Lysiana’s spoon slipped from her fingers mid-thought. The clatter startled Thear and he was on his feet and at her side in an instant.

“Lysiana?”

“My head…….”

Lysiana drew a sharp breath against the pain. The headache had come on without warning, and the throbbing was so severe her eyes had gone numb.

“A doctor! Fetch a doctor, right now!”

His urgent shout tangled with a sharp, piercing ring in her ears. Her vision kept blurring and fading, and the noise flooding her dimming consciousness was unbearable.

‘You useless wretch!’

The voice that lashed at her was fierce. Who on earth did it belong to?

“Hng…….”

Lysiana whimpered and clutched Thear’s clothing with both hands.

“It’s all right. The doctor is on his way, it won’t be long…….”

Thear pulled her close by the shoulders and patted her back. His low voice murmured quickly, working to soothe her, and the warmth of his hands was full of care.

Thud, thud. She focused on the steady beat of his pulse, and the headache slowly eased. Lysiana let out a quiet breath and fell asleep in his arms, limp as someone who had fainted.

* * *

Lysiana’s sudden headache pushed Thear’s outing back by a day. He simply couldn’t bring himself to take his wife out when she was unwell.

“How are you feeling?”

Thear asked. He had spent the entire day glued to Lysiana’s side.

“Perfectly fine.”

Lysiana answered with a pout. Thanks to her husband’s fussing, she had been forced to spend the whole day in bed. Thear smiled at that, having insisted on bringing her breakfast in bed despite her repeated insistence that she was fine.

“I’ll have to see for myself whether you’re perfectly fine.”

Thear made sure she had eaten enough to last until she genuinely couldn’t manage another bite, and only then headed out in the late afternoon.

They took a small carriage into the village and first stopped at the inn where the Havertz Marquisate’s knights were staying.

The ground floor, which also served as a dining room, was packed with large knights and buzzing with noise. Lysiana shrank back, a little overwhelmed by their presence.

She swallowed her nerves and pressed a little closer to Thear’s arm, and Thear tightened his grip on her hand.

“Your Lordship.”

A knight who had spotted Thear came over.

“My lady has come as well.”

Bennet announced Lysiana’s presence at just the right moment, and everyone rose to their feet at once.

“We greet His Lordship and my lady.”

“Oh my.”

The crisp, disciplined greeting drew an involuntary murmur of admiration from Lysiana.

“At ease.”

Thear moved to a table at a suitable spot with the ease of someone long accustomed to such things, and pulled out a chair.

“Lysiana.”

Lysiana came over at his call. Thear pushed her chair in with the same courtesy one would show an honored guest.

“My lady. I’ll bring you something to drink.”

“Anything is fine for me.”

“Of course.”

Bennet, ever attentive, went to order her drink himself. In the meantime, the knight who appeared to be the highest-ranking among them approached Thear.

“Your Lordship, the situation report.”

“I’ll be right back. I’ll stay where you can see me, so call if you need anything.”

“All right.”

With this many Havertz Marquisate knights around, what was there to worry about. Concern dripped from Thear’s eyes as he reluctantly stepped away.

Lysiana smiled to herself at the sight of it, and Bennet returned and handed her a drink.

“There was nothing here quite worthy of serving to my lady.”

“What is this?”

“A drink made from raspberries. I’m not sure if it will suit your taste, but it looked like the best option available.”

“Thank you.”

Lysiana touched the tip of her tongue to the drink, which had bright red bits floating throughout. It was sweet and tangy, and far better than its rough appearance suggested.

Bennet, who had been watching her sip at it, asked quietly.

“My lady.”

“……Yes?”

“I hope you’ll forgive me, but there is something I’d like to ask.”

“What is it……?”

“I’d like to know why you never sent a reply to His Lordship’s letters.”

“Ah…….”

Bewilderment washed over Lysiana’s eyes. Bennet remembered a beat too late that she was suffering from amnesia and gave a quick bow of his head.

“I apologize. I momentarily forgot that you haven’t been well.”

“It’s, it’s all right.”

Lysiana accepted his apology and added hesitantly.

“This may sound like an excuse, but I don’t think I chose not to reply. If I had no intention of writing back, there would be no reason to bring so much writing paper with me.”

“……Writing paper?”

“Yes. There was a lot of it in the drawer. I must have packed it myself……. Hmm.”

Lysiana turned the cup in her hands and added carefully.

“I wonder if something went wrong along the way and the letters simply never reached me.”

“I see.”

Bennet gave a short nod and smiled faintly, as though that settled something for him. Then he excused himself and left.

Lysiana followed him with her eyes.

Bennet approached two men who looked relatively lean and young, and said something to them. The two listened, then quietly slipped out of the inn.

Where are they going?

Lysiana tilted her head. By then Thear had finished his business and came straight back to her.

“Sorry for the wait. The conversation ran longer than I expected.”

“It’s fine. Sir Bennet brought me a drink, so I’ve been enjoying it. He said it’s made from raspberries. The color is lovely, isn’t it?”

Lysiana tipped the cup slightly toward Thear, offering him a taste. But instead of trying the drink, Thear leaned in and licked her lips.

“……Sweet.”

Lysiana’s face went up in flames instantly.

“P, people are watching……!”

“You don’t mind having drink all over your mouth, but this you’re embarrassed about?”

At that, Lysiana jolted and wiped at the corners of her mouth with the back of her hand. Thear laughed under his breath and teased her for it, then plucked the cup from her hand and took a sip.

“That’s quite good. Shall we pick some up on the way back?”

“No, thank you.”

Lysiana replied with a sulk, having realized Thear had tricked her.

“Let’s head out. I’ll show you around town.”

She followed him out, pretending she had no choice.

The modest little village seemed to be doing well enough for itself and had a lively energy to it.

The market street rang with voices of every kind, and the passersby who moved through the alleys with flushed, animated faces occasionally glanced over at Thear and Lysiana.

Every time their stares made Lysiana flinch, Thear gently reassured her.

“They’re looking because of what you’re wearing. It’s fine fabric, not often seen in these parts.”

Lysiana liked the way Thear kept looking out for her, and after she had grown somewhat used to it, she started pretending to be frightened on purpose. Whenever she did, Thear would pull her closer and wrap his arm around her shoulder.

On top of that, whenever Lysiana showed interest in something, he bought it for her without hesitation.

Most of it was perfectly ordinary things, cheap trinkets strung together from pretty bits of glass, or knitted blankets.

He could easily have scolded her for spending money on such undignified things, but Thear acted as though he were about to buy out an entire stall, telling her it wasn’t expensive and to pick whatever she liked.

“They seem to be selling fruit over there.”

A sweet smell had caught her attention, and sure enough there was a stall spread with fruit. She drifted over, and the owner, who had been swatting flies with a bored expression, brightened at once.

Lysiana pointed to a cluster of vivid red berries that had caught her eye.

“They’re the same color as the drink I had earlier.”

“Autumn raspberries, those are. They grow all over the forest around here. Just picked this morning, so they’re fresh.”

The owner smiled broadly and pressed a handful of raspberries into Lysiana’s palm.

“Give them a try.”

Lysiana’s face lit up the moment she put one of the small berries in her mouth. The drink had been good, but eating the fruit itself was even better.

“These are even better.”

She popped one into Thear’s mouth to make him try it.

The stall owner watched the two of them with a look full of anticipation. They were clearly a couple on good terms, and by the look of them, quite well-off.

But the well-dressed couple simply turned away with satisfied expressions, without a word about buying anything.

Just as the stall owner’s shoulders drooped in disappointment—

“I’ll take all of it.”

The neatly dressed man with a composed face who had been trailing after the couple said it without any particular fuss.

“Thank you so much!”

The stall owner’s face broke into a wide smile. Seeing that bright reaction, the neighboring vendors all scrambled to catch the couple’s eye as well.

“These raspberries have the biggest berries around!”

“These ones grew on the cliffside, so they’re especially sweet!”

Thear walked through them all without a word, and Bennet followed behind, opening his wallet at each stop without missing a beat.

Then someone held out something that gave even Thear pause.

“Raspberry seedlings! Plant them right about now and they’ll take root well. You’ll have fruit by the year after next at the latest!”

The booming call made Thear’s steps falter for the first time.

“Bennet.”

“Yes, Your Lordship.”

“Buy them all.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lysiana had been watching her husband’s spending in quiet amazement.

“Thear……. You really do have a lot of money.”

“I simply don’t mind spending it on you.”

Thear replied without missing a beat.