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~Chapter 2~
Il Dexter was the aide who had just told Blake about the visitor.
He was a young man with brown hair and glasses, one of the few pure-blooded Imperial people in the Duke’s castle, not of barbarian blood.
Il smiled awkwardly with his handsome face and asked again,
“Um, sir… Sorry, but just to check—are you really going to ‘wash’ this lady yourself?”
“I guess your hearing is fine. Yes, I mean this lady.”
“I’d rather joke that I’ve lost my chance for promotion.”
“That’s true, too.”
“Damn. Should I just leave my resignation letter in your office?”
Of course, Blake didn’t really mean anything strange about Lily.
His expression was shameless and sarcastic.
Well, carrying her to the bathroom was pretty much the same as washing her, right?
He said things like this because he wanted Lily to finally be embarrassed at least once.
But, still clinging to Blake’s side, Lily calmly replied,
“I told you, I’m not a young lady.”
Blake wanted to grab his neck in frustration after hearing that. She was really no fun.
“Is that all you have to say? And if you’re divorced, you’re a ‘miss’ again.”
He gave up the odd feeling of familiarity he had earlier.
Lily clearly had no idea who he was.
So it must’ve been his imagination.
“And I’ll warn you—don’t argue with a barbarian. Didn’t any fairy tales teach you that?”
“Barbarian… You mean the stories about how people from the duchy eat people, right?”
The Empire had many ways to discriminate against the Duke’s lands, even though they were technically the same country. People saw the duchy as full of “real” barbarians.
Lily asked quietly,
“Do you actually like things like that? Maybe there’s some art to eating people?”
“Not at all.”
“Perfect. That solves any awkwardness between us.”
“…Sorry, but can you go outside for a day and come back? While you’re gone, I’ll consider if cannibalism might suit me.”
Strangely, Blake felt a sudden urge to “win” over her.
It was weird to have such feelings about a woman he barely knew.
‘How odd is this woman?’
What he hated most were the nobles of this country—those who only cared about luxury and gossip.
‘They’re even more barbaric than us, but call us barbarians. It’s ridiculous.’
And Lily Hedwick was the one all those nobles admired the most.
Of course, Blake wanted to tease her.
He decided his strange attraction to her was just a trick of his mind.
At the same time, Lily was looking around the bathroom, not caring at all about Blake’s thoughts.
While carrying her, Blake’s large hand was holding her waist.
His strong arm could easily hold half her tiny waist, and she could feel his solid side even through all her winter clothes.
But Lily didn’t care—she just focused on the bathroom.
She looked down at the rough, white tiles on the floor.
“I was curious about what a mountain castle would look like, and I like the gothic style. It’s rough and bleak, but that makes it special compared to ordinary houses.”
“Really? People from the capital always say this place is too rough… I guess opinions are different.”
“Too bad only people with no taste have ever visited.”
“Sometimes a palace official visits our winter castle, like an inspector. But they always look so uncomfortable, as if they’re here just for work.”
Blake’s voice was low and sarcastic.
“But what can we do? That’s just how we survive here. We hang meat in the kitchen, put wooden tubs in the hallway so water doesn’t freeze, and without tapestries to block the cold walls, sometimes nothing helps.”
Soon, the bathroom filled with warm steam.
The faucet poured water into a white tub while several maids brought in hot water with wooden buckets.
Il Dexter asked,
“The bath is ready, sir. So now…?”
He sounded unsure if Blake was really going to wash Lily himself.
Luckily, Blake handed Lily over without trouble. Two maids gently took her like luggage.
“Wash up and come out. We’ll talk more after.”
Lily smiled with her eyes and said goodbye,
“Have a nice evening, Mr. Blake.”
“Sorry, but it’s night. A perfect time for uninvited guests.”
“But I made a promise with your father.”
“Can’t you compromise even once?”
Lily was about to apologize—she didn’t mean to argue or win.
But Blake was afraid she’d say something even more innocent or awkward, so he hurried away without listening.
“Then, I’ll go.”
He quickly left the bathroom, moving like a cheetah despite his size.
Il Dexter bowed his head to Lily with a nervous smile, then hurried after Blake.
“Sir, you can’t leave me here!”
His voice faded away down the hall.
The maids left with Lily looked at her awkwardly.
They hadn’t served a lady in a long time.
The Uffus Duchy belonged to the Empire but was scorned as “barbarian.”
These maids were all Uffus people—tall and strong, both men and women.
A fragile woman like Lily was unusual for them!
‘Let’s be gentle, so we don’t break her by accident.’
‘Right.’
The maids exchanged glances and silently reminded each other to be careful.
Lily began to take off her thick fur cape by herself, muttering,
“No need to help me with the bath. Like they said, I’m basically an uninvited guest.”
She let out a little yawn.
She’d walked two hours through heavy snow, so now, in the warm air, she started to feel sleepy.
She forgot to warn the maids about something important:
They might be shocked when they saw her skin under her clothes.
“…!”
As they helped her undress, the maids stopped in surprise.
They stared at the scars on Lily’s thin body.
*** (scene break)
Lily’s journey from the capital to here had been hard.
The Uffus Duchy was a closed-off place.
Pure-blooded Imperial people hated to visit, so it took a lot of effort just to find a way there.
After getting off the train, Lily had to ride several carriages. Finally, after walking through the snow, she reached the hidden castle in the snowy mountains.
This family’s home used to be the kingdom of the wandering Uffus people. The Empire called them “barbarians” and looked down on them.
Even after becoming one country hundreds of years ago, they didn’t interact much.
Lily stretched and sighed with relief.
“Mmm…”
She hadn’t shown it, but soaking in hot water made all her fatigue melt away.
Following a maid, she stood in front of a door with rough patterns.
“The master is waiting for you here.”
A doorplate with the family’s wolf emblem hung on it.
‘This must be Mr. Blake’s office.’
She heard the sound of writing through the slightly open door.
When she stepped inside, she saw a rough and wide office.
A grandfather clock ticked heavily in the quiet room. There was only the necessary furniture—nothing more.
The place felt as lonely and wild as Blake himself.
Only the fireplace’s crackling brought any warmth.
Blake was reading documents at the table in the middle.
“Hmm.”
He lifted his head and looked at her with his red eyes.
“That took a while. Are women from the capital always so slow?”
Blake had changed clothes, probably after bathing himself.
He wore a white shirt tied at the neck, with a little gap showing his strong chest, and loose, comfortable pants.
Lily didn’t bother responding to his teasing.
“The maids kindly gave me new clothes, and they’re soft. I had to leave in a hurry, so I had nothing to change into—so I’m grateful.”
He definitely didn’t like her.
It was only natural for a Uffus person. Lily understood the prejudice they suffered.
But she could feel he didn’t truly dislike her, personally.
She hoped that, given time, they’d get along better.
As Lily stepped in, the door closed. Now it was just the two of them.
“Is it normal here for clothes not to squeeze your waist?”
Blake’s eyes involuntarily looked over her body.
“Like I said, living is more important than looking good…”
He suddenly stopped. The clothes were way too big for her.
She wore a plain peach-colored dress made of thick cloth, but it was so loose that her clean skin showed.
It looked like a wife wearing her husband’s clothes—way too big for her.
Blake tried hard to think about something else.
‘Why does she look like that?’
It was simple.
The maids thought they should give Lily the best thing they had, so they gave her an indoor dress that the butler, Alfredo, had bought for his daughter.
But the butler’s daughter was big and strong, just like most Uffus people.
They should’ve just given her children’s clothes instead.
Blake pretended to look at the tapestry behind her instead of at Lily.
He decided he’d order new clothes for her as soon as possible.
“Anyway, tell me your story.”
He changed the subject and pointed to a seat across the desk.
“What do you want to know?”
Lily came closer without hesitation.
She bent over to pull out her chair, and her loose dress started to slip off her shoulders.
“…”
Blake couldn’t take it anymore and jumped up from his seat.
“Just so you know, it’s not my fault.”
