It felt like my heart wouldn’t survive this.

Was it because we were alone, enclosed in a space with no escape?

His breath was so close that my mind seemed to freeze white.

“Look at this, Violetta.”

Hilbardo lightly bumped his forehead against mine with a soft tap as he spoke.

“The one trying something is right here.”

His voice trembled faintly.

The rise and fall of his throat.

Even the way he was trying not to touch me—

‘The mask…’

I reached up and gently touched his lion-mane mask.

It was an impulsive act.

A night to create secret memories—like a fleeting dream of a midsummer night.

What if I used this as an excuse to reveal even a fraction of my heart?

Just as he had done to me, I reached out and caressed his face.

His eyes widened, rippling like waves.

He swallowed hard, as if unsure what to do.

I traced his lips lightly with my fingers.

Hilbardo slowly parted his lips.

“Don’t put me to the test, Violetta.”

His closed eyelids trembled faintly.

There was something incredibly endearing about that sight.

As if I were being cherished more preciously than anything else in the world.

Wishing he would always look at me like this, I continued to gently stroke his face—like handling a flower petal that might fall apart at any moment.

***

There was no longer any reason to remain at the masquerade.

After returning to the estate, we decided to have a simple drink to change the mood, since sleep wouldn’t come.

Merita, Viscount Tibel, Hilbardo, and I gathered in the dining room in comfortable attire.

In front of us were glasses filled with rum—said to be a pirate’s drink—and dried meat sprinkled with salt.

For that woman’s downfall.

For my revenge.

For Jaive’s peace.

Praying for what we each desired, I drank the strong liquor. And as I did, memories of Jaive kept surfacing, making me ache with longing for the child.

If only there had been a little more time, the child might have been able to run.

Even if I had been busy, I should have held the child more.

It had been amusing when Hilbardo first held Jaive.

As one thought led to another, I suddenly remembered the nuts I had bought from the stall in the marketplace.

I had asked Viscount Tibel to place them on the balcony—

Now it felt like I had given him a pointless task.

“Your Highness, could you go to the bedroom balcony?”

Hilbardo, his face slightly flushed, tilted his head in confusion but stood up anyway.

Not even asking why—his back as he walked away seemed almost innocent, and it made me smile.

After the three of us emptied another round of drinks, he returned from the bedroom, holding the glass jar box in his hand.

His eyes seemed to ask what is this?, so I kindly explained,

“I saw it while I was out in the marketplace and thought of you. It looked sweet, and couples were buying it a lot.”

Merita chimed in, saying she had bought some as well.

He opened the jar and took out a walnut.

“For lovers, you say.”

With that, he popped it into his mouth.

“How is it? Is it very sweet?”

“Just right.”

He set the jar down on the table.

“Actually, I wanted to give it to you the way you did—waving from below the balcony… but somehow it turned out like this. Your Highness?”

Suddenly, Hilbardo lowered himself to one knee in front of me.

To anyone else, it might have looked like a devoted disciple confessing before a saint—or like a benevolent figure from sacred scripture.

“Violetta.”

In his blue eyes as he called my name, I saw myself—mirroring the same expression, the same emotions.

There was only me in his gaze.

“As I have until now, I will wait until the day you finish what you wish to do.”

His voice, murmured just for me, was gentle—soft enough to make my heart itch.

“My power. My wealth. Even my strength—they are all yours. So just remember that I am waiting.”

How could anyone not love a man like this?

A sense of reassurance that words couldn’t fully capture.

I was truly grateful that he was by my side.

I helped him to his feet, conscious of the gazes from Viscount Tibel and Merita.

“Your Highness, you’re drunk.”

Instead of thanking him, a playful remark slipped out first.

Because I liked what he said about waiting.

It felt like I could do anything.

***

The Stroud estate, now without its mistress.

The butler received a small box from a deliveryman who had come from the capital.

The honey almonds inside the glass jar looked delicious.

“The young lady asked that this be placed at the child’s grave.”

The butler quietly stared at the gift, still carrying Violetta’s warmth. She had occasionally sent snacks or small items to be left at the grave before—but today, for some reason, he missed her more than ever.

“Is the madam doing well?”

The word madam still came more naturally to him than young lady. It was how he had always addressed Violetta.

If Sola had heard it, she would have caused an uproar—but she wasn’t here.

“Yes, she is doing well.”

“Do keep me informed of Stroud’s news from time to time.”

The deliveryman nodded and left.

Holding the glass jar carefully, the butler headed toward Jaive’s grave.

The warm season was approaching, with a gentle breeze beginning to stir.

As he walked, he remembered Violetta clinging to the gravestone, crying in the falling snow.

He placed the jar in the empty space among the flowers and offerings that already surrounded the child’s grave.

Lately, he found himself missing her more and more.

***

After the hunting competition, Sola spent her days quietly in the townhouse.

Her relationship with Raian had become worse than that of strangers. Even when they crossed paths in the drawing room, he treated her as if she didn’t exist. Even the household staff no longer spoke to her.

‘Raian…’

A man with warm, gentle hands.

Sola still loved him—and she wanted to reclaim the love that had gone astray.

She knew the future based on the original novel. Even though things had deviated and become a mess, most events—except the relationships between the main characters—remained largely accurate.

Raian still trusted her ability to see the future.

So she had spent the entire night proving her ability, begging him not to abandon her.

The result of all that pleading, even if she became the duchess, she would be treated as if she didn’t exist.

At the time, she had clung to him, saying she would accept even that.

But—

‘I want to be loved.’

Love she could never expect from her father, who lashed out drunkenly, or her brother, who was so obsessed with streaming that he even touched their younger sibling’s tuition money.

That was why she had been so happy to become the heroine of this world—someone loved by everyone.

But now, she wasn’t happy at all.

She feared becoming nothing more than a duchess in name.

If Raian didn’t love her, then no matter what it took, she wanted to turn his heart back.

Sola sat at her desk, staring blankly at the cloak hanging on the wall.

It was Ohil’s—still not yet returned.

“I will be in this garden every day. If you need comfort, come find me anytime.”

Sola changed out of her tear-stained dress, put on a fresh one, and brushed her hair.

With Raian away at a gathering, now was the perfect time for her to act alone.

‘If I get closer to Hilbardo… maybe Raian will look at me again.’

Unaware that it was nothing but a foolish fantasy, Sola wrapped a robe around herself, filled with anticipation.

She carefully tucked the imperial palace pass she had received on the first day of the banquet into her pocket, draped Ohil’s cloak over one arm, and stepped out of her room with determined strides.

“Hey, where are you going?”

Lady Rose, lounging lazily on the sofa in the drawing room, called out as she saw Sola dressed to go out.

Not wanting to speak to her, Sola ignored her and walked straight out of the building.

The steward asked her destination.

“The imperial palace. As fast as possible.”

***

I went to visit the nanny and Aelin, who were staying in a cabin in the forest near the estate.

They both looked much brighter than before, and Aelin happily said that the nanny had forgiven her.

“Are you comfortable living here?”

“Yes. Honestly, I’m doing even better than I did in Stroud.”

Aelin smiled, saying she sometimes went out to the bustling district to buy snacks her nanny liked.

She mentioned that the nuts sold at Jack’s stall were delicious and asked if I had tried them.

I nodded, recalling the sweet walnuts I had shared with Hilbardo.

Only now did I learn that the stall’s name was Jack’s stall.

“Aelin, when you go out to the market, don’t go alone. Make sure to take a knight with you. That woman is looking for you.”

I had warned her when she first came here, but I reminded her once more, just in case.

“Yes. I’ll be careful.”

Aelin nodded with a resolute expression as she answered.

After warning her, I felt at least a little more at ease.