She loved him, and she died.
She forgave him, and she died.
So, in this life, she must learn to love herself and forgive herself.
Only then can the scales be balanced, right?
She has to reignite the warmth in her cold heart and truly live.
To do that, she must first free herself from the heavy title of Duchess.

Before she even realized it, the Emperor’s speech had ended, and the crowd began to break into small groups.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“OK. I’ll be close by.”

Curtis and Dalia, having finished their conversation smoothly yet indifferently, closed their ears and mouths from their respective positions.

As was to be expected with a family as large as the Frasers.

“See you again, Duchess.” 

“Duchess, as you mentioned, with the Duke…” 

“Duchess.” 

“Oh my, you were here…”

People who had gathered from various places skilfully formed groups around Dalia, exchanging knowing smiles.

Unlike a temple, anything overly extravagant or grand was avoided, and naturally the clothing of those present was much simpler than usual.

On closer inspection, the glittering jewels and ornaments were fewer, though the clothes themselves were wrapped around their bodies like garments worth the price of a house.

Anyway, the people, dressed in less dazzling clothes than usual, gathered and began to talk.

Amongst them, Dalia spent her time idly, nodding occasionally or drinking the lukewarm fruit wine offered by the priest, idly passing the time.

Since she was with Curtis, there was no need to express her unrequited love for him.

Some information that would have attracted the attention of a duchess like Fraser was subtly dropped, but Dalia did not notice.

Now she thought about how she could get into the temple unnoticed.

Perhaps she should say briefly that she was going to the powder room. But if anyone followed her, that would be problem.

Even if no one was following her, it wasn’t a good idea to leave her seat and be seen by others.

Was there no way to do this discreetly?

Lost in her own thoughts, Dalia stayed close to the group where those who had gained tacit approval began to throw around various words.

“By the way, do you remember the impostor who caused quite a stir in the capital some time ago?”

“An impostor, you say?”

As the people around them showed interest, the count’s mouth grew lighter.

“Well, whether man or woman, they would charm people into marrying them and then swindle money…”

At their words, the people pretended to know the story.

“Well, this guy was found dead recently.”

Though it wasn’t the sort of subject one would normally discuss in a temple, there are always people who talk for the sake of excitement.

As the crowd widened their eyes and gasped in surprise, the Count, clearly excited, eagerly poured out all he had heard.

Those who had been listening soon chimed in with remarks of their own.

Though Dalia didn’t want to hear it, the gossip that inevitably reached her ears struck her like thunder, mixed with someone’s sense of relief.

“He was a man who deserved to die. It was only in death that he proved his worth.”

A human whose only value is death.

Dalia unconsciously squeezed her eyes shut.

Wasn’t that how she was before she came back?

The widow. That was the only thing that made Dalia Gruy’s life valuable to Curtis Fraser. If there was one mistake in Dalia Gruy’s life, it was that she had realised this truth too late.

The fruit wine, which had originally been sweet, lost its flavour, leaving only a horribly bitter taste in her mouth.

As Dalia set down the half-empty glass, cutting off her pointless self-mockery, an unexpected conversation reached her ears.

“Hmm, an illegitimate child with the count? Isn’t that just a rumour?”

“Well, if it were just gossip, the count would have already taken action and silenced it.”

Unlike usual, the person speaking lowered their voice as they fanned their face, half hidden behind an undecorated fan, and the people around them subtly added their own comments.

“That’s a good point. The count and the bastard child? Truly surprising news at the beginning of the year.”

“I’ve even heard that it’s no longer a baby or an infant, but someone of a certain age.”

“This is strange. From what I’ve heard, it’s a young boy, so there are problems with the succession…”

“That’s not true. Until it’s officially announced, nothing can be concluded…”

“In that case, the official announcement will probably be made at the Spring Moon of the Imperial Court…”

An illegitimate child of the Count… If the count’s illegitimate child is of this age and is being discussed at this time, it must be Irvelyn.

According to those who know the ways of high society, the Count will present Irvelyn to the world during the Spring Moon of the Imperial Court, the largest moon of the year.

It was a debut everyone expected, but a revelation no one saw coming.

The moment Irvelyn appeared in the banqueting hall, accompanied by the Count, Curtis Fraser’s love began to ignite.

Though it was Curtis who ultimately won and claimed her, many others from across the realm expressed feelings for her that went beyond friendship.

“Please call me by my name, my lady. And will you allow me to know your name as well?”

“Irvelyn. Isn’t that a rather common name? It doesn’t suit you.” 

“I can’t find anything that suits you. You alone are dazzling.”

There was no need to search memories; those around Irvelyn were like bees to a flower.
The only heir to a powerful Imperial family, the one who defends against northern barbarians, and a man with the wealth of the continent—yet a mysterious figure whose true identity would remain hidden without Irvelyn.
They must also be somewhere in this chapel.

Though many people, too many to count, showered Irvelyn with excessive attention, it was probably a curse for her as the Count’s illegitimate child. Rumours about her had already begun to spread.

Before her return, Irvelyn had considered such gossip beneath her and not worth listening to, so she had never anticipated how her future would change until the day she appeared. 

Now that she thought about it, had she ever seen Irvelyn in the temple?

Their paths often crossed in the gossip, but she had never seen her there.

Was she worried about being an illegitimate child?

The Temple was supposed to be a place that would protect her from the inescapable aspects of her birth.

As Dalia’s thoughts flowed over the countless words whispering in her ears, suddenly – boom – a heavy sound echoed from somewhere.

“What was that sound…?”

As someone, distracted by another’s uninteresting boast, finally spoke, the stained glass shimmering in the light shook and a deafening noise echoed from outside the chapel.

Crash, bang! Thud, thud!

A piercing scream mixed with the loud noise that filled the central nave of the chapel.

But even in the midst of all this, there were those who remained calm, analysing the situation with sharp, precise eyes.

It’s funny, because the people who always surrounded Irvelyn before Dalia came back to life were just such individuals.

Of course, Curtis led the way, and once he took action, those around him quickly followed.

When Dalia saw Curtis’ back as he walked in the direction of the continuing loud noise without looking back, she slowly blinked her eyes and spoke.

“Aah, that’s right.”

The slight parting of her lips showed a brief reaction. Nothing special had happened during the New Year.

In fact, nothing of note had happened at all, so it wasn’t surprising that her memory of it was fuzzy. 

Even before her return, Dalia had been so nervous and excited about going out with Curtis for the first time in a long time that she had become dizzy.

She hadn’t been in the chapel but in the lounge, so she had little memory of what had happened.

When Dalia finally remembered what had happened before her return, she narrowed her eyes.

Whoever had rushed outside with Curtis would surely find the ruins of the collapsed building.

The old, dilapidated temple that had been under renovation was probably now reduced to rubble on a construction site.

Despite the loud noise, which sounded like the sky was falling, and the urgent reactions of the people, the incident seemed rather unimportant.