[September 20, 56.

I was invited to dine at the Marquis Pelissey’s house with Edric as a couple.

Of all things, they served caviar, the dish I hate the most.

When I ate everything else except that, the Marchioness Pelissey felt disappointed.

She said she had personally prepared the caviar dish for me. To avoid disappointing her, I forcibly brought the caviar dish to my mouth. The moment I chewed, the fishy taste stimulating my nasal passages was so revolting,

I felt nausea rising and quickly covered my mouth. But it was too late.

The food reversed course in between.

‘I didn’t know you disliked it so much.’

The Marchioness apologized with tears welling up in her eyes. I didn’t know what to do with my feelings of guilt and embarrassment towards her. Edric wiped my hands and mouth with a napkin.

‘Are you alright?’

He asked. I nodded and apologized.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘No need to be sorry. As long as you’re okay.’

He gently comforted me and took me out of there.] [November 4, 57.

While dancing with Duke Claudis at a ball, I accidentally stepped on his foot.

Duke Claudis seemed to be in too much pain to have the composure to consider my face.

He screamed so loudly that everyone’s attention turned this way.

Dozens of pairs of eyes showed concern for Duke Claudis and reproach for me.

As I panicked and looked around, Edric came towards me.

‘I’ll take care of this.’

He reassured me with reliable words, then supported Duke Claudis and moved him to the lounge.

On the way back, I apologized to Edric again.

‘I’m sorry, I made a mistake.’

‘It’s alright. These things happen.’

He comforted me plainly, then turned his eyes to the window.

His face with the smile gone somehow looked cold.] [June 14, 59.

It was the opening day of the Pelton family’s history museum.

I was assigned the role of guiding and explaining various parts of the museum to the noble ladies.

The situation flowed quite smoothly. Until one lady suddenly asked a question.

Although I had spent days and nights without sleep preparing a list of expected questions and answers, the lady’s question did not match any of them.

I didn’t know what I was saying even as I spoke.

Behind the people tilting their heads as if unsatisfied with my answer, I saw Edric. He wasn’t smiling.] [April 3, 60.

Some people were omitted from the invitation list for the Pelton family’s regular banquet.

I thought I had clearly written them down, but they weren’t on the final list.

It was strange.

I must have been mistaken, or there must have been an error in the process of conveying the information.

Edric smoothly resolved the situation as usual.

After the banquet, he called me aside.

He no longer tells me it’s okay to make mistakes.

‘From now on, stay away from event hosting duties.’

I now know.

That our love, which once burned brightly like a bonfire, now remains only as embers in burnt-out firewood.

And that it is my duty from now on to carefully tend to those embers so they don’t extinguish completely.]

It had been five years since our marriage.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Um… Do I really have to go?”

Melly asked.

“It’s a banquet hosted by our family, of course you have to go, don’t you?”

“That’s true, but…”

Edric fixed his appearance in the full-length mirror and moved before Melly could finish speaking. Melly followed behind him, continuing her words.

“I want to go too, but today I’m feeling a bit…”

“Didn’t you skip last time because you weren’t feeling well? And the time before that too.”

Edric replied coldly while scanning the display case of cufflinks.

“Of course, I believe you’re not feeling well, but others… well, I can’t guarantee that.”

Having finally made his selection, Edric reached under the display case and took out a pair of ebony and pearl cufflinks.

With delicate movements, he attached the buttons to his shirt cuffs and advised again in a cold voice.

“Instead of always trying to avoid it, why don’t you try to enjoy it a bit? Avoidance is also a kind of habit.”

“…”

“I’ll be here by six, so be ready. A coordinator will visit personally to choose your clothes and accessories. Leave the choices to them.”

“Yes…”

Melly answered weakly and then helped him put on the jacket she had been holding over her arm.

The jacket elegantly wrapped around Edric’s upper body.

Melly looked at his reflection in the full-length mirror.

Neatly styled blonde hair. Straight eyebrows and refined features. A sophisticated and noble atmosphere.

He seemed to be becoming more handsome as time passed. On the other hand…

Melly looked at her own figure standing to one side of the mirror. If the mirror frame was a picture frame and Edric was a masterpiece, she looked like an accidental paint splash. Melly quietly took a step back to the side.

Then her image disappeared, leaving only Edric’s brilliant figure remaining in the frame, shining with dignity like a full-length portrait.

Edric, unaware of her small gesture, was satisfied with his own appearance.

With his outfit complete, Edric turned and left the dressing room. Melly hurriedly followed behind him.

“Have you come out, Your Excellency.”

Wilson, who had been waiting outside the door, bowed deeply as he came out.

Then, as he was about to follow right behind him, he bumped shoulders slightly with Melly.

“I apologize.”

He apologized. But despite his polite tone, Wilson’s expression was stiff.

It was because he didn’t like this situation.

Wilson, once a pageboy, had been recognized for his diligence and became Edric’s official secretary. He spent more time and exchanged more words with his lord than his wife, Melly. Perhaps because of this, he seemed to think he was second-in-command in this household. He seemed to have placed Melly behind himself, or even behind the butler. Like a pet dog deciding its own rank by itself.

“You’re leaving now, Edric.”

As they came down to the lobby, Melly’s rank was pushed back even further.

Now Edric’s mother and Wilson occupied the space behind him in order.

While Wilson opened the carriage door, Edric greeted his mother.

“I’ll be going now, Mother.”

“Alright. Have a good time. Don’t skip meals.”

Eida saw Edric off with a benevolent smile.

Edric stepped briskly into the carriage. Wilson followed, closing the door behind him.

Melly kept looking at him, trying to make eye contact. But he was busy reviewing documents handed to him by Wilson.

Even until the carriage slowly picked up speed and completely disappeared from Melly’s sight.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Is there anything you like?”

Flora asked.

As the mansion’s coordinator, her role was to stylishly select Melly’s banquet attire and accessories.

Melly slowly scanned the jewelry sets laid out before her. Then she pointed to an emerald necklace set with her fingertip.

“I think this one would be nice.”

“Hmm…”

Flora’s expression was ambiguous. She had chosen something else in mind.

It was always like this.

She seemed to give Melly a choice, but in the end, she would dress and adorn Melly with what she had chosen herself.

It was because Edric had instructed her to dress Melly from head to toe befitting a duchess.

“You can wear this when attending tea parties, but for today, I think this would go well with your outfit.”

Flora smiled kindly as she held out a pearl necklace and earring set.

Melly nodded with an expressionless face.

The round pearl jewelry was showing off a soft luster in the velvet case.

“When you come out after changing, I’ll help you put these on. You’ll look truly beautiful.”

Flora said to Melly while signaling to the attendants behind her. It must mean to take her away and dress her quickly.

Melly rose from her seat mechanically and surrendered herself to the hands of the attendants.

When she came out wearing the dress, Flora approached her from behind with the jewelry.

“Now, please look forward to it.”

She placed the necklace around Melly’s neck.

Melly closed her eyes for a moment at the cold sensation of the pearl necklace settling on her pale green lace dress. Then she opened her eyes again.

“How is it?”

Flora asked. Melly stared at herself as if looking at someone else.

The version of herself created by an expert’s choice was extremely elegant.

Melly wondered for a moment if she would have been this elegant had she chosen the dress and jewelry herself.

‘No.’

The answer came quickly.

That’s why today, too, she wears and puts on whatever is chosen for her without a word.

[This is the timeline separator]

As the ducal couple entered the banquet hall where the scents of flowers and champagne mixed sweetly, praises from the noble ladies followed.

“Oh my, Duchess Pelton, it’s been a long time.”

“Why haven’t you shown your face all this time? We’ve missed you so much.”

“But Duchess, you don’t seem to age at all. You look even younger and prettier than before.”

Melly responded plainly.

“Thank you.”

That was enough. There was no need to blush or return the praise with flowery and affectionate compliments.

“Well then, I’ll leave this person in your care, beautiful ladies.”

Because these things would disappear as soon as Edric left this place.

“Oh my, of course. Duke, please go ahead to the gentlemen. Leave us ladies to ourselves. Hohoho.”

The kindness of the noble ladies was only while Edric was present.

The moment he disappeared, Melly would be ostracized. Just like this.

“I heard that in the neighboring kingdom of Senad, they’ve decided to name the first princess as the heir?”

“That seems to be the case. Though it’s completely irrelevant to us.”

“It’s not entirely irrelevant. There’s talk of granting women voting rights under the leadership of our Crown Princess.”

“Oh my. Voting rights? Isn’t that wonderful? It means we women can have a voice in the empire’s internal affairs.”

At first, she tried hard to fit in with them.

“I agree. And if possible, I think it would be even better if labor rights were granted to noble women along with voting rights.”

But it was meaningless. The ladies would move on to the next topic as if they hadn’t heard Melly’s words.

“By the way, Vanessa. Have you seen the newly published Entrance magazine? Would you believe, an article I wrote was featured in it.”

“I saw it too. You really have a talent for writing, madam.”

“…”

They were people who had completely closed their fence gate to her.

Melly could never cross that fence. The fence only opened when Edric was present.

Melly spent her ostracized time observing her surroundings while sipping champagne.

It was a banquet with restrained elegance.

Though not dazzlingly splendid, it was a beautiful banquet with just one tasteful marble statue or a nicely arranged lisianthus objet.

She wished she could do the same when hosting a banquet at her own home next time.

If only she were given such authority…

“Oh, have you heard? I hear Marchioness Pelisy is expecting her third child.”

“My, she’s pregnant too? I heard Countess Lysa is expecting her second child as well.”

“Everyone seems to be getting pregnant here and there.”

At that moment, there was a brief silence, and then Melly was suddenly summoned into the conversation.

“Duchess Pelton, is there still no news from you?”