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Count Perdo carefully stored the cufflinks that Delsia had gifted him, then began writing on his documents with a quill made from a phoenix feather. Each stroke made the feather sway gracefully, as if dancing.
Even while working, he felt as if Delsia’s warmth was present, filling him with an overwhelming sense of emotion. Arnold seemed to feel the same. Using the pen that Delsia had given him, he handled the paperwork without once letting the smile leave his face.
Count Perdo even teased him lightly at one point, noticing how high Arnold’s smile had risen.
“Arnold, you look quite happy,” he said.
“Huh? Did I?”
Embarrassed, Arnold laughed awkwardly and glanced toward the sofa where Delsia had been sitting. Now that she had returned to her room, the sofa sat lonely once again.
“She must be doing well… I hope,” he murmured.
“We can only hope,” Count Perdo replied.
“More than anything, I worry that Delsia might collapse or overexert herself.”
“Arnold, don’t worry too much. If anything were to happen, Ella would contact us. You just need to go promptly and bring her back.”
Despite Count Perdo’s words, Arnold couldn’t shake his concern. He brought his thumb to his lips and nibbled it nervously—a habit that had appeared seemingly overnight. Count Perdo, absorbed in his documents, did not notice.
Eventually, Count Perdo looked up from his work and out the window. The faint moonlight spilled across the sky. After a moment, he spoke.
“You’ve worked hard today. Finish up what you can and then come upstairs.”
“Yes. You’ve worked hard too, Father.”
Arnold carefully put the quill back in the drawer and rose to his feet, offering a small bow. Once he left the office, silence settled in—a quiet that Count Perdo had once enjoyed.
Yet, as time went on, he found he preferred noise over stillness. It was strange. He had spent his life in quiet, yet now, he could not have imagined changing. And the ones who had influenced this change the most were his children.
When his beloved wife, Selena, passed away, Count Perdo changed again. He regretted the days when he had been caring but had not devoted enough attention to his children.
Slowly, Count Perdo made his way to the bedroom. Opening the door, he took a small jewelry box from a desk drawer. Holding the locket inside, he spent a long moment caressing it before speaking softly.
“Selena, will you keep her from feeling lonely?”
Inside the open locket was a woman with deep navy eyes and long ivory hair—Selena, his one true companion and the beloved mother of his children.
Count Perdo intended to give this locket to Delsia, ensuring that she would not feel lonely even in the ducal residence. Clutching the locket tightly, he moved toward Delsia’s room, determined to help her feel supported, even when she missed her family.
Such was the nature of a parent.
Standing before Delsia’s door, Count Perdo knocked gently.
“Delsi, are you awake?”
“Oh, no,” came her reply.
Fortunately, she had not yet fallen asleep. Before Delsia could slip a foot out from under the bed to open the door, Count Perdo entered first.
Bathed in moonlight, her bedroom seemed achingly lonely. By tomorrow, its occupant would be away for a long time.
Though no dust would settle in her absence, each time Count Perdo opened this room, a wave of longing would accumulate in his heart. Concealing these emotions, he smiled gently and approached Delsia’s bedside.
A purple diary sat by her bed, hinting she had been writing in it for many years. Count Perdo averted his gaze and spoke.
“Delsi.”
“Yes?”
Delsia looked up in surprise at her father’s voice. Count Perdo took her hand and placed the round locket upon it.
Unable to look away, Delsia spoke carefully.
“This is…?”
“It belonged to Selena.”
“My mother’s keepsake?”
“Yes. I had planned to give it to you at your wedding… but here it is, finally. Go ahead, open it.”
Delsia slowly opened the locket. Inside was a portrait of her mother, smiling brightly.
“Ah…”
Tears welled in her eyes as she tried to recall the face of the mother she barely remembered. Though only a memory remained, it was enough. Holding the locket close, she gazed at her father.
“Father…”
“It’s alright, Delsi. Even if Duke Adelio leaves you lonely, Selena will always be with you. And so will I.”
Count Perdo gently patted her head and left the room, leaving a night that was both chilly and tender behind.
“Delsia…”
Arnold, impatient at having to let her go, wrapped her in an embrace. He had wished this moment would never come.
“Don’t suffocate her!” Count Perdo teased from the side, but Arnold could not let go. The guilt he had been avoiding now confronted him fully.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Why, Brother?”
“I’m sorry, Delsia. Truly.”
“It’s alright,” she said lightly, patting his back with a small smile. She understood why Arnold felt guilty, but she knew it wasn’t necessary.
It had been Edwin’s decision, and Edwin was alive. Arnold had no reason to feel guilt.
“Brother, I’m fine. Really… I’m fine.”
Even as she struggled to speak, her words of reassurance failed to soothe him. They only made his heart ache more.
“I’ll miss you,” Arnold said in a trembling voice. He would miss seeing her every day. He finally let her go, and Count Perdo gently stroked her head.
“Delsi, are you ready?”
“…Yes.”
“You may return anytime you wish to see your father or brother. We’ll always be here.”
Tears brimmed in Count Perdo’s eyes. He had tried not to cry as he sent her off, but the sadness rising from deep within could not be restrained.
“I’ll go now. I’ll write often… Take care of yourself… and you too, Brother.”
“Travel safely, Delsi.”
“Delsia… Be well. Return before it’s too late. Send letters, send letters often. Alright?”
As Delsia climbed into the carriage without a set return date, a single tear fell from Count Perdo’s eye. Finally, the carriage departed, leaving only Count Perdo and Arnold at the estate gates. They did not move until the carriage became a distant speck.
Arnold broke the silence, speaking in a low voice, curiosity breaking through his worry.
“We’ve sent Delsia without any promise of return. I thought you might at least ask her to come back by a certain date… Honestly, I don’t understand why we’re sending her away.”
Count Perdo said nothing, walking back into the estate. Would explaining help Arnold understand? No, he doubted it. Arnold was not a parent—he could not grasp the heart behind sending Delsia off.
Duke Adelio’s residence was far from Count Perdo’s estate. When Delsia’s carriage stopped, she rose with Ella’s help.
The estate was as grand as Count Perdo’s. It felt unfamiliar, despite her previous visits. After Edwin lost his memory, this was practically her first visit.
Theo, spotting Delsia at the entrance, waved enthusiastically.
“Milady, over here!”
“…Theo.”
“As you’ve read in the letters, the master is out. You may go straight to the annex.”
“Thank you.”
“You look quite thin. Are you alright?”
Theo could not help but worry over her pale appearance, unaware that she had given her heart to save her master. Delsia smiled faintly.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Following Theo, she entered the annex. Every decoration Edwin had chosen for her favorite things remained intact.
Delsia chuckled softly at the familiar surroundings and entered the bedroom. There was a painting of her and Edwin together. She remembered laughing at how boldly Edwin had hung such a large frame and recalled his promise that it would be even larger after their wedding.
She felt reassured that she need not face it alone anymore. Even if this place was thorny, she would endure for her family’s sake.
Sitting on the bed, she looked at Theo, who seemed both happy and somewhat troubled.
“Is something wrong, Theo?”
“I… I was just worried about you, Milady.”
“About me?”
“Yes… Since the master is not quite as he was before, it may confuse you. He may hurt you unintentionally… But with your proximity, the chance he regains his memory is higher.”
“I’m alright.”
Truly alright, she whispered, folding her hands on her lap. Her hands trembled.
“I was prepared for this… Hah, it’s alright.”
“Milady, are you really alright? Your breathing seems…”
“…I’ve caught a cold.”
“Should we fetch the master immediately?”
“No need.”
“But Milady…”
“It’s my responsibility.”
Smiling faintly at Theo, Delsia glanced at Ella, who nodded and led Theo out of the bedroom.
Startled, Theo kept looking back at her, but Delsia ignored him as the door closed.
Alone, she exhaled slowly, a small moan escaping her lips.
“Ha… haa…”
She coughed violently, shaking the bed, and collapsed onto it. This bed, where she and Edwin would normally rest together…
She lay there, alone in the wide bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling only sorrow and longing for Edwin. She closed her eyes, imagining him returning to her side, smiling, holding a bouquet.
“…Edwin.”
Edwin, radiant as May sunlight, smiling at her, the Edwin of her heart.
