Until the very moment she stepped into the carriage after the gathering ended, Ilenia did not speak a single word.

Even with Madam Meg and Amanda beside her—companions meant to guard against any unforeseen trouble—her spirits did not lift. Their presence, which should have been a comfort, brought her no relief.

In the heavy silence, the two women could only acknowledge it as a quiet state of emergency.

It had been only a small gathering, and one of the hostesses was her own kin. That was why the master had permitted her attendance at all, and why both women had seen her off without worry.

Yet clearly, something had gone wrong. Otherwise, their mistress—who always met them with such brightness—would not now be sitting before them so utterly defeated.

“My lady, I thought you might be hungry, so I brought some cookies with nuts. Would you like one?”

“No, I’m fine.”

She refused even her favorite cookies. Amanda, struck with dismay, stamped her feet toward Meg in a silent plea.

‘What are we going to do about our lady?’

Meg was no less troubled. Having served a mistress who rarely showed her emotions for so long, she had almost forgotten how to react in situations like this one.

Her pride in overseeing the Lukehardt household was irrelevant at that moment. She had only just managed to stop Amanda, who looked ready to throw her arms around their lady’s waist, when Meg spoke cautiously.

“…My lady.”

“Ah. Forgive me, Madam Meg. Where were we?”

Her pale face strained to smile, and it was plain that the effort cost her dearly.

“Did something happen at the gathering?”

“Ah… I’m fine, it was nothing. Truly, nothing at all.”

The words I’m fine came out on reflex, accompanied by another forced smile. But after spending months together each and every day, how could they fail to recognize it for what it was?

And Ilenia, too, was not blind. Amanda’s unhidden emotions, Meg’s silence broken only by the increasing frequency of her glances—both revealed their genuine worry.

Her fingers, which had been creasing her skirt, slowly uncurled.

“Lady Calante came to the gathering. She was there to see me.”

“I did fear that an open invitation might cause trouble… I see. The Marquis of Calante’s daughter…”

Meg exhaled heavily.

“In truth, the master has refused every request for visits these past weeks. Naturally, that included turning away the Marquis of Calante’s household. I imagine that is why she sought you out at the gathering instead.”

“Do not burden Delphius any further.”

So that was why she spoke the way she did. The sharp tone, the cutting words, the constant reproach—all because Ilenia had been the one to bar her from the house she once entered so freely.

In a way, Ilenia could understand. Yet the bitterness still clung to her.

Meg had known. Even Amanda, sitting wide-eyed and silent now, had known. She alone had been left in the dark.

Ilenia still felt like a guest in the Lukehardt estate. Treated with the utmost courtesy, yes—but always as someone who would one day depart.

The same was true of her duties. At most, she lent a hand with the ledgers. Her contributions to the household were small, nearly insignificant. She sewed a little, but it was never work done for the sake of the estate—only a pastime to fill her hours.

At times, when she completed something with care, she would give it to Delphius. And yet, even then, she never felt as though she truly belonged or had offered anything of real weight to the household.

“The master is the one who makes the decisions, my lady. Please do not take the responsibility upon yourself.”

“Was that order given after the tea gathering we attended as a couple?”

Meg’s eyes widened slightly.

‘Ah. So this is what it means to read a person’s mood from the smallest motion. It was the fruit of my lessons, and yet, I cannot bring myself to feel glad for it.’

“It’s all right, Madam Meg.”

Ilenia smiled.

So it was always like this.

She only learned of the things done in secret under the guise of protecting her from the mouths of others.

‘If there are things I don’t know, how many more must there be? What if this is only the beginning, and there are far more than I can imagine?’

Though meant as kindness, it brought her no joy. Instead, it weighed on her like a debt, layer upon layer, eating away at her heart.

And so Ariella’s words rang bitterly true.

“Husband and wife in name only. Strangers in truth.”

The thought pierced her like a blade.

Her smile faltered for only a brief instant. Remembering the two people sitting before her, watching her with concern, she forced a smile once more.

“How long have you served Delphius, Madam Meg?”

“It has been just over ten years now, my lady… Why do you ask?”

“Has there ever been a time when he was gravely ill?”

“Well… as he is human, there have been times when he was unwell. But the master is rigorous in his self-care. Not once, in all the years I’ve served him, has he ever been stricken with anything severe.”

“I see…”

Neither Ilenia nor Madam Meg knew anything about Delphius’s childhood. The thought of Lady Calante, who had been there, made Ilenia feel uneasy. Fearing that her negative feelings might be revealed, she turned her head towards the window.

Outside, the sky was streaked with a beautiful violet sunset, stretching between the buildings.

······ ✦ ✧ ✦ ······

Delphius did not return until late at night.

Because of a single investor who detained him far too long, he could only think of how much time had been wasted. If the man had not held such a significant share in his venture, Delphius would have left the meeting to another long ago.

The streets had long since fallen under night’s shadow. Save for a few scattered houses, even the lights in the windows had dimmed.

The mansion he arrived at was no different—quiet, still.

For the first time, Delphius found the silence strange. When had it begun? His life had always been accompanied by silence.

Uncharacteristically retracing his memories, Delphius thought of the one who had, at some point, so naturally claimed the space beside him.

Ilenia Hildebalt.

Yes. It was after she had come that the house had grown oddly noisy. Just one person in a great estate—yet the change was unmistakable. His days, once void of sound, had been filled with small intrusions.

“Delphius, have you eaten? What is this? How do I do that? Delphius. Delphius…”

Like the call of a nightingale, her voice sought him out tirelessly. With anyone else, he would have grown weary long ago. Yet with Ilenia, strangely, it was not so.

Perhaps it was the perfect certainty that she was his. Or maybe it was her guileless nature — she was so innocent that there was no reason to doubt her.

“You’ve returned, my lord.”

“Where is Ilenia?”

“It grew late, so she retired to her chambers.”

With a flick of his hand, he dismissed the attendants. At last, free of their presence, he turned toward the bedchamber.

The room lay in darkness, the only light a pale spill of moonlight across the far end of the bed. Beneath it, the covers rose and fell with steady breaths. Moving soundlessly, he drew closer and saw her—fast asleep.

To find another in his bed was always a strangely disquieting sensation. The presence of warmth in a place that should have been empty… No matter how many times he faced it, the strangeness never faded. The figure resting there. The warmth itself. Even the fact that it was Ilenia—though he had reminded himself of it countless times in thought, standing here now, he could not shake the feeling of awkwardness.

He had lived his life this way—constantly doubting, forever wary. Even his family had grown beneath the shadow of his distrust. And yet now, he found himself placing faith in a woman he had known for scarcely half a year. He could not fathom why.

Then again, had his world ever once made sense?

A faint, self-mocking smile tugged at his lips as he reached out. He did not wish to wake her, but neither could he suppress the urge to touch. His hand moved quietly, brushing through Ilenia’s hair.

The soft strands shimmered as they caught the moonlight, glinting like threads of gold. Pleased by the sight, his fingers slipped deeper, savoring the warmth they found.

“…Delphius?”

Her voice was husky with sleep as her lids fluttered open. Her drowsy eyes had not yet fully taken in her surroundings before he gently lowered them again.

“Sleep more.”

“You’ve only just returned?”

“Yes.”

He had hoped she might drift back into slumber, but instead, his wife rubbed her eyes and sat up, still heavy with drowsiness.

“You smell of wine.”

Delphius instinctively brought his sleeve to his nose.

“Are you drunk?”

“No.”

“But you smell like—”

“From someone else. A fool who poured it endlessly and pressed it on everyone around him.”

“So you did drink.”

“I didn’t get drunk.”

Although he often drank alcohol, he never allowed himself to get drunk. He could not, and he must not.

For him, wine was merely a way of enhancing his enjoyment. Nothing more. And, for a brief time, Ilenia had been much the same.

If someone were to ask whether that was still true now, Delphius could only shake his head. He needed no distant reason to explain why.

His gaze refused to leave the woman lying in his bed.