148.

7. Epilogue: Twenty-Six

A few months later, in the vibrant season of spring.

Elze, accompanied by Brigitte and her son Joseph, was returning to the Martin estate after a pleasant walk.

The path was alive with greenery, the trees and grass thriving, and the warm afternoon sunlight streaming down felt delightful.

From ahead, Joseph came running back with a face full of excitement. His hands were full of freshly picked wildflowers.

“Joseph! What if you trip?!”

Brigitte called out with concern.

“Aunt Elze, this is for you!”

The boy, stumbling to a stop, beamed as he presented the bouquet to Elze.

“When I grow up, I want to marry you, Aunt Elze!”

“Do you think that’s possible?”

Brigitte muttered under her breath, her expression turning awkward. For some reason, Dante’s piercing, glowering face popped into her mind.

“Do you like your aunt more than your mom?”

At his mother’s teasing question, Joseph grinned mischievously, his eyes curving into playful crescents.

“You’re the one who said that when I get married, I should prioritize my wife above everything else!”

“You little rascal!”

Brigitte shook her head, utterly exasperated.

Elze simply looked down at the cheerful child with a fond smile. It was evident that Brigitte had raised him with an abundance of love.

Then, Joseph suddenly clung to his mother’s skirts.

“Mom, I want a snack!”

“No. If you eat a snack now, you’ll complain you’re full and won’t eat lunch.”

“I won’t!”

“Oh, yes, you will!”

Bickering as they always did, the two entered the Martin estate together. Elze followed them inside, stifling her laughter at their antics.

And then.

“Um… my lady.”

A maid greeted them, looking somewhat troubled as she spoke.

“Another gift has arrived today from the Offenheir marquessate…”

It had been three days since Elze began staying at the Martin estate.

Every single day, Dante had sent a gift.

Extravagant bouquets out of season, premium tea sets, imported rare ingredients, and so on.

Officially, it was to express gratitude for the hospitality shown to Elze, but the real intent was clear: to demonstrate how desperately he awaited her return.

Currently, Dante was staying at a hotel in the Martin estate’s territory.

Elze had told him multiple times to remain in the capital while she visited the estate alone.

[I don’t want to be so far away from you.]

Dante’s childlike whining left her with no choice.

‘He’s impossible,’ Elze sighed deeply.

“I suppose I should head back soon.”

“It’s fine, really. Don’t worry about it.”

“No, I can’t impose on you and Joseph any longer.”

Shaking her head, Elze smiled warmly.

“You’ll come visit the marquessate next time, right? And be sure to bring Joseph along.”

“Hmm…”

Brigitte’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she grinned.

“If the marquess can be sent away, then yes.”

“Perfect.”

Elze replied playfully, matching her tone.

“I’d love to spend some quiet time alone with you, Brigitte.”

“Mom, Aunt Elze!”

Eavesdropping intently, Joseph perked up and looked up at the two women with eager eyes.

“What about me?”

“Hmm…”

Elze pretended to deliberate for a moment before answering with a grin.

“All right, Joseph, you can come too.”

“Yay!”

Joseph threw his arms up in triumph, cheering loudly.

“But only if you behave and listen to your mom until then, okay?”

Sneaking in that condition, Elze raised an eyebrow. Joseph nodded so enthusiastically it seemed his head might fall off.

“Yes, I promise!”

* * *

“Let me borrow a carriage for you. Just wait a moment.”

Thank you, Brigitte.

Engaged in light conversation, Elze and Brigitte walked toward the main gate where the carriages waited. But suddenly, they both stopped in their tracks.

Through the iron bars, they spotted a familiar crest on a waiting carriage.

“Dante?”

Elze couldn’t hide her disbelief.

She hadn’t expected him to be waiting right in front of the estate!

The moment Dante saw her, his face lit up with joy.

“You’re here, Elze.”

“…”

Narrowing her eyes at him, she strode over with purpose.

“Shouldn’t you be at the hotel working? What are you doing here?”

“Well… uh.”

Dante awkwardly averted his gaze.

It was obvious.

He had been waiting nearby in his carriage, hoping to catch her as soon as she emerged.

The guards stationed at the estate’s gate glanced at him with strained expressions, as if they were suffering from indigestion.

Elze’s tone grew stricter.

“I told you not to do things like this. Don’t you feel bad for Liam?”

“I know, I know…”

Dante hunched his shoulders like a scolded child.

“But I just missed you too much… I’m sorry.”

“…”

Elze was left speechless.

From a short distance away, Brigitte, who had been watching the scene with a pained expression, took a step back, clearly exasperated.

“I’ll leave you two alone to enjoy yourselves.”

“Wait, Brigitte—”

Shrugging, Brigitte disappeared back into the estate.

“You really…”

Elze started to scold Dante but froze mid-sentence.

He had cautiously taken her hand in his.

“…”

Sometimes, Dante would gaze at her with those deeply subdued eyes.

As if terrified she might vanish right before his eyes.

“Dante.”

Elze wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Dante’s body stiffened slightly.

“Elze.”

The man who had lived his life without knowing fear, who was always strong and arrogant, now looked at her with eyes darkened by unease.

Elze rose onto her tiptoes.

A gentle kiss landed on Dante’s lips, light as a bird’s peck.

‘I’m here.’

‘I won’t disappear.’

Her actions seemed to convey these words.

The tension in Dante’s rigid back slowly melted away.

Elze smiled warmly.

“You must’ve worked hard, waiting out here for so long.”

She tightened her arms around his neck and whispered softly.

“Tonight, I want to fall asleep early with you… What do you think?”

“What do I think?”

At that, Dante swept her up into his arms.

“I’m so happy, I could lose my mind.”

His voice, tinged with laughter, reverberated above her head.

Holding her tightly, Dante carried her toward the waiting carriage.

Click.

The door shut with an impatient snap.

* * *

Elze awoke suddenly from her sleep.

The room was silent.

As her groggy mind cleared, the memories of earlier in the evening slowly resurfaced.

They had gone straight to the hotel.

Dante, in his fervor, had showered her with kisses, pushing deep into her most intimate places.

She remembered reaching the peak of pleasure multiple times before falling unconscious in exhaustion.

‘Why… did I wake up?’

Just as she was wondering, she felt a gentle touch on her foot.

It was Dante.

He was gazing at her bare foot with a tender expression.

“…Dante?”

Elze called him in a husky voice.

Dante glanced up at her and gave a wry smile.

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

“What are you doing?”

She asked, her tone curious. Dante’s face clouded with a conflicted expression.

In that moment, Elze realized why he looked so desolate.

“The scars have faded a lot.”

She spoke soothingly.

Back when emotions were at their most volatile.

When Elze had tried to escape and Dante had confined her in one of the Offenheir safe houses.

She had cut her foot on broken glass while attempting to flee through a shattered window.

The injuries had long since healed.

But the scars remained.

“…But they haven’t disappeared completely.”

Dante murmured hesitantly.

Unable to meet her eyes, he avoided her gaze.

Elze responded gently.

“That’s why you’ll stay with me until they do, won’t you?”

“…”

His crimson eyes trembled briefly.

“Right?”

“…Yeah.”

Dante bit his lip, his face contorted as if he might cry.

Elze looked at him for a moment before opening her arms wide.

“Come here.”

Dante pulled her into a tight embrace.

Elze ran her hands soothingly over his strong, bare back.

Burying his face in her warm embrace, Dante took a deep breath, his overwhelming anxiety slowly ebbing away.

‘What a pitiful sight I must be.’

Letting out a small chuckle, Dante raised his head.

“Elze, your twenty-sixth birthday is coming up soon, isn’t it?”

“Oh, you remembered?”

Elze looked at him with wide, surprised eyes.

For some reason, Dante felt a pang in his chest.

It was such a small thing—remembering a lover’s birthday.

But even that simple act had seemed like an impossibility for Elze before.

“What do you want for your birthday?”

Dante asked casually, but his heart skipped a beat.

What if she said, “I want to leave your side”?

…What would I do then?

But Elze’s answer was entirely unexpected.

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Elze shrugged lightly.

“You’re always so busy, and I always tell you it’s fine, but… honestly, it hasn’t been fine.”

“…That’s—”

“So for my birthday, I want you to just stay by my side. That’s all.”

Dante looked at her with an overwhelmed gaze.

“That’s enough for me.”

With those words, Elze snuggled further into his arms.

A faint smile graced her lips.

“Finally, my endless twenty-five years are over.”

She had lived through twenty-five countless times.

At last, she was moving beyond them.

In a lighthearted tone, Elze murmured.

“Still, I think my twenty-sixth birthday will be a very happy day.”

With that, she tilted her head up and captured Dante’s lips.

For a moment, he seemed surprised but soon returned her kiss with soft affection.

In the gentle, simmering warmth that engulfed them both.

‘I’ll be fine from now on.’

Elze was certain.

That warm, tender, and slightly bittersweet feeling filled her heart to the brim.

And she understood, at last, the name of that feeling.

She wanted to call it happiness.