“Madam, Duke Graham has arrived.”

Rivet announced Ains’s arrival. Since our meeting had been planned the day before, I was already dressed and ready.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Rivet responded cheerfully. Accompanied by Rivet and Sir Taylor, I made my way to the entrance of the estate.

Ains stood next to the carriage, his expression softening when he saw me.

“Did you get home safely yesterday?”

Ains asked as he extended his hand to me. I placed my hand in his.

“As you can see.”

With his help, I climbed into the carriage. Ains joined me shortly afterward.

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Then let’s have a meal first. I’ve made a reservation.”

After saying this, Ains instructed the coachman to set off. The carriage began to move slowly.

I felt a strange sensation.

This was a moment I had longed for in the past—having a meal with Ains outside the estate. I had thought such a moment would never come for us.

Yet now, it was real.

The carriage rolled into the main square of the capital and stopped in front of a restaurant.

Ains got out first and helped me down. We entered the restaurant together.

“I’ll guide you to your table inside.”

The staff, having checked the reservation, led us to our seats. We were seated on the terrace on the second floor, which provided a sense of openness since it wasn’t indoors.

As soon as we sat down, the food began to arrive, likely due to the advance reservation.

“When did you make the reservation?”

This place was known among the nobility as a must-visit restaurant. Securing a prime spot here usually requires booking days in advance.

I was curious about how he managed to arrange it, given the tight schedule after yesterday’s ball.

“I did it yesterday.”

“You had time to make a reservation? And the seating…”

When I asked, puzzled, Ains shrugged.

“Why not?”

He smiled meaningfully. It seemed he wouldn’t reveal more even if I insisted, so I didn’t press further.

“If I had known about a place like this, I would have come out with you sooner.”

“Indeed.”

I replied with a bitter smile. It was already in the past.

“I’ll try to make time more often from now on.”

“You don’t have to go out of your way. You’re busy, after all.”

Ains looked at me with a subtle expression. Was it sadness? Regret? It was hard for me to discern the emotions reflected on his face.

“Even if I’m busy, I’ll try to make time now. I feel like I’ve neglected our time together too much.”

“……”

“So this time, things should be different.”

Seeing Ains’s smile, I also lifted the corners of my mouth into a smile.

Soon, the main course arrived—a lamb steak. While I was cutting my steak with a knife and fork, Ains had already cut his portion into bite-sized pieces. Then he switched plates with me.

Surprised, I looked at him, and he casually resumed cutting his meat.

“It’ll be easier to eat.”

“Oh, thank you.”

It was his way of showing kindness to me. I hadn’t expected such consideration, so I looked at him with a bit of surprise before resuming my meal.

“Is this the place you mentioned we were going to today?” I asked, just in case, but Ains shook his head.

“No. There’s another place I have in mind.”

“Where is it?”

I tried to think of where Ains might take me, but nothing came to mind.

“Let’s finish eating first. I’ll tell you afterward.”

“Alright.”

I was curious, but since the meal wouldn’t take long, I agreed.

“I never expected you’d really give me a chance. I heard from Rachel how much you were suffering because of me.”

I had suspected as much. Rachel, who had accompanied me during my time at the Graham estate, would know everything about me. It was easy to guess that Ains would first contact Rachel to learn about me.

“Did you hate me a lot?” Ains asked me in a heavy voice.

I put down my fork for a moment, took a sip of water, and nodded.

“Yes.”

Ains’s face showed a hint of self-deprecation.

“I’m really… sorry. That’s all I can say to you. Anything else would just be an excuse. At the very least, I don’t want to make excuses to you. There are feelings that can’t be conveyed that way.”

I was momentarily surprised by Ains’s words. Honestly, if he had tried to make excuses, I would have reluctantly listened. But Ains didn’t justify his mistakes.

It was a minor thing, but I didn’t dislike this side of him.

Dining with Ains didn’t feel uncomfortable for the first time in a while. Previously, it was rare to share a meal with him, and when we did, it often left me feeling twisted inside. It was a significant change.

After finishing our meal, we stood up. It was finally time to head to the place he wanted to take me.

We left the restaurant and got back into the carriage.

“Now, please tell me. Where are we going?”

“The Graham estate.”

“What?”

I was taken aback by Ains’s response and widened my eyes in surprise.

Did he really want to go to the Graham estate with me? I couldn’t quite grasp his intentions.

“What do you mean?” I asked, hoping to hear his honest thoughts. Ains looked at me for a moment, and his calm, blue eyes sent ripples through my heart.

“I don’t have any other intentions. You’ll understand once we get there.”

“Can I trust you?”

“Yes.”

His answer left me feeling uneasy. Why was he taking me to the Graham estate? I pondered this question repeatedly but couldn’t find an answer.

The carriage arrived at the Graham estate, yet instead of stopping, it continued past the mansion’s main entrance.

Puzzled, I alternated my gaze between the scenery outside the window and Ains.

“Didn’t you say you had business at the mansion?”

“I did. But to be precise, we’re heading to the back of the Graham estate.”

I pressed my lips together at his words.

Beyond the rear garden of the Graham estate lay the private grounds of the Graham family. Further in, there was the family cemetery.

It was then that I understood why Ains wanted me to come with him.

The carriage finally stopped at the back gate of the Graham estate. From here, it was better to walk than to continue by carriage.

Riding horses would have been ideal, but it seemed we weren’t prepared for that.

“We’ll need to walk a bit from here. Is that alright?” Ains got off the carriage first and extended his hand to me. I took his hand and stepped down. Even after that, he didn’t let go of my hand.

We walked in silence, our earlier small talk having ceased. It was hard to discern what Ains was thinking, but I needed time to organize my thoughts as well.

We finally arrived at the Graham family cemetery.

Among the graves, we stood in front of the one marked Damon Graham. It had been a year since I last visited to pay my respects.

If Grandfather could see us now, he would be very pleased.

We couldn’t return to the innocent relationship we had as children, but knowing that we were no longer sources of pain and suffering to each other would surely comfort him.

“I thought Grandfather might want to see you, Cecilia. And you were very fond of him too,” Ains said.

I nodded slightly.

I had wanted to visit for some time. However, I couldn’t easily do so because it required going through Ains.

“From now on, feel free to come whenever you want. Don’t worry about me. You’re always welcome here.”

“…Thank you.”

If I had known, I would have brought some flowers. Since Ains hadn’t informed me in advance, I hadn’t been able to prepare any. Still, just being able to express my feelings to Grandfather was comforting enough.

I knelt to take a closer look at the headstone, brushing away the leaves that had settled on it with my hand.

“Grandfather, I’m sorry I haven’t visited in a while. I’ll make sure to come by more often from now on.”

I shared my feelings with Grandfather.

Ains remained by my side for quite some time afterward.

When I finally collected my thoughts and stood up, Ains offered me a handkerchief. Not understanding his gesture, I looked at him, and he pointed to his eyes.

Only then did I realize I was crying.

I wiped my tears with the handkerchief Ains had given me. Strangely, I felt relieved.

“I’m okay now. Let’s go back. And about the handkerchief…”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“No, I’ll return it to you next time we meet.”

“Alright, then.”

Ains agreed instead of refusing. He then escorted me back to the Graham estate.

At the rear gate of the Graham estate, the carriage we had arrived in was waiting for us.

It was really time to go back now.

I looked back at Ains one last time before getting into the carriage.

“Duke.”

Ains gazed at me intently instead of replying.

“I don’t think either of us can return to the way things were before. I think you know that.”

“…I know.”

Ains replied in a heavy voice.

“But still, wouldn’t it be okay if we tried to restore the good relationship we once had?”

“What?”

I gave a faint smile to the surprised Ains. I wasn’t ready to completely forgive him yet, but since he seemed to regret it, I thought maybe I could try to get a little closer to him too.

“Then I hope to see you again next time.”

Ains looked at me with a bewildered expression. Then, belatedly, he approached and took my hand. He pulled me into an embrace.

He smelled faintly of roses.

“Thank you, I know it must have been a tough decision.”

“I haven’t fully accepted it. It’s just…”

“I know. But even that is enough for me.”

Ains replied with a voice full of joy. I chuckled softly while still in his embrace.

Soon, he released me.

“Well, I’ll be going now. Please contact me again.”

“I’ll send a letter again tonight.”

“That’s too soon.”

With a brief reply, I got into the carriage. Even after the carriage started moving and some time had passed, Ains remained standing there. I looked at him through the window before finally sitting back properly.

After all the twists and turns, I was back to where I started.

The reason I initially tried to leave Ains was to survive and become independent from him. To break free from the fear of constantly worrying about displeasing him.

And during our separation, I lost a lot but also gained a lot. However, I never regretted my decision back then.

Because it was that decision that made me who I am today.

― Fin

Thank you for reading up to this point. I hope you enjoyed this novel as much as I did. I had a feeling that they were going to reconcile at some point and maybe pick up where they left off but I feel like this was the best possible ending for Cecilia and Ains. She became independent and overcame her illness, and Ains had grown mature enough to understand and respect her decisions (despite being 100+ chapters late! Hmp).

There are still 5 side stories left, which I am going to post sometime this month. I will work on my other projects for a while. Again, thank you for reading!