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"Right, this was a stage."
Recalling the reality I had momentarily forgotten, I smiled softly and leaned slightly on him.
Not to seem too dependent on him, but enough to be seen as a definite couple.
"Welcome back, Your Highness."
The servants, except for the butler, were seeing me for the first time, but they didn't seem particularly surprised.
It seemed Idris had already told them about our relationship.
"Was there anything unusual?"
"No, sir. Shall I prepare some tea?"
At the butler's question, Idris seemed to consider for a moment before asking me.
"Would you like to take a look around the mansion? You'll be coming here often."
"I'd love to."
I nodded readily.
Since we were still awkward with each other, acting in front of others seemed less uncomfortable than being alone with him.
"Let's go inside."
Idris took my hand and led me into the mansion. Very naturally.
But I flinched once again at the sudden contact.
'His hand... is warm.'
Perhaps it had been a long time since I had close contact with someone, but the warmth of another person felt unfamiliar.
'I guess I need to get used to it, as Idris said.'
I cautiously took his hand, which I had unconsciously flinched away from.
Then Idris's large hand firmly grasped mine.
'This is definitely acting.'
Nevertheless, the warmth was pleasant.
Enough to make my fingertips tingle.
After touring the mansion with Idris, we finally came out to the garden.
In late winter, the garden at sunset was desolate.
But seeing the dense trees, I could vividly imagine how spectacular they would bloom in the spring.
"In the spring, we often have tea time in the pergola over there..."
As Idris was introducing me to the garden, I saw Idris's aide coming out of the mansion.
'His name was... Heather, wasn't it?'
Heather, who was approaching, made eye contact with Idris and stopped to wait.
Sensing the signal between them, I decided to give them some space.
"Go ahead and talk. I'll look around."
"It's getting late, so it'll get cold soon. Why don't you go inside first?"
"I'm fine."
I left Idris behind and came to the gazebo he had mentioned earlier.
'It's a beautiful mansion.'
The Grand Duke's residence, which I had toured with him, was excessively luxurious and beautiful for a single man's residence.
'But it suits that man.'
I briefly looked at Idris, who stood out even in the desolate winter garden, and then turned my gaze to the gazebo.
However, among the patterns engraved on the gazebo, there was one that particularly caught my eye.
'...Butterfly?'
Suddenly, I remembered seeing butterfly patterns scattered throughout the mansion earlier.
In fact, butterfly patterns were common in aristocratic mansions and were nothing special.
'But usually, they're decorated to reflect the tastes of the mistress of the house.'
In other words, it was somewhat unusual to find such patterns in a mansion where a single, unmarried man lived.
Even so, the butterfly patterns were small and not very noticeable, but there was another reason why I paid attention to them.
'Come to think of it, I saw a butterfly right before I regressed.'
It might have been a hallucination I had before my death, but it remained strongly in my memory.
Seeing it made me realize the miraculous nature of this life.
After dreaming vaguely of becoming a butterfly all my life, at the moment I gave up everything.
I miraculously returned to the past.
No, I was reborn.
With wings and abilities to fly.
'I must never let go of this miracle.'
I reaffirmed that resolve and made plans for the future.
'First of all, the scandal has already broken, so next...'
It would be nice if Peytan would divorce me amicably at this point and return the dowry, but there's no way that jerk would do that.
However, I can't just wait for him to accept the divorce for days on end.
'Let's secure more emergency funds first.'
Since I don't know what Peytan will do, it's good to be prepared.
So, how do I secure those emergency funds?
Looking up at the bare trees around me, I saw a shimmering tree.
Looking around the gazebo, the chairs began to shimmer.
Looking at the radiant world that only I could see, I smiled with satisfaction.
'This is the ability I'm supposed to use at times like this.'
I was already looking forward to the next plan.
A little later.
Idris, who had finished talking with Heather, returned.
"It's quite late, would you like to have dinner before you go?"
I was about to reflexively reject his offer, but...
Grrr.
My stomach took it upon itself to answer his offer.
"..."
"..."
After a moment of silence due to embarrassment, I gave up and answered in a small voice.
"...It seems like I will."
At that, Idris burst out laughing.
Following him to the dining room, I found a feast waiting for us.
"I didn't have much time to prepare since it was a sudden invitation, but I hope you like it."
I was taken aback by the table.
'...This looks much more extravagant than the dinners I used to have.'
How much would they prepare if they really tried?
"Thank you for the meal."
Lured by the tempting smells, I put my thoughts aside and immediately began to eat.
I was so focused on the meal for so long.
It was around the time I had a bite of the panna cotta that came out for dessert that I noticed something was off.
When I came to my senses, not only Idris but also the waiting butler were looking at me.
'Oops... I was just eating too much.'
Whether it was because of the pent-up feelings from before the regression, my reason became clouded whenever I saw delicious food, which was a big problem.
Of course, the food here was so delicious that it made it impossible to think about anything else.
'Hmm, I guess they'll think it's weird.'
Peytan hated women who ate a lot.
"Women who have a big appetite are like beasts who prioritize their instincts, so they're not attractive."
Thinking about it now, I want to say, 'Well, you're the very picture of rationality, cheating on me? You beast!' But at the time, I complied with that statement. Poor me.
'Of course, now I'm going to completely ignore any guy who says that kind of thing.'
Even so, I couldn't help but feel awkward, so I quietly put down the spoon I was eating the panna cotta with and started to speak.
"...Ahem, sorry. The chef is so skilled that I ate without realizing it."
"There's no need to apologize. As the host, it makes me happy when guests enjoy the food I've prepared."
As he said that, Idris didn't seem displeased, but I was still concerned.
Especially that face that was grinning as if he had caught something to tease me about.
"If you want, I can pack some for you to eat at the hotel."
I scoffed.
Ha, please. As if I'd fall for dessert.
"Then I'll take two."
......It was the best panna cotta I had ever eaten in my life, so I couldn't refuse outright.
Perhaps Idris didn't expect my brazen reaction at all, as his eyes widened slightly before he burst out laughing.
Feeling belatedly embarrassed by his laughter, I added.
"It's such a delicious flavor that I want my maid, who's waiting for me at the hotel, to taste it too."
"Is she a child you cherish?"
"She's been following me since before I got married, so she's like a sister to me."
After thinking for a moment, he said to the butler.
"Have it prepared so she can take it when she goes back to the hotel."
"Yes, sir."
The butler, who had received his orders, left, and I began to eat the dessert again.
Of course, this time I kept my eyes on the person in front of me and gave him room to continue the conversation.
But...
'That gaze... is really 부담스러워.' (burdensome/awkward)
It was because Idris, who was across from me, wasn't even touching his dessert and was just looking at me with his characteristic smile.
'Was it that strange that I was eating so mindlessly...?'
Belatedly feeling embarrassed, I decided to find a suitable topic to divert his attention.
'Something to talk about...'
Looking around, I suddenly found a topic in the dessert spoon I was holding.
A butterfly pattern was engraved on the handle of the spoon.
"Do you like butterflies?"
The smile disappeared from Idris's face, who still had a playful expression, at the question I asked casually.
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