With Meg’s cooperation, Ilenia’s secret etiquette lessons began. However, before cooperating, Meg added one thing.

“Lukehardt Mansion has too many prying eyes, so how about receiving the lessons at Hildebalt Mansion?”

It would be pointless to get caught after all the help. Ilenia accepted her suggestion and changed the location to Hildebalt Mansion.

“Mistress, you must go now.”

“Mm. I understand.”

Unable to stand her usual un-mistress-like, dawdling steps, Amanda urged her on.

Amanda, one of Meg’s followers, often followed Ilenia unlike the other maids. She was one of the few maids who was affectionate with Ilenia. Ilenia quickly grew fond of Amanda.

“Mistress, hurry! We’ll be late!”

Urged on by Amanda once more, Ilenia had no choice but to quicken her pace.

“You always do this whenever you go to Hildebalt Mansion, Mistress. It’s not like you, who always values punctuality.”

Ilenia simply smiled. The hat in her hand was slightly crumpled.

The lessons at Hildebalt were exactly as Ilenia expected. Whenever she made a mistake, she was met with brutal criticism. Along with ridicule, there was no hesitation in their condemnation.

The only saving grace was that since there was a possibility of others seeing, she couldn’t lay a hand on her. The absence of a whip in her hands was Ilenia’s sole comfort.

After the carriage passed the yellow-flowered wall and the fence like a sharp spire, Hildebalt Mansion came into view. She held her breath as she looked at Hildebalt Mansion, which appeared once again today.

The mansion of her family home was quite different from its former appearance. No. It would be more accurate to say that Ilenia’s perspective had changed.

Ilenia could now see that the mansion was in a rather poor state. It was only big. With no proper management or staff to manage it, the exterior walls, unmaintained and leaking, were haphazardly cracked.

It was simply decrepit. It was a wonder how it had once looked so magnificent. Was it because she had seen it on a dark night? But it wasn’t as though she hadn’t seen it in the daytime.

While Ilenia was lost in various thoughts, the carriage soon arrived at Hildebalt. As she stepped out of the door opened by the coachman, she saw a flustered Amanda behind her.

“Mistress…”

“You know the time? Just come pick me up then.”

Ilenia gave Amanda a bright smile from inside the carriage. Even though Amanda would usually grin and laugh along with her mistress’s smile, she firmly held the door handle.

“I’ll get out and follow you after all.”

“Amanda.”

“Lady Meg said so. A noblewoman needs someone to accompany her at all times, because you never know what might happen.”

‘She’s exactly the kind of girl that Meg would choose to be her right-hand woman. Despite her innocent and naïve appearance, there is a rigid side to her that overlaps with Meg’s.’

A smile crept onto Ilenia’s face.

“It’s fine. This is my family home. And I won’t be here long; it’s just a short lesson, so there’s no need for an accompanying maid. If I really need one, I can ask a Hildebalt maid.”

“All right…”

Grudgingly, Amanda nodded and weakly closed the carriage door. The glum face visible through the half-open window looked so pitiful. Unlike her usual self, Ilenia waved to Amanda.

“See you later.”

“Mistress! I’ll try my best to assist you even better than the maids at Hildebalt Mansion! Just until then!”

Having overheard her maid’s resolve, Ilenia burst out laughing. After laughing for a while and covering her mouth, she lowered her hand.

Amanda was already doing more than enough as her maid. Ilenia simply didn’t want to show her all the things that happened at Hildebalt Mansion.

She swallowed her bitterness and turned her head. A terrible time had come again, waiting for Ilenia.

······ ✦ ✧ ✦ ······

“I hear you’ve been going to Count Hildebalt’s mansion every week recently.”

She paused as she took Delphius’s outer garment to hang it up. Since they didn’t have a valet, they had grown accustomed to helping each other get dressed. Most of the time, of course, it was Ilenia who needed help. Feigning composure, she took out a hanger and calmly hung up the garment.

“I was a little bored… and missed my family home.”

“You missed them?”

“A little. We got married not long after I was reunited with my family. So, I wanted to catch up with them, even if it’s late.”

Hoping he would let it go, she slowly uttered the excuse that she, Meg and Amanda had come up with. Fortunately, Delphius merely glanced at Ilenia and dismissed it. He dismissed it so casually that she almost felt disappointed.

She hesitated, then spoke out of the blue.

“If going to Hildebalt Mansion so often isn’t a good idea, then I’ll stop.”

“There’s no need for that.”

He, having finished buttoning his shirt, came closer to Ilenia. He lightly stroked her hair.

“Don’t worry about what others think. Do what you want to do.”

Ilenia slowly closed her eyes as she felt his hand pat her. She knew what would happen next whenever he made this gesture.

“…Yes. I understand.”

Hot breath seeped through her slightly parted lips. Accepting the passionate heat that would soon descend upon her, Ilenia wrapped her arms around his neck.

······ ✦ ✧ ✦ ······

Today was a particularly hard day. Not only the tutor, who was fussier than usual as if in a bad mood, but also Lady Hildebalt, who endlessly complained to her.

Despite having paid the first lesson’s fee, their repeated requests for more money completely exhausted her. It was so excessive today that the actual etiquette lessons couldn’t even proceed properly.

Ilenia weakly clenched and unclenched her hands.

She just couldn’t feel confident. Was she doing this right? Lady Meg said her demeanor was improving day by day, but that was just the opinion of those who knew her. It was possible that their affection had softened their judgement subtly. But to participate in another banquet or tea party…

Ilenia recalled the stares she had received and squeezed her eyes shut. The thought of standing under those eyes that had stripped her bare made it difficult to breathe.

She wanted to get back to the mansion quickly. She hastened her steps, eager to take refuge in a place that would hide her perfectly.

Ilenia stopped when she saw the carriage parked in the usual spot. The sight was so different from what she was used to that she slowly blinked her eyes, then rubbed them.

Something was strange about the carriage. No, to be precise, the person in front of the carriage was different. It wasn’t the naive child who would normally wave and yell, “You worked so hard, Mistress!” A pair of straight, long legs and hair as black as if night had come early stood straight.

“…Delphius?”

The moment she realized he was her husband, Ilenia quickened her pace as if by magic. Step by step. Her feet, which had previously felt as though they were sinking into the floor with every step, now felt light, as though they could fly. Breathing heavily, she looked up at Delphius, her face flushed.

“What are you doing here?”

“You said you were coming every week.”

He cupped her cheek, unable to hide his excitement. A pleasant warmth seeped into his palm.

“That’s why I came to meet you.”

“Meet.”

At that simple word, Ilenia felt all her fatigue disappear.

Thump-thump.

Her pleasant heartbeat spread throughout her body.

“We didn’t receive any notice of your arrival… If you could wait just a moment, I will go get the mistress right away…”

A maid, who hadn’t expected to see Delphius, ran over belatedly and bowed her head. She was anxious because Lady Hildebalt had given her strict orders to usher the Duke Lukehardt inside if he arrived.

Although the maid acted as if she would serve him faithfully, Delphius didn’t give her a glance. Only Ilenia remained in his mind’s eye. He saw the bags in Ilenia’s hands and gestured.

“Put these in the carriage first.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, oh! These were for… Lady Lukehardt…”

“Tell them that I came to pick up my wife, so a separate greeting is not needed. We’re leaving right away, so a farewell is not necessary either.”

Dismissing her like that, Delphius completely cut off the maid.

“Ilenia. Your hand.”

A delicate hand appeared before her. Ilenia stared at it, her gaze slightly blank. Come to think of it, she realized, this hand had always been there to guide her recently. When she was lost. When she couldn’t figure out what to do. When she desperately needed help. It was the hand that had guided her everywhere. It was Delphius’s hand.

“Let’s go home.”