“Bennet.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll leave the follow-up to you.”

“Yes, understood.”

Thear roughly gathered the scattered documents and rose from his seat.

A needless unease kept pricking at his nerves.

‘Nothing’s gone wrong, has it?’

He knew that Lysiana didn’t like him. But he at least believed she wasn’t the type to leave his letters unanswered.

She never opened her mouth in front of him outside of mealtimes, always gave short replies, and never met his eyes, and yet….

‘She at least dutifully played the role of wife.’

That she would leave his letter unanswered was enough to make him worry that something had gone wrong.

Either that, or some other man had caught her eye and she had forgotten all about him.

“I’m heading straight to Neils.”

“Are you going to escort the lady back?”

“Yes.”

Driven by an unease he couldn’t quite place, Thear set off for Neils earlier than planned.

When he finally arrived at the villa in Neils.

‘What’s this?’

Thear sensed something strange and furrowed his brow.

“Your Lordship, you’ve arrived?”

The butler who had accompanied the lady from the main estate hurried out to greet him. Thear gave the visibly flustered butler a brief glance and fixed his gaze on the top of the stairs.

“Where is the lady?”

“Th, the mistress is unwell and resting.”

“Unwell?”

At the butler’s words, Thear’s expression darkened immediately.

As far as he knew, Lysiana was not a frail person.

Even if she felt a little under the weather, she wasn’t the type to use it as an excuse to neglect seeing him off or welcoming him back.

“Then she’ll be in her bedroom. Take me there.”

“Pardon? She’s only just fallen asleep….”

“Paying a visit to my ailing wife is hardly rude.”

Thear strode up the stairs.

He ignored the hurried footsteps following behind him and climbed to the second floor, where he spotted a maidservant just stepping out of a room.

The maidservant looked flustered at the sight of him, quickly bowed her head, and disappeared.

“My lady.”

He gave a brief knock on the door that hadn’t quite closed and stepped inside.

“…?”

Lysiana sat on the bed, staring at him with a blank look.

Thear felt the ominous feeling that had been nagging at him this whole time grow stronger. He had the strange sensation of a short warning sound ringing in his ears, over and over.

“I heard you were unwell.”

“Ah…!”

Lysiana’s small lips, which had been staring at him blankly, let out a short exclamation.

Thear sharpened all his senses to every shift in her expression.

“You are….”

Lysiana’s eyes curved softly, and the corners of her parted lips curled up slightly.

Thear’s heart dropped.

It felt like his insides had been swallowed whole by gravity.

Lysiana had never once shown him a smile before.

“My husband.”

“…Pardon?”

* * *

Lysiana studied the expression of the man standing in the doorway.

He wore a sharp look on his face, the kind reserved for something strange and incomprehensible.

Understandably so.

A wife who didn’t recognize her own husband. He must have found the situation just as hard to make sense of.

“I’m sorry.”

Lysiana apologized first.

“The truth is, I seem to have had a small accident.”

She then did her best to explain the situation.

“Other than the dizziness when I move, I don’t think there’s anything seriously wrong with me….”

Lysiana rubbed her shoulder awkwardly and gave a small smile.

“I just can’t remember anything.”

“Pardon?”

The man asked again.

It was much the same question as before. He looked quite confused.

Lysiana understood how he felt. She herself had been quite flustered at first.

“It’s not bad enough to interfere with daily life, though. It’s just that I can’t remember anything about you, or about my family….”

“Ha.”

The man’s heavy sigh cut off Lysiana’s voice mid-sentence.

He pressed a hand to his forehead as though his head ached, then ran his fingers roughly through his hair.

‘Is he angry?’

She flinched. She kept a careful eye on him while sneaking glances at his appearance.

Sun-bronzed skin, black hair, deep hazel eyes. His fitted shirt and trousers were slightly rumpled, but he looked striking all the same.

He was very tall, and the firm build beneath his clothes was hard to miss.

Her husband was the kind of man who could make anyone fall for him at first glance.

“Um….”

Just as Lysiana was about to rise from her seat to say something to him.

“I need to speak with the doctor who examined you.”

Her husband moved first.

“For now, please get some rest.”

He said it coldly and turned away.

Left behind without warning, Lysiana stood frozen in an awkward posture for a long moment.

‘He must be angry.’

She swallowed a sigh and sat back down on the bed.

‘I hope he doesn’t take it out on the doctor.’

She worried that the servants or the doctor might bear the brunt of his frustration for failing to look after her properly.

‘Or maybe….’

After a brief moment of thought, Lysiana decided to try speaking to her husband once more and got up from her seat.

When she stepped outside, her husband was already crossing the hall on the first floor.

“Excuse me…!”

Lysiana called out, but Thear didn’t seem to hear her.

‘What should I call him?’

How had they addressed each other normally?

After a desperate moment of thought, Lysiana recalled that the man had called her “my lady.”

“D, darling!”

At the small, awkward call, Thear’s steps came to an abrupt stop. He turned his head with a stiff, creaking motion, like a man who had heard something he couldn’t believe.

“What did you just say…?”

“Please wait there for a moment.”

Lysiana moved quickly along the railing. She had completely forgotten that she was in her nightgown and barefoot.

Thear noticed immediately. He also hadn’t forgotten that she had mentioned in passing that she felt dizzy when she moved.

“My lady.”

He moved with swift, sure steps, like someone dodging a bolt of lightning, and covered the distance back in one go.

It took no more than a few seconds for him to stride up the stairs and stand before Lysiana again.

“Oh, goodness.”

Lysiana looked up at her husband, who had returned to her side in an instant, and widened her eyes.

“You walk so fast. I was going to come down.”

Thear furrowed his brow at her calm, unhurried admiration.

Lysiana stared absently at the crease that formed between his dark brows, then without thinking, poked it.

“What are you doing?”

Thear asked in a low voice and immediately caught her hand. The hand he caught felt burning hot.

“Sorry. I did it without thinking.”

Lysiana apologized with a sheepish air. But she didn’t sound the least bit sorry.

“You look a little fierce when you frown, you know.”

“…Is that what you came out here to say? That my expression is scary?”

“No. It’s just, you seemed angry. I thought I should come talk to you again….”

Lysiana replied in a soft, measured tone. Thear stared down at his wife for a moment, then drew a slow, deep breath through his ribs as though holding back a sigh.

“I’m not angry.”

“But your expression….”

“Let’s go back to your room first.”

Thear lifted Lysiana up with ease.

“What do you remember, and what don’t you?”

“Pardon?”

He walked with long, steady strides, not looking at Lysiana as she sat quietly in his arms, and asked.

“You said earlier that you can’t remember anything.”

“Ah. Yes.”

Lysiana gave a small nod.

“What is your most recent memory?”

“Hmm.”

At Thear’s question, Lysiana tilted her head to the side.

By then they had reached Lysiana’s bedroom, and Thear set her down on the edge of the bed in one smooth, fluid motion.

He then pulled the bell cord and instructed the maidservant to bring a warm damp towel.

Lysiana had been watching him quietly, and at last she spoke.

“I’m not sure.”

“You’re not sure?”

Thear echoed her words evenly, without any sign of impatience.

“I remember my name, and I can read and write without any trouble.”

“Yes. And?”

“That’s it.”

“…That’s it?”

“Yes. That’s it.”

Lysiana blinked her large eyes and gave a slow, vacant nod.

Just then, the maidservant brought the damp towel. Thear took it directly from her and dismissed everyone from the room.

“Do you not remember what you liked either?”

He knelt on one knee, took hold of Lysiana’s ankle, and began slowly wiping the soles of her feet, which weren’t particularly dirty.

Lysiana answered, her feet resting calmly in her husband’s hands.

“No. I honestly don’t know.”

“Do you have any memories of your family?”

“No.”

Lysiana shook her head.