Serena was frustrated during the walk back to Satoshi's estate. She grumbled, asking herself how she could have failed to make Sonia give up on her feelings for her. Sonia told Serena to come back, claiming that she would have an open mind about falling for Satoshi when both women knew that she wouldn't didn't help. Serena began to wonder if she should reveal to the countess that she wasn't a man, but she decided against it, thinking it would only make things worse. Still, at the rate Sonia was being persistent, Serena didn't rule out the possibility that she might pursue her despite her true gender.

When Serena returned to the estate, Satoshi was out on business again. Brock and the other pages asked Serena what happened, and Serena reported that Sonia still rejected Satoshi's love and told her to come again, saying she might fall for him. Serena wished she could make up a lie and tell them that Sonia not falling for Satoshi was her final word like she originally planned, but she went against the idea, considering the possibility that if she did not return to Sonia's estate, Sonia might do something to reveal that Serena lied. Brock and the other pages smiled as they became hopeful for their dear master, which worried Serena even more.

Later that night, as the pages were getting ready for bed, Brock told Serena that Satoshi summoned her. Serena sighed, unsurprised that Satoshi would want to see her upon Brock relaying her report to him again. She went to the main hall to find Satoshi sitting on the couch staring at the fire in the fireplace, deep in thought. There was an awkward silence until Serena cleared her throat, and the duke looked at her to give her a small smile.

"Timothy. Glad Brock summoned you before you were heading to bed," Satoshi said. "I confess I'm perplexed upon Brock telling me how your visit with Sonia went. She told you she still can't love me but wanted you to come back and see if I may yet win her love. Did I get that right?"

"Yes, my lord," Serena said.

"Hmmm. Curious," Satoshi said. First, she says she can't love me and allows you to come back to tell her how I take the news, and now she says she can't love me, but you're welcome to try again. What goes on in that woman's mind?"

"Believe me, sir, I wish I knew," Serena said. "Lady Sonia was incapable of making a decision and sticking to it when I came to see her. There was a point when I was about to leave with her answer until she suddenly changed her mind. If I may say so, my lord, I wish she would commit to an answer, whether yes or no, to make it easier for everyone."

"I don't blame you, Timothy," Satoshi said. "Still, you have gained another audience with Lady Sonia, and she said she might return my feelings, so my foot is still in the door. Let's have you come to her with a gift on my behalf this time. Maybe one of my mother's rings or necklaces."

Serena squirmed, imagining how Sonia would react to her giving her an accessory the day after Serena gave back the ring Sonia secretly gave to her.

"If I may be so bold, my lord, I don't think offering jewelry is the best idea," Serena said. "Lady Sonia might think it shallow that you're trying to win her heart with pretty jewelry."

Satoshi smiled and said, "I like how considerate you are, Timothy, and you might be right about that. Regardless, we should keep my pursuits to woo Sonia fresh, and a gift might show that I have more than words to express my heartfelt love. Besides, it's not like I began attempting to woo her with a large chest of expensive jewelry. Just one ring should make my latest attempt simple yet sincere."

Serena's unease grew as Satoshi justified his idea. She couldn't deny that it was good that Satoshi was considerate about the flaws of his idea and agreed it was right to keep a gift for wooing someone simple. If Satoshi were pursuing Serena, knowing she was a woman, she would be thrilled that the man she loved offered her a ring. Still, it pained Serena to see Satoshi brainstorming new ideas to woo another woman, and she feared how Sonia would react to Serena presenting a gift to her on Satoshi's behalf. With her luck, Serena didn't put it past Sonia to treat a gift from Satoshi as though it were actually a gift from Serena.

After half a minute, Satoshi sighed and turned to stare at the fire again.

"Well, I shall look into my late mother's possessions and see what I can find," Satoshi said. "Meantime, play and sing a song for me before I go to bed."

"Yes, my lord," Serena said. "Do you have something in mind? A love song, perhaps?"

"Yes. A love song," Satoshi said. "Play an old-fashioned love song if you can. Something that can ease my passion and lift my spirits, unlike many modern songs."

Serena hesitated and looked down in thought. Then her face lit up, and she snapped her fingers before she walked to the piano. She sat down, lifted the cover, and took a moment to prepare herself before playing a soft, slow tune. Satoshi looked at Serena surprised before he smiled, immediately recognizing the tune. He stood from his seat and walked to Serena, standing behind her while watching her play.

"'Oh, Death, Go Away.' Very nice," Satoshi said.

"You're familiar with this tune, my lord?" Serena asked.

"I am. My mother used to play songs like this for me when I was little, so that I am familiar with the classics," Satoshi said. "Frankly, I'm impressed that you know this one, Timothy. I did ask for something old-fashioned, but I wasn't expecting this one."

"Well, my mother was the same way, my lord," Serena said. "She was a performer and knew a lot of the classics herself."

Satoshi's smile stretched to the sides of his face.

"Well, good to know that there are people our age who keep songs like this one alive," Satoshi said. "Do you mind if I join you in singing?"

Serena's eyes widened, and she kept her eyes on the keyboard to hide her blush.

"I…I would be honored, sir," she said.

Satoshi chuckled at Serena's response before he sat down on the bench beside her. Serena's blush covered her face as she felt Satoshi's side touch hers. The woman in disguise shook her head to shake off her blush while the man she loved closed his eyes to prepare himself before he began to sing.

Satoshi:

Come away, come away, death,

And in sad cypress let me be laid.

Fly away, fly away breath,

I am slain by a fair cruel maid.

My shroud of white, stuck all with yew,

O, prepare it!

My part of death, no one so true

Did share it.

Serena glanced at Satoshi and smiled sweetly. Hearing the man she loved sing made her heart race, for she never imagined Satoshi having a charming singing voice. It took a moment before she realized Satoshi was waiting for her to sing the second half of the song, and she cleared her throat.

Serena:

Not a flower, not a flower sweet

On my black coffin let there be strown.

Not a friend, not a friend greet

My poor corpse, where my bones shall be thrown.

A thousand thousand sighs to save,

Lay me, O, where

Sad true lover never find my grave,

To weep there.

Satoshi grinned as Serena finished. He then began to play beside Serena, careful not to bump hands. Serena's eyes widened, taken aback that Satoshi knew how to play. Then she smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the harmony she and Satoshi created as they repeated the song.

Satoshi and Serena:

Come away, come away, death,

And in sad cypress let me be laid.

Fly away, fly away breath,

I am slain by a fair cruel maid.

My shroud of white, stuck all with yew,

O, prepare it!

My part of death, no one so true

Did share it.

Not a flower, not a flower sweet

On my black coffin let there be strown.

Not a friend, not a friend greet

My poor corpse, where my bones shall be thrown.

A thousand thousand sighs to save,

Lay me, O, where

Sad true lover never find my grave,

To weep there.

Serena and Satoshi played the melody two more times before they ended the song. They stared at the keyboard, smiling as they remembered the times they sang the song with their mothers. Serena sighed blissfully, but did so quietly so Satoshi couldn't hear her be thankful for the moment of singing with him. Her only regret was she could not sing with the man she loved using her regular voice. Satoshi and Serena were silent for about a minute before Satoshi cleared his throat and stood up.

"Well, now seems like a good time to go to bed," he said. "I'll let you know the full extent of my plan in the morning once I decide what my gift for Sonia should be."

Serena nodded, resisting the urge to wince as though Satoshi slapped her by saying Sonia's name. With just that little word, the duke unknowingly ruined Serena's moment. She again had to remind herself that she had to keep her identity a secret, and it still pained her to see Satoshi pursuing Sonia. With her fears of Sonia miraculously accepting Satoshi's heart in mind, Serena stood up from her seat and turned to face Satoshi just as he was about to exit the room.

"Wait, my lord. Please give me a moment of your time," Serena said.

Satoshi turned to Serena with a look of confusion before shrugging and walking to Serena with a friendly smile.

"Yes, Timothy, what is it?" he asked.

Serena took a moment to consider her answer before taking a deep breath and speaking her mind.

"My lord, God knows I've worked hard to reach out to the countess so she accepts your love. I value your happiness, and if there really is a chance Lady Sonia falls for you, rest assured I will do everything I can to seize it," Serena said. "Still, a part of me wonders if you might find someone who you will love as much if not more than you love the countess now."

Satoshi scoffed and said, "Don't be silly, Timothy. My love for Sonia is more noble than anything else in the world. My desire for her heart has nothing to do with her property or the riches she has inherited, for I don't need more than I already have. The fortune I value the most is her gem-like beauty, which is priceless and attracts my helpless soul."

"But, what if she can never accept your feelings no matter how strong and true they are?" Serena asked.

"I can't accept that," Satoshi said.

"But you may have to," Serena said. "What if a woman out there loves you as passionately as you love Sonia? If you cannot love her and tell her so, doesn't she have to accept your answer even if you are meant to be?"

"No woman is strong enough to withstand the passion of love in my heart," Satoshi said. "No woman's heart is big enough to hold so much emotion. Since my teen years, ladies have pursued me with claims of love that weren't sincere. The love women have for wealthy, powerful men like me is just a shallow appetite. A matter of taste, not a matter of heart. My love is as deep as the sea, so don't compare my love for Sonia to any love a woman could have for me."

"But that's not always true, my lord," Serena protested.

"And what do you know of what is true, Timothy?" Satoshi challenged.

"I know too well how strongly a woman can love a man," Serena said. "Yes, there are women who are shallow and greedy, but others have hearts as true as ours. I knew a woman who loved a man more than you could dream of loving Sonia."

Satoshi's frown turned into a look of puzzlement. He tilted his head as though Serena suddenly talked in a different language or told him a complex riddle.

"She loves this man more than I could love Sonia? Is that possible?" Satoshi asked.

"As surely as the Lord lives," Serena said.

"And what is this woman's story?" Satoshi asked.

"A sad one, my lord," Serena said. "She never told the man of her love but concealed her passion. It was dangerous to express her feelings because of her identity, so she resigned to support the man she loved in chasing a woman he loved. It tormented her from the inside, like a worm trapped inside a closed flower bud. She pined away quietly and sadly and sat like a sculpture of patience itself, smiling despite her grief. Isn't that what true love is? Focusing on the happiness of people we love over our cravings for them? We men might say more and promise more, but our words are stronger than our passions. We are good at making vows of love but worse at keeping them."

"And who is the man she loves?" Satoshi asked. "Is he someone of high class or a successful businessman? A man of the church, perhaps?"

"His rank does not matter to her, my lord," Serena said. "Whether he is a king or a pauper, she would jump at the moment of him offering her his love. Therefore, I ask you this, sir. What if there was a woman like that out there at this very moment? Someone with greater love than Lady Sonia could give you in 10,000 lifetimes? What if the lady you spoke of last night, Serena, isn't married and feels that way about you? Maybe she would be happy to see that you still have her blue ribbon. Wouldn't that be more than whatever you hope to gain with the countess?"

Satoshi furrowed his brow again and said, "No woman can love that deeply. What you have described sounds more like a fantasy, and describing Serena like that makes it even less realistic. Even if, for some God-forsaken reason Serena has not found a loving husband by now, she could never love someone like me to that extent. She may even find it strange that I've been holding her ribbon with me for so long. You may as well be describing a character in a book, or a poem that I may wish was real and would want me as their lover. In the end, a Serena like that is a fantasy, whereas Sonia is genuine. I'd rather chase what is real than a fantasy."

Serena's eyes widened as though Satoshi's words stabbed her in the heart like a knife. Once again, she wanted to remove her disguise and confess her love, but now she feared that Satoshi would reject her love, still not believing that any love she had for him was deeper than anything he could feel for Sonia. He might even think she had disguised herself and wanted to profess her love because she wanted him out of a desire for wealth and status beyond her fortunes. Serena hung her head and accepted that Satoshi was too stubborn to be open for anyone's love other than the beloved countess.

"Very well. If you are sure of this, I will do my best to woo your lady," Serena said.

Serena bowed to Satoshi and exited the living room without waiting for Satoshi to give her permission to leave. She took the staircase to the servant's quarters and went to her bed chamber, slamming the door behind her. She threw her wig against the wall before she plopped onto her bed on her front and buried her face with her pillow.

"You fool," Serena whispered with tears in her eyes. "I am not a fantasy. My love is very real. I don't want any man to be my husband but you."