Chapter 40

My body froze at the clear voice, but my eyes quickly scanned the figure in front of me.  

When I slowly lifted the lantern I was holding, a pale face came into view.  

“Madam…?”  

Standing right before me, looking down at me, was Kate Eclipse, Nine’s mother.  

‘Ah, right. The ghost rumor was because of Lady Kate.’  

I remembered now—back when I first came to the North, I had gone out for a night walk like tonight and nearly died of fright when I saw her wandering the halls weeping.  

I’d been so shocked that I completely forgot about it until now, and my face grew hot at the memory.  

Realizing I was still sitting on the ground, I hastily stood up and brushed the dirt off my clothes.  

Kate too looked as though she had come straight out of bed, wearing only a thin negligee and indoor slippers. But even when I glanced around her, I couldn’t spot any sort of coat.  

‘Surely she didn’t come all the way to the greenhouse dressed like that?’  

To get here, she would’ve had to go outside the castle. The northern wind at night was bitterly harsh this time of year, and yet no cloak was in sight.  

I was about to cautiously speak to her, when Kate opened her mouth first.  

“Myle?”  

“Ah.”  

Only then did I realize the name she’d called earlier hadn’t been mine. And at the same time, I noticed how different her current state was compared to the reports I’d heard.  

According to the servants, when Kate wandered the castle, she was like a sleepwalker—her consciousness vague, unresponsive to other presences.  

But now, though her pale face bore the deep traces of illness and her expression was lifeless, her eyes were following me.  

Unfocused, yes, but still trained on me.  

As I looked into her blue eyes—so like Adel’s—I hesitated.  

‘I can’t just leave her here alone, can I?’  

If she had simply come for a stroll like me, it would’ve been one thing, but letting her stay in the greenhouse unsupervised in such a state seemed dangerous.  

Feeling a little embarrassed about my nightclothes, I took a steadying breath and put the sign I’d been holding back in its place.  

Kate’s voice was bright with joy as she called to me.  

“Myle, it’s you, isn’t it?”  

Though her eyes were fixed on me, it seemed she was seeing someone else entirely.  

Her cheeks flushed, her eyes crinkled, and she smiled softly—the first genuine smile I had seen on her face since coming North.  

‘Myle… that must be the Duke’s pet name.’  

This greenhouse had been created by the previous Duke Eclipse for his beloved wife.  

He must have poured all his devotion into it.  

Glancing up at the blossoms of the great tree in the center of the greenhouse, I remembered the plaque I had read: Caetlia Tree. 

Then I turned back to Kate and said, “My lady, forgive me for startling you at this hour.”  

“Ah… haha. You’re always so busy.”  

“…Pardon?”  

“Myle, you must be tired after fighting monsters again today.”  

“My lady, I am not Lord Myle, the former Duke.”  

“…? Oh, stop joking, Myle. Haha.”  

I tried speaking to her, hoping she might regain clarity, but it was no use.  

After a moment’s hesitation, I bowed slightly in the manner of a man, offering her the courtesy she expected.  

It must have looked ridiculous, me in a negligee imitating a man’s manners, but Kate only chuckled like a girl.  

“My lady, it is late. Let us return.”  

“Just a little longer. Since you’re here, it feels like such a waste to go back already.”  

Humming happily, she walked alongside me, everything about her radiating the ease of a woman spending time with her beloved.  

Her smile, her tender tone, her affectionate words.  

Yet at times she would stare blankly into space, or suddenly act in ways that made no sense—like now.  

She had stopped to water the tulips.  

“My lady.”  

“……”  

She gave no sign of hearing me. The water from her can trickled down and soaked the petals.  

Unable to force her away, I stayed beside her, continuing the act of the late Duke—though in truth, not knowing him, I could only mimic Nine.  

The sound of water filling the air was the only thing that moved, until Kate set aside the can and gazed at me intently.  

Her unfocused eyes made me wonder if she truly saw me at all. Still, I clasped my hands behind my back and held her gaze.  

Perhaps she had come to herself, so I asked, “Why do you look at me so intently?”  

“You planted only purple tulips.”  

With that, she lovingly stroked the blossoms.  

The words didn’t fit the conversation, and I fell silent again.  

The purple tulip, symbol of eternal love. Her tender gesture was romantic, but it only made my heart ache more.  

Even from the few tales I had heard, it was clear how affectionate the previous Duke and Duchess had been. How immense must her loss be?  

And yet… could she not, as a mother, as the matriarch of the North, look after her children?  

Such cold thoughts flickered through me—until she smiled.  

“Every flower you planted feels like you’re vowing eternity to me.”  

“….”  

In her girlish smile, lined with the marks of age, I suddenly saw my own parents back at House Blueberry.  

If one of them passed before the other, leaving the survivor in such a state… could I accuse them of neglecting their duties out of grief?  

No. Never.  

The very thought of uttering such words tore my heart apart.  

And perhaps that was why Nine, even after securing his title, had not been able to approach her.  

Arrogant as it sounded, I felt I understood him a little better, and regretted my earlier judgment.  

They were not flawed people—only souls living with an unfillable void.  

Smiling through my sorrow, I reached out my hand.  

“…It is late. Please, let us return together.”  

Kate, still unfocused, happily took my hand, so unlike her husband’s.  

I placed my coat gently over her shoulders.  

***

I tiptoed through the dark, empty halls.  

Kate might not have been in her right mind, but it was still embarrassing to be seen in my attire—especially since I’d given her my coat.  

After making sure the corridor was deserted, I broke into a half-run, darting back to my room.  

Inside, the heating artifacts filled the air with warmth. My body, chilled from the northern wind, slowly thawed.  

I had thought I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, but perhaps because of the unexpected encounter, drowsiness soon weighed on me.  

I threw myself onto the bed, crawled under the blanket, and closed my eyes.  

As my lids grew heavy, my last wandering thoughts were these:  

‘It’s partly my fault that things became complicated before the divorce. I should at least give Nine a happy family.’  

The role of lovingly embracing Nine belonged to the heroine, but I wanted to give him the happiness of family.  

Having learned in this world how profound that happiness could be, I thought it the greatest gift I could offer him.  

Not just he and the heroine alone—but everyone happy together. That would be better.  

“Then Nine will be happy sooner… and even more so.”  

He worried for his family, even if he didn’t know how to show it. He seemed to love them.  

That night, I dreamed of a family’s happiness.  

At the tea table sat Nine and the heroine, her face indistinct. Behind them, Roana and Kate smiled brightly as they held Adel’s hands.  

They looked carefree, utterly at peace. Truly happy.