“You’ve only just started to look better, and you’re already out again?”

“I wanted to see the sea.”

“Again?”

Even at the complaint, Ilenia’s face remained bright, her smile refusing to fade.

“I heard you spent the entire day staring at the ocean yesterday too. Mile said so.”

After smiling for a while, Ilenia finally looked a little embarrassed.

“It was only for a bit.”

“Sure. I bet you stayed until sunset again.”

Their tone made it clear that they didn’t believe her at all.

Yet beneath that, there was an unmistakable hint of concern.

Ilenia’s dimples deepened as she smiled.

This was her first time riding a long-distance train.

As the excitement and anticipation that had filled her slowly settled, she belatedly realized that something wasn’t right.

The train was carrying hundreds of passengers.

Unlike a carriage, it couldn’t simply be stopped on request.

With no way to get off midway through the journey, she would have to endure it. By the time she arrived in Ouk, her vision had blurred so badly that she could barely see.

The person Ariella had sent was efficient, but only faithful to the task.

He guided Ilenia to her destination without fail, but took no responsibility for her well-being.

Impatient with any delay, he urged her to hurry. Even when she struggled to walk, he continued to push her forward. Somehow, she forced herself to keep going.

Even when she saw the largest ship she had ever seen, she felt nothing.

Her stomach twisted violently, as if the earlier nausea was returning.

Then—

As Ilenia staggered, someone caught her.

Breathing heavily and unable to focus properly, she slowly lifted her head and saw a woman with her hair tightly wrapped in a headscarf looking at her with quiet concern.

“Are you alright?”

Everything sounded distant, as if echoing through the air.

Yet that voice alone reached her clearly.

Ilenia fixed her gaze on the woman.

Beside her, the man continued to urge them on, insisting that they had to board the ship immediately because the train had been delayed.

Suddenly, however, the woman’s expression hardened and she shouted at him.

“She’s pale as a ghost and looks like she’s about to collapse—and you still want to put her on a ship? Are you trying to kill her?!”

Ilenia was startled.

She had never heard a voice raised so loudly before.

This was the complete opposite of the restrained, measured tones expected in high society, where even the slightest increase in volume would have been unthinkable.

And yet, it didn’t feel out of place.

In fact, there was something bold and refreshing about it; it was exactly what Ilenia had always longed for.

The man tried to argue, weakly insisting that he had already bought the ticket, but it didn’t matter.

In the end, he gave in.

With clear reluctance, he changed the plan, suggesting they take the return ship a week later instead.

“If you get on the ship, you’ll be staring at it the whole time anyway. What’s so great about that blue water?”

Ilenia, who had been gazing quietly out to sea, turned her head towards the woman.

The woman introduced herself as Delma and explained that she and her husband owned a fishmonger’s near the shore.

Despite not having much, she carried herself with unwavering confidence.

Even when she was angry or complaining, her face was full of life.

Ilenia found herself quietly envying her steady, grounded presence.

“Just… when I look at it, I feel like my mind clears. All the clutter in my head gets swept away by the waves.”

“How did someone like you even survive living inland all this time?”

Delma looked at Ilenia as if she were truly incorrigible.

“You said you have to board a ship early tomorrow morning, right? It’s fine to look at the sea, but don’t overdo it—get some rest. You need to take care of yourself. If you miss the ship again, that man you’re traveling with looks like he’ll be furious.”

“I will.”

“…That man. Can you really trust him?”

She was clearly referring to the person Ariella had sent.

No matter how unwell Ilenia looked, he had shown no concern—only focused on completing his task.

To Delma, he was far from trustworthy.

“It’s fine. We’ll part ways once we reach the kingdom.”

“If you say so, Leni… but still…”

Her tone made it clear she wasn’t convinced.

When Ilenia only smiled quietly, Delma clenched her fist as if to shake off her worry.

“Anyway—everything in moderation! Tomorrow, even if you desperately beg to feel solid ground under your feet again, it won’t be possible.”

“Thank you, Delma.”

At that moment, the distant wail of a train whistle could be heard echoing through the air.

Its sharp, piercing cry was just as loud as the ship’s horn.

Whenever the two sounds overlapped, as if competing with one another, Delma would grimace and cover her ears.

Staring at the plume of black coal smoke rising in the distance, Ilenia pressed a hand to her chest.

Every time she heard that sound, her thoughts began to unravel. She had a dreadful vision of Delphius stepping off the train and finding her, no matter what.

And of herself being pulled back by his hand. As soon as these thoughts took shape, she quickly shook her head as if trying to chase them away.

‘No.’

‘That won’t happen anymore.’

She no longer wanted to shamelessly cling to a place that never truly suited her.

To live with every word, every gesture under constant scrutiny was far too exhausting.

She had already suffered enough from wearing something that didn’t fit.

Now, it was time to take it off.

“Mom!”

A child came running, feet pattering rapidly, and flung himself into Delma’s wide skirt.

Perhaps four years old.

With a mischievous grin, he waved the stick in his hand.

Who knew where he had been, the end of the branch was caked with dried mud.

“You—again?!”

It had only been a few hours since she had scrubbed him clean and polished him up.

Realizing her efforts had been undone, Delma’s face turned fierce.

“Where did you even pick something like that up?”

“What do you mean ‘something like this’? It’s cool!”

The child didn’t back down, even under his mother’s scolding.

Instead, he beamed and swung the branch—nearly as long as his arm—through the air.

“Isn’t it cool?”

“It is. It’s very cool.”

At Ilenia’s praise, the boy’s face lit up even brighter.

A child dances at the approval of an adult.

Oblivious to his mother’s exasperation, the boy, now brimming with excitement, declared he would go find an even bigger branch and ran off.

“Because you indulge him like that, Leni, he won’t leave your side. Children are sharper than you’d think. They know exactly who likes them.”

Ilenia smiled as she watched the boy run off.

Sensing her gaze, he turned back and waved enthusiastically at her.

Ilenia lifted her hand to wave in return but stopped herself, grasping her own arm instead.

The image of her child smiling softly from within a small bundle rose vividly in her mind.

She couldn’t bring herself to lift her hand.

‘No.’

She took a sharp breath.

Since coming here, she had stopped hearing the phantom cries of her child—but now, faintly—it felt as though she could hear them again.

“Oh! Shouldn’t you be packing?”

Delma suddenly raised her voice, remembering what she had meant to say.

“We’ve just been chatting this whole time.”

“I was just planning to take what I already brought.”

“That’ll be enough? You’ll be on a ship, you know. Two or three outfits won’t get you through.”

Still unconvinced, Delma rolled up her sleeves.

“Wait here. I’ll help you.”

“Ah—wait, Delma—!”

With her sleeves rolled up, Delma looked ready to pack the entire world into Ilenia’s bag.

Flustered, Ilenia hurried after her.

At Delma’s playful threat to stuff her bag with dried fish, laughter rang out.

***

“Have a pleasant journey.”

Stepping down from the first-class carriage, Delphius ran a hand through his slightly disheveled hair.

Despite having leaned back against the plush seat for the entire journey, he felt no fatigue.

This had been happening more often lately. His eyes, unable to find proper rest, were darkened with exhaustion — yet even that seemed to suit his sharply defined features.

The moment he stepped off the train, he was hit by the salty air and frowned.

A port city — Ouk.

The place Ilenia had longed to see so desperately.

And yet he couldn’t understand it at all.

There was no stretch of soft sand.

No elegant attractions or leisure spots.

If anything, Ouk was simply a busy trading city, crowded with merchants and goods in constant motion — a place that never seemed to slow down.

Perhaps it held a certain exotic charm, but it was still in Mateo.

To him, people were all the same.

There was nothing here he found particularly remarkable.

As he stepped off the platform, the sunlight struck him with overwhelming intensity.

The thickening crowd made him feel faintly nauseous.

Still, this place was nothing more than the salty air and a vast blue sea.

The sunlight scattered across the water, dazzling him so much that it was hard to keep his eyes open.

And yet, not even an hour after arriving, his mood had turned sour.

What was it about this place that she had wanted so badly?

Standing there and staring out at the endless blue horizon, he thought about the letter again.

[I’m sorry for taking up your precious time when I was of no help. I hope you’ll be able to live more freely in Lukehardt without me.]

Along with that brief letter came the divorce papers.

At the end of the document, where her personal details were written was her signature.

[Ilenia Hildebalt.]

Her maiden name.

The sight of it refused to leave his mind.

The name Hildebalt following Ilenia felt unbearably unfamiliar.

No—you’re wrong.

Freedom was never something Delphius needed.

Since childhood, that single concept had only ever constrained him.

The reason he had always kept moving was Ilenia.

To give her a better life.

To make sure that nobody would ever look down on her again.

To put the best things in her hands.

To work tirelessly so that not even the slightest rumor could reach her.

And yet, just when everything was within reach, you left me.

Delphius’s brows drew together in a deep frown.

“…That won’t do.”

Ilenia suited Lukehardt far better than a name like Hildebalt.

Delphius stared out at the sea in silence.