When Dalia faked her death and fled, there weren’t many places she could go. She couldn’t go back to the Gruy family, of course, and she didn’t have friends who could hide Curtis’s gaze perfectly or offer her shelter.

She didn’t want to burden a friend like that anyway. Fleeing to a foreign country was out of the question, of course, since she would be discovered quickly, and she didn’t want to live with the constant fear of being exposed in a remote village within the realm.

So there was only one place left.

A temple that was somewhat removed from the secular world and had a good reason to resist outside pressure.

Of course, large temples with many visitors and small temples where the faces of passersby were familiar were immediately ruled out.

The only remaining option was a temple where all contact with the outside world was forbidden upon entry, faces were covered with veils, and the practice of silent meditation minimized contact with others.

Once inside, all contact with the outside world would be forbidden, her face would be covered with a veil, and she would engage in silent meditation, minimizing contact with others.

In addition, the unwritten rule of not asking about the past, unless one is a criminal, could be used to her advantage.

There is a saying that a secret is only kept if it is buried in the grave, and just as she had planned her own demise without any help, the place where she could hide would have to be secured solely by her own efforts.

Having thought that far, Dalia suddenly let out a bitter laugh.

To think she could rely on herself in this world. She had lived wrongly. No, she hadn’t.

The life she had lived wrongly was now a secret that only she knew, so she would have to live right from now on.

All she has to do is wait until Curtis and Irvelyn are safely married and his interest in the late Duchess has completely faded.

Then she’ll have to start over with a new identity. Since neither Curtis nor Irvelyn are likely to leave the capital, it should be possible for her to settle down and rest peacefully in the capital and the Fraser Duchy without drawing attention.

Her family and friends would easily accept her if she explained things properly later. They might even be willing to go straight to Curtis Fraser with their heads held high, so she’d have to explain things very well.

Very well… Dalia shook her head and stood up.

For the first time since her return, Dalia was preparing for a trip with Curtis.

***

Click.

Along with the sound of the carriage door closing, the soft whinny of the horse could be heard in her ear.

From the Duke’s residence to the Central Temple, Dalia sat in the carriage, facing Curtis at an angle.

Before, she wouldn’t have been able to hide her excitement and would have tried to hide her flushed face by avoiding his gaze.

But now, she no longer felt that way, and she avoided his gaze for an entirely different reason.

In any case, neither of them spoke, and they both just stared out the window, which was quite comfortable.

The whole way to the temple, she didn’t have to think of a single thing to say to Curtis, nor did she have to force herself to meet his gaze, even for a moment.

All she felt was a sense of comfort.

Concentrating on the rapidly changing scenery outside the window, Dalia began to think about where she could hide inside the temple.

That’s why she didn’t notice Curtis’ gentle gaze resting on her cheek.

Curtis, not wanting to draw attention to her, quietly watched the scenery pass by the window, his eyes occasionally drifting to the side of Dalia’s face.

Her round forehead sloped down gently, and her soft blonde hair swayed slightly as it flowed down to her shoulders.

Her green eyes, like fresh leaves, were unfocused, and her cheeks beneath them were so pale they seemed almost white.

Her lips, perfectly poised, held a subtle red hue, and the elegant curve of her neck extended from her smooth chin.

She was, as always, the perfect “Duchess of Fraser,” almost as if she had been painted. There was nothing out of the ordinary to notice.

Moreover, her behavior towards him remained the same.

She couldn’t make eye contact, her gaze dropped shyly downward, and she flinched slightly at the touch of his fingertips before grasping the hand he extended to accompany her.

Though he was indifferent to others, he was neither blind nor oblivious, so if there had been the slightest change in Dalia’s appearance or behavior, Curtis would have noticed it immediately.

“Does your body feel better?”

It wasn’t a logical or calculated question. He was simply trying to draw her gaze from the window to him.

And he didn’t even fully understand why he wanted to do that. He just felt an uncomfortable feeling scratching at the back of his mind, something a little more unsettling than before.

“Ah…”

Her answer to his question came a little slower than usual. Still, it was a reaction that wasn’t much different from normal.

When Curtis spoke to her, Dalia always hid her joy behind a bright smile, took a moment to choose her words, and then answered smoothly.

When she finally looked at him, Dalia smiled, her eyes curved like a crescent moon.

“Yes. I’m fine. It was just a little cold. The medicine from the Duke’s personal physician worked well.”

It was a perfect answer. After that, Dalia closed her mouth and looked away again, and Curtis opened his mouth to speak, only to close it quickly.

He had nothing to say. In situations where he was with others, it was rare for him to initiate a conversation.

Except when discussing official matters, he rarely engaged in private conversations.

Even when he had a private audience with the emperor, it was always the emperor who brought up personal matters.

How did His Majesty start the small talk?

“Come to think of it, I’ve recently found a tea leaf that I like. The first taste is ordinary, but the aftertaste has a subtle bitterness that I enjoy.”

“Well, let’s finish this. Speaking of which, sometimes my fingers feel numb for no reason.” 

As Curtis thought back to that moment, his lips tightened at the Emperor’s way of speaking, which often veered into personal matters without any clear connection, explanation, or trigger.

Just thinking about it made his mind more confused. If he were to talk to anyone other than the Emperor, there was one person who would call himself his friend, but that person was just as talkative as the Emperor.

As his thoughts reached this point, Curtis narrowed his eyes slightly.

He couldn’t understand why he had tried to find a reason to continue the conversation with her.

When had they ever had such simple conversations?

Of course, as a married couple, they didn’t completely avoid private conversations. But she was always the one who started the conversation, and she was always the one who ended it.

“It’s warm today. Before it gets any hotter…” 

“I’m thinking of changing the tea leaves, what do you think?”

Nothing significant, just trivial words that would be forgotten as soon as they were spoken.

Yet Dalia spoke them with such care, as if they were of great importance to the family.

When she faced him, she seemed to struggle to speak, and if she looked at him for too long, her cheeks would turn red and she would shyly look away. 

 It was probably the same now. Since he was staring at her, she must have been the one to look away first.

His intuition screamed loudly in a corner of his heart that it wasn’t like that, that something was different.

Fortunately or unfortunately the carriage stopped at that moment.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Yes.”

After that meaningless conversation, which had no real meaning, silence fell between them again, as it always did.

***

The New Year’s Ceremony held annually at the Central Temple appeared to be a grand and important event, but in reality it was somewhat different.

While the guests who were invited and attended made it seem like a major event, it was actually a national ceremony organised by the Temple as the first major event of the year, emphasising humility and integrity.

Despite the gathering of prominent figures from across the Empire, the atmosphere itself remained calm and serene.

The order of events was simple: one of the Bishops of the Central Temple would reflect on the past year, offer New Year’s greetings, and then read the Emperor’s message.

Then the guests would receive blessed snacks and drinks from the priests circulating around, and that was the end of the ceremony.

The dignitaries from all over the realm took their seats, and finally, as the Duke and Duchess of Fraser took theirs, the Bishop standing before them smiled kindly and began to speak. 

“By the grace of God, during the past year…” 

And so began the New Year’s ceremony, which proceeded quietly in the reverent atmosphere typical of the temple.

Although the sermon was the same every year, it was always deeply moral and selfless.

Dalia suddenly focused her attention and listened intently to the Bishop’s words: Love others. Forgive others. Love yourself. Forgive yourself. It was a very familiar message indeed.

Dalia’s lips curled in a slight, almost imperceptible turn.