“You’ll work towards your teaching licence, and I’ll cheer you on throughout your studies. We’ll submit your writing to publishers and magazines, and one day, your beautiful words will be read by others. We’ll wait for that day together, even if it never comes. When you finally meet someone you truly love, I’ll embroider the lace for your wedding dress. We’ll watch time quietly pass us by.”

“Did everything go well where you went?”

Evelyn tilted her head and asked curiously.

Henrietta responded with a gentle smile.

“Nothing special happened, did it?”

“Nope, I’ve only just woken up.”

Embarrassed at having slept through the day, Evelyn laughed and blushed.

Behind her, the sky was painted the same soft colour as the bruises on her cheek.

For some reason, this sight weighed heavily on Henrietta’s heart.

***

The next day, as Henrietta was getting ready to head out for Grayson’s class, she received an unexpected letter.

It had been delivered by the same young man who had come from the Zahert Hotel last time.

Hendrik van Ansonaisen — the name written on the envelope made her heart pound, adding to the shock she had felt the previous day.

After meeting Hendrik at the hotel, Henrietta was so overwhelmed that she couldn’t recall how she had managed to walk back through the garden.

‘He’s such an inscrutable man.’

Recalling her conversation with Hendrik, she shook her head to compose herself before slowly opening the letter.

‘What on earth does this even mean?’

It was an invitation to a royal banquet regularly hosted by the Empress. Henrietta stared at the letter for a long time, re-reading words that she had clearly seen before, yet still couldn’t comprehend.

Was it some kind of code? Or had he lived abroad for so long that he was out of touch with how things worked here? No, it didn’t seem disorganised enough for that. Was he mocking her? If not, then perhaps it was just a mistake — a letter sent to the wrong person.

She considered various possibilities, but none of them quite fit.

Having given up trying to decipher Hendrik’s intentions, Henrietta stared blankly out of the window for a moment.

“So break him up first.”

Bathed in spring sunlight that evoked the warmth of summer, a memory she hadn’t quite shaken off came crashing down on her. It was the deep, vivid voice that she had tried so hard to forget since leaving the hotel — a voice that she could not pretend she had misheard.

“We’ll talk about us after that.”

So he had really said those words. His eyes were like the bright blue marbles that the boys at the orphanage used to play with in the yard.

“Ha.”

What a difficult man to figure out!

As if there could ever be a ‘let’s talk about us next time’ between them.

That ambiguous statement was the last thing he said before escorting her to the door. If not for the stiff atmosphere, it might have felt like receiving a royal escort at the palace — he was so courteous. Although it was clearly a dismissal, she didn’t feel kicked out.

It wasn’t until she was on her way home in the carriage that Henrietta reflected on her behaviour. Whatever her reasons, her attitude towards someone who had been nothing but kind to her was unacceptable. It was shameful. However, regretting it now wouldn’t change anything.

Fortunately, the banquet at the royal palace was still more than a month away, and by then she would be far from Haytesfield.

Exhaling slowly and deliberately, she slipped the letter back into its envelope and carefully tucked it into her bag.

‘But what does one do with an invitation from royalty anyway? Just throw it away?’

She smiled faintly at the absurd thought.

“Sister, here’s your hat.”

“Thanks.”

Evelyn approached quietly and held out Henrietta’s hat. In her arms was the kitten from the day before. They had given the kitten some milk when it failed to return to its mother late into the night, and they just couldn’t bring themselves to throw it out.

“It’ll go back tonight.”

“Yes.”

Henrietta looked from Evelyn to the kitten and nodded slightly. Now, even this tiny intruder, who had wandered into their yard uninvited, had somehow become her responsibility. There was no time for hesitation.

As if sensing her thoughts, the kitten stared straight at her and tilted its head to one side. Apart from the inside of its ears, its two front paws and its eyes, the kitten was completely black.

“Do you even know how cute you are?”

She reached out to tap its nose, but the kitten suddenly lifted both front paws and tried to grab her hand fiercely. Even that looked adorably clumsy.

“I’ll keep an eye out today too, in case the mother comes to the yard.”

“Alright.”

Henrietta gave a small smile. Evelyn and the kitten both tilted their heads in the same direction, and they looked uncannily alike.

“Have you thought of a name yet?

Just in case the mother never comes back.”

“Hmm… I haven’t really thought about it.”

“How about Obelia?”

“Obelia?”

Evelyn repeated, lifting the kitten and carefully examining its belly.

“It’s a boy.”

“Still cute though.”

“Obelia sounds more like the name of a princess from a faraway land than a cute name.”

“Does it?”

The name had popped into Henrietta’s mind out of nowhere as she looked at the kitten — almost as if ‘Obelia’ were a foreign word that meant ‘cute’.

Even she had to admit that it didn’t quite suit a male kitten. Perhaps it would have been more fitting for a baby princess from a distant kingdom with golden hair like spring sunlight — someone as pretty as Evelyn herself.

“It is a bit much…”

Evelyn rolled the name around in her mouth—Obelia, Obelia—before breaking into a bright smile. Then she added.

“Still, it kind of fits, somehow.”

“Obelia, do you like your name?”

Evelyn asked, and the kitten gave its tiny tail a strong wag. Whether that meant yes was anyone’s guess.

“I’ll be back soon.”

It was Henrietta’s stubborn pride that made her determined to fulfil the contract. Perhaps it was the foolish desire to fulfil her duties as a tutor despite having failed to protect her heart.

However, she had now changed her mind.

Finding a replacement tutor in Schutzman wasn’t difficult; it was too easy. The most important thing now was to get Evelyn out of Baron Morgan’s estate as soon as possible. Pride came second to protecting those you needed to.

“Yes, take care.”

Last night, Henrietta and Evelyn had made plans to go to Sersenfer together as a light-hearted outing.

The complicated process of severing their guardianship from Baron Morgan would be finalised in Haytesfield. Mr Taylor, a lawyer Henrietta had known for some time, would guide them through it.

“Make sure you eat well.”

The biggest obstacle was the fact that Henrietta was unmarried. However, if she could provide proof of her long-standing and sincere support for Evelyn, along with Bishop Thomason’s approval, things might go more smoothly than expected.

So—

“Don’t worry about a thing.”

Evelyn’s emerald-like eyes trembled with fear, but even so, she gave a brave nod and a bright smile.

Henrietta gently patted Evelyn’s head, then gave an equal pat to the black kitten’s—who now had the grand name Obelia—before stepping out of the house.

***

“The Duke is requesting your presence.”

Just as Grayson’s lesson was coming to an end, Pierre came to find Henrietta.

She wasn’t surprised—she had expected this. If Robert hadn’t called for her first, she had been planning to request a meeting herself.

After patting Grayson lightly on the shoulder, Henrietta stood up. Although the boy had grown to be almost a head taller than her, she still saw him as the little boy she had known since he was very young.

“No homework today.”

The boy, unaware of anything, beamed with joy at the mention of no homework. This might have been their last lesson together, but she couldn’t bring herself to say goodbye so hastily.

Perhaps one day, once everything had been settled, she would quietly come back just to say farewell.

After briefly meeting the boy’s gaze and offering an apologetic look, Henrietta slowly stepped out of the room.

As she stepped into the hallway, she noticed that the air outside was much colder than it had been inside. Walking through the tense, chilly atmosphere, she forced herself to stand up straight whenever her shoulders threatened to hunch up.

‘The Duke of Schutzmann can no longer touch Hangderhood.’

This simple, self-evident statement — one that placed them on equal footing — held far greater power than she had expected.

Henrietta had assumed she would be led to a private room, so she was taken aback by the location: the formal dining hall.

It was reserved for receiving only the highest-ranking nobles, and even the doors stood dignified and imposing. Despite having stayed in this mansion for quite some time, she had never once set foot in this room before. Pierre, looking displeased, ushered her inside.

When the door opened, a streak of bright light spilled into the hallway. Startled, she saw that everything inside was arranged with such precision that it could have been prepared for the emperor himself.

Everything was meticulously set: the temperature, the humidity, the lighting — even the tightly drawn tension in the air.

If it hadn’t been for the familiar faces looking curiously at her as she entered with Pierre, she might have doubted whether she was still on the Schutzman estate. It all felt so foreign.

Henrietta was guided to a seat facing the window. The enormous pane of glass stretched out to reveal the rear garden and a low, distant hill beyond. This was also where the master of the estate would sit.

She let out a deep breath and felt a faint, stabbing sensation in her chest. She wasn’t sure why; it was a pain she couldn’t quite define.

“Please wait a moment.”

Perhaps it was because they were in the formal dining hall, but even Pierre’s usually sharp tone now sounded respectful.

“Yes.”

While waiting for him, the sky suddenly darkened.