They couldn’t go anywhere crowded.

Because of the storm, all the hotel rooms had been booked up. Even the coffee houses were too full, so they had no choice but to retreat to a hired carriage.

The carriage, which had been hired at several times its usual price, was unbearably cramped. Yet the Kurdy couple seemed visibly relieved to be in such a confined, secluded space.

Only then did Delphius take a proper look at them.

The first thing that caught his attention was their clothing, which, although clearly worn with care, was far too old and frayed to hide this fact.

“I’ve been sending you money regularly.”

Kurdy hesitated for a moment before answering carefully.

“We’ve saved all of it.”

“If you needed a large sum, you could have sent word through someone. I would have provided it. May I ask why you chose to save it instead?”

Even if they had asked, it would have been a trivial amount to him.

People who had never held great wealth in their hands often behaved this way.

The Kurdy couple were no different.

This time, without hesitation, Kurdy continued as if it were only natural.

“We simply couldn’t bring ourselves to spend money earned from selling our child… so we saved it.”

Delphius exhaled slowly, suppressing the sigh that threatened to escape.

That was understandable.

It was only natural that they would feel that way.

In fact, it was almost regrettable that these two, with their old-fashioned devotion, were not Ilenia’s real parents.

From Ilenia’s perspective, at least, that would certainly seem to be the case.

For a moment, Delphius recalled Hildebalt, who had never ceased criticizing Ilenia.

But who could truly draw a clear line between what was real and what was not?

Brushing aside this sentimental thought, he spoke again.

“Whether you accept the money or not does not change the terms of our agreement.”

“I know that, but…”

“Even if you saved it all and chose to return it, the contract would not be revoked.”

“….”

“So you may use it without concern.”

“That’s precisely why we can’t bring ourselves to spend it.”

It was an uncomfortable space.

Lady Kurdy, who had been shrinking in on herself, careful not to let even her knees brush against his, finally lifted her head to look at Delphius.

“We’re afraid… that if we spend beyond our place, our child—Leni—might somehow become unhappy because of it.”

“Unhappy…”

“Your Grace… when you held your child in your arms, didn’t you feel it? That desire—to make your child happy?”

“….”

Had he ever felt this way before?

Looking back, he realized that he had always been drawn to Ilenia.

The child was precious, but seeing Ilenia holding their baby was overwhelmingly beautiful and painful all at once.

Despite longing for a child, his gaze always returned to her. Perhaps he couldn’t fully understand what it meant to cherish a child whose name hadn’t even been chosen yet.

But if he replaced that thought with Ilenia…

Then perhaps he could begin to understand.

Because, in the end, he too wished for Ilenia’s happiness above all else.

“So… we beg you, just this once… could we see our child?”

Their rough hands clasped together.

Pressed against their chests, their fingers trembled with quiet desperation.

There was no reason to hide it any longer.

Even if he rejected them here, they might still find a way to reach the capital.

So, instead of offering a vague rejection, he spoke plainly.

“…Ilenia is currently recuperating. Even if you insist on going to the estate, you won’t be able to see her.”

“…What? Recuperating?”

“The physician recommended she recover in the countryside, where the air is better than in the capital.”

The couple exchanged a long look before turning back to Delphius, their faces filled with concern.

“…You’re not… abandoning our daughter, are you?”

“…What?”

“Abandon her? Ilenia?”

A hollow laugh escaped his lips.

Their beloved daughter may have tried to leave him once but he had never once thought of abandoning her.

In fact, he was on his way to see her at that very moment.

With a faint scoff, he idly toyed with the pocket watch in his coat.

If he were to reveal the darker thoughts buried within him, they would likely regret every word they had just spoken.

For a moment, he imagined telling them, confessing that he wanted to keep Ilenia bound to him and never let her slip from his grasp.

A quiet smirk curved his lips.

It was, in truth, a needless concern.

Whether she had sensed the shift in his thoughts or had simply been unsettled by the change in his expression, Lady Kurdy spoke hesitantly.

“If I have worried needlessly… then I apologize.”

“It’s only natural for parents to feel that way.”

“Then—”

“But I still cannot allow you to meet Ilenia, for the same reasons as before.”

“…And what reason is that?”

This time, it was not the wife but the husband who burst out. The calm he had shown on the platform was gone, replaced by a sharp, palpable anger.

“If she’s gone to the countryside to recover, it should be much easier to avoid others’ eyes. Then why—?!”

And it was Lady Kurdy who cut him off.

“I understand. If that is Your Grace’s decision, then we will abide by it.”

“Stella!”

The one who had seemed the most desperate suddenly changed her stance.

It wasn’t only her husband, Kurdy, who was taken aback.

Even Delphius looked at her with quiet surprise.

“Weren’t you the one most worried? We came all this way—how can you change your mind now?”

“It’s because… we can no longer keep her by our side,” she replied calmly, unlike the agitated Kurdy.

“And besides… what do we know of noble society? Would we truly be of any help to Leni? At the very least, it’s only right that we heed the words of His Grace, who clearly cherishes our daughter.”

At that moment, her gaze turned to Delphius.

There was something unfamiliar about the way she looked at him; it was as if she were examining him closely.

For a man who had spent his life avoiding studying the faces of others closely, this was the best he could do.

Was there something about him that displeased her? Or had she simply decided that pursuing the matter might endanger them?

“So… please…”

But Delphius’s assumptions missed the mark entirely.

“Please… take care of our daughter… our Leni…”

Her breath came out rough and uneven, and suddenly, Lady Kurdy’s body swayed.

Startled, Kurdy quickly caught her—but her weakened form refused to steady itself.

“Stella! What’s wrong?”

Despite his frantic voice, she struggled to regain her senses.

Only then did he notice how her entire body trembled like a leaf in the wind, and he swallowed hard.

“What brought you both to the platform in the first place?”

“We were on a train heading to the capital… but it suddenly derailed…”

“Which carriage were you in?”

“I believe… it was passenger car fourteen.”

Car fourteen.

One of the compartments that had derailed along with the cargo cars.

“…D*mn.”

A quiet curse slipped from Delphius’s lips.

***

The rain was still lashing against the window violently.

In weather like this, no matter how warm the season, you naturally craved something hot.

Delphius stared silently at his steeping cup of tea.

It wasn’t a bad brew, he thought, unconsciously comparing it to the tea served at his hotels.

Then, hearing a voice, he turned his head.

“The house call is finished.”

The woman’s face, now resting against the soft bedding, looked noticeably better.

At the very least, her lips—once drained pale like those of the dead—had begun to regain their color.

In a restrained, businesslike tone, he offered his thanks.

“It seems the fatigue has built up, and combined with the rain, she’s come down with a cold. I’ll prescribe some medicine, so please take care that her condition doesn’t worsen.”

After repeating the necessary precautions several times to Kurdy, the physician gathered his medical bag and left the room.

Click.

The unfamiliar metallic sound echoed as the door shut behind him.

“Th-thank you… truly.”

“It’s nothing.”

Although it was the right thing to do, Kurdy repeatedly bowed his head.

This was in stark contrast to earlier, when he had been overcome with emotion over his daughter’s death.

Had Delphius stayed any longer, Kurdy would probably have collapsed from the strain.

After telling him to get some rest, Delphius quietly left.

He made his way down the hotel corridor.

Securing even a single room in a place already filled beyond capacity had been no simple task.

As he descended into the lobby, he turned his head  and saw her.

A woman was sitting there, seemingly unconcerned about anything in the world, idly swinging her leg.

She was the kind of person who could have a guest removed with a single word, simply to make room for him.

She was someone who could summon a physician through a raging storm with nothing more than a gesture.

Before approaching her, Delphius pulled out his pocket watch.

The time had long since passed what he had originally planned.

The train.

The journey.

Everything had fallen apart.

And yet, he couldn’t abandon them.

If Ilenia were to find out that he had left them in the middle of a storm, it would break her heart.

It would break her heart.

And that was something he could never allow.

“Do you need anything else?”

Delphius asked, shifting his gaze towards Ariella, who met his eyes with a faint, knowing smile.