At that sound, Emily, who had been clearing the table, grumbled as she approached the door.

“Nothing good ever comes from visitors this late. I’m coming, I’m coming! You’ll break the door! What is it this time?”

Surely it was another neighbor asking to borrow teacups or pots.

There had been many neighbors borrowing things in the past, and now that most household items had been washed away, such visits would continue until everything was replaced.

Thinking this, Emily opened the door to find an unexpected person standing outside.

“Sir Richard?”

The person at the door was Richard. Judging by his heavy breathing and sweat, he had clearly rushed over in a hurry.

“Where’s Ryan? Is he here?”

“Yes, he’s inside talking with the master… Sir Richard!”

She expected him to ask her to call Ryan. Instead, Richard immediately entered and strode directly toward the drawing room.

He surely knew this was rude behavior. Therefore, he must have had a reason compelling enough to disregard proper etiquette.

Hearing Emily’s surprised voice, Eloise emerged from the kitchen, quickly wiped her hands, and followed Richard.

‘Why is he looking for Ryan?’

An ominous feeling sent a chill down her spine.

“Richard?”

Ryan, who had been about to speak to Mr. Surberton about courting Eloise, looked puzzled as Richard entered.

Richard greeted Mr. Surberton and then spoke.

“I apologize for interrupting your pleasant evening. I’ve come to deliver a message to Ryan.”

After saying this, Richard bowed his head apologetically, then grabbed Ryan’s arm and led him outside.

The Surberton family and Emily could only watch with anxious eyes, unable to follow what was clearly a private conversation.

“What’s going on?”

Ryan’s voice was sharp as he was pulled outside the mansion.

Though he knew Richard wouldn’t do this without good reason, he couldn’t help his tone.

Finally, at long last, he had been about to tell everyone about his relationship with Eloise. He had also decided to reveal that he was Ryan Wilgrave.

He had imagined dozens, hundreds of times in his mind what Eloise would say when he revealed that he was Ryan Wilgrave.

At first, she would think he was joking. That made sense, since they had discussed Ryan Wilgrave several times together.

In fact, during those conversations, Ryan had repeatedly asked, “Would you say the same thing if I were Colonel Wilgrave?” She probably thought he was teasing her, but for him, it was a sincere question.

Once he put aside his joking expression and spoke again with a serious look, she would realize something was strange and become flustered.

And when she learned it was true…

‘She’ll be furious.’

She would be angry that he had presented a false identity while interacting with her. Still, he had no excuse. All he could do was apologize, explain why he had no choice, and ask for her understanding.

It wouldn’t be easy. In fact, Eloise might feel manipulated and refuse to speak with him anymore.

But fear couldn’t keep him silent forever.

The moment he grabbed her hand in the avalanche of mud, Ryan had made his decision.

He wanted her—Eloise.

He wanted to live with her and always be by her side. He wanted her to smile at him, and he wanted to always make her smile.

These feelings couldn’t end as just a fleeting pleasure. So Ryan wished for anything that would bind him and Eloise together.

And naturally, that took the form of marriage.

Before falling asleep, Ryan had imagined their wedding ceremony several times.

A green meadow far away, filled with wildflowers; Blissbury with all its windows open and white curtains fluttering to announce the joyous day; the people of Feltham who now all seemed like comrades.

Children laughing and throwing flower petals, adults sitting and applauding.

Eloise standing before him in a white dress under warm, gentle sunlight.

Whenever he imagined this, Ryan felt a tingling rising from deep within his chest.

Perhaps his conscience was feeling guilty for drawing out a future that she hadn’t even considered yet.

Nevertheless, Ryan’s imagination didn’t stop. But it couldn’t continue much further either. Because the moment the pastor called him Ryan Wilgrave, everything would become frighteningly quiet.

The laughter, the applause, even the sound of the wind would stop. In the silent space, only Eloise would be quietly looking at him.

Each time, he would jolt awake in surprise, and so his imagination always ended there.

He had believed that today, at last, he could imagine beyond that point—but just before that moment, Richard had interrupted.

Noticing that Ryan’s expression was even more severe than usual as he glared at him, Richard raised his hands with difficulty, as if trying to calm a wild beast.

“I don’t know what you were doing, but read this first.”

With those words, Richard took out a paper envelope from his jacket pocket and handed it to Ryan.

Ryan’s expression hardened as he examined the envelope in the light spilling from the Surberton house.

A plain, flat envelope made of ordinary paper with no decoration. But on it was written the name “Sylvia.”

The soft, elegant handwriting suggested it was sent by a woman, but Ryan knew better.

This was the codename used when Army Headquarters issued top-secret orders.

Ryan immediately opened the envelope. The contents of the letter inside were brief.

To my beloved. How have you been?

I’m writing because Father wants to see you. He seems quite worried about that man’s problem. Please come home as soon as possible.

Your Sylvia.

To anyone else, it would appear to be a letter from a lover urgently asking him to return.

But of course, it wasn’t.

The first sentence was meaningless. “Father” referred to a marshal-level figure in the army who gave him direct orders. “Home” naturally meant Army Headquarters.

Above all, what caught Ryan’s attention was the phrase “that man.”

It was a term referring to Gilia, the enemy nation.

“Hah…”

A sigh escaped Ryan’s lips.

When Gilia had declared defeat, he thought he would never again receive such orders or see this word.

Yet now, the nightmare of the past was beginning to stir again in his hands.

“Did you read it?”

“Am I crazy? How could I read Sylvia’s letter before you?”

Richard was also one of the few people who knew that Sylvia was a top-secret code.

That’s why, as soon as he confirmed the letter had arrived with the engineering corps’ supplies, he had rushed over with it to avoid suspicion.

“So, what does Sylvia say?”

“She wants me to come home.”

“Why?”

“Says it’s because of that man.”

“Hah.”

At Ryan’s words, Richard ran a hand over his face.

Why on earth? The peace negotiations had been completed long ago, so why would Army Headquarters summon Ryan again for their problems?

“What are you going to do? Will you go right away?”

“I have no choice. When Sylvia calls, I must return.”

Ryan answered in a stiff, hardened voice. He was already regaining the expression of Ryan Wilgrave from Army Headquarters.

That indifferent, cold, expressionless face, tinged with subtle helplessness, that never smiled at any words.

After pacing the yard and running his hands over his face several times, Richard spoke to Ryan again.

“What will you tell Miss Eloise? It was just my guess, but today you were clearly going to tell Mr. Surberton about your relationship with Miss Eloise…”

“Richard Cameron.”

Ryan called his name in a cold voice. It was the voice of Ryan Wilgrave.

“This is not your business to interfere with.”

“…I apologize.”

Orders had arrived. Now there was no longer friendship, only a clear hierarchical relationship of superior and subordinate.

“I’ll say goodbye to the Surberton family and leave immediately. You and Philip can take your time wrapping things up.”

After saying this, Ryan returned to Mr. Surberton’s house.

Left alone, Richard paced the yard several times in frustration before finally turning to leave.

Perhaps it was because it was too dark and they were too distracted.

Neither of them noticed the small footsteps quickly disappearing beyond the dense bushes surrounding the Surberton mansion in place of a fence.