“Young Master Jade visited earlier today.”

Jay, who happened to enter the room, spoke as soon as she saw Ariadne. Jade had come looking for her that afternoon, but since she hadn’t been conscious, he had no choice but to return.

“He brought these himself. He said you liked daisies, Madam.”
“Really?”
“Yes. And he told me to make sure you received the letter.”

As Jay walked closer, he continued. Jade had been terribly stricken when he heard she was ill—his expression clouded with worry. And he had asked that once she regained her strength, she should contact him.

“You went to meet him yourself?”
“Yes. When I told him that Madam couldn’t receive visitors, he asked if at least I could be called out.”

Jay burst into laughter when she described how ridiculous the servant who had fetched him had looked.

“When the son of a noble family asked for my help, the other servants all stared at me like this.”

 She made circles with her fingers and held them to her eyes, mimicking their expressions.

“And yet it was you he actually came for, madam.”

Watching Jay get excited as he recounted the story, Ariadne couldn’t help but laugh.

“They must have been shocked!”

“Exactly! Who would have expected him to ask for me? Honestly, Young Master Jade really is clever.”

“Did no one else see him?”

“Only the servants. Sir Herald didn’t, nor did the butler or His Grace the Duke.”

The people in the mansion were kind, but they were still Kieron’s servants. If Jade, unaware of the situation, had simply handed the bouquet and letter to anyone, she couldn’t have predicted what rumors might reach Kieron.

It was just a friend visiting, but given how much he disliked her, who knew how he would react this time?

“Thank goodness. Jade really was smart about it.”

Grateful for Jade’s tact, Ariadne opened the letter.

“Please take your time reading it. I’ll check with the kitchen to see how the preparations are going.”

Seeing the relief in Ariadné’s sigh, Jade tactfully stepped away. In truth, he wanted nothing more than to beg Jade to take her away from this mansion. He firmly believed that Madam’s repeated illnesses were all because of the Duke’s indifference.

However, when he saw how genuinely worried Jade looked, without any hidden agenda, he found himself unable to say a word. Ultimately, he simply promised to deliver the letter and bouquet as Jade had requested before leaving.

‘Why is studying abroad so important? If only he had come back a little earlier.’

Letting out grievances Jade would never hear, Jay quietly left the room as the Madam began reading the letter.

After the sound of the door closing faded, Ariadne unfolded the page. Inside the neatly folded paper were a brief note asking after her health, and an invitation to Heidel’s wedding.

[Heidel asked me to pass this on. He misses you a lot. I wish we could all meet together too. I can’t tell you how happy I was to see you last time. If you have time, let’s have a meal together soon. There’s so much I want to talk to you about.]

The letter, written in Jade’s gentle, unmistakable handwriting, contained words intended only for her: little stories about her family, expressing how worried they were and how much they still loved her.

There was even a line saying that he hoped to see her in private.

After reading the short letter, Ariadne felt a quiet warmth spread through her chest.

Perhaps she had been more worn out than she realized.

Who would have thought that just a few lines could soothe her heart so much?

She let out a small, rueful smile as she folded the letter and reached for Heidel’s wedding invitation.

In two months’ time, during the loveliest season when the world would be awash with flowers, the Second Princess and her brother were to be married at the Imperial Palace.

Would she be able to attend?

More than anything, she wanted to.

But did she have the courage?

If she appeared there, people would undoubtedly gossip.

Worry settled over her as her eyes drifted towards the daisies that Jade had brought.

Yes.

There were still people who cared about her and thought of her this way.

She reached out and gently brushed her fingertips along the soft petals, a faint smile forming on her lips. She should ask him to join her the next time she went out.

Alternatively, she could invite him over when Kieron wasn’t home.

As she breathed in the bright, fresh scent of the daisies in full bloom, Ariadne decided that she needed to regain her health quickly.

Only then would she be well enough to meet Jade — or her family — and have a proper conversation with them.

***

“Who came to the house?”

At that same moment, Kieron lifted his head, irritation written plainly across his face. He was already angry—the Council of Elders had sent him an unprecedented notice saying he didn’t need to attend today’s meeting. And now someone had come to the mansion?

“Young Master Jade Derayan of the Derayan County. He said he came to see Madam.”

No matter how sternly his master looked at him, Derrick remained steady and loyal. He was merely reporting on the visitors who had come to the estate that day, particularly the more notable ones.

A visit from Jade Derayan, especially when not even Madame’s own family had come, was not something he could gloss over.

Jade Derayan.

He had heard that the young man had inherited his father’s artistic talent and temperament. He also remembered rumors that the Marquis of Peyton and the Count of Derayan had been exceptionally close, constantly exchanging visits between their households.

Still, that was one thing. But did that ‘exceptionally close relationship’ extend to their children?

Kieron’s brow tightened, and Derrick hesitated before continuing.

“He is said to be Madam’s childhood friend. Since Madam was unwell, he met with Jay instead.”

He was a childhood friend who knew the name of her personal maid.

Kieron felt a wave of inexplicable discomfort wash over him.

A friend.

Yes. That was possible.

Unlike him, who had spent every day roaming battlefields under the pretext of serving his family, Ariadne had probably been relaxing comfortably with her loving family.

It was only natural, then, that she would have formed easy, pleasant friendships during those peaceful years.

That much was understandable.

But why did it feel so uncomfortable?

“Did he say he’d come again?”
“No, he didn’t mention anything of the sort.”
“Good.”

If Jade had said he would return, Kieron might have thrown pride aside and ordered that he never be allowed into the estate again.

Why?
Why did anything related to that woman leave him irritated and on edge over such trivial things?

Just that morning, he had promised himself not to concern himself with anything regarding her.

“Is Brown still making a fuss?”
“No, sir. Since Madam seems to be doing better, he’s resting now.”
“I see.”

Even the words that escaped him unconsciously ended up being about her. Realizing it, Kieron forced himself not to dwell on it and lowered his gaze back to his desk.

“You may go. Submit the rest of the reports in writing.”
“Yes, I’ll take my leave.”

Once Derrick set down the completed documents and stepped out, Kieron felt some of his irritation ease.

Was Derrick truly the cause of his foul mood? But no—before his marriage, Derrick had always been the perfectly competent butler he trusted.

“Derrick really has it tough.”

Herald said, sounding sympathetic as he watched the butler’s retreating figure.

Tough? For simply doing what he was supposed to do?

The remark soured Kieron’s mood all over again, and he turned toward Herald.

“What about him?”
“Well, he’s getting older, yet he still has so much work. Honestly, at his age, you’d expect him to start handing things over little by little.”

Still oblivious, Herald clicked his tongue as he looked toward the door through which Derrick had exited.

“He has no children to pass his duties on to, and there’s no suitable successor either, so it must be exhausting. And the Madam who joined the household is in poor health, so—oh.”

Mid-sentence, Herald seemed to realize he had said too much. His eyes flicked toward his master nervously.

Fortunately for him, he hadn’t crossed the final line. Kieron decided to let that much pass and raised an eyebrow at the awkwardly smiling Herald.

“The land report due today—is it finished?”
“Yes! I’m just wrapping it up now!”

The Herald straightened up at once, hastening his movements. At least he wasn’t completely oblivious, Kieron supposed; that was something.

He watched Herald for a moment before lowering his gaze back to the documents.

He stared at the pages, but not a single word seemed to register.

Why?

She had never bothered him before, not in any noticeable way. Yet, at some point, she had started lingering in his mind.

When had it started?

Since the afternoon they spent together? Or when she stopped coming to him altogether? Since he heard that she had stopped asking about him? Or was it when she truly began to keep silent, as if slowly fading out of sight?

When did it begin, and why was it impossible to ignore now?

But what did the timing matter anyway?

As these thoughts unraveled, he shook his head slightly and forced his gaze back to the documents.

What mattered was not that, but the work he had to do from that point onwards.

He needed to carry out his duties, reclaim his authority and take back his rightful position.

That was why he had decided to stop attaching importance to unimportant things.

This was the second time he had made that resolution that day.

There wouldn’t be a third.