Intending only to check if any of Diez’s belongings were there before leaving, he approached the box. The first things that caught his eye were several leather belts that clearly belonged to his father.

They were objects so hateful he didn’t even want to touch them. I should have these burned today. With that thought, Jürgen shifted his gaze to the items hidden deeper inside.

Something that looked like a small book particularly caught his eye. Was it because it created a strange sense of incongruity mixed among the other items?

When he took it out, he saw it wasn’t a book but something like a thick journal. Judging by the worn appearance, it seemed to have been used over quite a long period.

Jürgen opened the first page. A familiar handwriting elegantly filled the page.

None other than his father’s handwriting.

‘To my son, Jürgen.’

‘With my death, you will inherit many things. I believe you will excellently fulfill your duties as the heir to the ducal family.’

‘You probably didn’t know, but I have thoroughly prepared the legacy I would leave you for a long time.’

‘The family, title, and mansion that should naturally become yours….. But somehow those alone didn’t satisfy me. Is that all I could give you?’

‘You are my son, Jürgen. Although you may not want to acknowledge it, you must know it yourself. The fact that you have strongly inherited my blood.’

‘Do you truly believe you can continue a life of abstinence?’

Jürgen’s fingertips trembled slightly as he turned the page. He glared at the journal in his hand with a face mixed equally with anger and shock.

Reading down the letters, Jürgen, as if captivated by something, stopped at the next sentence.

‘Don’t think I didn’t know about the young lady you secretly liked, my son.’

* * *

Since the day Jürgen had scolded her, Diez had not once faced him. It was as if they weren’t even staying in the same mansion.

Of course, considering that they wouldn’t have many overlapping routines, it wasn’t something to question much. Moreover, his mansion had a size befitting the prestige of a ducal family.

Diez spent most of her time in her bedroom. Except when eating meals or occasionally taking light walks around the mansion.

Perhaps Jürgen had decided to no longer take interest in her. Considering his initial attitude, this change seemed natural. Even if he had shown strange kindness at times, his feelings of aversion toward Diez would likely remain the same.

But the occasional words that reached her ears kept drawing Diez’s attention. They were all about Jürgen, the head of the family.

‘I wonder if there’s something not going well for him these days.’

‘Right? Don’t you think the Duke has been acting a bit strange lately?’

Although she hadn’t met Jürgen directly, just hearing the maids’ whispers made his image naturally form in her mind.

‘Seeing his poor complexion, there must be something…’

‘He seemed unable to sleep.’

‘Anyway, everyone be careful not to fall out of the Duke’s favor. Don’t be unnecessarily curious…’

What could be happening? Even though she tried to dismiss it as something unrelated to her, she kept worrying about it.

What difference would it make if I worried?

It’s probably not something I could solve anyway.

However, the unstable psychological state of the family head naturally made the mansion’s atmosphere unsettling. Diez, who was staying at the ducal mansion as a guest, couldn’t be free from it either.

Not many days after these peaceful yet precarious days continued, something ominous began to happen.

While dozing off after doing embroidery to kill time, Diez was startled awake by a sudden ear-splitting noise.

Bang! Bang! Someone was shooting a gun outside the mansion. She hurriedly opened the window to check outside, but no one around was holding a gun.

Then, another gunshot rang out.

Judging by the sound coming from the nearby forest, it seemed someone had gone hunting.

Could it be the Duke?

Diez also knew that sons of noble families sometimes hunted as a hobby.

It’s probably nothing. That day passed like that.

However, Diez continued to hear gunshots from time to time afterward. One day in the quiet afternoon, another day around dusk when darkness began to fall.

There was even a time when she was startled awake by gunshots tearing through the air at dawn when everyone was asleep.

By this point, her growing concerns could no longer be suppressed.

Could it be someone other than the Duke? Was some ruffian trespassing on private property and hunting without permission?

The occasional gunshots showed no signs of stopping, and the unsettling atmosphere in the mansion showed no signs of improvement.

The maids were more careful than ever with their behavior. The deathly quiet air inside the mansion naturally made everyone watch each other cautiously, and sometimes created the illusion that it was difficult even to breathe.

‘Something must have happened to the Duke.’

On the day when these worried whispers happened to reach her ears, an unprecedented downpour began.

While quietly immersed in reading a book, listening to the rain pounding against the windows with frightening intensity, Diez gasped at the sound of gunshots once again.

In this weather, was someone hunting outside?

It was a day when not only hunting but even going outdoors should be avoided. But this was neither an auditory hallucination nor anything else—it was something actually happening.

Of course, it might be unnecessary meddling. She would have nothing to say if she was scolded for worrying about matters that didn’t concern her.

But she could no longer pretend not to notice. Diez finally gathered her courage to leave her bedroom and caught the nearest servant to ask,

“Do you know where the Duke is right now?”

The servant couldn’t answer immediately. Even without hearing a response, Diez could understand what was happening.

“The Duke is outside, isn’t he?”

“Well……”

Am I missing something important? Diez was about to ask but closed her mouth. What good would it do to ask the servant? That thought occurred to her.

Her actions preceded her thoughts. As Diez ran straight toward the outside of the mansion, surprised maids called out,

“Miss, the rain is……”

Diez didn’t wait for them to finish. Running out in her dress as she was, Diez began sprinting toward the nearby forest.

The fierce raindrops, which made it difficult to distinguish what was in front of her, instantly drenched her entire body. As her water-soaked dress became heavier, Diez ran while holding up her skirt with both hands. Her indoor shoes had already disappeared somewhere.

Running barefoot through the forest, Diez suddenly remembered that it had been a very long time since she had run this much. She was gradually becoming out of breath, and her whole body was heating up.

Am I doing something that will get me scolded again? For acting recklessly.

But she couldn’t turn back now. She was certain that Jürgen was somewhere in the forest.

Another gunshot rang out. She seemed to be getting considerably closer to the source, but it was still difficult to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from.

“Your Grace!”

Diez called out. Even if her voice was drowned out by the rain, she didn’t give up and continued calling for Jürgen.

“Your Grace, Duke Klaus!”

Her dress had become so heavy that she could barely take another step. Diez leaned against a large tree trunk, panting for breath. Where could the Duke be?

If I’ve made a ridiculous mistake…

If I face the Duke looking like this, I’ll be scolded again……

As she trembled with chills and barely held onto her consciousness that was becoming hazy, she felt someone grab her shoulder. Startled, Diez screamed and hurriedly turned around.

Jürgen, equally soaked by the rain, was looking down at her while holding a hunting rifle.

“……Diez.”

Diez couldn’t say anything, her blue eyes wide open. The Duke’s condition looked poor even to her, who was half out of her mind.

His bloodshot eyes seemed to directly tell her that he had indeed been sleepless for a long time. In a voice trembling from chills, Diez struggled to ask about his complexion, which looked much worse than when she had last seen him.

“I, I wanted to know what was happening.”

“How could you come outside in this weather dressed like that?”

“Y-you first…… Then why are you……”

Her legs gave way. As Diez was about to collapse, Jürgen hurriedly caught her and held her in his arms. Clutching his clothes, she rambled incoherently.

“I was scared. Everyone was watching cautiously as if frightened…… You were nowhere to be seen. And ominous sounds kept coming from outside……”

“Miss Schleicher, you really……”

“Please don’t scold me.”

She pleaded in a whisper.

“I don’t want to be scolded by you. I don’t want to be hated anymore……”

Jürgen kept talking to her as if trying to keep her conscious, but everything had already begun to fade. Diez, who lost consciousness right then, couldn’t remember what happened afterward.

She couldn’t possibly remember that Jürgen had carried her in his arms back to the mansion, that he had ordered the maids to prepare warm bath water.

Nor could she remember that his voice, as he gave these instructions, was filled with urgency unlike his usual self.

* * *

Diez’s immune system, having spent most of her time confined in the mansion, apparently couldn’t withstand the cold rain. The report from the servant further dampened Jürgen’s mood.

‘It seems Miss Schleicher has caught a severe cold.’

Jürgen ordered that she be given a better bedroom. He also called for medical staff to ensure she received quality treatment.

But he couldn’t bring himself to visit her personally to apologize.

He simply didn’t have the face to do so. There was no way he could make a sick call in his right mind. Just thinking about pretending nothing had happened and acting hypocritically in front of her made him feel like vomiting.

You are my son, Jürgen.

Do you truly believe you can continue a life of abstinence?