The scenery outside the window passed by quickly. Even inside the steadily rocking carriage, Ilenia could hardly contain her excitement. The scenery, now so familiar, was sparkling as if she were seeing it for the first time.

‘Do we really have to go straight home? The sunlight is just right, not too harsh on the eyes.’

That sudden thought made Ilenia cautiously glance at Delphius. His straight posture as he examined documents, even in the rattling carriage, was now a familiar sight. Ever since she had tried to imitate him by picking up a book and suffered from motion sickness for hours, simply watching him concentrate had become her usual routine.

“…Do you have more work to do even after we get home?”

His hand, which had been flipping through documents, stopped when she asked her sudden question.

“Why?”

His eyes lowered behind his lashes and his body remained fixed on the documents. Such behavior might have been considered arrogant, but Delphius’s flawless form was the very image of the nobleman she had yearned for.

“Oh, no. I was just… wondering if you were very busy with work…”

Ilenia’s courage, which had been so resolute when she decided to ask him out, gradually waned. Aware that he had been staring at her intently just moments earlier, Delphius allowed a faint smirk to appear on one side of his mouth. He reached up and opened the small window above her head slightly.

“Stop the carriage for a moment.”

“Delphius?”

The carriage slowed down gradually and stopped at the side of the road. The silence inside was broken only by the snorting of the horses, which made the atmosphere feel awkward.

“Where do you want to go?”

“Huh?”

Startled, Ilenia raised her head.

“Tell me now if there’s somewhere you want to go. I have to tell the coachman to change direction.”

“…Really? We don’t have to go straight home?”

“Home, then?”

“N-no!”

Ilenia shook her head quickly, the carriage rocking hard around her, yet she could scarcely comprehend what was happening. Delphius had not only come in person to fetch her, but had also read what she had not spoken aloud—and so easily granted it?

By this point, Ilenia began to wonder seriously if today might be her birthday. Perhaps, back in Hildebalt, someone had chosen a date at random and declared it so. Or perhaps it was some special anniversary.

Whatever the reason, one thing was certain—it was a rare and extraordinary chance. Her brow furrowed in an adorably troubled crease.

“Mm…”

“It’s already nearly evening. You’d best think carefully.”

“Even so, it’s all so sudden…”

“If there’s nowhere you truly wish to go, we can always return home.”

He was definitely teasing her. She could tell from the faint smile tugging at his lips.

Casting a sidelong glare at her insufferable husband, Ilenia nonetheless set her thoughts racing.

A theater? A restaurant? The square?

Of course, the only places that came to mind were the ones she had already visited with Delphius. Then, suddenly, she lifted her head sharply.

There was only one place she wanted to go.

······ ✦ ✧ ✦ ······

“Are you sure this is where you’d like to come?”

“Of course.”

Ilenia smiled softly.

“I’ve always been curious. About what you look like when you’re at work.”

Delphius’s office was located a little ways from the bustling main streets. Leading her inside with ease, he explained that the entire five-story building belonged to him.

At this late hour, the hall was silent, the front staff already gone for the day. With no eyes fixed upon her, Ilenia took the chance to look around freely.

“It used to be a small hotel.”

Delphius gestured toward the front desk. His face, half-hidden by his collar, made it hard to tell whether he was smiling or simply speaking plainly as he added,

“I kept it since those days.”

“Ferrite Hotel—do you know it?”

“How could I not? It’s the largest hotel in the Mateo Empire.”

“That hotel began here.”

Ilenia’s eyes widened. It was a name even the most remote villages would have heard. Whenever a great figure came to Mateo, the place they always stayed was Ferrite Hotel.

And now she learned—it belonged to her husband.

“This small, old building couldn’t satisfy guests anymore, so I built a new one. I left this place as my office.”

Ilenia blinked. The stately, time-worn building that she had previously dismissed as ordinary suddenly felt precious to her, imbued with his memories. His decision to keep his office away from the hustle and bustle of the main streets revealed just how important it was to him.

“You seem attached to it.”

“Attached…”

He repeated her word under his breath.

“Perhaps I am. It was the very first enterprise entrusted to me. Keeping it as my office, to remind myself not to lose sight of where I began—perhaps that was not such a bad decision.”

Delphius turned his head and pulled her along by the small, delicate hand that he had held tightly since they stepped out of the carriage.

“Come. I’ll show you my office.”

His office was on the fifth and top floor of the building. Originally a suite, it had been converted, and the carpet beneath their feet was finer than most. Seeing the familiar grandeur reminiscent of the Lukehardt estate, Ilenia felt comforted, as though she had come home.

“Welcome to my office, my lady.”

There was a glass of water on the coffee table in front of her. It was Delphius.

“Not many people have ever sat there.”

“Isn’t it meant for receiving guests?”

“My time is special. More precious than money. Very few can afford its worth.”

There were a few unwelcome exceptions.

Delphius thought of one such exception: someone who had come looking for him just weeks earlier. This person was one of the select few who were allowed to use his office at will, even when he was not there.

“How could you marry without a word to me? You promised you’d never keep secrets from me! You said there should be nothing I don’t know!”

How long would she cling to those old promises? He remembered the flash of her silver hair as she shouted at him, then shook his head.

Pointless thoughts. He didn’t want to ruin this moment by dwelling on the past, especially as Ilenia seemed brighter than ever today.

“Then I must be fortunate. As your wife, I can use your time freely without paying any price at all.”

“No price?”

He reached out, idly toying with the strands of gold softer than anything else he knew.

“To touch you whenever I wish, to see you always at my side—I’d say that makes us even.”

Her hair slipped through his fingers, sometimes falling straight, sometimes knotting together into long, uneven seams as it tangled at will.

Sometimes, when her hair got caught in his fingers and he stopped moving, Ilenia would reach up and gently untangle it with her own hands. Such playful touches were enough to keep their laughter going, even without words.

‘If only every day could be like this.’

Life would be so simple for them — just the two of them, without anyone else around. If only they could always live like this!

She would no longer have to stand on a scale where others judged her worth. She would no longer have to endure their glances and whispers, forcing herself to smile as though she did not understand.

Just like this: Looking only at each other. Etching each other into their memories. Allowing idle moments to bring happiness to their days. The thought struck her heart with fierce longing.

But Delphius was a nobleman, one who prized dignity and refinement above all else. Such a life could only ever be a dream, unattainable.

She no longer wished to be someone worthy of him. If only she could stand by his side, shoulder to shoulder, that would be enough.

“Ilenia. Look there.”

Following his hand, her gaze turned to the window. Night had already fallen, and darkness pressed against the glass.

“Since we’re located outside the city, you can still see the stars here.”

“You’re right.”

Ilenia lifted her gaze to the scattered stars. They were not like the endless cascades she had seen over the Tilean hills, but they were still beautiful.

Just as Delphius held this building in high regard, Ilenia felt a sudden, vivid certainty that she would come to love it, too. Wherever he went, she wanted to go too. Whatever places he cherished, she wanted to cherish them too.

And at the end of every path he took towards achieving his goals, she wanted to stand by his side. For as long as time allowed. For life.

“Next time, we could go to the Ferrite Hotel.”

“Would that really be possible? I heard it’s always filled with VIP guests…”

“The highest proprietor can always spare a room.”

As though touched by her lightened mood, Delphius smiled wholeheartedly. That smile soon softened, breaking apart into a quiet warmth.

As her eyelids slowly closed, stars began to appear, one by one. They were brighter and more beautiful than those over the hills of Tilea.