“Rene? It is you, isn’t it?”

A voice overflowing with delight drew closer and closer. When she turned toward the sound, a vaguely familiar face flashed across her vision.

‘Rene!’

That bright smile. That person who always ran toward her, right beside her third brother…

“Goodness, Jade Derayan?”

“So you did recognize me!”

She looked at him, her childhood friend with those unforgettable sapphire-blue eyes and hair of a similar shimmering shade.

She distinctly remembered hearing that he had gone abroad to study. How could he be here?

Ariadne welcomed him with a bright, surprised smile as he approached.

“Didn’t you leave to study in the Kingdom of Jentin? How are you here?”

“I came back last month. It felt like it was time to return.”

Jade answered with a gentle smile, a smile so warm even the sunlight might grow jealous of it.

Ariadne felt her chest warm at the familiar expression etched so deeply in her memories.

“What about Del? Have you seen him?”

“I met Heidel as soon as I returned. He’s getting married soon, apparently.”

“Really? He’s finally doing it! When is it? Is the preparation going well?”

Meeting a friend was delightful enough, but hearing such joyful news caused her to clap her hands with excitement.

She had been worried ever since the postponement of her youngest older brother’s wedding, especially since her first and second brothers had got married early.

Heidel had met an exceptional princess, yet he always kept her waiting.

Of her three older brothers, Heidel Peyton was the closest to her.

Hearing that he was finally getting married brought a radiant smile to Ariadne’s face.

Seeing her brighten up as if she were hearing the news for the first time, her long-time friend Jade offered a slightly awkward smile.

“I heard it’s happening this autumn… Didn’t Heidel ask you for help? Out of all your siblings, you’re the only one who’s actually had a wedding.”

“Huh? Oh…”

When Jade asked her a question, the smile that had lit up Ariadne’s face slowly faded. She hadn’t been in contact with Heidel, or even her parents, for a long time.

She couldn’t bear for them to see how pitiful she had become, nor did she want to worry them.

Knowing better than anyone else the warm, harmonious nature of the Peyton family, Jade tilted his head at her reaction.

Was she really living her married life without contacting her family at all?

He fell quiet, remembering Heidel’s expression when they had met not long ago.

Come to think of it, Heidel had worn the same look when Jade asked him if he had sought Rene’s help.

But why?

Rene’s eldest brother had married someone of lower status and held a modest ceremony with only their family present.

His second brother had done the same, having just a small wedding with family and close relatives to celebrate the couple in a simple and sincere way.

Ariadne was the only one in the Peyton family to have a grand wedding like the other nobles.

So if anyone needed help with wedding preparations, she would have been the obvious person to contact.

“Rene. Did something happen between you and your brothers?”

When he asked her, a faintly awkward expression crossed her face.

It was the same expression she always wore when she had argued with her brothers or when there was tension between them.

Jade, who had known her since childhood, immediately sensed that something had happened between the siblings, who were usually so affectionate.

He had heard that her family had strongly opposed her marriage. Was this the reason?

Recalling her wedding, which he had conveniently avoided by extending his studies abroad, Jade quietly clenched his fist.

He hadn’t wanted to witness anything that would make his blood boil, even in his imagination.

“There’s nothing. Nothing happened.”

Ariadne shook her head quickly. But no matter how hard she tried to smile, she couldn’t deceive someone who had known her for so long.

He had heard that her husband wasn’t particularly fond of her. Was that the reason?

He should have tried to stop the marriage when it was first mentioned. Jade regretted letting his own emotions stop him from doing so.

Ever since she was a child, Ariadne had struggled to rely on her family.

Compared to her three brothers, she had no remarkable talents or intelligence, and she always felt that leaning on them would only burden them.

So, even after getting married, she probably couldn’t bring herself to ask her family for help or confide in them when difficulties arose.

Jade, knowing he was the only person she had ever turned to with requests as a child, found herself regretting his decision to go to university for the first time. He had chosen to study in order to become more worthy of her.

“Then why are you here? Do you even know what kind of place this is?”

Rather than pressing further about the past, Jade changed the subject.

He chose to speak about the present, not the past.

Seeing her expression brighten slightly, he knew he’d made the right choice.

“Ah. I had some business to take care of.”

“Business?”

Ariadne looked awkwardly at Jade as he glanced around.

No matter where one looked, the area was filled only with salons known for fostering affairs. She understood why his expression looked the way it did.

She forced a laugh.

“Just… I came to buy a few things nearby.”

“Well, if you say so, Rene, then I’ll take your word for it, but…”

Jade’s eyes narrowed.mThat was the look he got whenever he suspected something.

Before his sharp instincts could catch on to anything else, Ariadne hurried to turn the conversation back to him.

“W-what about you, Jade? What brings you here?”

“I’m here to meet someone. You know how artists favor this street.”

“An artist? Is there someone else the count is sponsoring?”

“Someone else, Rene? The number’s only ever gone up, never down.”

Jade shrugged and laughed.

His father, Count Derayan, had two hobbies: discovering and nurturing artists, and providing the family’s income.

Orpheo Sonnet, Ariadne’s favorite artist and now the Empire’s greatest poet and musician, was also discovered through the Count’s discerning eye.

She smiled as she recalled the Count, whose tough exterior concealed the most refined taste in the Empire.

“It’s been a while since I last saw the count. Has he been well?”

“Of course. Even though he hears the same scolding from my mother every day, it doesn’t bother him at all.”

“‘Please stop running around collecting performers,’ you mean?”

“It’s about time she gave up, but it’s her only form of escapism.”

Ariadne laughed at the deliberately exaggerated way Jade spoke. Her smile—still bright, still innocent—made Jade’s own expression soften. Seeing that unchanged smile for the first time in years pulled him back into the past.

He fell quiet, simply taking in the sight of her.

“My lady!”

“I’ll be right there, Jay! Just a moment!”

The maid’s voice cut through the moment, prompting Jade to let out a soft sigh.

It was a smile he hadn’t seen her wear in a long time, one that her own family rarely saw anymore.

For a moment, he resented the maid for shattering it, but what could he do?

She was just doing her job.

“Tell Heidel I’m happy for him. And please ask him to send me an invitation.”

Ariadne waved lightly as she spoke, still wearing that faint, lingering smile.

Jade returned the wave just as gently.

“Alright. I’ll tell him.”

“Thank you. And it was really good to see you again, Jade.”

She didn’t offer even a polite invitation to the duchy. That was just like her—and somehow it pained him.

As she turned to leave, Jade reached out and caught her arm.

“Rene.”

“Yes?”

She responded naturally at the sound of her name. How many times had he loved that moment—when her eyes turned toward him with such unthinking warmth?

Watching her now, waiting for him to speak with a gentle smile, Jade let out a bitter laugh. A laugh filled with regret—for the moment he’d lost, and for his own foolishness.

“Let’s meet again. Definitely.”

“I’ll write to the duke’s manor.”

It was the least he could do for the part of himself that was still mourning the time he had lost.

Only after receiving her quiet promise that they would meet again did Jade finally leave. For someone who had spent weeks wondering when to visit her, the outcome felt disappointingly inadequate.

***

“Was that Young Master Jade, wasn’t it?”

Jay asked as she climbed into the carriage, lifting Ariadne’s shawl to place it over her shoulders. Had she seen them from that distance? Ariadne nodded, remembering how Jay had gone off quite far to fetch the carriage.

“Yes. He said he returned last month.”

“He was away for quite a while, so I guess he’s back for good now. Still as gentle as ever, isn’t he?”

“Jade’s always been gentle. Seeing him brought back so many memories… it was nice.”

Ariadne let Jade adjust her appearance, quietly recalling the soft smile he had worn.

When she was young, she spent more time with Jade than with her busy brothers.

While her brothers were often away at the academy or busy with other commitments, Jade visited her every day.

He had originally been friends with Heidel, but had grown closer to her somewhere along the way.

Thinking of his unchanged face, Ariadne smiled faintly.

“He cared for you very much, too, my lady.”

“I was always grateful. A child following him around must have been annoying.”

“Annoying? Do you know how delighted he looked whenever you called for him and ran after him?”

Jay burst into laughter as she described the expression Jade used to make when he picked Ariadne up in his arms.

“There probably wasn’t a single person in the mansion who didn’t know how adorable the two of you were.”

“Really? Well… Jade was very kind.”

“And only to you, my lady. He wasn’t like that with anyone else.”

“Really? Hearing that makes me even more grateful.”

Jade winked playfully as she spoke, implying a deeper level of affection. But that was impossible.

Jade was simply kind. She was so kind that people often misunderstood and assumed more than there was.

Ariadne recalled Jade’s familiar smile as she removed the pins holding her hair up.

If Jade hadn’t suddenly shouted earlier, she would have been able to fix her hairstyle properly.

“Oh! Right!”

“Goodness!”

Startled, Ariadne dropped the pin she was holding, and it clattered onto the floor of the carriage.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry, my lady! Something suddenly came to mind and I just—”

Jay scrambled to pick up the fallen pin.
Only after she had tidied Ariadne’s now-messy hair did Ariadne cautiously ask,

“W-what is it?”

“My lady—I’ve just thought of a way for you to carry out your plan safely!”

“Hmm?”

‘Safely?’

Ariadne blinked at Jay, who leaned in with sparkling eyes. This was something she had already decided to do knowing it required a bit of risk.

How could this possibly be done safely?

As Ariadne stared at her in confusion, Jay flashed a triumphant grin.

“Young Master Jade! He’s the safest, most reliable person in the world to help you, my lady!”