“Suddenly? What! You said you weren’t seeing anyone just the other day, Edith!”

Daisy pretended to pout in disappointment before narrowing her eyes in curiosity.

“So, who is it? Who is the lucky man who has captivated the heart of Edith Irene Brussels?”

Daisy asked, poking a piece of apple with her fork. The juice glistened, indicating it was a particularly sweet apple. Just as she brought the apple to her lips—

“It’s Duke Devion.”

“Huh? Who?”

“Duke Devion.”

“…The Duke Devion?”

“Yes, that Duke Devion.”

Thunk.

—The piece of apple dropped onto the table.

“Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!”

In the next moment, she stood up in shock. Her exclamation showed her astonishment.

“Daisy, you’ll wake up Lude! Sit down, let’s talk calmly, okay?”

Edith quietly urged her to sit, placing her index finger to her lips. Reminded of her young son, Daisy sat back down before she opened her mouth again.

“Oh my God, how did this happen? How? When did it start, or rather! Why? How?”

“It’s a long story. There were reasons. I’m really sorry I couldn’t tell you the truth last time.”

“Oh, my God. What did I just hear?”

After taking several gulps of water, Daisy looked utterly bewildered. It was understandable. Just moments ago, they were laughing and chatting like old friends, and now she was hearing that her friend was going to become a duchess.

Still in shock and absentmindedly eating the dropped apple, Daisy finally managed to offer her congratulations.

“Sorry! I was so shocked I forgot to congratulate you. Congratulations on your marriage, Edith. You’re the first among my friends to become a duchess… We’re still friends, right?”

“What are you talking about, Daisy? Of course.”

“But Edith, you’ve really thought this through, right?”

Daisy asked carefully.

“Of course, Duke Devion is a remarkable man. The kind every woman might dream of at least once. But…”

At her words, Daisy bit her lip thoughtfully before she sighed as if making up her mind before parting her lips again.

“I’m your friend, you know. That’s why I’m honestly worried. You know how harsh social circles can be? Just look at Miss Letitia…”

Her voice trailed off. Having moved to the Capital before Edith, she had indirectly experienced the social circles; hence, her concern seemed more pronounced.

“And then there’s the matter with the younger brother, kept in the temple, I mean under protection. Actually, Countess Vicen told me she saw him once and was quite shocked.”

There was no need to ask why the countess was shocked. Whatever she saw was unlikely to have been a pleasant scene.

“Ugh, I don’t know! You’ve probably made your decision knowing all this. I just don’t want you to get hurt. You’re too soft and kind, and that’s what worries me more.”

“What kind… Hardly.”

“Hardly? Remember when we worked together at the County Moselle? Thanks to you taking on that fierce young master, everyone else had it easier. Despite your struggles, you even looked after the maids tormented by the young master.”

“That’s just what anyone would do in my place. It was nothing special.”

Edith felt a bit shy and fidgeted with her neck.

The youngest son of County Moselle was physically weak, which made him emotionally fragile, often leading to his irritability. Since she had grown up in an orphanage and seen many sickly children whine and complain, she was accustomed to handling such situations well. It was merely that.

“That’s because you’re nice, a kind-hearted girl.”

When Daisy clicked her tongue as if she was oblivious, Edith laughed. She appreciated her friend’s favorable view of her.

“Anyway, I just hope you have a good life. Maybe someone as kind as you, becoming someone important could make the world a better place.”

“I’m not that great, Daisy.”

“If a duchess isn’t great, who else is great! Still, you might want to prepare yourself since there are quite a few ladies head over heels for your beloved duke.”

‘It’s not beloved, Daisy!’

It was when Edith cried out inside, unable to correct her friend’s misunderstanding.

“Uhnng…”

A small whining sound came from somewhere.

“Looks like Lude woke up.”

Daisy reacted first. Despite the faint noise, she stood up without hesitation and spoke, “Let’s go, Edith. I’ll show you our son.”

She then led her to the room.

“My baby, did you wake up? Did you sleep well?”

Daisy whispered tenderly as she carefully picked up the baby lying in the crib.

“Here, meet my son Lude. Isn’t he lovely?”

The moment she introduced the child, a new screen appeared in front of Edith.

It was information about Lude. Now quite accustomed to this view, Edith naturally scanned the window.

“Has Jace’s…”

“Really? Everyone says he looks like me when they first see him.”

It was when she heard Daisy’s surprised words that Edith realized she had mumbled her thoughts out loud.

At that remark, she belatedly looked at the baby. Seeing his mother, Lude quickly calmed down and looked up at Edith with a gentle face. He was indeed the spitting image of Daisy, from his curly brown hair to his notably plump lips.

“Um, what I meant was the baby’s so gentle…”

“So, you’re saying I’m not gentle?”

Taken aback by her friend’s pouting response, Edith quickly tried to clarify, but Daisy burst out laughing.

“Just kidding. You’re right. He really does take after Jace.”

She playfully teased, then lovingly gazed back at Lude. It was such a tender scene that one could imagine it being the picture of love.

“You have no idea how kind he is. Mrs. Luden said Jace was just like this when he was little. As for me, well, my mom had her hands full.”

“The little prince is already practicing filial piety.”

Watching Lude start to doze off in Daisy’s arms, Edith felt genuinely relieved. What could be better for a family than having a healthy baby?

Wishing for Daisy’s family to always be happy, she offered a prayer for her friend.

Returning home, Edith headed straight for the bathroom. After turning on the water and waiting a bit, the large bathtub quickly filled with warm water.

‘So warm…’

It felt wonderful.

Edith quietly admired. This happiness was incomparable to the old wooden house where she couldn’t even use a bathtub, let alone have access to warm water.

As she closed her eyes for a moment to enjoy the languid sensation, she quietly reflected on her day.

‘It was a long day.’

For the first time, she wore a dress that someone else had chosen for her and watched an opera from a prime seat where the stage was clearly visible. It had been like a day out of a dream.

While slowly recalling her memories, Edith suddenly paused upon remembering a scene. Lady Valencia, despite being in a severely anxious state, appeared calmer than anyone else.

‘…It was Lady Valencia, right?’

Comfortably leaning back in the bathtub, she stared into space. Then, a translucent golden window appeared out of nowhere.

Scrolling down the list of children’s names, the newly added name of Lady Valencia appeared. In front of her name was an empty heart, as if to signify something hadn’t been filled.

‘It means instability.’

Edith sighed.

__