When she had just brought up the embroidery idea and returned, she had felt some regret, but now, seeing the embroidery tools before her, she felt somewhat excited.

Of course, she knew they weren’t given so she could idly pass time, but it felt like returning to the old days.

That afternoon truly flew by quickly. Just designing patterns for embroidery and selecting materials took a ridiculous two hours.

She had worried that her skills might have deteriorated after not touching a needle for several years, but fortunately, Diez’s hands remembered the sensation.

‘Thankfully, it’s not as bad as I feared.’

Perhaps about five hours had passed since she became deeply immersed in embroidery. By then, the sun was already setting.

Diez, who had been concentrating intently, paused when she sensed someone approaching the door.

‘Who could it be?’

The moment she raised her head, she heard a knock. But before she could answer, the door flung open and the person revealed himself.

It was Jürgen. His gaze, dressed impeccably as always, shifted from Diez to the circular embroidery hoop she was holding.

Jürgen stared at the hoop for a moment before looking at Diez again. As if asking: Did I interrupt you in the middle of something?

While she hesitated whether to answer, he closed the door and approached. Standing at an appropriate distance that didn’t feel too close, he asked in a dry tone,

“How is the embroidery going?”

“Ah, fortunately, it seems I haven’t forgotten much. Though I need to refresh my memory for some techniques……”

Would he ask to see her embroidery? The embroidery that had seemed fine just moments ago suddenly felt clumsy and amateurish.

‘Will there ever come a day when I won’t feel tense in front of him?’

She was certain that she no longer feared Jürgen, but that didn’t mean she felt comfortable with him. He was still Diez’s creditor and the Duke of Klaus, with an authority that made it difficult to even look at him directly.

Contrary to her small concern, Jürgen showed little interest in her embroidery. However, while he seemed to have come with some purpose…… the problem was that he was just silently standing there.

Perhaps noticing that Diez was frozen with awkwardness, Jürgen spoke again.

“Continue what you were doing. Don’t mind me.”

But there was something off about his words.

‘Doesn’t he realize it’s impossible not to mind?’

Though part of the ducal mansion, it was a small and shabby bedroom. Even she, once the most brilliant lady in society, had come to resemble her bedroom over the years. Her insignificant-feeling self and the only space freely allowed to her.

Having such a man, who couldn’t help but stand out more than anyone, in such a place naturally caused an inexplicable anxiety. He was a man who didn’t belong in such a shabby space. His presence alone made it feel as if something was fundamentally out of place.

‘He wouldn’t have sought me out without any purpose……’

“Why do you keep glancing at me?”

“Wh-What?”

After being lost in brief thought, he suddenly threw a question at her like an ambush. In her surprise, Diez even stammered.

Though no longer threatening, he was giving her a look that was sufficient to intimidate her.

“Does my presence bother you?”

“Ah…… that’s not it.”

“I’ve been wanting to say this for a while, but you need to stop telling useless lies in front of me.”

“I haven’t…… lied.”

‘As if you wouldn’t be equally displeased if I honestly told the truth.’

Why did he suddenly come into her bedroom and pick a fight……

Though it hadn’t been long since she first exchanged words with Jürgen, her impression of him was firmly taking shape in Diez’s mind.

He was a taciturn but not cruel man, a man with a different atmosphere and coloring from the late Duke, and…….

Occasionally, no, quite often, he made her think:

He is undoubtedly an unpredictable, irrational, and strange man.

At one point he had treated her coldly as if he couldn’t stand the sight of her, and now he had suddenly barged in and was picking a pointless fight.

‘It was clearly the Duke who said he wanted me out of his sight……’

He was a man impossible to figure out.

That was another reason why the day she could feel comfortable with Jürgen seemed far off.

‘Besides, it’s the Duke who’s staring at me without any reason.’

Of course, she kept such thoughts quietly to herself.

Thinking that if she remained frozen like this, he might pick another fight, Diez decided to deliberately ignore Jürgen and once again inserted the needle into the cloth.

He said himself to continue what I was doing, so he can’t complain.

Thinking this, she continued embroidering lily of the valley on the cloth, while Jürgen still stood firmly in place. His gaze was still fixed steadily on Diez.

Naturally, he hadn’t visited Diez just to pick a fight. In fact, Jürgen was just as perplexed.

When he had just arrived at the mansion, he clearly had a reason for wanting to meet Diez.

What was it again?

He wasn’t a man who acted without reason. Everything he did had a proper reason and basis.

The same should have been true for visiting Diez’s bedroom.

The reason Jürgen was staring at her was truly because of this. Until he was heading to her bedroom, he seemed to have had some definite purpose…….

Jürgen barely held onto his increasingly blank mind and calmly tried to recall the reason for visiting Diez.

But he couldn’t find the answer.

Only the words spoken by a man he’d rather not remember kept circling in his mind.

What was your father’s last mistress’s name again.

Diez Schleicher…… that was her name. Right?

Perhaps his visit to Diez was simply driven by impulse? Had Leopold’s ominous interest in her planted anxiety in his heart?

Like the uneasiness one feels about a precious object safely hidden somewhere in the house—knowing it’s there, yet suddenly needing to check. Perhaps he was now acting like a fool who opens a drawer to quell some inexplicable anxiety that can only be soothed by visual confirmation.

In reality, his complicated mind had calmed the moment he saw her face.

Upon realizing this, Jürgen felt compelled to make some excuse. Despite clearly holding the hierarchical advantage, he occasionally forgot this fact.

“Are you satisfied with the embroidery kit?”

So he ended up asking this pathetic question. Diez hadn’t expected such a sudden question about the kit either, as she awkwardly managed only to nod.

“Thank you for granting my request.”

“If you need anything else, let me know. You can relay it through the servants.”

“……Thank you.”

“And about repaying your debt through embroidery.”

At that moment, as his gaze drifted toward the unfinished embroidery, Jürgen impulsively blurted out,

“You don’t need to dedicate yourself to it seriously. How much could you possibly earn with such a thing? Just think of it as going through the motions. I never expected you to produce any meaningful results with mere embroidery anyway.”

“……”

“Wasn’t it just for the sake of appearances that you made such a proposal to me in the first place?”

“That’s right.”

She answered in a diminished voice.

“So don’t feel burdened. I think the suggestion I made that morning was somewhat hasty.”

“……What?”

“I mean exactly that—it was hasty. The idea of sending you outside the mansion.”

Diez looked up at him as if demanding a more detailed explanation. As if wondering what his intentions were.

But Jürgen, not wanting to elaborate further, briefly added,

“Don’t worry about being thrown out. On second thought, I think it’s much better to keep you in the mansion.”

“What does that……”

“Don’t skip dinner.”

As though he had no intention of continuing the conversation, or as though he’s trying to escape an awkward situation, he immediately turned around and left the bedroom.

Diez, staring confusedly at the space he had vacated, murmured,

“What exactly were you trying to say?”

The questions he left behind remained unresolved.

So what was Jürgen’s reason for visiting me? No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t find an answer, so Diez let out a small sigh and lowered her gaze back to the embroidery hoop.

* * *

On a day flowing as ordinarily as any other, his secretary asked him a question while he was visiting the company to hear important reports.

“Duke, do you have something troubling you these days?”

When he gave a questioning look, the secretary, though somewhat hesitant, continued,

“Well…… you look more tired than before. I wondered if something might be keeping you from sleeping well.”

Why? Suddenly feeling as if a shameful secret had been discovered, Jürgen answered in a subdued voice,

“Isn’t it natural when I have more matters to attend to these days?”

“I wonder if my concern was presumptuous.”

“Don’t worry about it and just prepare the documents you’re responsible for.”

Despite his words, the secretary had essentially seen through his situation correctly. It was true that Jürgen had been having trouble sleeping lately.

His insomnia had begun precisely from that day. Ever since that night when Diez unexpectedly appeared in his dream, causing him to become aroused, Jürgen had grown fearful of falling asleep.

Afraid of having the same dream and making the same mistake again.

Fortunately, he hadn’t dreamed of putting Diez in his bed again, but he still couldn’t shake off his anxiety.