It was a song she had never heard once in her childhood. Smiling faintly at the thought, Cedric spoke to Iris.
“I thought no one had ever given you a gift like this.”
“...What?”
Startled, Iris looked at him, but Cedric just kept walking forward.
Holding the music box and letters, Iris followed him—and at her feet appeared another gift box.
She unwrapped it to find a set of toys inside.
Another letter was tucked within.
Flustered, Iris picked it up and hurried after Cedric again.
Again.
Inside the next box was a princess dress.
A size far too small for the grown Iris—something she would never wear now. And yet another letter.
Her heart raced.
No way.
It can’t be.
The next box held a jeweled hairpin—also tiny, fit for a child.
Then came a check.
“You’ll need some secret funds once you’re older.”
Iris wasn’t sure whether to laugh or not at the words scrawled in the letter.
These were gifts meant for a child—things she should have received long ago.
Cedric was giving her the presents she had missed out on in her life.
“Ah, wait a moment.”
Her voice trembled.
She felt tears welling again, but still, she chased after Cedric.
A sherbet for when a child falls ill.
A storybook Cedric had said he enjoyed reading.
One by one, the gifts piled up until there were only a handful left to count with one hand.
From then on, the gifts became uniform in type.
Drawings.
They were the backs of two children.
Though their faces were unseen, Iris knew who they were.
Young Cedric and... herself.
The second drawing showed them a little older; the third showed them in academy uniforms.
Fighting back tears, she quickened her pace.
Cedric.
She wanted to see him.
Rushing forward, as before, there was a single drawing.
And standing before it was Cedric.
Tears she had held back spilled down her cheeks once again.
“What... what is this?”
It was no longer just their backs.
They were depicted wearing the very clothes they wore now—Cedric and Iris.
The Iris in the painting was smiling.
But in reality, she was crying like this.
If she kept crying like this, she would surely exhaust everyone.
Though part of her knew this, she couldn’t stop the tears.
“When... when did you...”
Unable to finish her sentence, Cedric embraced her once more.
“I told you, Iris. You look more beautiful when you smile.”
At that moment, Iris forgot that Cedric’s love would ultimately be the death of him.
She forgot that she was nothing but an ordinary bystander in his life.
“Thank you, Cedric.”
I love you.
I love you so deeply.
Swallowing the words she couldn’t bring herself to say aloud, Iris smiled at him.
I love Cedric.
She loved Cedric.
Perhaps because of this very feeling, a wrathful god might drag her toward a painful fate.
Yet still, Cedric was precious to her—
The one she could not help but love.
Eyelids trembling in the morning sunlight, Iris finally forced her eyes open.
Normally, she would have risen from her resting place long ago, but today she was overwhelmed by a pain unlike any she had ever known.
“Ah…”
A soft groan escaped her lips.
Memories she had treasured carefully, preserving them to never fade, began to surface one by one.
Never before had she laughed and spoken so late into the night as she had this time.
After returning to the manor, she had enjoyed a splendid feast prepared by the head chef, then joyfully popped champagne.
Everyone at Leontheim Castle greeted Iris warmly whenever they crossed paths.
Voices like “Madam, happy birthday!” and “Madam! Thank you for coming to Leontheim!” drifted on the breeze, filling the air.
It was truly a miraculous day.
Amidst those fresh, lively smiles, Iris felt herself laughing without restraint.
She had always been the one preparing others’ celebrations; this was her first time standing at the center of such a grand gathering.
“Perhaps I should have paced myself…”
Though she hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, fatigue still washed over her.
Glancing at her wrist, she noticed she had somehow changed into pajamas in her exhausted state.
Grasping her tousled hair, Iris fumbled clumsily for the bell on the bedside table.
“Maybe everyone else is too tired to come.”
Unaware of any distance growing between her and others, Iris buried her face in the pillow with vacant eyes.
Come to think of it, near the party’s end, everyone had seemed exhausted.
The knights and kitchen staff, probably drunk from too much wine, had been carried away amid Vincent’s scolding.
“Yeah, no one else is likely coming now.”
She hoped some tea might soothe her, but it seemed better to rest a little longer before rising.
Just then, someone slipped the bell into her hand.
“Awake?”
It was Cedric.
Since Iris remained lying down, Cedric’s standing shadow stretched across her entire body.
Drowsy, she blinked before suddenly sitting upright.
Cedric wore ordinary morning robes, nothing special about the scene.
“G-good morning.”
But inside Iris’s mind, the moment was anything but ordinary.
The confession she had kept locked inside threatened to spill out, swept away by heat.
Though speaking it aloud between spouses wouldn’t be strange, startled, she quickly fled back toward the party hall.
Cedric followed behind her quietly.
Thankfully, he said nothing about her sudden departure.
“Are you feeling alright inside?”
He calmly offered her a warm cup of tea.
‘Did he pretend not to notice me leaving so abruptly?’
Fingering the teacup, Iris bit her lip.
How pitiful.
She couldn’t even convey her feelings properly and once again withdrew.
She glanced at Cedric standing against the sunlight.
Though she often now caught him in disheveled, defenseless moments, she still never grew accustomed to them.
His indescribably seductive aura made it impossible to look away.
He must have drunk quite a lot last night.
Yet somehow, it felt as though she was the one utterly unraveled.
Turning her face away, afraid her flushed cheeks would be noticed, memories from yesterday surfaced.
Was it because she was so happy?
Embarrassing details flooded her mind.
“By the way, Madam, when do you plan to move your residence?”
Yesterday, a heavily intoxicated Hanna had asked.
Overloaded by various thoughts, Iris had choked and coughed repeatedly in surprise.
Startled, Hanna quickly withdrew the question, saying she was just curious.
Still, calming her restless heart was no easy feat.
Though she had dodged the question then, during sleep she had quietly collected her thoughts.
“That’s right. Come to think of it, we’ve never shared a bed before.”
Perhaps it was because he already thought she would soon leave.
“Maybe I haven’t changed at all.”
The wheel of fate on which her actions depended turned ceaselessly.
Every time past and present events overlapped, Iris felt bitter.
The holy sword showed no reaction to her, and she couldn’t be sure if the future she altered was truly right.
Cedric didn’t miss a single shift of Iris’s emotions—her shame, surprise, and resignation.
Breaking his usual silence, he said softly,
“If you’re too worried, you don’t have to go down. Don’t fret.”
“Huh?”
Only then did Iris look up to meet his gaze.
His blue eyes still seemed somewhat restless.
“I know it’s uncomfortable because of your family.”
“Oh.”
It was about the holy festival, then.
Indeed, the festival had been mentioned at the party yesterday.
Hanna had even tried hard to persuade her, but Cedric had given no reply.
“Probably because he dislikes it.”
Cedric had never once attended the official banquet where Emperor Ludwig appeared.
Iris herself felt no desire to go.
“It’s uncomfortable.”
She had astonishingly never attended a party—not even the Sacred Rite banquet.
Though it was an unspoken rule for nobles to participate, Kaidrich, as the eldest son of the Valentine family, did not want her to appear before others.
“I… can I go with you this time?”
She once persuaded her family and went just once, but that day was also Liliana’s official debut into the social circle.
Everyone was busy admiring the youngest Valentine, Liliana, and the dazzling noble ladies, leaving Iris cornered and unseen.
“Such gatherings don’t suit me.”
Since a problem arose, Iris left the banquet without wasting any more time.
As she pondered why Cedric had mentioned the Sacred Rite, a warmth blossomed in a corner of her heart.
“Could it be he was being considerate?”
For those from the capital, the Sacred Rite held great significance.
Just as Iris was about to thank Cedric, he spoke first.
“The capital is far, after all.”
At that moment, the holy sword within her necklace-brooch trembled faintly—a subtle pulse only Iris could feel.
Startled, she clutched the necklace tightly.
“Milady?”
“Oh, I—I’m sorry. I forgot I promised Vincent something.”
Spinning a lie no one would believe, Iris quickly changed the subject.
Cedric made a soft “hmm” sound, raised an eyebrow once, then nodded knowingly.
“If Iris lies, there must be a reason.”
The moment Cedric left the room, Iris drew the holy sword.
Returning to its original size, the sword vibrated even stronger than before, as if waiting.
“Can you retrieve the stored book?”
The book “Holy Sword I,” stored within the sword alongside the astral formations, appeared.
Flipping through the pages quickly, Iris felt her breath catch.
A chapter she had never seen before had appeared.
[Past.]
She hastily turned to the next page.
“...Nothing.”
But the page was blank, just as before.
Her heart felt weighed down, unable to grasp the meaning of the single word “Past.”
It trembled when Cedric said ‘capital’ earlier.
The sword was telling her to take Cedric back to the capital—the place of his birth and his past.
A few days later was Liliana’s birthday.
And with it came the approaching anniversary of his wife’s death.
Setina Valentine.
The gentle lady of the Valentine house, with soft golden hair and lovely blue eyes.
On the bed, Liliana—who resembled Setina—slept soundly.
She had recently been released from prison and returned to the mansion.
If only Iris hadn’t been involved, things wouldn’t have gotten this tangled.
Kaidrich wiped a tear from poor Liliana’s cheek, his heart aching.
At least her house arrest should end before her birthday.
In this situation, Iris had not even dared to reply to her father’s letter, despite the matter involving the Emperor himself!
But—
I cannot leave my post recklessly.
Liliana was only brought back on the condition that she would correspond with Iris by letter.
Iris must know this is why she is doing such a difficult thing.
Just then, Liliana murmured in her sleep,
“...I didn’t do anything wrong...”
Kaidrich’s gray eyes flickered with deep emotion.
Liliana so resembled her late mother—the precious daughter his wife had vowed to protect with her life.
“Don’t worry so much. When you wake, your father will fix everything.”
Though they had briefly quarreled over a past misunderstanding, Kaidrich loved his wife deeply.
So for her sake, he tried to treat all his children fairly.
Of course, this fairness existed only from his perspective—fairness applied only to the children he cherished most.
If Iris continues to refuse to reply, other options must be considered.
Leaving the bedroom, Kaidrich fell into thought.
Spotting the steward passing by, he called out,
“Have you been able to contact Steward Brown?”
What they needed now was the experienced former steward, Brown.
Someone who had worried about the family even as he was leaving—he would surely come running if summoned.
“He’s currently employed by another family, so we’re having some delay tracking his whereabouts.”
“Another family?”
Kaidrich was somewhat surprised.
Is that even possible? Normally it shouldn’t be.
They hadn’t even given Brown a recommendation letter when they dismissed him.
Entering another noble household under such circumstances was near impossible—unless someone secretly provided a letter of recommendation.
“Do whatever you can to find him.”
“Yes, sir.”
The steward moved away.
Kaidrich frowned slightly as he watched him leave.
“This just doesn’t sit right with me.”
The current steward was prone to mistakes, and no matter what he did, Kaidrich never felt satisfied.
“Why is everything so different from when Iris was here?”
Thinking back, everything had changed since Iris left the household.
“Why can’t the others match what Iris did?”
“Was Iris actually more capable than I thought?”
Kaidrich muttered aloud, startled by his own words.
“That can’t be.”
It was simply because Liliana’s house arrest hadn’t ended yet.
And there was only one way to lift Liliana’s restriction.
After much deliberation, Kaidrich resorted to his last option.
He would visit the Marquis of Clerington, Iris’s maternal family, and ask for their aid.
“They’d help, if only for Liliana’s sake.”
Liliana clearly bore the likeness of her mother, Setina.
Visiting the Marquis’s mansion in the capital was straightforward.
Though it had been years since their last visit, it didn’t take long to reach the Clerington estate.
The Marquis of Clerington sat in the reception room, his usual dignified posture intact.
“Long time no see, father-in-law.”
“Indeed, Count.”
Their greeting was formal and distant—barely befitting family.
To be frank, their relationship was worse than that of strangers.
For reasons unknown, the Marquis disliked the Valentine Count.
Though Kaidrich had treated his wife well and never caused hardship, the esteemed Marquis remained unimpressed.
“All the Marquis has left is a proud name with no real power.”
Still, the Clerington family was an established bureaucratic lineage and could provide administrative support.
Despite coming to ask a favor, Kaidrich was shown no courtesy.
The Marquis coldly drew a line without acknowledging his son-in-law’s efforts.
Slightly offended, Kaidrich revealed his frustration.
“Yes, Marquis.”
“What business brings you to a household where visits are rare?”
The sharp blue eyes of the seasoned Marquis fixed on Kaidrich.
“I have come regarding my daughter Liliana, who is also your granddaughter.”
Liliana, seated beside him, greeted brightly,
“Hello, grandfather!”
Kaidrich nodded at the adorable child.
“No matter how stubborn the Marquis, he cannot resist Liliana.”
She was the spitting image of her mother.
“Liliana is in trouble now. Since she is your kin, we hoped for your assistance...”
“That request is difficult to grant.”
With a sharp tap, the Marquis set down his tea.
“I do not acknowledge that child as my blood.”
Chapter 52