It was an exceptionally bright day. Almost as beautiful and sunny as the day she married.

Ariadne thought that on a day like this, walking, shopping, or simply sitting in the garden doing nothing at all would be wonderful.

“The weather is really nice.”

“It really is, Madam! Today just feels like a good day!”

Jay answered with an excited face as she looked up at the sky. Seeing her like that, Ariadne also glanced around with a brighter expression than usual.

Then she murmured softly.

“Truly… I would’ve regretted not coming out today.”

Though her words were little more than a sigh, Jay, accustomed to her mistress’s quiet manner, heard them clearly.

Her Madam was someone who always tried her hardest not to cause anyone any trouble.

She smiled and insisted that simply helping someone was enough.

Jay still remembered that expression well.

This was why she felt deep, aching sympathy whenever she saw Ariadne shut away in her room, pretending she was fine.

Anyone who had witnessed the Madam’s efforts to help the servants after she moved into the ducal household would have felt the same.

Sometimes, when the maids gathered, Jay would urge them to do everything they could to make the Madam comfortable.

Now, pretending she hadn’t heard the quiet murmur, Jay cheerfully pointed towards the table set up in the corner of the garden.

“It’s the perfect day for tea, isn’t it, Madam? I suppose His Grace didn’t want to enjoy weather like this alone.”

She deliberately exaggerated her tone just to coax the slightest smile from her pitiful yet admirable madam.

And Ariadne, as if sensing Jay’s intention, smiled brighter than she had in days.

“Maybe so. Whatever the reason, I really should be grateful he suggested spending time outside.”

People said sunlight helped when one was feeling down. It seemed Ariadne was no exception. Feeling secretly relieved, Jay helped her sit at the table.

“Perhaps I should’ve come out a bit later.”

Jay said this as she glanced at the empty seat opposite.

If he had asked to spend time together, why wasn’t he coming out quickly?

Jay shot the seat a glare and clicked her tongue softly and discreetly.

If he didn’t appear at all, she was going to complain to Derrick.

With this thought in mind, she carefully smoothed out the creases in Ariadne’s dress.

“Is the sun too warm for you, Madam?”

“No, I’m fine. You shouldn’t stand out there too long, Jay. Even when the weather’s lovely, the sun can be harsh, so be careful.”

Jay looked at her with concern—and silently hurled a string of curses at the Duke in her heart.

What had this angelic Madam ever done wrong?

Even if he hadn’t cared at first, as time passed, it was impossible not to see her.

His Grace was truly strange.

Swallowing her frustration, Jay tugged the parasol closer so the sun wouldn’t harm her Madam’s delicate skin.

“I’m all right, Madam. Is your seat comfortable?”

“Yes, I’m fine. The parasol is heavy, put it down and go rest for a bit. I just have to wait here until His Grace arrives.”

Ariadne smiled gently and patted Jay’s hand.

His Grace really needed to see her angelic face!

However, faced with her repeated urging, he reluctantly moved to a shaded spot a short distance from the table.

She didn’t take her eyes off her mistress for a moment, worried that something might happen.

She was completely unaware that her angelic mistress was trembling slightly with nervousness, like a fragile blossom.

***

‘What if His Grace doesn’t come?’

Like Jay, Ariadne was worried.

To her, Kieron had always been someone who rejected her, someone who ignored her, dismissed her, and acted as though she didn’t exist.

He constantly erased her presence, acting as if she weren’t even a resident of the mansion.

So it wouldn’t have been surprising at all if he had forgotten the appointment she had arranged through his assistant.

The agreed time had passed, yet the chair opposite her remained empty. She repeatedly opened and closed her hands, nervous sweat cooling her palms.

If he didn’t come…

She told herself that she would leave if he didn’t appear after waiting a little while longer.

Ariadne tried to ease the tension weighing down her entire body. At the same time, she tried to dispel the faint spark of hope that Jay had ignited in her earlier.

Her heart, which had been fluttering only moments ago, refused to settle, but she forced it to calm down. It was better than suffering sharp disappointment if he didn’t come.

She was doing everything she could to avoid growing anxious as she watched the seconds slip by, when—

“I’m much later than I intended.”

Much to her surprise, Kieron Ambrose appeared from an unexpected direction.

The simple words ‘I’m late’ reached her ears as she lifted her gaze. When she finally looked at him, she had to consciously remind herself to breathe.

‘Kieron came.’

He was the one who suggested having tea with her in the first place.

Even though he was late, he still came to spend time with her.

This fact alone rendered all her efforts to avoid getting her hopes up, feeling tense and trembling irrelevant.

How could she possibly avoid being nervous when the person she longed to see was standing right in front of her?

Unable to meet his gaze, she lowered her head, trying to hide the redness spreading across her face.

“I-It’s all right, Your Grace. You must be busy… thank you for making time to come.”

“There was something I had to finish quickly. Did you wait long?”

“No! Not at all. I haven’t been here very long.”

Ariadne waved her hands quickly and forced an awkward smile.

She had actually arrived ten minutes early and had been waiting the whole time, but she didn’t want to seem foolish by asking him about his lateness when he was clearly busy.

Besides, what did a few extra minutes matter?

He had come.

She lowered her gaze to her hands, which were still stiff with nerves, and a small smile tugged at her lips.

People often said that smiling too much made a person seem frivolous, but she simply couldn’t help it in his presence.

They were just sharing a cup of tea, nothing extraordinary.

So why did it make her so happy?

She clasped her hands together tightly, trying to calm her racing heart.

“Derrick said you enjoy herbal tea. Is that right?”

“Y-yes. I do drink herbal tea often, but I don’t really choose by type. I like all kinds of tea.”

“I see.”

He replied with little interest and signaled to a nearby servant.

The servant immediately approached and slowly pushed a prepared trolley towards them.

As it drew closer, she caught a familiar scent, one that always brought her comfort: Chamomile.

It was the tea she drank whenever she felt anxious or unwell.

The ducal physician had recently advised her to drink it often due to her weakened condition.

She had been drinking it constantly lately, but never imagined she would be drinking it here with him.

Ariadne stared blankly at the cup placed before her, unable to stop wondering if he had prepared it especially for her.

She watched the servant offer Kieron the first cup and her the second, doing her utmost to hide her feelings.

Was it really all right for her to drink it?

Had he really prepared it for her?

She reached for the teacup slowly, afraid that her face would betray how surreal the moment felt.

She had been turning possible questions over in her mind and choosing her words carefully.

Clink.

The quiet sound of porcelain striking a saucer came from the other side of the table.

Startled, Ariadne looked up at Kieron.

Usually, a cup filled with hot tea would not make such a light sound.

If there was liquid inside, it would be set down more carefully, and the weight alone would ensure that it landed with a heavier but softer thud.

But Kieron’s teacup—

“Tell your maid if you need anything, and focus on recovering your health. I won’t tolerate any further commotion over your condition in my residence.”

—was completely empty.

The tea that had been poured only moments earlier had vanished, leaving behind an empty cup.

Ariadne stared at the cup, which had been handed to him just seconds before. She felt her breath catch in her throat.

Wasn’t he supposed to spend time with her?

Hadn’t he come because he was at least a little curious about how she was doing or what she was like?

Questions crowded her mind all at once, and she didn’t register his expression as he looked at her.

She didn’t hear his next words either.

“There’s something urgent, so I’ll take my leave. Enjoy your tea for as long as you wish.”

Before she could make sense of anything, Kieron was already rising to his feet. He handed the cup back to the servant, ran a hand through his hair with a quiet sigh, and pushed his chair back.

In those smooth, efficient movements, Ariadne could see it: a sense of relief, like someone who had finally finished a task they had been putting off for far too long.

“And don’t skip meals. Stop eating in your room all the time and come down to the dining hall once in a while.”

He added the words as if they meant nothing at all, then turned and walked back into the mansion.

He did leave one last instruction to the servant, to ensure the Madam could enjoy her tea time comfortably.

“……”

Ten minutes… no, five.

Perhaps not even that.

He arrived ten minutes after the agreed time, only to spend less than five minutes with her.

He suggested tea, but he downed his drink in one gulp and walked away immediately afterwards.

Watching his retreating back — a husband who treated the meeting like an obligation, saying only what he felt he needed to before disappearing — Ariadne felt nothing.

No, she couldn’t think at all.

This moment revealed his true feelings more clearly than anything could have.

And nothing could have denied her existence more unmistakably.

To Kieron Ambrose, Ariadne Peyton was nothing but a task that could be put off repeatedly, but that would eventually have to be dealt with.

A trivial piece of homework that he could quickly complete and then forget about.

Ariadne remained seated, frozen, unable to move.

This was until the realization that had just dawned on her circled through her mind over and over, finally piercing her trembling heart with sharp, devastating clarity.