It was a music box that played a song I had loved since I was a child.

It was a song my parents used to sing to me, one I would hum along with and had been so familiar with—until I came to the capital and forgot about it.

To think they had put that song into a music box. It was a gift I hadn’t expected at all.

When the song ended, I wound the music box again to hear it play once more.

Watching the music box slowly turn, I fell into deep thought.

Only one thing came to mind.

Even though my husband doesn’t believe me, and even the Saintess is making things difficult for me… I still have a place to return to.

Though the Emperor had temporarily allowed me to stay in a room at the palace, I couldn’t remain there indefinitely.

The day after I collapsed, I returned to the Duke’s estate. Since my condition hadn’t worsened, traveling back wasn’t an issue.

With the help of the servants, I climbed into the carriage and made my way back to the Duke’s estate. Kyron, having no reason to stay at the palace, had already returned to the estate the day before.

I guess I’m not important to him.

He must have far more urgent matters than I. After yesterday, I resolved not to hold onto even the faintest hope for him anymore. In the end, I’d only be the one hurt.

To avoid being hurt, I had to strengthen my defenses even more.

The carriage moved quietly. It was traveling slowly, likely out of consideration for my condition.

If the carriage kept going like this endlessly, perhaps I could even visit my hometown.

Since yesterday, thoughts of my hometown have been popping into my mind unexpectedly. It didn’t seem impossible to visit, after all.

No matter how far my hometown was, if Louie could come all the way to the capital, it didn’t seem like an unreachable distance.

The real reason I hadn’t visited my hometown all this time was because of the fear that Kyron might look for me while I was away.

I was afraid of missing the moment when my husband might finally notice me.

What a foolish fear.

I shook my head vigorously, trying to shake off my thoughts. I refused to let my emotions waver because of my husband any longer.

When I arrived at the Duke’s estate, I stepped inside with a brighter expression, despite my unwell body.

“Madam, are you feeling all right?”

Lia approached me with a worried expression.

“Of course, of course! It’s not the first time I’ve been sick, is it? This is nothing. I’m perfectly fine.”

I smiled warmly at Lia, even as she supported me.

Lia didn’t seem entirely convinced by my words.

“For now, you must rest properly at the estate! Make sure to take your medicine and have the doctor check on you!”

“Yes, yes, I know.”

“We were all so worried about you. Especially because…”

Lia glanced around cautiously before lowering her voice. Even though we were inside the Duke’s estate, she was being careful.

“…It was because of the Saintess, wasn’t it?”

It seemed Lia had learned about my altercation with the Saintess.

Quick-witted as always, Lia didn’t forget to reassure me.

“Most of the servants don’t know about it. Everyone just thinks you collapsed as usual from coughing and spitting blood. I only found out because I’m close to you, Madam.”

“That’s a relief.”

The fact that my clash was with the Saintess, of all people, was undoubtedly disadvantageous for me. It was something that needed to be kept as quiet as possible, even within the Duke’s household.

If word of what happened between the Saintess and me got out… my reputation would be severely damaged. The Saintess was an absolutely sacred figure, after all.

“Did you rest well at the palace? I was worried that you might get worse because the new environment didn’t suit you.”

“Lia, do you know how grand and luxurious the palace is? There’s no way I could feel uncomfortable in a place like that!”

I cheerfully reassured her.

“That’s a relief!”

With Lia’s support, I headed to my room.

Though I told Lia I was fine, my condition was bad enough that walking on my own was difficult. It was noticeably worse than when I had been unwell in the past.

The aftereffects of the Saintess’s power seemed to be significant. Of course, she was the Saintess, so her power wouldn’t be ordinary.

All the way back to the estate, I had been longing to collapse into my bed. Even in the cramped carriage, I had wanted to lie down and sleep.

It seemed I had grown much weaker.

Once in my room, I changed into more comfortable clothes and lay down on my soft bed.

“Now, please rest! You must have been exhausted.”

How could she understand me so well? Having Lia by my side was incredibly reassuring.

After tidying up my bedding, Lia was about to leave the room.

“Wait, Lia.”

“Yes, is there something you need?”

“I received a music box yesterday. Could you bring it to me? I’d like to listen to the music.”

“Yes, I’ll bring it right away!”

A short while later, Lia brought the music box my parents had sent and placed it on the nightstand beside my bed.

Listening to the gentle music from the music box, I drifted off to sleep.

***

The aftermath of my confrontation with the Saintess seemed to have taken a significant toll on me, as my recovery was slow.

Even a little walking or movement left me completely drained. While strolling in the garden, I often found myself too tired to continue and would fall asleep on a makeshift chair.

In such a state, attending the festival was out of the question. Instead, I had to spend most of my time in my room.

There wasn’t much to do in my room. At most, I could reread old letters, listen to the music box, or chat with Lia.

It was a dull and monotonous life, and my recovery was agonizingly slow.

The world outside was bustling with the festival, yet my clock seemed to move at a snail’s pace.

Occasionally, time seemed to speed up.

That was when I met Kyron.

I didn’t see him often. Even though we lived in the same house, we had always lived apart.

Whenever I grew so bored that I felt like sneaking out to see the festival, he would come to me.

I couldn’t predict what he would say, which made me nervous, and time seemed to pass quickly whenever I faced him. Perhaps it was because our time together was always so brief.

Whenever I was with him, I felt unusually tense. Maybe it was because I worried that, due to the Saintess, I had become nothing more than a burden to him.

I guessed that if I made things difficult for him, he might kick me out.

“I stopped by to take a short break.”

Kyron was always busy with something, constantly working. Occasionally, when he seemed tired of his work, he would come to see me.

“What kind of work are you doing these days?”

I asked casually.

I already knew he was always busy training the secret knights and traveling all over the empire to deal with the collapse of the temple. But lately, he had been staying at the estate. What could he be working on now?

“All sorts of things. Giving orders, receiving reports. There’s a lot to dig up, so I’m also gathering information.”

“What are you digging up?”

Kyron hesitated, seemingly debating whether to tell me.

“…About the Saintess and the temple.”

I instinctively knew that this was as much as he was willing to share with me.

“I see.”

I responded without much emotion.

“Are you still feeling weak? Is walking difficult for you today as well?”

Every morning, I had been trying to take short walks in the garden. Today, too, I went for a walk but had to rest halfway through because I became exhausted.