It was a childish resolution, as if she had returned to being seven years old. It made her feel as if her wounds would shrink to the size they were back then.

* * *

She hadn’t expected that to be the end of it.

But she hadn’t known he would be this persistent either.

“Erica, what I said last night……”

Slam.

The next morning, at her home.

“Erica, I sincerely……”

Slam.

During the day, at her shop.

“I came to return the toy Eric left behind yesterday……”

“Thanks.”

Slam.

And that evening, at her home again.

Ding.

“Erica, do you happen to have fever medicine for a four-year-old……”

“Take it.”

“Thank y……”

Slam.

The next morning, at her shop.

“The wheel on the toy cart Eric left behind was too loose, so I fixed it……”

“Consider the medicine from earlier as payment.”

Slam.

That night, at her home again.

“I roasted too much chicken and potatoes.”

“Wasting food is a sin.”

“Then let’s eat togeth……”

Slam.

And he even started bringing food to her home at every mealtime, acting like a generous daughter-in-law of the head family.

Roderick kept knocking on her door day and night with one excuse after another. Each time, she would fling the door open, then slam it shut, until finally the hinges of the front door couldn’t take it anymore and broke off.

That day, using the excuse of fixing the door, Roderick succeeded in setting foot in Erica’s entryway.

“Do you have anything else that needs repair in the house? I’ll take care of it all.”

“How about I take care of you first?”

And once again, Erica had to pull out the hand axe from her waist.

“What’s this now?”

When that didn’t work, he started slipping letters under the door.

After skimming through a letter that filled two sheets of parchment front and back, Erica snorted and threw it into the fading embers of the hearth.

Please don’t tell anyone where I worked in the past. I hope you’ll burn this letter as soon as you read it.

Of course, even if such a brazenly audacious request hadn’t been written boldly at the end of the letter, she would have used it as kindling anyway.

The flames that devoured the letter flared up. Erica watched as the outrageous words turned to black ash and disappeared, then threw in a few more twigs and stood in front of the counter.

Thud thud.

The sound of kneading bread dough resumed. More neurotic than before she read the letter.

“Ha…… what is this.”

It seemed the text she had merely skimmed had already been etched into Erica’s mind. The contents of the letter kept swirling in her head.

To my beloved Erica.

It even came with voice support in Roderick’s voice.

I left you there because that village was the safest place. And I still think that decision wasn’t wrong. If I had taken you to the royal capital, we all would have died within days.

Of course, since she had only read it roughly, only the parts that had strongly imprinted on her mind surfaced, fragmented and jumbled.

My only thought was to complete my mission quickly and return to you.

‘So what, did that woman hold a knife to your throat and drag you away? Say something that makes sense.’

I never imagined things would turn out this way. I’m truly sorry.

‘As if you didn’t know. Was it someone else who secretly proposed to me while having another woman without their knowledge?’

Trust me. I had unavoidable circumstances. Even now, I can’t honestly tell you, but…

‘That’s because there aren’t any.’

‘No, but he said there were circumstances. Maybe I should ask what they were.’

“What!”

Thud!

“Kind of!”

Thud!

“Circumstances!”

Thud!

The bread dough that had puffed up round was punched by Erica’s fist and caved in repeatedly.

‘No, but Roderick wasn’t that kind of person…’

‘The young Roderick I knew is dead. Almost ten years have passed since we were fifteen. I don’t know the adult Roderick.’

Erica fought with her inner feelings as if she had a split personality. With Roderick’s voice joining in, her mind became a battlefield.

That’s why I couldn’t chase after you that day, but I kept searching for you and our child. I missed you both desperately. I’m glad you’re safe and healthy. And I’m truly sorry. Please give me a chance to make all of this up to you.

‘The way to make it up is to leave alone people who were living perfectly fine without you, you know?’

Bringing another woman’s child and saying such things wouldn’t sound very nice.