Cedric’s large hand gently smoothed Iris’s disheveled hair.
“My lady, you are truly beautiful.”
His warm voice whispered near her ear, his crimson eyes softening tenderly as he looked at her.
“From the moment I first laid eyes on you, this scenery came to mind.”
Only then did Iris grasp the true meaning behind Cedric’s words—his ‘from the beginning.’
‘Why didn’t I realize it sooner?’
The sky, tinged with purple, deepened into a darker shade.
Yet Iris recalled the breathtaking scene that had flashed before her eyes:
The purple sky, the lake reflecting sky-blue hues, and petals of pale lavender drifting on its surface.
Everything he showed her mirrored colors close to those she possessed.
“It’s true.”
Iris had never liked her pale lavender hair. Nor her sky-blue eyes, which failed to resemble her mother’s.
None of these colors felt like the Valentine family’s true hues.
‘Because of me, Mother had to strain herself during pregnancy.’
Her appearance, bearing too little resemblance to her father, had caused rumors of infidelity to swirl around her mother.
Mother always smiled and denied it, but her forced pregnancy was the proof.
‘Maybe if I didn’t remember, it wouldn’t matter.’
Even at a very young age, Iris had an unusually sharp memory and recalled those painful moments.
‘If I had been born properly... Mother wouldn’t have died.’
Perhaps even if she had been incapable of wielding the dark Qi, she wouldn’t have been so deeply despised.
That was why Iris despised herself—more precisely, she hated looking into mirrors.
But Cedric showed her that she was as beautiful as the scenery before her.
‘Could that really be true?’
Could I, who even I dislike, truly appear so beautiful to Cedric?
A sheen gathered in her sky-blue eyes.
“Did I… show it too much to the Grand Duke?”
“You did not show it, my lady.”
Cedric pulled Iris into a tight embrace.
“I was the one who kept looking at you. That’s when I realized.”
Tears welled and slipped down from the corners of her eyes. The sorrow shimmering above her irises dripped one by one.
“I’m sorry... I don’t want to show you me crying like this...”
Cedric surely didn’t enjoy seeing her in tears. Constantly showing such vulnerability would wear him down.
“...Why do I always end up crying so pitifully before you?”
“It’s alright to cry.”
“But still...”
Iris sank to the ground, tears flowing freely. Cedric sat beside her.
“Do not say such things.”
He gently patted her back.
“In front of me, you can cry without holding back. I am your husband.”
The tears she had held back broke through like a shattered barrier, flooding out.
“Ah...”
Before her reincarnation, Iris had heard that Cedric often stayed near this area.
So she had consciously avoided crossing paths with him.
But she hadn’t expected this place.
‘Then you must have...’
Before, looking at this very scenery, had he thought of me?
‘If this scene came to you the moment you first saw me...’
Had you always seen me as beautiful from the start?
Her throat tightened. Iris couldn’t utter a word, only letting tears fall.
Cedric said nothing, stopping his gentle strokes and simply holding her tightly.
“I hope you learn to love yourself more.”
“...”
“You are far more beautiful and remarkable than you believe.”
The sky had now deepened to a rich violet. Cedric’s voice was soft, laced with fatigue. His warmth enveloped her.
“If I observe carefully, it seems you judge yourself more harshly simply because you think you are objective.”
“That’s not true. I...”
“Self-reflection is important. But you seem to scrutinize yourself to the point of exhaustion.”
Hearts beat against each other.
Iris sensed Cedric’s own tension beneath his calm exterior.
“Cherish yourself more.”
She carefully grasped Cedric’s large hand as it approached her arm.
“Yes... thank you, Cedric.”
Tears still lingered in her voice.
Cedric pressed his face against the nape of her neck and murmured,
“Would you name this lake?”
“Me?”
“Yes. This lake has no name yet.”
Iris hesitated, gazing at the water.
“I’m not sure someone like me should be naming it.”
“If you keep saying that, I’ll just name it ‘Iris’ myself.”
“Huh?”
Even as she wiped her tears, she blinked in surprise.
Cedric chuckled softly and pulled her tightly into his arms.
“I’m only joking. I won’t let others carelessly use your name.”
Cedric, his face close enough to almost kiss, looked into Iris’s eyes and asked,
“La Belonde. What do you think?”
La Belonde. Iris whispered the name silently in her mind.
“It’s an ancient tongue.”
“That’s right. I named it while thinking of you.”
La Belonde meant “Oathbound Lake” in the ancient language.
“...An oath to what?”
Cedric smiled slyly, the corners of his lips curling with meaning.
“Well, that’s for you to ponder.”
Iris nestled in Cedric’s embrace, quietly contemplating the meaning of the oath. Cedric found her so endearing and pulled her close once more.
Iris is thinking of me alone.
He liked that Iris’s thoughts were with him. Not revealing everything was probably the right choice.
This isn’t about Iris’s oath.
Most likely, Iris didn’t know. The oath was actually Cedric’s vow to her.
Delicate and small Iris.
Though capable of achieving anything, she was still small enough to be held tightly in his arms.
How could someone have caused her so much pain?
Cedric neither understood nor wished to understand.
I cannot erase your painful past,
he thought as he gently wiped away moisture from her eyes with a tender smile.
But I swear, I will not let you cry again.
The oath of this lake was a promise of exactly that.
The sky had deepened into a dusky black.
It’s too late to head straight to the Duke’s castle now.
Cedric, perhaps thinking the same, decided to return near the warp gate and rest instead of pushing forward.
Iris remained immersed in the emotions stirred by La Belonde Lake.
“What was the name of the flowers nearby?”
“Elencha blossoms.”
“Elencha grows in the north too?”
Elencha flowers were famously native to the eastern coast.
“They don’t usually grow in the north.”
Cedric smiled faintly.
“I imported some and planted them near La Belonde. It took time to make them bloom perfectly.”
Though he spoke lightly, transplanting a flower native only to the east into the harsh northern climate was no small feat.
“You didn’t have to go to such trouble.”
“It was worth it.”
Cedric smiled warmly at Iris.
“Thanks to that, aren’t you happy? That’s far more valuable than any treasure.”
Cedric treated Iris’s happiness like the most precious thing in the world.
How can he do that?
No one had ever treated her so. Even Iris herself didn’t believe she mattered so much.
When the carriage reached the inn, Cedric naturally offered his arm.
“Rest well nearby, and if you feel up to it, tomorrow before going to the Duke’s castle, how about a brief visit to Barsa Street?”
“Barsa Street?”
Barsa Street was the grandest luxury district in the north.
Cedric rarely went there, as he had little interest in extravagance.
“I have a reason to go for a moment. Is that alright?”
Iris felt she knew what that reason might be.
It can’t be a gift for me, can it?
“What reason?”
Cedric smiled mysteriously again.
“That’s a secret.”
For some reason, Iris had a foreboding sense that her guess was correct.
The next day, Iris and Cedric set out for Barsa Street.
Iris had never really had occasion to visit Barsa Street before.
As a Valentine, she could easily summon designers to the Count’s manor.
No designer would refuse an invitation for Liliana Valentine.
So Iris wandered curiously around the district while Cedric strode confidently among the shops.
Greeting familiar shop attendants, Cedric picked out clothes and jewels with ease.
“T-This is too much, Your Grace.”
“No, it’s not enough for my wife. Buy everything in this collection.”
The clerks’ eyes gleamed as they hurried to package the jewels.
Iris wore a troubled expression.
Compared to other noble wives, she had far less personal wealth.
But she simply hadn’t cared for such things.
Her business pursuits had merely been to build capital to leave Valentine.
And Leonthheim’s finances aren’t exactly abundant.
Finally, as Cedric emerged carrying the purchases, Iris pulled him aside into a quiet corner of the street to ask seriously.
“Don’t hide it—just answer me.”
Could he really be hiding his fortune? Not some crow’s nest trickery.
Iris wanted to say that, but the words wouldn’t come out.
She trusted Cedric too much to believe he was that kind of man.
The protagonist of a novel and the person she loved most in life, accused of crime? Impossible.
Cedric looked down at Iris, her eyes strong yet sorrowful, and let out a soft sigh.
He hadn’t wanted to reveal this lightly.
“This Barsa Street... it’s mine.”
“I see. What?!”
Iris had braced herself to hear anything, but those words made her eyes widen in shock.
Perhaps sensing her surprise, Cedric scratched his head lightly.
“I used some money from the inheritance my parents left me to buy this place.”
“B-But this street is known for gathering famous designers, so the value...”
Just having some money wouldn’t be enough.
Since Iris traded with guilds, she roughly knew the land ownership values.
‘Wait a moment.’
Barsa Street had only recently transformed.
Talented designers had gathered here, their works gaining word of mouth among nobles, boosting the area’s prestige...
“...Could it be...”
Cedric avoided her gaze, confirming her suspicion.
Iris gasped, covering her mouth.
Though she already knew Cedric had artistic talent from his painting skills, discovering talent was a different matter.
“Don’t worry. My private fortune isn’t as small as you think.”
Cedric pressed the deeds into Iris’s hands.
She couldn’t deny it now.
The rents alone here would exceed the average monthly sales of a typical guild.
“But as far as I knew, the owner of this district was someone else.”
“People can have many names.”
Iris looked up at Cedric, dumbfounded.
No matter how much Ludwig tormented him, Cedric never broke.
Not even now.
“As expected, Cedric is truly remarkable.”
At her words, Cedric flinched.
The pure goodwill shining in her eyes was utterly endearing.
Chapter 78