HEAD 12

~Chapter 12~

“Mr. Blake?”

Lily Hedwick’s soft voice drifted near the back gate of the Winter Castle.

But as expected from a door rarely used, the surroundings were silent.

“Mr. Blake, hey… Are you here?”

She opened the door.

Cold snowflakes stung her skin like tiny needles.

The snowstorm was so heavy that she couldn’t see even a few meters ahead, but Lily noticed something on the white ground.

‘Footprints. Much larger than mine—it must be Mr. Blake’s.’

She didn’t have the sharp eyes of the castle servants, but even half-buried in snow, the footprints stood out clearly.

Giana’s warning echoed in her head:

“Remember, Miss Lily—when thunder strikes, don’t go outside. We’re so high up here that it’s easy to get hit. You’ll end up roasted like a chicken… literally.”

But somewhere outside, Blake was trembling from his war trauma.

And Lily understood that kind of fear very well.

At 6:50 p.m., when her husband used to return home after spending the evening with other nobles, she would silently watch from the second floor.

“Is he drunk again today? Will he hit me?”

When she heard his footsteps climbing the stairs, her heart would pound in terror. Step… thump. Step… thump…

“Mr. Blake…!”

Without hesitation, Lily stepped into the snowstorm and searched for him.

But within seconds, the footprints were buried and vanished completely.

Now she was trapped in the blizzard, unable to see even an inch ahead.

Still, she stayed calm.

‘My footprints won’t be erased for a few more minutes. I haven’t gone far. I can find my way back. Calm down, Lily Hedwick.’

At least, this was less frightening than dining with the senators.

Slowly, Lily walked forward.

When her cheeks began to sting from the cold, she saw a small hut ahead.

It was a hunter’s resting shelter, and faint light flickered from inside.

“Hello?”

She knocked.

And there he was—Blake.

“…Miss?”

He sat curled up in a corner like a wounded wolf.

His usually neat black hair was a tangled mess, a few strands covering his eyes.

Blake muttered darkly, completely out of it.

“You’re insane. Coming out in this weather is suicide. Go back before it gets worse.”

“I can’t leave you here. Are you okay?”

He lied.

“What are you talking about? I just came here for work.”

The truth was—he’d gone to the stables, then ran in here when the thunder struck.

“Don’t worry about me. Just—”

Then, thunder boomed close by.

Blake froze, breath caught.

Even though the war was long over, his soul still felt trapped on the battlefield.

Only tearing through the enemy again could calm that terror.

“I’m coming in, Mr. Blake.”

Lily boldly touched the door handle.

Blake wanted to stop her—but he didn’t even have the strength to stand.

He realized the door wasn’t locked, and she would come in soon.

‘Damn it. I don’t want to see anyone right now…’

She grabbed the latch. Click.

Blake squeezed his eyes shut. But surprisingly, she didn’t come in.

“Huh? Why isn’t this opening?”

It was a complicated door handle—different from what she was used to in the capital.

And truthfully, she’d rarely opened doors herself.

After several failed tries, Blake suddenly felt his fear fade.

‘Unbelievable. That’s so ridiculous it actually calmed me down.’

He got up and opened the door for her.

“Thank you… I think it’s broken.”

“The latch is perfectly fine. What’s broken is probably someone’s hands.”

Lily ignored his sharp joke and looked around.

The hut was tiny—barely enough space for two people.

There was nothing inside except a weak lamp and an old blanket.

“It’s not really warm in here either.”

“This place is only for emergency shelter. There’s no heating. So why did you come here anyway?”

“Well, I got lost.”

She didn’t say the truth—I came because I was worried about you.

“Hmm.”

He snorted. He saw right through her.

“Rest if you want.”

Blake threw her the old blanket and sat back down in a corner.

Thunder rumbled again.

He had seemed a bit calmer earlier, but soon his heavy breathing returned.

“Mr. Blake?”

“…What.”

He could barely get the word out.

“You okay? You look terrible. I know you’ll just say ‘I’m fine’ in that serious voice, but I’ll still ask.”

“Prophet, huh?”

“Come here, dictator.”

Lily lifted her blanket and wrapped it around Blake’s head.

He ended up half lying down, but he couldn’t resist—he had no strength left.

“I’m not a baby…”

They were close enough to feel each other’s breath.

Her soft scent mixed with his heavy one, creating something strangely warm.

But Lily focused only on comforting him. When she saw his breathing steady, she smiled.

“See? It’s better now. Human warmth is always better than a cold blanket. Hearts calm down when they match another’s heartbeat.”

Blake wanted to tease her—You sound like you’ve done this before—but he couldn’t.

All his senses were focused on her.

Her hair brushed his cheek. Her heartbeat echoed against his chest.

‘Damn it… this is driving me crazy.’

If Lily knew what he was imagining, she’d probably leave the castle immediately.

He felt disgusted with himself.

Falling for a woman who’d run away from her abusive husband—how pathetic.

‘It’s just confusion from childhood memories. That’s all.’

Then Lily asked,

“How did you end up joining the war?”

It might have been a sensitive question, but Blake welcomed it.

He needed the distraction.

“I wanted to leave the castle. After my father died five years ago, I couldn’t trust anyone anymore. Damn it, that man… How does someone drink poisoned wine right in his own home?”

“Then the killer was…”

“Yes. I thought it was one of our servants. I felt… betrayed.”

He paused, distracted by her gentle patting.

Her touch was completely different from his own rough hands. It was like sugar melting on his skin.

He quickly cleared his throat.

“…Anyway. You might not know this, but the people of this duchy share a special bond. Not like the capital, where friends sell each other for a few coins.”

“No swearing.”

“Ahem. When I believed we were all each other’s shield, my father was poisoned by one of us. So I left for the battlefield—to hunt pirates and guard borders.”

Thunder rolled again, but this time he didn’t flinch.

“Over time, I realized it wasn’t anyone’s fault. Probably someone outside—using some dirty scheme. Once I understood, I came back to Winter Castle.”

“So in the end, you still trust your servants.”

“Well, not blindly. I used a few other methods—like investigating every one of them thoroughly.”

Blake smirked darkly, showing his sharp teeth.

“I found them all innocent, but still… I can’t eat in the castle dining room. It reminds me of my father.”

Through the small, old window, the snow was starting to calm.

The thunder had gone quiet too. Soon, the moon would appear.

“Shall we head back to the castle?”

“Maybe.”

Just as she stood up, Blake grabbed her arm.

Their eyes met.

“…”

“…”

The air between them grew hot. From their breath—or something else.

Lily felt a strange heat rise in her face and tried to move away—but couldn’t.

Blake had wrapped his arm around her slender waist.

“You’re not afraid of anything, are you?”

His voice was low and rough enough to make her tremble.

“Didn’t I tell you? You should call me Miss now that I’m divorced.”

His bronze skin brushed against her pale face.

And he smiled like a rogue.