Verita looked up at Lunox with desperate eyes, her voice trembling. Tears rolled down her cheeks, glistening as they crossed her face.
“I… I don’t care if you’ve killed someone. I’m the only one who understands you. I’ll keep it a secret that you harmed Viscountess Dien and your sister. We have to rely on each other now, so please…”
As she rambled incoherently, her words trailed off the moment her eyes met his. She suddenly realized just how cold and merciless his gaze was—like the chill of a winter storm.
Lunox’s lips twisted into a cold smirk.
“How pathetic. Humans always regret things only after they’ve lost them.”
“…”
“If being alone scared you so much, you shouldn’t have betrayed your sworn sister. She was the only one who truly loved you, despite your uselessness.”
Verita’s arms fell limply to her sides, her mind blank. Without hesitation, Lunox turned away from her.
As she watched him disappear into the distance, Verita, with tears still clinging to her cheeks, murmured blankly,
“Lunox… who are you, really…?”
The thought came to her suddenly—a fundamental question she had always been curious about since meeting him but never dared to ask. She had hidden her doubts, fearing that asking would drive him away. She didn’t want to lose the one person she depended on.
Yet, deep down, she had always known that none of the countless rumors and speculations about him held the truth. And so, as Lunox came to a halt and turned back to face her, he spoke:
“I lost myself long ago. I disappeared a long time ago.”
His voice was almost a whisper, like a sigh, before he vanished entirely.
For a brief moment, his crimson eyes, peeking through strands of black hair, looked eerily desolate. And so, like the wind, Verita could do nothing but watch as the last person she held onto slipped away.
The weight of the truth she could never reveal to anyone felt as heavy as lead in her chest. The loneliness engulfed her completely.
Not a single soul remained to comfort her.
One person suddenly came to mind, and Verita curled up on the grass, sobbing in sorrow.
“Ugh…”
“She was the only one who truly loved you, despite your uselessness.”
The words pierced her heart like a dagger, refusing to fade. Regret came too late.
The day after the funeral.
“Lilien, I’m really fine.”
On a quiet afternoon, as always, I was having tea in the garden with Lilien. I needed to prove that I was in good mental shape.
Lilien had been watching me with concern since yesterday, constantly checking my complexion. Even now, her worried gaze had yet to fade.
“Lilien, really, you don’t have to worry about me.”
“But no matter how much you hated someone, when they suddenly leave, it still feels unsettling.”
She had a point. Even the death of an enemy could stir up emotions. Lilien wasn’t worried that I was grieving Antra’s death; rather, she feared I would blame myself for it.
But I had no reason to feel guilty. My actions were never intended to kill her. It was just… uncomfortable. That discomfort, however, was left behind at the funeral.
With a bright smile, I gently patted Lilien’s white hands resting on the tea table.
“Let’s talk about something fun instead. How’s the garden? Has the gardener’s dog caused any trouble again?”
Realizing I was changing the subject, Lilien played along.
“Of course! I’ve been training Mari to sit, stand, and shake hands with treats. Just yesterday, she ran toward the flower beds but stopped immediately when I gave the command!”
I let out a breathy laugh.
“That’s great.”
“Speaking of which, how’s the business preparation going?”
“Smoothly.”
Just this morning, I received a letter from Baron Totair.
The experiment on Lebron engraving had been successful.
Using the engraving method, I had taught them before leaving, they had successfully reinforced the attributes while crafting. Multiple trials had proven its effectiveness.
The engraving technique was even patented, meaning that anyone who owned a Lebron gem and wanted to reprocess it would have to pay the Buell family additional fees.
At the end of the letter, the baron mentioned that he had recruited skilled artisans. He requested that I focus solely on designing accessories for the knights.
‘That man is a ruthless pragmatist when it comes to estate management.’
I was impressed by Baron Totair’s efficiency. Lilien, noticing my subtle smile, laughed along before her eyes suddenly widened, looking past me.
‘What is it?’
“So, this is where you two were.”
A smooth voice soon followed, clearing my confusion.
I turned around to see Edmund approaching, unfastening his cravat. He loosened the top button of his shirt, then hesitated when our eyes met.
Then, with an unreadable gaze, he deliberately unfastened another button.
One, two, three… As the buttons came undone, the luxurious silk vest parted, revealing the toned skin beneath. My eyes flickered, and I quickly looked away.
‘Why… why is he unbuttoning his shirt like that?’
It almost seemed like he was trying to court someone.
Then, I felt his presence beside me, casting a large shadow over the tea table.
I glanced up slightly and asked,
“Your Grace, what brings you to the garden?”
“Am I not allowed to be here?”
“Of course not. There’s nowhere in the estate that you can’t go.”
Yet, ever since I started staying at the Mipedian estate, he had never set foot in the garden, as if acknowledging it as Lilien’s and my space.
Edmund seemed to understand my unspoken question and spoke languidly.
“Did you know?”
“Know what?”
Edmund gently lifted my chin, forcing me to look up. Our gazes locked, and I shuddered slightly under the shadow of his golden eyes.
The nearby servants blushed and quickly averted their gazes.
‘Oh my goodness!’ Lilien’s flustered voice echoed, but my heart was pounding louder.
“W-What are you doing?”
Edmund remained unshaken, as if unaware of how bold his actions were. Instead, he subtly gestured upwards.
“From my office, I have a clear view of the garden. I often saw you and my sister here.”
I masked my reaction and replied dryly,
“So, you’re admitting to spying?”
“I was envious. It looked enjoyable. From now on, I’d like to join you two. Would that be alright?”
“…I don’t mind. But you should ask Lady Lilien, the true owner of the garden.”
Edmund’s calm eyes shifted to Lilien.
“Do you even have to ask, Edmund? Sit down already!”
She clapped her hands, looking more excited than usual.
With a small sigh, Edmund ordered tea and took a seat beside me at the three-person table.
The space, which had always felt spacious, now felt uncomfortably tight with his broad shoulders beside me.
‘It must be a coincidence.’
Just as I was about to pick up my teacup—
“I have something to tell you both.”
“What is it?”
“Soon, the knights of the Mipedian family will come up to the capital and stay in the annex of the mansion. But aside from the annex and its training ground, they won’t enter the main house, so you don’t have to worry about meeting them.”
I opened my eyes wide.
‘Knights of the Mipedian family?’
If they were Mipedian knights, they would have excellent builds, and some of them might even have experience in real subjugation battles.
For accessories made for knights, not only the design but also mobility was important. If I could study their body sizes and get the average, it would help a lot in designing.
In other words, this was a chance to understand the future needs of my customers.
As soon as I thought of that, I had no reason to hesitate to ask.
“Brother, I have a request—”
“You won’t have a chance to meet the knights.”
Edmund looked at me with disapproval, as if he had already read my thoughts.
“…I said I had a request. I never mentioned the knights, though.”
“The way you looked at them was suspicious.”
“What’s wrong with my eyes? Don’t misunderstand. I’m not doing this out of personal desire. It’s for the knight accessory business I mentioned before. I need to do market research.”
Edmund narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“…You looked like a hyena spotting its prey.”
I quietly rubbed my cheek. He must’ve caught my sly expression.
“I really need to study them for business. I won’t do anything weird to the knights.”
“…”
His eyebrows rose in displeasure, but soon he let out a sigh like he had no choice.
“Fine. Let’s talk about it after the knights arrive.”
“Great. I wasn’t planning to force anyone to help if they didn’t want to.”
Excited by the idea of starting something new, I smiled and shrugged.
He pressed his temple with one hand and let out a faint groan. I thought I heard him mutter something like, “Smiling without a clue what she’s doing.”
From the terrace of the mansion, I watched the knights’ training ground in the annex through opera glasses, my mouth slightly open.
“Oh, dear God.”
“You only call on God at times like this.”
“That’s exactly why I should call Him now. I never ask how He’s doing normally.”
I could feel Edmund looking at me in disbelief, but I ignored it on purpose.
Soon, under the blazing sun, the knights who were marching in formation began to take off their shirts one by one, unable to bear the heat.
Beside me, I heard the sound of someone grinding their teeth.
