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~Chapter 29~
The fireplace crackled warmly with red flames.
“……”
“……”
Lily and Blake were the only ones in the first-floor hall.
Blake worried he might be the reason Lily was acting like a broken clock.
Worried? That wasn’t a word that usually fit him, but now it did.
Is it really because of me?
Is it because I couldn’t control myself and got too close to her?
Normally, Lily would notice and deny it right away. But this time, she was too tired from her dreams to even think about it.
“You look bored,” Blake said nervously in a low voice.
“I’m okay. Thanks for caring,” Lily replied.
“I heard you skipped dinner.”
“My stomach doesn’t feel good.”
“Is it safe to drink tea on an empty stomach?”
Lily glanced at Blake. She didn’t remember ever learning about that.
“I don’t know.”
“Then you shouldn’t drink it. Give it to me.”
She frowned a little, showing she didn’t like that.
But Blake couldn’t let anything risky go by. He even took her tea and drank it in one gulp.
“Ugh, it tastes awful.”
“Sensitive brute, aren’t you?”
“I need some brandy to wash out my mouth.”
Lily just nodded.
As she slipped back into her own thoughts, Blake watched her closely.
Is it really my fault?
But… even if he could turn back time to the day they danced, he wasn’t sure he could hold back his feelings.
That’s why I warned you not to stay somewhere with only me and my family.
Why did it have to be Lily, of all women?
Frustrated, he poured himself a glass of brandy from the shelf and sipped it, but he never took his eyes off Lily.
He really didn’t want to be left behind. Not again.
He’d lost his father in an accident, lost soldiers in war… and now, was he supposed to lose his first love too?
Blake didn’t want to admit it, but Lily was his first love—the harsh first love who had knocked on his heart and forced the door open.
Time kept passing.
It had already been days since Blake grew restless, but nothing changed. Lily was quiet, the workers had no idea what to do, and Winter Castle went back to being silent.
But one thing was different—Blake couldn’t focus on his work at all.
“I can’t read any of this. Just put the papers away for now—I’ll look at them later.”
“But sir, it’s already been two days…”
“I’ll do it all at once later.”
To make things worse, there had even been gunshots near the mansion recently.
“My head hurts.”
His old war nerves felt like they were dancing a tango in his brain.
The servants living below the mountain caused it—they realized late that Sebastian was a criminal and tried to find him, even firing a gun nearby.
Last time my war trauma got bad, Lily Hedwick helped me get my mind back…
That stormy night, it was so nice with her, but why is everything so hard now?
“Ugh…”
Aide Il Dexter was worried too.
If paperwork slowed down, they could have money problems.
He thought,
Isn’t there any way to change the mood in the castle?
Maybe if a letter from Lily’s ex-husband arrives soon, Blake will finally have a reason to talk with Lily, and the awkwardness will end.
A few days later, Il finally got his wish.
“I’m back!”
Il came in through Winter Castle’s gates, cold air fogging his glasses.
He spotted Blake leaning against a red wall and shouted,
“Sir, the third letter finally arrived! After you write a reply and send it, you’ll tell Miss Lily, right? You promised! Don’t pretend you forgot!”
Il was excited, not just for the original reason. Hiding everything from Lily—who always smiled at him—had been really stressful. He also worried that Blake keeping secrets after Lily’s ex found her would only make things worse.
“A promise?”
Surprisingly, it was Lily—not Blake—who answered.
She was standing where Il couldn’t see because of his fogged glasses.
Blake was talking to her as she came down the stairs.
“What promise, Il?”
“……!”
Blake almost crushed his wineglass.
Il Dexter felt like he was about to die.
As the fog cleared from his glasses, Il saw Lily, curious-eyed, and Blake, glaring from a distance like a monster.
“So after sending a reply, Blake will tell me? That’s what you promised? I’m very curious what that means.”
Lily repeated the words politely.
“Th-th-that is…”
Right now, Il forgot all about promotions. All he could think about was surviving—or maybe something good enough to put on his gravestone.
Desperate, he finally blurted out a lie.
“We just ordered a lot of magic stones! Only you and I, as magic users, can inspect them.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“That means more work for us, and Sir Blake was being stingy, not telling you about it until the goods arrived. He’s always stingy, right? Don’t you agree?”
Luckily, Il didn’t mention “ex-husband” or “letters,” which saved his life.
Lily just nodded to Il’s lie.
“Yes, Blake is always stingy. He even took my tea a few days ago.”
“Sounds just like him, doesn’t it?”
The two gossiped about Blake right in front of him.
“Once, you know…”
Il whispered, and Lily’s eyes went wide.
“Really? That actually happened?”
“I swear.”
“I’m not surprised. Blake is a brute, after all.”
“Did you know I once spilled wine on his head by mistake? He was furious.”
“Hmm… Normally, I’d side with you, but that one might have been your fault, Il…”
Blake got more and more annoyed.
At least the talk was no longer about Count Fox’s letter, but still—
“Ahem.”
Blake cleared his throat, still leaning against the wall.
Il snapped back to his senses.
“Speaking of which, Miss Lily, would you like to go inspect the magic stones now? They’re in a small room on the third floor.”
He definitely didn’t want to be alone with Blake.
“Sure.”
Lily nodded. Since everyone now knew she was a magic user, she was helping out more often.
Blake pushed himself off the wall.
“Then I’ll go patrol the grounds. Haven’t checked my archery skills in a while.”
“The knights say the mountains are dangerous, so take care!”
“Yeah. When I get back, we’ll discuss everything, Aide. Everything.”
Blake grinned, showing sharp teeth. It looked terrifying to Il.
“Yes, sir…”
Lily led a sulky Il to the third floor.
She looked gentle as always, but as she turned a wolf statue clockwise, her eyes narrowed.
He’s hiding something from me.
Lily had always noticed lies, like when a couple who disliked her lied about moving a meeting date. Of course, she could tell this lie too.
But she also knew there was no point pushing them for answers right now.
It was kind of cute, watching them try so hard…
Her pretty eyes went cold for a moment, then went back to normal so no one noticed.
Should I try to learn the truth? Or just be a puppet who knows nothing, like always?
Lost in thought, she suddenly felt tired again.
It wasn’t her choice, but just like before, she drifted off into a daze.
