It had been a long time.

Ilenia looked across the table at the woman sitting opposite her. At the wedding venue, she had seemed unable to bear being away from her daughter for even a minute. Yet now, her stern gaze swept Ilenia up and down with blunt indifference.

“You seem to be doing well. You even know how to carry yourself like the lady of a prosperous household.”

“What brings you here, Mother?”

“Do I need another reason? I came to see the daughter I bore in pain. Is that not enough?”

Clink.

Lady Hildebalt set her teacup down.

“Rumors are everywhere.”

“Rumors?”

“The elusive Lady Lukehardt, who had repeatedly turned down invitations, finally appeared at a banquet alongside her husband.”

“I wasn’t the one who refused the invitations.”

She quietly corrected her mother, but the lady continued as if she hadn’t heard a word.

“Do you think anyone cares about the reason? What matters is whether you attended. That is why rumors spread—that the young Lord of Lukehardt dotes on you so excessively.”

Lady Hildebalt’s gaze lingered on Ilenia’s cheek, sharp as though studying her. Then, with a faint curl of her lips, she spoke again.

“I confess, when I first heard that the illustrious Lord of Lukehardt intended to marry you, I assumed there must be another woman behind it.”

They were words no mother should ever speak, yet Lady Hildebalt delivered them without hesitation. Her remarks spilled forth as though she had come solely to vent her bitterness.

“Since it was a woman he could not openly acknowledge, I thought he would hold a grand ceremony with you and then keep his true household elsewhere. But it seems he has found some novel amusement in you instead.”

“…I truly do not know what you came here to say.”

“Then I’ll speak plainly. Do you not need my help?”

Ilenia barely managed to mask her distaste as she denied the offer.

“There is nothing lacking in the Lukehardt estate. Even Madam Meg treats me kindly.”

“You will need it.”

Her tone carried an odd certainty. Lady Hildebalt still looked down on her daughter—even now, when she was the Lady of Lukehardt.

“With Lukehardt as your mighty shield, you remain utterly incapable. That is precisely why you need me more than ever. Isn’t that so?”

The teacup in Ilenia’s hand trembled slightly. She tried to hide her expression quickly, but it was too late. Seeing the color drain from her daughter’s face, Lady Hildebalt laughed mockingly.

“At the very least, I know the gossip that circulates at these gatherings far better than you.”

Rumors. The very reality that she had been trying to ignore hit Ilenia straight between the eyes.

At Lukehardt Manor, Delphius had silenced the servants and stopped the delivery of newspapers, shielding her from the outside world. She never protested, knowing that he was doing it all for her own good.

However, the truth she had been avoiding always found its way back to her, as it did now through Lady Hildebalt.

“If you are to bear and raise children, your conduct will matter even more. Surely you don’t intend to bring shame upon the name of Lukehardt?”

A soft sigh escaped Ilenia’s lips.

She knew it. If the disgrace were hers alone, she could have endured it. But Ilenia was no longer alone.

She was no longer Leni. No longer Hildebalt either.

What clung to her name now—Lukehardt—weighed heavily every time it was spoken. Ilenia traced the rim of her teacup with a bitter touch and murmured,

“…But my husband does not wish it.”

“The young Lord of Lukehardt? And why not?”

“He said there’s no need to trouble myself over faces I might see once or twice at a banquet…”

Cluck.

The sharp click of her mother’s tongue silenced her unfinished words.

“So your social skills were really that bad?”

“…What?”

For a moment, she could not breathe.

Ilenia forced herself to steady her breath. Her vision swam, yet the look of contempt twisting Hildebalt’s face stood out in piercing clarity.

“Instruction is for those who can accept it. Why would anyone invest their efforts in something that will only leak away? No one expects anything from you.”

“…”

She could not bring herself to reply.

After all, she already knew. She had felt it more keenly than anyone else, as if it had been carved into her skin. But hearing it spoken aloud was different. What she had endured in silence alone felt twice as heavy once voiced, tearing mercilessly through her chest.

Not Ilenia, but Leni. Not a noblewoman, but merely the plain, insignificant daughter of farmers in the hills of Tilea.

What had once been her entire world was worthless here. Ahead of her lay duties that she would have to learn from scratch, while the expectations of others loomed impossibly high.

 And she knew that Delphius, a born noble, would see her for what she was: an outsider.

“…How can I earn Delphius’s trust?”

A flash crossed Lady Hildebalt’s face—like someone who had finally caught hold of an opportunity.

“Do not worry, my dear. I came to make sure you won’t be cast out of Lukehardt.”

Her voice softened, the same mouth that had so coldly cut her down now speaking with soothing affection.

“You must change when the young Lord Lukehardt shows even the slightest hint of curiosity towards you.”

“But how can I even find a tutor…”

“Once a week, from now on.”

Lady Hildebalt’s eyes gleamed as she looked at Ilenia.

“I’ll bring a tutor under the pretense of visiting you. Each time, you can practice your lacking social graces, and your husband need never know.”

“A tutor… is it the same one who taught me before?”

“Who else could handle you? Were it not for that lady’s efforts, you wouldn’t even be in the Lukehardt estate.”

Ilenia’s brow furrowed as she remembered her old lessons. She didn’t know if all tutors were that brutal, but hers relied more on physical punishment than teaching.

It was her body that suffered the most during those sessions, rather than her mind. Her aversion was a natural response, not a lack of effort. Nevertheless, she bowed her head in resignation.

‘There’s no other way.’

As Lady Hildebalt had said, Ilenia was not strong enough to find someone on her own. Despite her distrust of the woman in front of her, she had no choice but to rely on her.

“You’re still sharing a bed, aren’t you?”

“Wh-what?”

“The surest way is to bear a child. You know that, don’t you?”

Perhaps because she could see Ilenia was listening, Lady Hildebalt’s words grew bolder, more unrestrained.

“A woman’s duty is to bring pleasure to her husband. Especially someone like you—useless, with no family standing or wealth to offer. All the more reason you must give him a child. Entice him whenever you can, drag him to bed if you must. News will come eventually—the sooner, the better.”

She smiled thinly and spoke with satisfaction. Then, without pause, she began boasting about her son, lamenting the troubles of her household, and complaining that the Count of Hildebalt had squandered money yet again.

To Ilenia, most of it was nothing but needless chatter, weary sighs she endured in silence.

Only when she had poured out every grievance did Lady Hildebalt finally leave Lukehardt Manor, her face lightened with relief.

But Ilenia could not rise from the parlor. Long after her mother’s departure, she sat motionless, staring at the teacup gone cold, unable to lift her head.

At last, Meg stepped forward, unable to bear the sight any longer.

“What did Lady Hildebalt say to leave you so pale, my lady?”

“…She said she would bring someone to secretly teach me social etiquette, without Delphius’s knowledge.”

The words Meg had secretly longed to hear stunned her, causing her eyes to widen in surprise. But she quickly regained her composure. This was the one thing the master of the house had expressly forbidden. To go against his wishes could easily cause conflict between the couple.

“…The master does not wish for my lady to take lessons in etiquette.”

“I know. But it’s true that I’m lacking. It’s true as well that I’ve been a burden to Delphius.”

“My lady…”

“I don’t ever want Delphius to suffer reproach because of me again. If I could only stand at his side as others do—just that much—I want to learn.”

Meg let out a short groan. In all her years of service, she had never once lied to her master. But she also couldn’t ignore the earnest plea from her mistress. After a long moment of hesitation, Meg finally sighed in defeat.

“…Alright. I will find a way to explain it to the master.”

“Madam Meg…”

“For the master’s sake as well—for the future of Lukehardt—it would be better if you received proper lessons in etiquette.”

“Thank you.”

Seeing her mistress’s radiant smile, Meg found herself smiling in return, relieved to see the shadows lift at last from her lady’s face.