A black car was slowly driving along the mountain road where dry leaves rustled and writhed in the wind.

It was just as they had climbed onto level ground after passing a gentle slope.

Suddenly the driver stopped the car, went around to the back, and opened the rear door on the opposite side.

Edric stepped out of the car. He crossed the hilly terrain without hesitation, crushing fallen leaves scattered on the ground, and only stopped when he reached the edge where the land dropped off.

Under his windswept bangs, his eyes held a desolate light.

“Melly.”

His voice was low as he called his wife’s name.

‘You were living so close by.’

His eyes fixed on a tall, wide salmon-colored granite building standing among the small houses in the distance. Melly had been living there, just a few miles from Pelton Manor, for three years.

Edric thought to himself.

‘There are only two reasons why you didn’t contact me even though you lived so close.’

Either there was too much built up between them, or she was with someone whose presence was significant enough to make her completely forget about him.

Whatever the reason, he hoped it was the former.

Because what had built up could be resolved. Even if it took all his time and devotion.

“Um, Your Grace.”

Anthony the driver approached Edric hesitantly as he gazed at the scenery below with a complex look in his eyes.

“Pardon me for saying so, but perhaps we should get going before it gets too late. The sun sets quickly here in the mountains.”

He carefully suggested, worried about the return journey.

Edric accepted Anthony’s words and turned around.

Their car set off on the road again.

Unlike before, the road became bumpy and steep.

It seemed to be an endless path that had likely never been trodden by even a cart, let alone a car.

“We’ve… we’ve arrived, Your Grace…”

The driver, looking half-dead from motion sickness, got out and opened the door. But Edric stepped onto the ground with an unwavering posture and stood up firmly.

He carefully surveyed his surroundings.

Five or six old houses with tiled roofs were sparsely scattered, and edible plants hung on clotheslines installed at each house, losing moisture.

‘Clearly a self-sufficient community.’

It made sense that she wouldn’t know about the news related to his accident since there was no contact with the outside world. Hoping there were no other reasons, he took a step forward.

As he walked slowly between the houses, he suddenly stopped when he spotted a rusty iron gate about twenty paces ahead.

He pulled out the paper Melly had given him. The number on the nameplate matched.

And on the nameplate was written a woman’s name.

“That’s somewhat of a relief.”

Edric muttered with a self-deprecating sigh.

The gate wasn’t latched and opened easily.

Like the other houses, there was a single house with pale pink roof tiles and a barn, and the yard was scattered with gravel that crunched underfoot.

“Rock, paper, scissors!”

“Wow, he’s it.”

The sound of children playing could be heard from somewhere, but they weren’t visible. They seemed to be gathered in the backyard. No adults were in sight, nor could their voices be heard.

Anthony, who had entered with him, said,

“Shall I go inside and call someone?”

“No need. You go wait in the car.”

Edric said. Anthony bowed respectfully and withdrew.

Left alone, Edric sighed again as he looked at the old house flanked by the narrow gravel yard.

‘This is where I lived for three years.’

He was at a loss for words at the shabby house that was even more run-down than the current shop.

After living in the grand and comfortable ducal residence, had she felt no discomfort living in such a place where nothing was properly equipped?

Or was her heart at ease enough to offset the physical discomfort?

Or perhaps…

Edric’s eyes, which had been scanning the yard, suddenly stopped at one spot.

Behind a low fence in one corner of the yard were neatly arranged cockscomb, chrysanthemums, and bellflowers. And beside them was stuck a small trowel.

Looking at the charming flower bed that was clearly Melly’s handiwork, Edric thought:

The place clearly didn’t matter much to her.

She was a woman who cherished her life in her own way wherever she was, never looking back at what she had left behind.

The three years when he had given up on everything. Seeing traces of how she had spent that time so fully, Edric felt a strange sense of distance.

He didn’t like that feeling.

If he could, he wanted to erase all the time that lay between her and himself.

Without realizing it, his gaze on the flower bed became sharp.

“Excuse me, who are you?”

At the sudden voice, Edric’s eyes returned to normal. He turned around. A middle-aged woman with graying hair stood there, holding a basket of wild vegetables at her side.

“Are you… Mrs. Louisa Burns?”

“Yes, I am…”

She eyed Edric warily, as an outsider rarely seen in these parts.

Edric asked in a calm voice.

“Do you know Melly Enwood?”

“Ah!”

At that, her stiff face finally brightened.

“Melly, so you’ve come because of her.”

Her expression was warm and friendly as she spoke Melly’s name. Edric could tell at a glance that the woman and Melly had a special relationship.

She smiled and pointed to one side of the yard, next to the flower bed.

“I’ll bring you some tea, so please wait there for a moment.”

“Thank you, but I’ll have to decline.”

Edric politely refused. He intended to find out only what he wanted to know and then leave. For instance, how Melly had lived in this house. And… who she had lived with.

But Mrs. Burns didn’t back down.

“It’ll just take a moment. I’ll quickly bring out some cool tea, so please sit down for a bit.”

Though he was eager to leave as soon as possible, he couldn’t refuse the repeated offer from the woman who had taken care of Melly for the past three years.

He gave a slight bow and went to sit where she had indicated.

Melly’s touch was evident there as well.

A soft cushion was placed on the bench made from a polished log. It had the cute pattern that Melly liked.

“Catch him!”

“Waah—, let’s run away!”

As the shouts of children playing tag in the backyard grew louder, Edric noticed another chair.

Next to the long bench was a much smaller wooden chair with a cushion of the same pattern.

It seemed too small even for Melly, who was petite in height and build.

Was it for the children playing in the backyard? But why was there only one?

He felt puzzled. Just then, the constant shouting from the backyard suddenly stopped, and he heard the children running off somewhere all at once.

A moment later, Edric could see the children peeking their heads out from around the corner of the wall, looking at him.

Children in scruffy clothes with sun-darkened faces were observing the rare outsider with curious eyes.

‘How long have they been living just among themselves.’

Edric smiled wryly. But he, not being fond of children, didn’t even smile once at the children staring at him with wide eyes.

He took out his pocket watch to check the time.

As the second hand ticked on without stopping, the short hand was almost at 5.

He stood up, intending to tell Mrs. Burns that the tea was ready and to ask her to just answer his questions briefly.

But the tea was already coming towards him.

Carried not by Mrs. Burns, but by someone else.

As Mrs. Burns watched with a pleased expression, a small boy was walking towards him, holding a wooden cup tightly in both hands.

The boy’s lips were pursed in concentration, but even so, water sloshed over the rim, forming droplets on his wrists.

“…”

Edric usually didn’t give children a second glance unless he had a specific purpose.

But he couldn’t take his eyes off this boy walking towards him now. Without any purpose at all.

Finally stopping in front of him, the boy held out the cup with a proud look, as if he had accomplished something.

Edric, still not taking his eyes off the child, took the cup and drank from it.

When he lowered the cup to return it to the boy, the child looked up at him with eyes expectant of praise.

Edric was never one to meet a child’s expectations.

“Thank you. It was delicious.”

But this time, he praised the child, albeit in an indifferent tone. The boy’s round, tense eyes immediately curved prettily.

In that expression, Edric saw someone. Himself.

He could only stare at the child with wavering eyes of disbelief, not knowing what to do.

Then suddenly, a question came to mind—the same question he had asked when he first met Melly long ago.

“What’s your name?”

‘It’s Melly. Melly Enwood.’

That day, she had spoken her name in a quiet but firm voice.

And now this child speaks his name in the same voice, but with even clearer and brighter eyes.

“Jade.”

“…”

“My name is Jade Enwood.”

At that moment, something utterly overwhelming filled Edric’s chest. To the point where he couldn’t even breathe for a moment.

Jade.

The name on the teahouse sign that had irritated him so much, that he had been determined to remove, was the name of his own child.

Golden hair shimmering in the fading sunlight, clear sea-blue eyes.

A child with his exact appearance and Melly’s soul was smiling brightly.

The three years he had thought were only painful were the entire lifetime of this small child.