Chapter 5

[This station is Somerset. Somerset Station.]

The announcement flowed from the train window. Daisy stroked Noah’s head, which was resting on her lap. His slightly curly blonde hair softly wrapped around her fingers.

“Time to wake up.”

At the gentle call, Noah’s eyelids fluttered. As his eyes gradually opened, they were filled with Daisy’s face. Noah’s pink lips moved slightly.

“Where are we?”

“This is Somerset, dear.”

“Somerset…”

Noah’s head peeking out the window somehow looked excited. Despite having just woken up, the boy’s sleepiness seemed to have vanished. Noah jumped off the seat and tugged at Daisy’s sleeve.

“Let’s go quickly. I want to see where Mom used to live.”

The child, with flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes, was incredibly lovable. Daisy lightly pinched his nose and said, “Let’s wait a bit until someone comes to help with the luggage.”

After the train came to a complete stop, an attendant came to Daisy’s compartment to carry their luggage. Noah, holding Daisy’s hand tightly, followed her steps.

Somerset’s train station was more modest than Paddington. Although it was a prosperous region, it was far from the capital, resulting in less foot traffic. There were nobles who had built villas nearby, but as with most vacation homes, they were occupied for only short periods.

In the generally quiet Somerset, the most famous attraction was Daisy’s Golden Apple Orchard.

Outside the station, Peter, an errand boy from the orchard, was waiting. He briefly widened his eyes at the sight of the golden-haired boy standing next to Daisy, then quickly waved his hand.

“Miss Daisy! Over here!”

“Peter. Thank you for coming to meet us.”

Daisy spoke in a more elegant tone than usual. Noah’s grip on her hand tightened slightly.

“I’ve arranged a carriage in advance.”

Normally, Peter would have commented on how aristocratic Daisy seemed today, but perhaps conscious of Noah’s presence, he led them directly to the carriage. After all, unlike Daisy, Noah truly looked like a noble young master.

His ivory-colored hair and inherent dignified demeanor spoke volumes. What Peter hadn’t noticed until meeting him was the indifference that seemed to regard commoners as inferior beings.

“Noah, this is Peter who helps me with my work. Peter, this is my son Noah.”

Interestingly, Daisy introduced the two boys despite clearly seeing her son’s attitude. A flash of something passed through Noah’s green eyes before disappearing. The boy, unlike a moment ago, met Peter’s eyes with a kind face.

“Peter, is it?”

“Y-Yes…”

“I look forward to getting along with you.”

Though he didn’t extend his hand for a handshake, Noah now wore a gentle smile. His haughtiness was still present, but a layer of coldness had been shed, making him seem somehow unfamiliar.

Peter’s cheekbones flushed red.

Judging this to be sufficient, Daisy boarded the carriage with Noah, while Peter sat next to the coachman.

“I’ve never seen such a pretty boy before,” Peter whispered to the coachman beside him as the wheels began to roll and the sound of hooves filled the air. The middle-aged man holding the reins smirked at Peter’s excited face.

‘Enjoy it while you can.’

Their carriage soon arrived at the Golden Apple Farm in Somerset. Upon arrival, Daisy, who had been slightly hunched, straightened her back. Being back in Somerset had clearly eased her tension.

Daisy decided to stop worrying about how Noah would perceive her true self, now revealed. After all, she had managed to befriend someone as fastidious as Inanna. There was no need to be overly nervous about a good child like Noah.

Besides, Daisy was confident that Noah would come to love her. Hadn’t she herself been raised by the remarkable Sue Magnolia? From a very young age, loving and being loved had been Daisy’s specialty.

With this resolve, a natural smile blossomed on Daisy’s face.

Peter hopped down from the coachman’s seat and held the door open. Daisy alighted first, then grasped Noah around the waist and lifted him down. The boy’s cheeks flushed bright red. He seemed more shy than embarrassed.

“My son, you’re lighter than I expected. Even a basket of apples might be heavier than you.”

“I-Is that so?”

Noah blinked, seeming flustered. The fluttering of his amber eyelashes was utterly adorable.

“Yes. We’ll need to feed you lots of delicious food. That’s how you’ll grow big and strong.”

Meanwhile, Peter sensed that Daisy was exaggerating a bit. The boy looked about his age, and there was no way he could be lighter than a basket of apples.

Being a wise errand boy, Peter didn’t show his thoughts. Instead, he took Daisy’s luggage and quickly moved away, sensing that Daisy wanted to spend time with Noah. This keen perception was one of the reasons Peter was able to work at the Golden Apple Farm.

“Noah, do you like apples?”

“Yes, I do. The tarts and jam made from golden apples are delicious.”

Noah nodded at Daisy’s gentle voice. Daisy’s eyes widened at her son’s words. It was quite unexpected to hear that they ate golden apples at the Sinclair Count’s household.

Then again, it was Daisy who hadn’t even glanced towards Paddington. Elias Sinclair and his mother, the former Countess Sinclair, probably thought they had paid Daisy generously. They might even be going around in social circles claiming that this Golden Apple Farm was practically born thanks to them.

‘They’d say they invested in the potential of the ex-wife.’

It was half delusion, but also half based on actual events. The Sinclair family members Daisy had met were all masters of self-justification.

Like most nobles, they were obsessed with reputation and excluded outsiders for the sake of family honor. They had done the same to Daisy. For her, married life had been quite lonely. It looked fine on the surface, but inside, everything was twisted.

Daisy was tired of just ‘getting by’ in life. After divorcing Elias Sinclair, the first thing she resolved was to live life to the fullest, with all her heart and soul.

“Mom?”

At Noah’s call, Daisy carefully corrected her frown, which had twisted at the unpleasant memories. She wanted to show only the good things to her son.

“At home, we have compote made from golden apples. Marilyn knows how to bake incredible bread, and when you add cheese and apple compote, it becomes a delicious snack.”

“Wow!”

Noah’s eyes sparkled at Daisy’s description.

“Shall we go eat together?”

She asked, extending her hand to her son as if escorting him. Noah nodded vigorously and took Daisy’s hand. The mother and son began walking down the path between the apple trees.

“When spring comes, this path is covered in white flowers. It’s incredibly beautiful.”

“Are they apple blossoms?”

“Yes, they are.”

“I really want to see them.”

Noah shyly expressed his desire to stay with Daisy until the following year. Daisy felt the same way. The custody battle would be a long and difficult fight. However, Daisy didn’t want to return Noah to Count Sinclair.

Without revealing these worries, Daisy stroked her son’s head.

“You’ll be able to see them.”

Having to fight against Count Sinclair meant she would have to confront her past. She would have to relive the pain she left behind when she departed from Paddington.

What worried Daisy now wasn’t Elias Sinclair, her ex-husband, but Inanna Briancet, who had become his current wife.

Daisy couldn’t understand Inanna at all. She had thought they were friends. No, perhaps it was even more tender than that.

Unlike how easily she had shaken off Elias, she couldn’t forget Inanna.

From when she started the apple farm, through the moments when flowers bloomed and fell, and even when harvesting the first apples, she thought of Inanna. When she saw something beautiful, she wanted to show it to Inanna; when she ate something delicious, she wanted to offer it to her. Whenever her heart was moved, she wanted to confide everything to Inanna without holding back.

Even in the years after leaving Paddington, Inanna had permeated Daisy’s life. She couldn’t shake off thoughts of her. Daisy’s best effort was to recall her freely and hope that the memories would fade with time.

In her divorce, Daisy had lost her husband, son, and friend. But she left Paddington solely because of Inanna.

It was common for nobles in arranged marriages to commit adultery. Moreover, Elias wasn’t such a reliable man. Daisy and Elias had merely exchanged rings because their conditions matched.

But Inanna was different. That was a relationship Daisy had cultivated. The joy she felt when she finally entered Inanna’s world after knocking repeatedly on the door of her self-imposed isolation hadn’t faded even after decades.

That face smiling at her, Inanna’s eyes softening kindly only for her – these were among Daisy’s most cherished memories.

Even now, Daisy often wondered what would have happened if Inanna had loved Elias and had honestly confessed instead of taking him from her. It would have been shocking, and perhaps she would have been angry, but she wouldn’t have severed her relationship with Inanna as she had now.

“I hope you enjoy this farm. It’s the paradise I’ve created.”

Paradise and refuge, Daisy whispered as she bent down and caressed Noah’s cheek. The reason she only sought out Noah after meeting Ginger Hamilton was because she was a coward. For years, she hadn’t dared to return to Paddington.

She was afraid of reuniting with Inanna.

Such a Daisy could hardly be called a good mother, even as a white lie. At least, she herself thought she didn’t deserve to care for Noah. She believed it would be better for Noah to grow up as the sole heir of the Sinclair Count family.

But like all futures, things didn’t go as Daisy had expected. The expectation that loving parents would live long, the certainty that she and Inanna would be friends forever – all crumbled in the face of time.

Humans only wish for what they desire. They are utterly powerless and ignorant about how life will change.

Daisy had to learn in a very painful way that nothing in this world is immutable.

“I’m glad I got to meet you, Mom.”

Noah smiled shyly. His flushed cheeks were so lovable that Daisy kissed both of them. His soft skin smelled of milk.

She had been running away from this adorable child for far too long.

* * *

“Marilyn, I’m back!”

At the news of Daisy’s arrival, Marilyn and Mrs. Dorset were standing in front of her house. Knowing that she had gone to the capital for a serious matter, they had been pacing anxiously until Daisy’s appearance.

Fortunately, Daisy’s face was bright upon her return. Moreover, she was accompanied by an ivory-haired young gentleman they had never seen before.

“Miss Daisy…? Who is this child?”

“Ah, this is my son, Noah.”

Marilyn and Mrs. Dorset were startled to see Noah, who exuded the air of a young master. They had thought Daisy looked quite refined when she first arrived, but Noah was beyond that. He carried a delicate atmosphere, like a fragile glass artifact. This young gentleman had Daisy’s eyes, but that was all – Noah was clearly the type of person with blue blood flowing through his veins.

The two women’s behavior naturally became more cautious. While Daisy was an unusual noble who allowed them to treat her like a niece, they didn’t know how her son Noah would react. After all, wasn’t he a young gentleman raised in a count’s mansion in the capital, not by Daisy?

“Noah, this is Mrs. Dorset, and this is Marilyn. They’re people who help your mother. I’ve entrusted them as supervisors because the farm is so large.”

“Hello, young master.”

“Hello.”

Marilyn and Mrs. Dorset greeted him following Daisy’s introduction. Noah nodded slightly. To strangers, it might have seemed quite arrogant, but in fact, Mrs. Dorset and Marilyn were amazed that a noble boy had even acknowledged their greeting.

“Oh my, he seems to be shy.”

As Daisy stroked Noah’s head while saying this, Mrs. Dorset and Marilyn’s heads whipped around simultaneously.

Shy? Where? Daisy’s son Noah had simply regarded Mrs. Dorset and Marilyn as household servants.

They say even hedgehogs find their own offspring cute, but Daisy was beyond that. However, Mrs. Dorset and Marilyn caught Daisy’s winking eye and kept their mouths shut.

She was acting like this despite knowing that her son didn’t treat commoners as equals. Having worked under Daisy for a long time and understanding her thoughts almost telepathically, Marilyn covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

“He’s a very lovely young master, just like Miss Daisy.”

At Marilyn’s words, Noah’s cheeks flushed. Noticing this, Mrs. Dorset chimed in.

“Those green eyes are so alike! The moment I saw him, I thought, ‘Ah, he must be Miss Daisy’s son.'”

“Really?”

Noah asked, his face brightening. Marilyn and Mrs. Dorset enthusiastically agreed. At this rate, they seemed ready to claim that even the number of hairs in their nostrils was identical to Daisy’s. Noah’s demeanor softened considerably.

“Of course. Oh, I baked some apple cookies. Would you like to try them? Miss Daisy loves them.”

Marilyn took cookies from the basket she was holding and placed them in Noah’s hand. Though not particularly pretty in shape, the large cookies were spread with apple jam.

Noah frowned briefly as the sticky substance touched his hands, but hearing that Daisy liked these treats, he brought one to his mouth.

As he took a bite, he tasted the savory aroma of butter and the unique sweet-tart flavor of apple jam. After a few chews, the cookie melted completely, its softness making Noah’s green eyes widen.

Compared to the desserts Noah had eaten at the Sinclair Count’s mansion in Paddington, this taste was rather rustic. Inanna had always provided only the best for the boy. The chef and patissier she brought to the Count’s mansion could create visually luxurious and palate-enchanting dishes, and Noah had grown up eating their food.

However, there was something oddly appealing about these apple cookies. Noah, who usually had a small appetite, found himself reaching for more.

“Can I have another one?”

“Of course.”

Marilyn smiled brightly and offered the entire basket. Daisy took it and opened the lid for Noah, who picked up a second cookie. This time, crumbs stuck to the corners of his mouth, but he didn’t even attempt to brush them off, eating diligently. Mrs. Dorset and Marilyn smiled warmly at the sight.

Needless to say, Daisy’s eyes were dripping with honey as she watched her son. She stroked Noah’s hair.

“If there’s anything you want to eat, just tell me. Your mother is rich, you know.”

“Really?”

Noah looked up at Daisy with round eyes.

“She’s the owner of the best farm in Somerset.”

Mrs. Dorset spoke as if she herself were proud. And rightfully so, as Daisy’s apple farm had been their salvation.

Everyone who worked in this orchard, where golden apples ripened during harvest season, had benefited from Daisy’s kindness.

Mrs. Dorset still remembered when Daisy first arrived in Somerset. Everyone had been half worried, half hopeful at the news that the owner of Somerset, who had only collected taxes periodically while largely neglecting the area, was changing. A careless lord was better than a cruel one. Everyone had expected a lavishly dressed noble to arrive with about six carriages.

However, to their surprise, the new lord appeared at the train station. Daisy, who entered the manor house carrying her own luggage without a single servant or maid, shocked everyone. No one had guessed who Daisy was until she stepped into the manor.

After proving that she was the new lord upon arriving at the manor, Daisy unpacked in the guest room and turned the manor into a place solely for administrative work. Just when they thought her eccentricities had ended, she started an orchard on her private property.

Most people thought her talk of reviving unheard-of golden apples was just a noble’s far-fetched hobby. But trees grew from the seedlings Daisy brought, and golden fruits appeared. Only then did the new lord build a house in the middle of the orchard and move her luggage out of the manor’s guest room.

Like someone who had decided from the beginning to just pass through that place.

The golden apple trees grew around this eccentric lord’s house, as if building her own castle. Once the size and sugar content of the fruit stabilized, Daisy began hiring people to expand the orchard, and golden apples became Somerset’s specialty product.

These dazzling golden fruits, said to intoxicate immortal gods, sold like hotcakes. Mrs. Dorset was able to earn money to care for her sick mother by working for Daisy. Marilyn was able to pay off the gambling debts her husband had left behind when he died.

Even Peter, the errand boy working at the farm, had been left alone to care for his younger sibling after his parents died in an accident. The boy, who had been living hand to mouth doing odd jobs, had been barely getting by with help from neighbors. Somehow, the new lord learned of his situation, brought him to the fruit farm, and provided him with a stable job and salary. She even arranged a place where the farm workers could take turns looking after children, including Peter’s sibling.

Now, Peter said he was saving his wages to pay for tuition. His dream was to apply to a technical school for commoners. In all of Somerset, only Daisy would have had brochures for such a school.

The eccentric lord had become a benefactor, and was now known as Miss Daisy. Despite the impossibility of one person overseeing everything, Daisy’s thoughtfulness extended to unexpected places. Regardless of whether someone was noble or common, Daisy was an unbelievably warm-hearted person.

“Come on, isn’t it the best farm in the kingdom now?”

Daisy joked in response to Mrs. Dorset’s words. Her winking eyes suggested she wanted to show only her best side to the son she had just reunited with. Mrs. Dorset pretended to ponder for a moment before nodding.

“If the farm owner slacked off a bit less, it would be the best farm not just in the kingdom, but on this continent.”

“Let’s all agree not to be too greedy,” Daisy said, patting Mrs. Dorset’s shoulder. Her roundabout way of speaking clearly showed she didn’t want to reveal her lazy side to her son. Marilyn and Mrs. Dorset exchanged glances, silently rejoicing.

They had found a way to keep Daisy, who could rival anyone in laziness, in check!

After Mrs. Dorset and Marilyn left, Daisy took her son to her room. Daisy, who always used high-quality bedding, laid Noah on her bed and sang him a lullaby. As she hummed, chasing away his frequent yawns, the child soon fell into a peaceful sleep.

Though he hadn’t shown it, the journey to Somerset must have been quite tiring. After all, it’s difficult for a young child to endure a long train journey.

Soft moonlight caressed Noah’s cheeks. Daisy placed her hand over his peachy cheeks and murmured, “Sleep well.”

She stood up and slowly went downstairs. Daisy was organizing her future plans in her mind. First, she needed to buy new bedding. She intended to clear out the room used as storage to make a room for Noah. She also wanted to show Noah around Somerset, the place that had comforted her in her most difficult moments.

Knock. Knock.

Daisy looked up at the sudden sound of knocking. She thought she might have misheard, but there was definitely a presence felt.

‘Who could it be at this late hour? Did Marilyn or Mrs. Dorset forget something?’

Daisy turned her head and noticed the cookie basket Marilyn had left behind. It seemed she had almost forced it on Noah, who had eaten well, and then forgotten it.

Thinking it wasn’t something worth coming to retrieve at such a late hour, Daisy still picked up the basket and opened the door.

“Marilyn, if it’s about the basket, I could have brought it to you tomorrow.”

Daisy froze when she saw who was on the other side of the door. Inanna was there, looking exactly as she had when they last met.

Her features boasted an eternal beauty, as if time had not passed. Only her aura had grown deeper and more profound. This couldn’t be a ghost or a hallucination. Inanna had too strong a presence to be mistaken for anything else. Although she was in a wheelchair, one didn’t feel like they were looking down on her. She had an air of dignity that overwhelmed even those standing.

Marilyn’s basket fell from Daisy’s hand with a thud. Despite seeing the homeowner’s agitation, Inanna fixed her gaze on Daisy as if she hadn’t noticed anything.

Inanna pushed back the robe she was wearing and moved her lips. Her platinum blonde hair, which always elicited gasps from onlookers, flowed down in gentle waves.

“May I come in?”

The uninvited guest of the moonlit night was asking for Daisy’s permission. Words that couldn’t be said ten years ago seemed to have chased Daisy down, now constricting her tongue. But instead of speaking those words, Daisy held the door and stepped aside slightly.

“Thank you.”

Inanna’s wheelchair rolled inside. Daisy opened and closed her mouth several times but couldn’t utter a word. Meanwhile, Inanna surveyed Daisy’s house with her purple eyes. The last thing her amethyst gaze settled on was Daisy’s face.

“You look pale. Are you sick?”

“I…”

Something welled up in her chest. Inanna had been Daisy’s longtime friend, but she couldn’t express joy or longing at their reunion.

Daisy had fled Paddington. It wasn’t because she was ashamed of being divorced, nor because her friend had taken her husband. It was solely to avoid meeting Inanna again.

Because she didn’t know what face to show her.

Daisy fully understood Inanna’s despair during her last days in Paddington. She finally realized why the young Inanna had shut herself away in the annex. The weight that crashed into Daisy’s life then was just as overwhelming.

Inanna hadn’t offered any explanation. Daisy hadn’t agreed to meet her. Because the one she truly resented wasn’t Elias, but Inanna.

From beginning to end, it had only been her.

“Why are you here?”

Daisy asked. Despite the informal speech and accusatory tone, Inanna remained composed.

At some point, they had begun conversing without regard for their social positions. Daisy didn’t use formal speech, and Inanna treated her as if they were on equal footing. Her innate arrogance was unavoidable, but when Daisy saw the Grand Duchess softening before her, she felt a strange sense of possessiveness and satisfaction.

The emotional trajectory Daisy had drawn because of Inanna was so vividly interwoven throughout her entire life. They say those who chase stars can see nothing else.

That was Daisy.

“If you’ve come to take Noah, go back. I won’t give him up.”

“That can’t be.”

Inanna smiled. It was a shy-looking smile. The trembling of her lips was so clear that Daisy wondered if she was seeing things.

Had she finally gone mad?

“I came to see you.”

Her beautiful purple eyes sparkled. As if they held only Daisy, as if they saw only her.

“I should have waited a little longer, but I couldn’t bear it.”

When Inanna moves her lips, even if it’s a lie, it would be sweet. With such deep eyes looking at her, even an emperor would cast aside his crown and kneel at Inanna’s feet. Inanna’s aura had become even more profound than Daisy remembered.

It had been like that when they were young. Even knowing Inanna wouldn’t give them a shred of attention, followers would line up at the Grand Duchess’s feet. She possessed a charm that didn’t discriminate by age or gender, and it was still going strong.

“What couldn’t you bear? After taking my husband and son, do you now want to take my farm too?”

Daisy’s face contorted. She had to struggle not to cry. Inanna’s calm purple eyes stared at her intently.

It seemed as if she saw through this resistance as mere bravado. For someone putting up all their defenses, it was quite deflating. But Daisy couldn’t back down. If she were alone, it might be different, but if Inanna had come to take Noah, that was problematic.

“I took a look around. It’s a beautiful place.”

Inanna whispered. Daisy was about to say she could take the farm but leave Noah. However, Inanna finished her sentence faster than she could speak.

“But to me, the only meaning this orchard holds is that it’s land you cultivated yourself.”

Daisy smiled bitterly. It sounded sweet to the ear. But for Daisy, who had been through so much, those words didn’t land as gently.

“Was it also by my hand that you chose Count Sinclair as your husband?”

“Daisy.”

At her sharp response, Inanna reached out. Daisy could have stepped back easily, but she stood firm.

She wouldn’t retreat a single step. Not even an inch.

“I thought you chose Count Sinclair because you couldn’t have children. I believed Noah would be fine too. I rationalized it that way as I ran away, too preoccupied with caring for my own emotions and life. Even after things had gone so far, I still believed in you.”

Inanna’s hand grasped Daisy. But for the first time, Daisy pushed Inanna away.

Elias hadn’t been important to Daisy, but Noah was different. For Daisy, who had inwardly believed Inanna would take good care of him, learning that the child had been neglected felt like a betrayal.

“Why did you do that to Noah?”

“…”

Inanna was silent for a moment. Daisy’s gaze was colder than ever before.

After a moment of choosing her words, Inanna spoke.

“I swear to you, I did not abuse Noah.”

Not invoking any deity was truly characteristic of Inanna. Daisy looked at her. Inanna didn’t avert her gaze, but she didn’t appear entirely composed either.

Rather, she looked sorrowful.

“Isn’t neglect a form of abuse?”

Daisy asked, trying to compose herself. Despite her aggressive tone, Inanna answered with her arms hanging limply, as if she had no intention of defending herself.

“Regarding that child, I’ve done nothing I’d be ashamed of in front of you.”

Daisy frowned, unable to believe what she was seeing. This was Inanna before her.

Not Noah, who was like a newborn lamb.

But why did she look so distressed?

“Go back.”

Daisy moved her lips. She felt tired after facing Inanna for just a few minutes.

It was as if the headache she had left behind in Paddington long ago had followed her to Somerset.

“Where to?”

To Paddington, to Elias Sinclair’s side, where you made me abandon you.

The layers of long-held resentment were something she didn’t want to put into words. Daisy had once suffered because of Inanna, but now she had come a long way from that.

However, there was something she realized only after facing her old friend.

The resentment that should have become a thing of the past with the passing years had not disappeared. It had merely been buried. Like a wound from a past season, Daisy still bore the scars of what had happened.

Realizing this, Daisy became surprisingly calm.

She didn’t want to bring the past into the present. She especially didn’t want to examine that scar, knowing that raw flesh still lay beneath.

“Go back. Somerset doesn’t welcome you. Neither do I.”

Inanna’s eyes sank at Daisy’s words, spoken after taking a deep breath.

“I will never give up Noah. So, the next time we meet will be in the Paddington courtroom.”

Daisy grabbed the doorknob and opened it, as if urging Inanna to leave quickly. But neither Inanna nor her wheelchair moved an inch.

“Daisy.”

Inanna called her name in a low voice. There was no authority or high-handed warning in it. She simply called Daisy’s name in a calm voice.

But as if under some spell, Daisy froze at those words.

“Daisy.”

When no answer came, Inanna murmured Daisy’s name again. Strangely, that voice sounded as kind as it used to be.

No, perhaps even more so.

“I didn’t come here to take Noah away.”

Liar.

She wanted to refute it instinctively, but Daisy’s words circled in her mouth before disappearing. She had read sincerity in Inanna’s purple eyes that were looking at her.

It was ridiculous. Even though Inanna was the reason she had fled Paddington, Daisy still believed her.

“Then?”

“I approve of you having Noah. Because he’s your son.”

Daisy hesitated. She couldn’t guess what Inanna was thinking.

By any worldly measure, the Sinclair family’s wealth paled in comparison to what Inanna possessed. Inanna’s wealth and honor were of a kind that didn’t need to rely on a husband. So, everything that Noah, as the heir, would inherit from the Sinclairs was likely unappealing to Inanna.

But Elias Sinclair was different. At the very least, she knew he wouldn’t easily give up custody of Noah, his only heir. Elias was ‘noble’ in both good and bad ways. He would be grinding his teeth because Daisy had snatched away the heir to continue the family line.

It was obvious whose side the court would take between Daisy, a divorced noblewoman who owned a successful orchard known even to the king, and the major noble families with mansions in the capital.

Yet, when Daisy saw Noah alone, she couldn’t think that way. Even if she had remembered the high possibility of losing the custody battle, she wouldn’t have hesitated to take the child’s hand and board the train to Somerset.

“Elias Sinclair would never agree to that. What are you trying to do?”

“I’ll be a witness that he abandoned his heir. I’ll make sure there’s no problem with you keeping Noah in Somerset, and I’ll be completely on your side in the custody trial.”

Inanna answered. It was like she was offering to magically solve all her worries.

The slight flutter of Inanna’s platinum eyelashes blurred Daisy’s vision. It reminded her of a fairy’s wings.

“In exchange.”

Daisy stared at Inanna’s lips. Unlike the pale pink of her girlhood, they were now a deep color like dried rose petals.

Realizing she was focusing on Inanna’s lips, Daisy quickly threw away her musings. Why on earth was she paying attention to Inanna’s lips?

Whether aware of her inner thoughts or not, Inanna wore a rather alluring smile.

“Would you allow me to visit here from time to time?”

Inanna was speaking as if she couldn’t come and go without the homeowner’s permission. For a moment, Daisy was reminded of vampires from classic novels.

Her pale yet alluring beauty and characteristically cold-blooded nature were in many ways similar to the aristocratic demons that appear in imagination.

With an ominous feeling, Daisy stared at the hand Inanna extended.

If she accepted Inanna’s offer now, Daisy would never be able to return to the peaceful days of just a few days ago.

“Alright.”

She couldn’t let go of Noah just to avoid taking that hand. Daisy boldly grasped Inanna’s hand.

“Let’s put it in writing.”

“If that’s necessary.”

Inanna answered cheerfully. Her expression seemed strangely elated. Daisy twisted her lips.

“In case you change your mind.”

She said this out of an impulse to hurt Inanna. Even knowing that it would dissipate without any value upon reaching Inanna’s frozen heart, she couldn’t bear not to say it.

It still felt like only she was swayed by this beautiful and noble woman.

Daisy quickly drafted a contract and obtained Inanna’s signature. Having to stand on her own had made her quite adept at worldly affairs.

Daisy, who had barely collected herself and fled to Somerset, had become someone who found every word from others frightening and suspicious. She didn’t want to be hurt anymore. What she had barely gathered was so precarious that it could crumble with just one collision.

At night, she tried to swallow the questions that kept rising. The thought that persisted, no matter how much she tried to forget or bury it, suddenly returned the moment she received the contract from Inanna.

If I, Daisy, had any meaning to you, as a friend or anything else, would you have done this to me?

The long-pondered question had been honed to a sharp edge. The most devastating weapons were always born in human hands.

“Welcome to Somerset.”

After carefully checking the contract, Daisy extended her hand with a dry tone. The other party was neither an old friend nor a betrayer. She was just someone Daisy had made a deal with to gain an advantageous position in the custody dispute.

When Daisy offered the handshake, Inanna hesitated for a moment before carefully grasping her hand. Somehow, Inanna’s hand seemed to tremble.

‘It must be my imagination.’

Daisy mocked herself, wondering if she still had expectations left.