On the way out of the island, I noticed that the villagers' gazes had strangely changed.
Especially Marco's gaze had changed a lot.
The person who had shown clear hostility until yesterday was now unusually friendly.
*That guy is looking at you with a strange expression.*
Even the slow-witted Pio could tell, so it was obvious.
In any case, I had almost finished my business here and needed to go back to the mainland for my mother's treatment.
Since I wouldn't be coming back for a while, I called him to entrust him with future matters.
"For what reason... did you call me?"
"I called you because I have a favor to ask."
His polite attitude made me feel a bit strange.
I asked him to keep everything that happened here a secret.
"Also, keep it a secret from the villagers. The fewer people who know, the better."
The sudden change in atmosphere was very strange.
"I'm sorry for my behavior earlier."
His sudden apology caught me off guard.
What on earth happened to him?
"I heard from His Excellency that I might have misunderstood the two of you."
"His Excellency? You mean Duke Gloucester?"
"Yes, yes. He left me with instructions to cooperate with you and Lady Chris yesterday."
I don't know why he came and went, but at least he had some conscience and didn't visit me.
"If anything happens, tell Mr. Chris or Mr. Mario. They are all my people, so they will pass the message to me immediately."
Since the ruins had been discovered, I had to send Wilhelm back.
The mages would be guarding the mine area, so nothing major should happen.
I returned to the mainland, leaving Marco, who bowed deeply and expressed his gratitude, behind.
Lily was waiting for me at the dock.
Her waving and jumping made my heart race.
I ran to Lily as soon as I got off the boat.
"Lord Master has woken up! Let's go back to the hotel quickly."
Lily and I got into the carriage she had come in and headed for Cascade Hotel.
The carriage was filled with tension.
As soon as the carriage arrived at the hotel entrance, I rushed to the top floor.
I ran into Alison coming out of the room.
"Have you arrived, Lady?"
"She's in the bedroom with the Duke."
With that, I headed straight to Mother's room.
As I entered the room, my eyes met Mother's, who was sitting up.
I ran to her and hugged her.
Tears welled up uncontrollably. I was so scared that she might never open her eyes again.
"Why are you crying, my child?"
Her gentle touch brought me a sense of relief.
Once the tears started, they wouldn't stop easily.
The fear of the past few days burst out in tears.
After a while, when I calmed down a bit, Mother said with a mischievous smile.
"You're still a child, aren't you?"
"I'll be a child just for today."
Wiping my tears with the back of my hand, Father patted my back.
"Freya, stay with the Duke's family for a while until you recover."
Mother looked surprised at Father's words.
"Ahem, Karina. Could you please step aside for a moment?"
Feeling the strange atmosphere, I quickly slipped out of the room.
Maybe I could live with them again.
It felt like everything was finally back to normal.
After many twists and turns, I finished my schedule in the south and returned to the mainland.
As soon as I informed them of my return, Regina and Filia came to see me.
"Why did you stay in the south for so long?"
"I had a lot of things to take care of."
Both of them looked eager to talk.
"By the way, what brought you here so urgently?"
Regina asked first in response to my question.
"Didn't you agree to become engaged to His Majesty?"
That news had already spread?
"Well, it's not officially decided yet, but it seems likely."
Filia added with a slight smile.
"The social circles are in an uproar, wondering what the charm of Lady Pionea is."
"But there's nothing particularly charming about me. It's just that I had too many previous fiancés who wanted to apologize."
"However, the current atmosphere is so good that it can't be ignored. Especially, the perfume is so popular that even if you apply now, you won't receive it for a long time."
I had heard the story roughly through Nivea's report, but hearing it directly from them made it feel more real.
"Besides, this is a rumor I heard."
Regina leaned in and looked around.
Thinking she was about to share a secret, I dismissed the maids nearby.
"There's a rumor that Duke Gloucester is going to divorce his wife."
"Yes, there's been a rumor that the Duke has had a big fight with his wife and has been staying at the hotel instead of returning to the Duke's residence."
"Many people have seen him commuting to and from the hotel."
With Filia's addition, the rumor seemed more plausible.
I recalled Andrew's face, crying and clinging to me.
He said everything was wrong and begged for my forgiveness.
'Maybe he was the first to break free from the distorted magic.'
But that made it even harder to forgive him.
If he really wanted to hold me, he should have come to me the moment he realized it.
For the past three years, he stood by Tatiana, enjoying all the benefits she gave him, and now he says he doesn't love her?
That I was the only true love?