The train ran without stopping for a week.

During that week, I didn’t write a single letter.

But it wasn’t particularly dull.
Time passed as I read technical books from Alencia.

Yet lonely nights still came.

On sleepless nights, I thought of Ania, who would also be spending the night alone.
Then, my determination rose again.

How far did I travel like that?

“We have arrived!”

I had arrived in the Eastern Kingdom without realizing it.

It was the farthest journey I had made since coming to this world, but there was no fear.

My task was clear.

“Thank you to the passengers who used the Eastern Kingdom-bound train.”

I got off the train and unfolded the letter from Alfonse.

His letter had someone’s name and address written on it, but Alfonse wasn’t sure if she would be at the address he had written.

He had only met her twice since she was a wandering person.

Anyway, I had to go. I had to meet her and learn the technology of this world.

No matter how much of a modern person I was, my knowledge of this world and modern knowledge differed.

The Eastern Kingdom’s scenery was quite different from that of the Empire.

A different environment with different flowers unfolded before my eyes.

Due to its East Asian motif, the novel felt like a subtle blend of Korean, Japanese, and Chinese, which evoked a familiar and nostalgic fragrance.
The fact that people walking on the streets had black hair only heightened this sensation.

“Hmm…”

As I walked out of the platform, I found myself in the heart of the city before I knew it.

Eastern-style buildings caught my eye.
Looking at the winding pine trees and quaint stone walls made of piled stones, I felt like I had entered a folk village.

However, there was also a mysterious atmosphere with scattered Western elements.

I hailed a carriage nearby.

“Please take me to this address.”
“I understand.”

Fortunately, the language of the Empire and the Eastern Kingdom was similar.
Although there were differences in intonation and some words, the conversation was not difficult, mainly between the standard language and the Jeju dialect.

“Hurry, please.”
“I will take care of it. I am the fastest carriage driver in this neighborhood.”

After riding the carriage for a while, I arrived at a particular building.

It was pretty large, and its appearance strangely resembled a refined Korean traditional house, which made me smile.

I straightened my collar and slowly walked towards the wooden gate.

“Is anyone there?”

I asked as I knocked on the gate.

There was no answer, but just as I was about to knock again, a voice came from inside the house.

“Who is it?”

It was a woman’s voice.

“I have come to see Miss Viola.”
“Ah…”

After a moment, footsteps were heard, and the wooden gate made of trees creaked open.

Behind the door, a woman suddenly peered out, and in that moment, I couldn’t help but be a little surprised.

The woman who appeared behind the door was quite beautiful.

Although she seemed a bit older, she exuded an elegant demeanor.

After a brief moment of confusion, I politely nodded and asked, “Hello. I was introduced by a person named Alfonse de Mula. May I have the pleasure of meeting Miss Viola?”

“Of course. I am Viola.”

She smiled sweetly, and I was surprised to see her face again.

Having heard from Alfonse that she was quite eccentric, I had predicted that she would be a reserved person.

“Then, shall we go inside and talk?”
“Thank you for your welcome.”
“Why make such a fuss…”

Following Viola inside, I quietly watched her back.

It feels familiar somehow. Where have I seen it before?

But soon, I realized it couldn’t be and chuckled softly.

***

Valentine Bronte stood before the door, grasping and releasing the doorknob repeatedly.

In fact, it wasn’t just a few times, but dozens of times.

After firmly deciding, he grasped the doorknob, sighed, and rereleased it…

He had been repeating this behavior for a good 30 minutes.

“What am I doing…”

The hearts of the onlookers were equally unsettled watching her.

“My Lord… Allow me to open the door instead.”

Among them, a brave servant stepped forward to take on the heavy duty, but Valentine refused.

“No. I’ll do it. If it means driving a dagger into my daughter’s heart, I’ll do it myself.”

Hearing this, the servants felt overwhelmed with conflicting emotions.

The sudden appearance of the Duke Bronte or a person of his status at the mansion was already headache-inducing, but seeing him standing in front of the door like this left them with no other option.

Of course, the servants knew well that Valentine Bronte cherished her daughter to the point of obsession.

Yet, it was the first time they had seen Valentine Bronte hesitate so much.

‘Why is he hesitating so much to say something?’

Each servant had the same thought as they watched the drama unfolding for the past 30 minutes.

And so, even after an hour, he couldn’t knock on the door.

Valentine Bronte and the servants felt like they were about to faint.

Since Ania had been endlessly staring out the window since Edward left the mansion, there was no guarantee that a proper conversation would occur if Valentine Bronte entered the room.

At that moment, the servants wished they could return to how things were before…

“Why are you all gathered here?”

An elderly man walked towards them from the end of the corridor.

“Master Ricktman!”

The servants smiled with relief at his confident stride.
As Ricktman approached with a nod, he suddenly noticed the man standing in front of Ania’s room and hurried over.

“My Lord?”
“Oh… Ricktman?”
“What brings you to the mansion…?”

As Ricktman knelt down, Valentine Bronte let out a deep sigh.

“Ricktman… do you understand the feeling of betraying your daughter?”
“…What do you mean?”
“What would you choose between your daughter’s happiness and the future of your family?”
“Um…?”

Seeing Rictkman unable to answer, Valentine lightly chuckled.

“Of course, the future of the family comes first.”

With that said, Valentine Bronte finally grasped and turned the doorknob.

Instantly, he disappeared behind the door, leaving Ricktman and the servants waiting anxiously.

His daughter’s happiness and the future of the family…

Having lived for 30 years as a knight and 15 years as a butler, Ricktman was well aware of the aristocratic family’s principles.

‘No way…’

But soon, Ricktman shook his head.

It couldn’t be.

The Valentine Bronte he had known so far was not the type of person to do such a thing.

***

However, Ricktman’s anxious thoughts turned out to be true.

The following day, Ricktman went to Ania’s room as usual and knocked on the door, but there was no answer from inside.

However, Ania had never responded since Edward left, so he thought it might be the same today and opened the door.

But the moment he opened the door, Ricktman dropped the plate he was holding to the ground.

“… Miss!”

Her room was in disarray as if a thief had ransacked it. The bedding was strewn on the floor, and the chairs and furniture were overturned.

And there was a figure sitting on the chair, staring at Ricktman.

Ricktman knew his name.

“Joshua, the Bronte family’s aide…”

Joshua, the aide of the Bronte family, was an elderly man with graying hair and sharp eyes.

“Hey Ricktman. How are you?”
“Not good. What’s going on here? Where’s Miss Ania?”
“For now, sit down. Let’s talk slowly.”
“If you don’t tell me right now, I’ll cut your throat.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that. This is all the Lady’s decision.”

Hearing this, Ricktman lightly released the grip on his sword handle.

“Explain.”
“You seem busy, so I’ll make it short.”

The corner of Joshua’s mouth curled up.

“It’s nothing special. The young Lady said she wanted to cancel the marriage, so we brought her back to the mansion.”
“What?”

Rickman drew his sword from his waist.

“Don’t talk nonsense! My Lady would’ve never done such a thing!”
“Why not?”

Joshua smirked.

“The Radner family is ruined. There are rumors that even Edward Radner abandoned the family and fled to the East… the young Lady wouldn’t want to entrust her future to such a man.”
“Do you think that’s for Lady’s sake?”
“Of course.”

As Ricktman swung his sword toward Joshua, who was sneering, he stopped his hand.

Then, the sharp edge of the sword flashed near Joshua’s neck.

“… Is this all your doing?”
“The Lady made the decision herself.”
“Joshua.”
“Rickman, don’t make baseless accusations when you know nothing. The Lady’s decision is my decision.”

With that, Joshua confidently stood up and left the room.

There was nothing Ricktman could do.

‘What would you choose between your daughter’s happiness and the future of your family?’

Valentine Bronte’s words flashed through his mind, passing like a breeze.

Even if it wasn’t the Lady’s decision… it would at least be the decision of the Lord.

Someone had influenced it, that was certain.

“My Lady…”

Ricktman relaxed his grip on the sword.

The sword fell to the ground, making a sharp sound as it hit.

‘Can I do nothing for My Lady?’

For the first time in his life, Ricktman blamed his humble status.

Blamed his own inadequacy for not being able to do anything.