On the way back, the Duke suddenly said he would go alone and got out of the carriage. Since it had rained, the road to the Count’s estate was very muddy, and walking was considered undignified for a noble, so everyone was quite shocked.
A duke, walking that long distance back to the mansion alone without even a guard?
But because it was the Duke himself who said it, no one could argue. They just blankly watched his back as he walked away.
They all thought, He must be upset about something. The Duke, who had been gentle before the performance, had become cold, so there had to be a reason. They looked at each other, avoiding looking directly at Sophia—who was clearly the cause.
Unable to endure the silent blame in the air, Sophia acted on impulse and got off the carriage too, saying she would walk with the Duke.
“Sophia!”
“Sophia!”
“Come back right now!”
Unlike when the Duke left, her family shouted noisily, but Sophia ignored them and quickly followed after the Duke. She had something she needed to say to him anyway.
Though he clearly knew she was following, the Duke pretended not to notice. However, he did slow down his pace for her.
Of course, Sophia didn’t realize he had done that for her. She was too busy trying to keep her dress from touching the mud, lifting it up as high as she could. She had no idea the Duke was watching her struggle.
“If you’re going to complain, why did you come after me?”
The Duke finally asked, unable to ignore the way Sophia was barely walking on the muddy road.
She replied in an irritated voice.
“Because if you leave like that, I’ll have to take all the blame.”
“What blame?”
“For upsetting you so much.”
The Duke let out a small, incredulous laugh.
“So you followed me? You thought walking this long muddy road was better than sitting in the carriage and listening to that?”
“I already regret it, so don’t tease me too much.”
At her voice, full of regret, the Duke chuckled and turned his body toward her. Sophia, still struggling to hold up her dress, walked after him. But soon, she gave up and let it go. The road was too long, and she was too weak to carry her dress and walk.
She could feel the hem of her skirt dragging in the mud. Her feet sank into it, and the beautiful shoes covered in jewels were no longer recognizable.
“Could you hold my hand?”
She reached out her hand, hoping the Duke would escort her. But he ignored her and walked ahead.
Annoyed, Sophia groaned and shouted.
“Did I do something wrong to you, Duke—no, to you, Callas?”
“Why would you think that?”
“Well, you’re refusing to take my hand, and you’re walking away alone like that.”
“Sophia, when you think someone is upset with you, don’t look at their behavior—look at your own.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my behavior.”
“Then there’s no need to ask.”
At his frustrating reply, Sophia bit her lip and stomped through the mud, walking forward.
“Then why are you suddenly upset? Did you not like the play?”
“Did it ever occur to you that maybe I just wanted to be alone?”
“Do you think I’m stupid? People usually want to be alone when they’re angry!”
“Well, right now, the one who looks angry is you, Sophia.”
The Duke stopped walking and looked at her. Sophia was holding onto a weak wooden fence, either because she almost fell or because she was exhausted.
“Sophia, we’re not even a quarter of the way there. Go back now. I’ll take you.”
He spoke as if she were a child. Sophia forced herself to stand straight and started walking again, pretending to be fine.
“If we’ve gone a quarter of the way, that means if I go back now, I’ll have walked half the total distance.”
“That’s true.”
“Half is basically the whole thing.”
“I’ve never heard logic like that before.”
“I’ve always lived with that mindset. So please don’t stop me. I’ll walk all the way home.”
The Duke shook his head helplessly and reached out his hand to her. Sophia didn’t refuse and took it.
After walking in silence for a while, Sophia noticed the sky getting darker and grew a little nervous. She started talking again.
“Are we really going the right way?”
“Yes.”
“When you want to be alone, do you usually walk like this?”
“Yes.”
“I heard you like hunting and riding horses. Then couldn’t you have just said you wanted to ride? Oh, sorry, I’m not questioning why you walked. I mean, is walking alone your usual way of being alone? Do you often surprise people like this by wandering off on your own?”
“You talk more when you’re tired, don’t you?”
The Duke said as he listened to her endless chatter. It wasn’t a big comment, but Sophia proudly shrugged at the bit of admiration in his tone.
“I guess I do. To keep going, I need to distract myself…”
Ugh, that’s not what I meant to say.
Sophia trailed off, realizing she had once again fallen for the Duke’s trick and started talking about herself.
The Duke often spoke that way—no, he frequently did. He would say the least amount of words possible and throw back a vague question that looked like interest.
People used that way of speaking when they had nothing to say about themselves, or when they didn’t want others to know anything about them.
Sophia had heard noble ladies speak to her like that in society. But that made sense—what could they expect from an unmarried girl new to social life?
But it didn’t make sense for the Duke. He was her fiancé, wasn’t he? Sophia’s eyebrows furrowed deeply from both physical and emotional exhaustion.
Then he said,
“If I were angry because of you, you’d know right away. I’m the type who shows when I’m mad.”
It was as if he was reading her mind. Sophia felt a bit relieved to hear that it wasn’t her fault.
“Like how?”
“Do I really have to explain?”
“How else am I supposed to know?”
“You’re kind of a handful, Sophia.”
“You’re learning a lot about me today, aren’t you?”
At her playful words, she felt the Duke smile quietly.
She liked that faint smile. Before, she thought it was just a polite way to fill silence, but now she knew—it was the closest thing to his true feelings.
After hesitating for a moment, Sophia stepped on a root sticking out from the ground and said,
“I thought you were upset because I spoke carelessly about Oresse.”
“I’m not petty enough to get mad just because you had a different opinion about a play.”
“But maybe what I said touched something personal?”
“Personal? Are you thinking I had a similar experience to Hetan?”
The Duke looked at her with real curiosity. Well, with his face and his title, it would be rare for a lover to leave him for someone else. She had thought about that during the dream too.
That man? Over the Duke?
But now that she was awake, she understood. That man had given up everything for her and chosen death, while the Duke before her would never make such a choice.
Instead, he was the type of person who would make a doll of his dead lover’s body and summon her soul so she could never leave his side again.
Of course, it was all just a dream.
Come to think of it, I need to tell him about the sleepwalking.
That was the reason she followed him in the first place. But she kept hesitating.
As the Countess said, they had only received the Emperor’s approval. They hadn’t even held the engagement ceremony yet. If the Duke changed his mind, the engagement could be canceled. Maybe that’s what the Emperor was hoping for too.
Would it really be wise to tell him about something strange like sleepwalking? In the past, women with that condition were considered sinful and even executed.
Sophia hesitated but eventually confessed.
“The truth is… I’ve been having strange dreams.”
After all, the Duke had stayed by her side while she was asleep. Even now, though he complained she talked too much, he still hadn’t let go of her hand.
When Sophia mentioned her dream, he stopped walking. The sun had already set, and his face in the darkness was hard to see. It was just a little frightening.
