“I originally went to the tea party hoping to get closer to people. I even tried to smile more kindly on purpose, but no one paid any attention to me. How can I make friends with them? Could it be that I’m out of touch with the culture or trends of the capital?”

Until now, Ekette had never spoken so much at once in front of her husband. Kyron’s responses were always brief, which made Ekette less inclined to talk much as well.

She regretted saying so much, feeling like she had overstepped. But at the same time, she felt a slight sense of relief. There was also a faint feeling of intimacy from sharing her inner thoughts.

Kyron remained silent for a moment before responding.

“…This doesn’t seem like something I can help with.”

His answer was blunt. It wasn’t the response she had hoped for.

“And stop smiling at people all the time. You’re the Duchess, after all.”

What Ekette felt at that moment wasn’t disappointment but shame. Shame overshadowed her sadness.

So Kyron knew. He had noticed how the more she smiled at people at the tea party, the deeper her misery became.

He also found his wife’s pitiful situation bothersome, which Ekette came to realize.

She felt as though her husband had seen through her wretchedness and scolded her like a troublemaker.

Ekette felt sad.

Back then, she was too kindhearted to even get angry at her cold husband.

If she had been the type to get angry, she would have won the power struggles in the social circle before they even had the chance to ignore her.

Ekette was too gentle for her status, and that gentleness became her weakness.

Thus, the distance between Ekette and Kyron grew even further. She had confided in him, thinking he was on her side, only to realize that Kyron was no different from the others.

***

Because Kyron had always been that way, I had no intention of asking him for help now either.

He wasn’t someone who would go out of his way to understand my difficulties or offer help.

“So, what do you plan to do?”

Lia asked nervously.

“I need to think of a way. But the biggest problem is that I can’t even leave the house right now.”

What could I possibly do while stuck inside this mansion?

It was frustrating that my health wasn’t improving. I was diligently taking the medicine prescribed by the doctor and going on walks for exercise, yet I wasn’t getting better.

The only relief was that the Emperor’s personal physician was scheduled to visit tomorrow. It was my only hope.

If my health improved, Kyron wouldn’t be able to stop me from going out.

“Your Grace is quite firm when it comes to your health… And to be honest, Madam, you still don’t seem well enough to go outside.”

Not being able to go out was suffocating. It was the festival, but I couldn’t even enjoy it.

“Lia, how many days are left until the festival ends?”

“Why do you ask all of a sudden? Don’t tell me you’re planning to go out before it ends…”

Lia was sharp.

On the last day of the festival, there would be fireworks.

“Madam, there are only five days left until the festival ends. You should focus on resting until then.”

Five days… That’s still quite a bit of time.

I wasn’t longing for the romance of the fireworks.

The reason I was eyeing the fireworks was because of the unique tradition associated with that day.

From the moment the fireworks began until they ended, for that brief period, titles, ranks, families, and names all disappeared.

The chains of reality melted away like a dream, and anyone could be free.

During that fleeting freedom, some experienced dangerous love that transcended status, while others escaped from lives of servitude.

It was a sweet opportunity that came once a year, but also a chaotic one.

To enjoy that moment of freedom, people would each find their own way to hide their identities.

For me, it was an opportunity.

It was a chance to escape the rumors surrounding me, hide my identity, and walk freely outside.

It was an opportunity to save myself from this crisis.

If my health allowed, it seemed like the perfect day to go out.

But… I doubted Kyron would let me leave.

Kyron was the problem. I’d have to meet him now and try to persuade him…

Knock, knock.

At that moment, someone came to my room.

I had a feeling I knew who it was.

Lia quickly went to open the door.

“Ekette, what were you doing?”

As expected, it was Kyron. He often dropped by to check if I was quietly staying in my room.

Kyron leaned against the doorway. For a moment, his silhouette looked like a beautifully crafted painting.

Alright, time to stop thinking useless thoughts.

“I was just about to come see you.”

“Why?”

“I have something to say.”

“What is it?”

I didn’t want to beat around the bush with Kyron. I planned to get straight to the point, and if I failed to persuade him, I’d immediately think of an alternative.

“In five days, I want to see the fireworks.”

But I couldn’t help feeling a little nervous. I swallowed dryly as I waited for his response.

“Alright, go ahead.”

Surprisingly, Kyron answered as if it were no big deal.

What? Could he really be agreeing this easily?

I looked at him with wide eyes.

“You should be able to see the fireworks from the mansion. They’ll be small, but visible.”

Ah, of course…

He meant I could watch the fireworks, but only from the mansion. I had gotten my hopes up for nothing.

“What I mean is, I want to go outside and see it. What’s the point of watching fireworks from far away like this? It wouldn’t be moving at all.”

“You can go out to the garden in the mansion to watch. Anything beyond that is not allowed.”

“That sounds like you’re telling me not to watch at all.”

“You might get worse.”

“I can walk slowly and rest along the way.”

“I’m against it.”

Kyron was adamant.

Looking at his firm attitude… I suddenly wanted to know the truth.

“Why are you so concerned about my illness? What’s the real reason?”

Now, I truly wanted to know why Kyron was overreacting to my illness.

I had always vaguely guessed. Perhaps he thought my illness, being known to the public,c would tarnish the reputation of the Duchy.

There was no other reason I could think of.

It was the only explanation that could force some consistency between the way he usually treated me and the way he acted when I was ill.

Now, I wanted to hear it directly from him.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone when I’m sick? Why do you always rush over whenever I fall ill?”

I wasn’t asking with any specific answer in mind. I just hoped that whatever he said would help me understand his behavior. Right now, I couldn’t comprehend him at all.

Kyron’s face hardened as if I had asked a forbidden question.

But I had no intention of backing down. No matter how long it took, I wanted to hear his answer.

I knew well that Kyron wasn’t someone who responded quickly. Perhaps he didn’t even know the answer himself and was only now trying to figure it out.

If he were genuinely searching for an answer, I would even be grateful for that.

Kyron stared at me quietly, his gaze fixed like a nail.

I waited patiently for him to finish his thoughts and give me an answer. I was always the one waiting for his responses.