Chapter 04
Seven Years Later – Herbon Territory
Seven years ago, Rene stayed in Herbon for just three days — just enough time to finalize Adel and Ethan’s marriage.
On the dawn of the third day, Baron Milliam had already formed a family knight order and came to Herbon to take Adel back. Many sought to curry favor with a family about to become relatives of the imperial household, so reestablishing the knight order with their support likely wasn’t difficult.
But he couldn’t simply take away a daughter who had already sworn a marriage vow.
All Adel could do was watch anxiously from afar as her father and sister argued. Eventually, her father left Herbon empty-handed, and Rene followed.
The day after Rene’s departure, Ethan also left for the capital.
Though he used the pretext of expanding his knowledge, Adel wasn’t naïve enough to believe he hadn’t simply fled the territory to avoid her.
Six years later, the year Adel came of age, Ethan returned for their wedding. It had now been a full year since they officially wed.
Adel, as usual, was roaming the estate in comfortable clothes. She was well aware that Susan watched her with anxious eyes.
“You didn’t climb a tree again today, did you?”
Adel had a long-standing habit: when asked an unfavorable question, she simply didn’t answer — a method of avoiding lies without actually speaking one.
“You didn’t forget what day it is, did you?”
As if she could forget.
It wasn’t quite ceremonious enough to be called a “conjugal night,” but in noble households, there were scheduled nights — two or three times a month — for the husband and wife to sleep together.
For the past year, Ethan had always found an excuse when the day came. Some nights he worked late; others he left early for territory inspections and didn’t return until the next day.
The only night they’d slept together was their wedding night — but even that had been a disaster, with Ethan stumbling in too drunk to stand. For Adel, it was a memory she preferred not to recall.
Trying to spare her husband the discomfort, Adel had often taken the initiative to excuse herself. But now, both were out of excuses. He had left with a face full of resignation and told her to wait in his room tonight — then went off for a light hunt.
“You must do skincare today, at least.”
“No way. I’m going to practice archery.”
“With whom?”
“Who else?”
Adel frequently visited the knight training grounds.
Back when Rene had visited seven years ago, two knights had stood guard outside the drawing room. Now, they were close friends of Adel’s.
One of them, Cedric, had been her sword instructor for years. At the time, Cedric was so tall that Adel thought he must be much older than her — but he had only been seventeen, a newly promoted apprentice knight.
“I’ll be back before it gets too late.”
Adel tried to act normal, but her heart was restless all day.
She once asked Ethan as a child what kind of woman he liked. At first, he just smiled. But when she kept pressing, he stared off into the distance and answered:
“A woman who walks like the wind, speaks like a butterfly, and smiles like a flower.”
Since hearing that, Adel had recited those words in her heart every day. She knew she could never walk like air or speak like a butterfly, but she still wanted to be the kind of wife who satisfied his heart.
That’s why Ethan didn’t know how Adel galloped on fast horses and shot arrows with bold precision — or how she mingled with commoners at the marketplace with no hesitation.
But after so many years, Adel’s heart had become hollow — like a tree rotting from the inside.
“At least it’s a good thing. I’ll make your hair extra shiny tonight.”
“Okay.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Then… how about applying honey to your skin?”
Since Adel was unusually agreeable today, Susan seized the opportunity to fulfill all the beauty treatments she’d wanted to try. Even if her mistress protested, today she wouldn’t give up…
“Sure, go ahead.”
“…Pardon?”
Though Adel’s heart was empty, she didn’t want to be accused of not trying as a wife.
So far, Ethan’s frequent absences had spared her from pressure. But it had now been a year since he returned to the territory, and the pressure to produce an heir from the family could no longer be avoided.
Soon, Adel would have to soak in a tub filled with sweet-smelling oils.
While Susan busily prepared for the night, Adel went over the schematics again for installing a water system. Herbon, while more livable than other places, was still lacking in infrastructure.
Noble mansions had proper plumbing, but commoners living deep in the territory or near the mountains had to walk all day to fetch water. For months, Adel had poured time and effort into fixing this.
She had dug up the plumbing in the annex and spent whole days by the fountain in the rear garden under the pretext of “research.”
Current irrigation technology couldn’t ensure stable water supply. But recently, a method using atmospheric pressure to transport water farther and more safely had been devised — something Adel could not have managed without her aide, Hank.
Susan chirped cheerfully like a lark while carefully grooming Adel’s golden hair.
As dusk settled in, Adel found it harder to focus.
This night — once so desperately wished for — was now something she didn’t even want. The Adel who once loved only that man no longer existed.
The man hadn’t changed, but Adel had grown from a girl into a woman.
“Enough with the paperwork.”
“Hm? Oh, right.”
Just as she lifted her eyes from the documents at Susan’s insistence, Adel heard a sound — one she’d never heard in this house before.
Then the head butler, Ben, appeared.
“A guest… has arrived.”
“A guest? Who?”
It was standard for the butler to first announce the guest’s identity. But Ben hesitated and didn’t say who it was. A bad feeling crept over her.
“Someone from my family?”
“No, not that…”
Adel, still in her comfortable clothing, brushed off her skirt and stood. She considered asking again, but something about Ben’s troubled expression prompted her to go to the parlor in person. On her way down, he lowered his voice and revealed the visitor’s identity.
“She used to work here as a maid. Her name is Anaston Lowell.”
Anaston Lowell — a rather elegant name for a maid, Adel thought, just as Ben added:
“The other maids just called her Anna.”
Adel froze in place.
That name was unforgettable.
On their wedding night, Ethan — dead drunk — had whispered that name over and over into Adel’s ear.
Anna… Anna… my Anna…
The name, murmured like a chant, had echoed through her head like a curse.
Adel took a deep breath to clear the tightness in her chest.
“Is something wrong, my lady?”
“N-No… Let’s go.”
When the parlor doors opened, she saw a woman and a young boy.
The woman rose from the sofa and walked gracefully toward Adel. Her posture was elegant and poised.
“I greet the Countess.”
With a soft voice and gentle smile, she introduced herself.
“I am Anaston Lowell.”
Truly, she walked like air, spoke like a butterfly, and smiled like a flower.
It was enough to make everyone watching hold their breath, but Adel tried to remain composed.
She turned her gaze to the boy standing by the sofa. About nine years old, perhaps? But what first caught her attention were his eyes — a deep blue like the ocean.
Noticing Adel’s gaze, Anaston walked over, took the boy’s wrist, and brought him forward.
“He is the Count’s son.”
“Yours, too?”
Susan shivered at the cold tone of voice — it had been a while since she’d heard the Countess sound like that. Though she appeared sweet and delicate, Countess Adel was far more rational and composed than people assumed.
“Yes… That’s right.”
“His age?”
“Eight.”
Even in this pitiful moment, Adel had to do the math — counting backward to match the boy’s age to Ethan’s absence. He had Ethan’s blue eyes and the woman’s brown hair. His features were soft, but the slightly drooping, sharp eyes were a clear inheritance from Ethan.
“Name?”
“Luwain. Luwain Debrian.”
The woman spoke the Debrian family name like a challenge, locking eyes with Adel.
Adel had never granted this woman the right to compare herself to her. Yet that unfamiliar face was full of a strange sense of triumph — as if demanding Adel feel defeated.
“The lord will arrive soon.”
But Adel had no intention of playing such childish emotional games. Without taking a seat, she turned away with just those words.
At that moment, a crashing sound echoed from outside, and the parlor door slammed open.
Only one person in this house had the right to open that door unannounced: Ethan Debrian, the master of the estate.
Adel briefly locked eyes with him. She was ready to listen calmly and let him explain.
But instead—
“Anna!”
As if Adel didn’t exist, Ethan rushed past her toward the woman.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he threw his arms around her.
“Where have you been all this time? Do you know… do you know how long I searched for you?”
