These days, Ilenia was learning all too well what it meant to live in a “cramped residence.”

“Ah…”

Her steps faltered awkwardly.

“Ahem!”

How many times had it been already?

The Duke of Lukehardt—whom she had encountered several times just today—shot her a look of clear displeasure before walking past.

The way he looked at her was as though she were nothing more than a bug on the roadside. It was enough to make humiliation burn through her.

She had done nothing wrong—only crossed his path—and yet he behaved as though he had seen something that should never exist within the estate.

She had stayed shut away in her room as much as possible, almost as if in hiding, but somehow they still kept running into each other.

At times, she even found herself resenting the house itself for being so small.

And it was no different even when Delphius was by her side.

The duke’s gaze no longer merely brushed past her, it lingered, sweeping over her from head to toe.

But the disgust within that gaze remained unchanged.

As if he were used to it, Delphius paid it little mind.

But Ilenia was different.

Those blatant stares made her shoulders shrink every time.

On top of that, Lady Calante’s daily visits became another source of her growing headaches.

It was as if she had completely forgotten that she had once been forbidden from approaching this place. The way she came and went as she pleased—so brazen, so shameless—was no different from someone treating the estate as her own.

The once-quiet estate was now filled, day after day, with the footsteps of unwelcome guests. For Ilenia, there was no moment of peace, only a constant stretch of uneasy days.

Even Delphius, the one person she trusted and relied on, was not much different.

As he moved step by step through the formalities leading up to the succession ceremony, he had grown colder than before—sharper, more distant.

‘He’s busy.’

She knew that.

She knew she only had to endure this moment, that if she could just withstand this unfortunate overlap of events, everything would settle again.

“You only need to hold on for a few days, Ilenia. I’m asking you.”

Delphius had placed his expectations on her, and she wanted to live up to them.

It was what she ought to do.

But there were times when she simply could not endure the tightness in her chest.

Each time her breath slipped out in shallow, strained gasps, she shook her head as though struggling against the helplessness closing in around her.

‘I’m fine. I’m fine.’

There were more than enough reasons to endure.

Turning her head, Ilenia spoke to Anna, who stood beside her.

“Go and bring me the baby.”

“Yes, Milady.”

Not long after Anna left, the child arrived, cradled in the wet nurse’s arms. The nurse carefully transferred the baby into Ilenia’s embrace.

Now quite accustomed, the child instinctively sought out its mother’s arms.

Resting its tiny head against her chest, waving its little arms, it looked every bit like a small angel.

“My little Del, have you been well today?”

She was not supposed to give the child a name, but Ilenia had secretly made one of her own and called the baby by it.

Even so, she had chosen it carefully so that not even the heavens would mistake the child.

“My little Del… my precious baby.”

Ilenia took in every small movement of the child in her arms—the soft whimpers, the sleepy yawns—
treasuring each one with all her heart.

The faint redness in the baby’s skin had already begun to fade little by little.

Watching the redness slowly fade from his skin, turning pale little by little, felt endlessly fascinating to her.

Even something so small—his nose already stood neatly defined, unmistakably Delphius’s son.

Her treasure.

Ilenia gathered the child into her arms, holding him close with all the affection she had.

“My little Del… my love.”

“……”

She hesitated for a moment before beginning to whisper softly.

“You see, your father—big Del—has been so busy lately that he barely looks at your mother anymore. You mustn’t grow up like that. No matter what happens, at the end of each day, you should look into the eyes of the one beside you. That way, you’ll know whether you’re moving in the right direction… or straying from the path.”

Those were the words her mother had repeated to Leni, time and time again.

“Even on a familiar road, a person can lose their way. And when that happens, don’t rely on your instincts alone and keep walking forward. Look into someone else’s eyes. The way they look at you will tell you, in an instant, whether you’re on the right path… or not.”

‘But, Father… I don’t know.’

Ilenia slowly closed her eyes.

Those distant eyes never seemed to hold her, they always turned toward someone else first.

She knew he was busy.

And yet, sometimes… she couldn’t even tell if she was walking the right path.

‘Am I doing this right?’

“Uh… ah…”

At the baby’s soft whimper, Ilenia quickly opened her eyes.

Her gaze met a pair of bright, golden eyes.

Clear, spotless—like something untouched by the world.

As her reflection appeared within them, Ilenia’s face broke into a gentle smile.

“Yes… my little Del will do just fine.”

“Ah… ah.”

“…You are my only hope, little Del. As long as you’re by my side, Mother can endure anything.”

Ilenia gently rested her forehead against the baby’s small belly.

That tiny but steady heartbeat, it was no different from the very source of her life.

“I’ll be strong.”

Just then, as if responding, the baby’s lips curled into a soft, instinctive smile.

That innocent expression was so endearing that Ilenia found herself smiling once more.

For the sake of the child she loved, Ilenia found the courage to change.

“Good day, Your Grace. The weather is lovely.”

Instead of stiffening in fear as before, she greeted him.

It was an awkward, almost forced greeting but compared to how rigid she used to be, it was a remarkable step forward.

At first, once or twice, her greetings were not even acknowledged. The duke treated her as though she didn’t exist, and Ilenia could do nothing but watch as he passed by.

But as her efforts continued, again and again, a subtle change appeared in his expression.

Of course, whenever he faced her, irritation still surfaced before anything else—his expression far from pleased.

But at the very least, he no longer treated her as if she were invisible.

Though he constantly berated her, as if scolding an inept child, he did not push her away.

It also helped that his usual chess partner—his aide—had temporarily left the estate on business.

Left without his only opponent, the bored duke had grown restless, unwilling to play just anyone.

And so, in the end, he had even made Ilenia his opponent.

Fortunately, Ilenia did not know nothing about chess. She knew just enough—no more than the average person.

Except, of course, that her “average” was that of a commoner.

“You play worse than a child. Every move is obvious—painfully so, and utterly dull.”

“Sometimes, the basics are the right answer.”

“Tch. That’s nothing more than an excuse from those who lack proper learning.”

Clicking his tongue, the duke moved his piece.

“Checkmate.”

“Ah…”

Once again, the match ended in an instant.

Ilenia blinked blankly at the board.

“Look at that. The moment you placed your piece there, you were bound to lose. Why choose such an obvious position? Could you not see how exposed your king was?”

“Then… what should I have done here?”

“You should learn to think for yourself!”

Even as he grumbled, the duke offered her advice, one step at a time.

With every game—each one filled with sharp reprimands—the length of their matches gradually began to increase.

By the time Ilenia had become somewhat capable at chess, Ariella arrived at the estate, as she always did.

“Oh, good. Ariella, you’re here.”

Even with her arrival, the duke did not take his eyes off the chessboard.

“…What are the two of you doing?”

“We were playing a bit of chess. This foolish girl keeps making moves so predictable that it’s become dreadfully boring.”

“Oh my, you’re right.”

Ariella glanced over the chessboard.

It was only for a brief moment, but the instant her gaze fell on Ilenia’s side, her fingers tightened around the piece she was holding.

A dull ache throbbed through her wrist.

“This is a situation where you should be using a pawn, not a knight. To sacrifice the greater for the lesser… how very amateurish.”

“Tsk, tsk. Even that girl, who just arrived, could take one look and grasp the strategy. You can see just how poor your skill is.”

“Of course, we mustn’t forget to take into account how skilled you are, Your Grace.”

“Yes, yes. So, what brings you here today?”

“My father will be returning soon.”

The duke, who had been listening with clear satisfaction, widened his eyes.

“The Marquis of Calante?”

“Yes. After all, a new Duke of Lukehardt is about to be established. No matter how little faith he has in Delphius, he must want to prove that he was present for that moment.”

Ilenia swallowed hard.

The unease she had felt since Ariella arrived was now becoming reality.

Just when she thought she had finally begun to grow closer to the duke, her place was taken from her completely.

Silently, she rose from her seat.

“I’ll prepare the tea.”

“Yes. Bring jasmine tea—the kind Ariella likes.”

In the duke’s casual command, there was no place for Ilenia.

Her dimmed gaze briefly swept the floor before she lowered her head.

She had long since grown accustomed to swallowing the dull ache spreading through her body.

“…Yes, of course.”

Ariella, who had been waiting for her to leave, spoke the moment the door closed.

“You’ve been spending quite a lot of time with Ilenia lately.”

“She keeps following me around. Even when I tell her I’d rather not, she says she’s bored and comes looking for me again and again…”

As he spoke, the duke let out a small, amused scoff.

“Still, she’s not entirely without sense. Unlike that wretched boy Delphius, she at least knows how to show respect to her elders.”

“…Pardon?”

“She’s not completely lacking.”

A change.

Ariella watched the duke’s altered demeanor with growing unease.

No… surely, this was all it was.

Ariella forced herself to steady the unease rising within her, trying to dismiss it.

But that unease reached its peak on the day of the succession ceremony.

“Congratulations, Delphi. You’ve finally obtained what you wanted.”

“It was only the natural outcome.”

From early morning, Ariella had been at the estate, never leaving Delphius’s side. At times, she even gave orders to passing servants, as though she were the lady of the house herself.

“One carriage will be enough, right?”

“Yes.”

Come to think of it, she had heard that even the witnesses had been kept to a minimum.

That, too, was just like Delphius.

Soon, he would take her hand and head to the imperial palace.

Certain of it, Ariella absently brushed her fingers together. For today, she had even gone without gloves despite the cold—her fingertips flushed red from the chill.

At that moment, Delphius, now fully prepared, lifted his hand.

His hand, however, passed right by Ariella and reached instead for Ilenia.

“Ilenia. Come here.”