, recalling the back of the man who had walked away, leaving Elysion behind.

At my question, a troubled expression appeared on the Duke’s face.

“That’s…”

‘Did I misspeak?’

I had asked thinking it was similar in weight to the Duke suddenly proposing marriage to me…

Just as I was beginning to feel uneasy—

“Though I know you’re not the type, please promise you won’t speak of this elsewhere.”

The Duke earnestly requested, looking at me with eyes steeped in anguish.

I nodded reluctantly at his words.

Meanwhile, my curiosity had grown. What circumstances could make the Duke so cautious?

Moreover, should I even be hearing this? I hadn’t even accepted his proposal.

It felt embarrassing to learn about someone else’s secret family history.

“Um, if it’s difficult to talk about…”

I tried to stop him, but the Duke was quicker.

“It’s nothing special, just a common story you could hear anywhere.”

“……”

“My sister and her husband didn’t have a good relationship.”

“Ah.”

“They each wanted different lifestyles. My sister wanted freedom, while my brother-in-law wanted a stable married life.”

His eyes sank a bit darkly as he spoke. Somehow, there was a melancholic aspect to his gaze that involuntarily held my attention.

“After that, well, it’s just the usual story. They gradually drifted apart until it became irreparable.”

“…That’s sad.”

I could only give such a bland response. It didn’t feel like I was hearing someone else’s story.

My relationship with Alex wasn’t much different from that.

As I was sinking into bitter emotions, the Duke nodded and continued:

“The problem was that it didn’t stop at simply hating my sister. That transferred entirely to Elysion, and after my sister passed, he seemed to ignore the child completely.”

“…Ah.”

“So I took in the neglected child after a lawsuit and registered him as my adopted son. That was the day two years ago.”

“I see…”

“Perhaps because of that, the child doesn’t easily open his heart to people. Even to me. It took quite some effort to become close to him.”

The Duke’s words somehow made my heart ache. I couldn’t fathom the hardships this child, who should have been protected and loved, had to endure.

“But he not only called you mommy and followed you, but also looked for you every day for two years.”

From that conversation, various dialogues passed between the Duke and me. But they didn’t deviate much from what we had already discussed, and I finally stood up.

“Thank you for talking with me. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, I’ll be going.”

The Duke looked at me as if bewildered, but I turned away resolutely.

Eventually, as I left the ducal residence and headed toward the carriage, I felt uneasy.

But that was all.

I was someone who struggled to take responsibility for my own life, so I couldn’t be confident about taking responsibility for a child.

❀❀❀

As soon as I left the ducal residence, I saw a carriage waiting in front of the entrance.

After boarding the carriage with the knight’s escort, Ilina, who had been waiting inside, asked in a calm voice:

“You’re back?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of conversation did you have?”

Polite but direct, Ilina launched into questions as soon as I returned to the carriage.

“Nothing special. The Duke confirmed he helped, but said it was just an investment.”

“Ah. I see. That’s surprising.”

‘You don’t look surprised at all.’

Her bland reaction sometimes felt like seeing me in a tired state.

Like looking in a mirror.

Perhaps because of that, I couldn’t help but smile. If not for appearances, I would have wanted to pinch Ilina’s still somewhat chubby cheeks.

Despite her bland reactions, her face still had childlike aspects.

“By the way, where should I tell the coachman to go?”

“Hmm.”

“Should I tell him to go to the main building of the trading company?”

At Ilina’s words, I thought for a moment, then shook my head.

“No.”

Since two years ago, the largest portion of my business had undoubtedly been operating “Single Mothers’ Centers.”

The Single Mothers’ Centers were spaces that provided appropriate work for homeless single mothers and allowed them to live with their children.

Recently, hearing about this, single mothers from all over the country had been coming, leading to the expansion of the centers. I hadn’t rested properly for months while opening new centers.

Though I still had some energy left, I was already exhausted but just couldn’t feel it due to being numb to fatigue. If I pushed myself any further, I might collapse.

I had learned this over the past two years of somewhat excessively running the business. In other words, I desperately needed rest now.

“Then where…”

Ilina sent me a puzzled look, and I answered:

“Tell him to go to the mansion, not the main building of the trading company.”

“Yes, understood.”

Following my order, Ilina got out of the carriage and went to the coachman. How much time had passed since then?

Ilina returned, sat in the seat opposite me, and as the carriage door closed, the carriage departed.

Until then, I had no idea what was happening at the mansion during my absence.

❀❀❀

It would be no exaggeration to say that all high nobles, Count and above, lived together in the “Royal Street,” making the noble residential area very limited.

Therefore, it took less than 30 minutes for me to arrive at the Ophelia mansion—my home—by carriage from the Esteban ducal residence.

The carriage passed through the gate, entered the estate, and stopped at the entrance. As I got out with the knight’s help after the carriage door opened, I noticed butler Andy standing in front of the entrance.

Seeing me, Andy bowed his head in greeting.

“It’s been a while, Miss.”

“It has indeed. Is Father inside the mansion?”

At my question, Andy seemed to consider for a moment before nodding and answering:

“Yes, he is. However…”

But he trailed off, suggesting there was something more. This atmosphere of hiding something raised my curiosity.

“However?”

Unable to hold back, I asked, and after hesitating, Andy carefully answered:

“Your cousin, Master Josh, is also here.”

At that moment, I couldn’t help but freeze. I also realized why Andy had been hesitating.

That was because Josh was the least pleasant among my paternal cousins.

According to his sister and my cousin Leila, he lived a dissolute life, indulging in alcohol and gambling daily. She also said he commonly mistreated the servants.

He probably treated Andy rudely too, which is why he seemed so tense.

Strangely, however, Josh’s public image was quite proper. Even I believed so until a few years ago when I heard about it from Leila, which says it all.

Father must have invited him without knowing Josh’s true nature. But it didn’t matter. I was only going to stay briefly anyway, so what did it matter?

I could just avoid him. Besides, wasn’t he someone who behaved properly in public?

Hence, I was even more puzzled. Why had Andy hesitated to mention such a simple fact? Or had I misread the situation?

It might just be my imagination. He might just not be feeling well. Thinking this, I spoke without much concern.