It was unbearably unpleasant.

The feelings embedded in that crude, insignificant object were far too obvious.

Suppressing the urge to tear it to pieces there and then, he spoke instead.

“I’ll give you something better than that. So throw it away.”

“This is a gift. It was made for me—one of a kind in this world, Delphius.”

He knew.

And that was precisely why he hated it.

“It’s poorly made by an amateur, and even the placement of each flower is clumsy. Do you really think something like that suits you?”

“It’s not clumsy.”

She was acting differently to usual.

Ilenia, who had always accepted his words unquestioningly, was now being stubborn and refusing to give in.

She didn’t realize that this only made him angrier.

The way she clutched the shabby bookmark to her chest, as if determined not to let it be taken from her, only fueled his fury.

“Considering your position as a duchess, I told you it doesn’t suit you.”

Even so, Delphius restrained his anger and spoke as gently as he could—but Ilenia remained unyielding.

“…I don’t care about that. Here, I’m just Ilenia, aren’t I?”

“You didn’t even spare a glance for the things I gave you. So why do you treasure something like that?”

“Because those things were never mine.”

“Don’t talk nonsense, Ilenia. If I bought them for you, how are they not yours?”

His sharp tone struck like a blade, piercing straight into her chest.

“They were bought with Lukehardt’s money, and I personally signed the receipts. And now you’re saying they’re not yours?”

He tapped a finger against his arm.

Tap. Tap.

With each sound, Ilenia’s heart pounded harder, tightening with tension.

“Then tell me—whose are they?”

“They’re yours, Delphius. None of them were things I chose for myself.”

“…So those are worthless, but that bookmark is valuable?”

“Yes. Because I wanted this. How could I refuse a gift made with care, something that holds meaning?”

As if to hide it from him, Ilenia pulled the bookmark closer to her chest.

“More than anything… it was made with me in mind. I won’t throw it away.”

“I’ve thought about you far more than that boy ever has.”

It was only a few steps away.

Closing the distance to invade Ilenia’s personal space in the sitting room was effortless.

Her pale neck and shoulders appeared fragile, as though they might shatter under the slightest pressure.

Unable to bring himself to touch her directly, he braced his hand against the wall behind her instead.

The distance between them narrowed, becoming suffocating.

“To think that everything I gave you—imagining the way you’d smile when you received them—would mean less than that worthless bookmark.”

“I never asked for them.”

She shook her head.

Her face had gone pale, her body trembling so violently it was a wonder she could still stand.

“Delphius… I never once wanted any of those things.”

“…So that’s why you didn’t take a single one with you?”

Before bringing her here, Delphius had gone through the things that Ilenia had packed herself.

The maids had prepared her clothes and daily necessities anyway. Yet the things she had insisted on bringing were all insignificant: Old dresses that she had worn in Hildebalt and no longer needed.

There was wrapping paper from gifts she had received from others. There were also dried flowers that were so brittle they were barely recognizable.

By all accounts, they were worthless items. And yet she kept them as if they were more precious than gold or jewels.

At the time, he had found this almost laughable.

But now, thinking back—

—the most laughable thing of all was himself.

Of all the things she owned, there wasn’t a single gift from him.

Out of everything he had ever given her…

Not one had ever touched her heart.

“Is it because you resent the things I bought without ever asking what you wanted?”

“I simply didn’t take them because there wasn’t a single thing among them that I wanted.”

“…Then tell me. What is it that you actually want?”

What she wanted.

Why did everyone keep asking her that?

It had been a long time since her own wishes had mattered.

And yet, there was something she wanted.

The one desire that had always lingered at the edge of her throat whenever the doctor or Raymond asked.

Ilenia swallowed, her breath heavy, as if weighed down by water.

“I wish… you would stop caring about me.”

She was sick of all of it. She hated the meaningless repetition of each day.

“I want you to just… leave me alone now.”

“I don’t like that.”

“….”

“You’re my wife. How could I not care about you?”

“Then let’s get a divorce.”

“…What?”

“We can just divorce.”

It happened in an instant.

The faint displeasure on his face cracked and spread, shattering the composure he had always maintained.

For the first time, she felt she could truly see his expression and emotions.

Without hesitation, Ilenia pressed on, laying her heart bare.

“I don’t understand why you care about me this much. You come all the way here every time, go out of your way for me… and keep someone alive who’s practically lost their mind and doesn’t even want to live.”

Her voice trembled, but she didn’t stop.

“Why… why are you doing this?”

It was a truly pointless life.

Everything felt like a waste.

The doctor who came was trying to mend a heart that was already rotting away.

The maids took on the burden of feeding her, cleaning her and caring for her in an attempt to stop her from withering away completely.

But who was she, really?

Just a country woman, born and raised on Tilea Hill.

“…I’m not of any use anymore.”

“Why would you ever be useless, Ilenia?”

“Are you really asking because you don’t know? You could ask any noble around you—they’d all tell you the same.”

“Is what others think really that important?”

“It matters to you.”

In the end, he was no different.

Under the pretense of caring for her, he had confined her to the estate.

He hid her away, unwilling to let others see her, yet whispered to her that it was the world that was wrong.

As if her eyes and ears didn’t work. As if she were a fool who knew nothing.

She hated that.

“You’re the one who locked me away because you didn’t want others to see me. You made sure I would never be noticed anywhere.”

“….”

“Delphius… aren’t you the one who’s ashamed of me?”

“I…”

His lips parted, as if trying to grasp something.

But no words came.

His gaze wandered—uncertain—flickering between her and the small house.

“…Not once have I ever thought you were something to be ashamed of.”

At last, the words came, strained as if forced out.

“Not once. I have never been ashamed of you. How could I ever…”

His thoughts were scattered and incomplete.

Then, suddenly, his golden eyes settled on her.

The eyes that had always been so clear were now clouded and unsteady. They were the eyes of someone who had finally realized the hurt he had caused her.

But this brought her no comfort. If anything, it made things worse, as if he had only just realized. As if he had never known before.

She shook her head sharply.

“I can’t believe you.”

He seemed about to say something more—then stopped.

“…Fine. Don’t believe me.”

Delphius reached out and gently patted Ilenia’s head.

“If you can’t believe me, then there’s nothing I can do.”

His hand slipped away, falling weakly.

“You don’t have to throw away the bookmark.”

With that, he left the sitting room.

Left alone with the silence, Ilenia turned towards the window.

She watched Delphius step out of the house through the window.

The sky slowly dimmed into dusk.

Evening came and then darkness fell.

But Delphius did not return.

Ilenia knew.

He had finally grown tired of her.

It was what she had wanted all along.

And yet—

— her heart felt unbearably hollow.

There was no relief.

No sense of peace.

It felt as though the world itself had cast her aside.

She was consumed by a loneliness deeper than when she had once lost the will to live.

She couldn’t run after him now.

So why did she feel like this?

If only she had remained a quiet, obedient doll—

Would this have lasted a little longer then?

No.

She buried her face in the pillow.

A doll that serves no purpose is always discarded.

All she had done was hasten the inevitable.

“……”

She didn’t want to think anymore.

To escape her own feelings, she closed her eyes.

It was almost time for the new medicine to take effect.

Hoping the familiar pull of sleep would last forever, she let herself sink deep into unconsciousness.

At some point, her eyes opened.

It took her a moment to realize that what she had thought was a breeze was actually a hand.

Her eyes, still heavy with sleep, shifted slightly.

“…Delphius?”

The hand that had been stroking her hair paused.

It hesitated for a brief moment, then slowly slipped deeper, fingers threading through her hair, gently caressing her scalp.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you… but you looked so beautiful while you were sleeping. I couldn’t help myself.”

“…Why… are you here?”

She truly didn’t understand.

Hadn’t he already grown tired of her? Wasn’t he supposed to never come back?

“I came because I have something to give you.”

His voice trembled faintly, softened by the haze of sleep.

It wasn’t like him to sound like that.

“I wanted to give you… what you truly wanted.”