Mrs. Naillo’s compliment made Harriet quickly flash a smile. Charlotte shot him a glance, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Mrs. Naillo, how have you been feeling lately? Are you eating well?”

“As well as can be expected for someone my age. What can an old person do but count the days until their death, living one day at a time?”

Sitting beside Mrs. Naillo and asking about her condition, she stroked the cover of the book she was reading before answering. The resignation and grace of someone in the twilight of their life emanated from her. I reached out and gently held her wrinkled hand, then said.

“If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I will care for your children and grandchildren, so please, have no worries.”

“Our lord is truly kind. Your visits alone are a great comfort to this old woman. Hohoho…”

“….Likewise, it’s a great comfort and joy for me, feeling as though I’ve gained a grandmother.”

It wasn’t mere politeness but a genuine word. I received a lot of help from Mrs. Naillo when I first moved to Arendelle Castle. She always treated me with kindness as if I were her own granddaughter. Just a year ago, Mrs. Naillo was still very vigorous…

“Time can indeed be scary. I always thought I would fall ill slowly, but never did I imagine that one day I would struggle to even walk… Look here, Lady Charlotte?”

“Ah, yes!”

“And you say this young man is just a friend. How about considering our third son, who serves as your aide? I consider our family’s sons very good.”

“N, no, that is… I mean…”

While Charlotte was at a loss for words, Harriet’s complexion gradually turned pale. Feeling the need to change the subject, I casually brought up a different topic.

“Mrs. Naillo? About that book you mentioned last time you wanted to read, I’ve looked into it and…”

* * *

“Uwaah, I’m so tired… Are you alright, Viscount?”

After returning to Arendelle Castle and having dinner, I realized how late it had become. I finished bathing and changed into my nightclothes. Seeing Charlotte exhausted, I patted her shoulder and encouraged her.

“You should go and rest too. I’ll take care of the rest, so go back to your room.”

“But…”

“It’s alright, go ahead.”

After pushing a puppy-eyed Charlotte back to her room, I started preparing for bed.

It wasn’t much. The fireplace was already taken care of by the maid and was still warm. All I had to do was brush my hair and put on a night cap.

And light a scented candle to fill the room with the gentle aroma of lavender, known to aid in getting a good night’s sleep.

I sat beside the bed, gazing at the flickering candlelight in the darkness. I found myself lost in thought, the quiet world at night interrupted only occasionally by the crackling of logs in the fireplace.

Alone with my thoughts, I recalled the conversation I had with Mrs. Naillo in the evening.

‘Soon, I’ll have to leave this world, and I thought it might be time to start organizing the things I’ve accumulated. I began with my wardrobe, of course, with the help of the servants since I’m not very mobile. Anyway, you wouldn’t believe what I found in my closet…’

Mrs. Naillo showed me a plain silver ring with no decorations, her eyes soaked in nostalgia as she caressed it.

‘This ring was a gift from my husband, who passed away ten years ago, back when he was a mere squire and couldn’t afford an expensive gift. He had saved up painstakingly to buy this for me… and I lost it not long after we were married. I thought it was gone forever, but to find it hidden away in the wardrobe, of all places…’

Hearing her story reminded me of something. Five years ago, when I left Valentino Castle, I had packed some items haphazardly, and some items were carelessly stowed away.

But then I completely forgot about them due to being too busy and thinking I’d sort them out later.

“…”

I stared at the candlelight, then got up and approached the wardrobe, deciding it was time to finally sort through that neglected luggage. Tomorrow, I will be busy again, and if I didn’t do it now, I’d surely forget once more.

‘Surely it’s around here… Ah, here it is.’

I opened the wardrobe door and found the old luggage inside. It was a small bag that I had shoved into the wardrobe upon arriving at Arendelle Castle and had completely forgotten about.

I sat on the carpet, and placed the bag in front of me and started to pull out its contents.

A pouch with dried flowers, a postcard decorated with leaves and grass, a small notebook, an old diary, a single pearl of unknown origin, and a smooth stone that seemed to have been picked up from the banks of the Veronis river…

It was a collection of seemingly useless but too sentimental to discard items.

Lastly, when I turned the bag upside down and shook everything out, a small coin clattered onto the carpet.

‘…This is…’

When I recognized the coin immediately, I froze and blinked in disbelief.

It was Camillus Valentino’s coin.

A keepsake Theodore cherished from Camillus.

‘…Why is this here?’

I picked up the coin feeling bewildered.

The coin felt warm as if it had just been soaked in warm water and taken out. As if retaining someone’s warmth onto it.

__