HEAD 30

~Chapter 30~

Il and Lily stared, wide-eyed, at the room packed with magic stones.

Lily thought they were just restocking after she’d used up all the raw stones for healing, but that wasn’t it.

Il held up a receipt.

“Most of them are processed magic stones… designed to give off heat. They’re from Otis Company.”

Blake had ordered them to make every hallway Lily walked down warm.

“Does Blake plan to turn all the walls into heaters?” Lily asked.

She opened a box and checked the back of a stone. Even after seeing lots of expensive things, she was speechless.

“That’s really the Otis emblem. They only make the best products. The duchy provided the raw stones, but the cost must have been huge.”

Lily and Il stared at the stones, both looking overwhelmed.

“He could have done something better with this money. Rich people…” Lily said, shaking her head.

“Like what?” Il asked. “Buy another title?”

“If I were Blake, I’d buy another dukedom—just in case. Not that you can really do that.”

“Makes sense. The way he acts, he’ll lose his title someday. He should get a backup.”

They both joked, but there was no need to check such high-end stones. Still, work was work.

They sat quietly and checked the magic stones.
It was simple: you put in a bit of energy, and if it glows, it’s good. You didn’t get tired because the magic came right back to you.

“……”

After a while, Il got bored and looked up, wanting to say something, but Lily was already zoning out again.

There she goes again, he thought. She’d been like this for days. When she got like this, she didn’t hear anything.

He thought she was doing a bit better, but she still couldn’t escape her worries easily.

Everyone at Winter Castle worried about her, too. Even people who never drank southern chamomile tea made it a hundred times just for her.

“……”

“……”

Even with both of them working, there was a mountain of stones left to check.

In the end, Il and Lily met in the little room every day at the same time.

A week passed like that.

One day, while working, Lily remembered her ex-husband and suddenly stopped.

She’d reached into the box, but there was nothing left. The seven days of repetitive work were finally over.

“Il.”

“Zzzzzz…”

Il had fallen asleep sitting up. His head was tilted so far back he even started snoring—a sound he never made.

Oh my, I hope he doesn’t hurt his neck like that, Lily thought.

She got up quietly, careful not to wake him. She wanted to ask someone else where to move the stones. Of course, that meant Blake.

At this time, he was always in his office. Lily expected the usual.

“Blake, are you in there?”

She expected him to answer, “No, I’m not,” as a joke. Then she’d open the door herself and go in gracefully, like always.

But there was no answer.

Is he ignoring me now? Not even joking?

“Is it okay if I come in? Oh, yes, of course. Thank you for your kind invitation,” she joked to herself.

But when she opened the door, only a dead candle and a cold fireplace greeted her.

That’s when she remembered—he’d gone on patrol last night.

Oh, right. I misunderstood again.

She turned to leave and saw something on the desk.

The office desk was made of rough local wood. On top were a used-up pen, crumpled papers, and stacks of documents—and… a letter.

Suddenly, her heart felt like it stopped.

It was a very familiar red seal. Decorated with silver fake fur, with cheap silk glued on—the seal of the Fox family where Lily had lived for a year.

Lily couldn’t move. She wanted to throw up and actually felt sick.

“Ugh…”

But with nothing in her stomach, only a dry retching sound came out.

This must be a dream, Lily thought.
She’d been thinking about Count Fox for too long.

But the red wax seal was still there.

It took a long time, but she finally walked to the desk.

Il’s words from before echoed in her mind:

—Sir, the third letter finally arrived! I put it in your office earlier, but you haven’t seen it yet. After you write back and send it, you’ll tell Miss Lily, right? You promised! Don’t pretend you forgot!

Were those three letters really from her ex-husband? That can’t be—she had no idea.

Even as she tried not to throw up, Lily started to read.

<To the respected, great Duke Blake Uffus…>

<…Because you haven’t replied, I’m afraid I have no choice but to take this to court, even though it’s not my will…>

<…Once again, as I requested before, please open the duchy’s gates. This is my final request…>

<…I hope your lack of response isn’t proof you’ve kidnapped my wife…>

<I look forward to the day I can take back my beloved wife. David Fox, Count.>

Count Fox also hinted he might report to the imperial palace.

Her ex-husband had finally found her hiding place. He was so angry, his handwriting was a mess.

When Lily found the previous two letters in the drawer, Il Dexter woke up and rushed in.

He prayed she wouldn’t be in the office, but the moment he saw the letter in her hand, he grabbed his forehead.

Lily was the first to speak:

“What is all this?”

She looked like she might faint, but her voice and accent were still calm and proper.

“Well…”

“Explain. Unless you want me to run away right now without even saying goodbye to Blake.”

Faced with her confusion, Il finally decided to tell her the truth.

“His Grace has no intention of sending you back.”

“And I didn’t know this?”

“He must feel sorry for you…”

“I didn’t know!”

Terror and despair filled Lily’s eyes. Her voice trembled, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

Still, she stood perfectly straight. All her life, her parents had forced good manners into her. She couldn’t even lower her head to hide her tears.

“His Grace is secretly very soft-hearted. He has the power and money to protect you. Please, think of this as a good thing…”

“Did you think I’d be grateful for this kind of kindness? All on his own?”

She’d been feeling anxious for days, worried her ex would find her. It turned out, she was right.

Count Fox really was searching for her. He’d find her for sure.

Lily wanted to die. She wished she could stop breathing under the cold winter sea.

“Everyone here likes you, Miss Lily. This is a good place to live. Even I, from the capital, was accepted here.”

“My husband isn’t someone who gives up easily. Not just him, my parents, too… Oh, God. This is really happening.”

Il wanted to just jump out a window and escape.

At that moment, Blake rode up, his cape flapping in the night.

Lily, letter in hand, went down to the first floor.

Blake was shaking snow and mud off his cloak in the entryway.

“You’re back.”

“Don’t come closer, I’m all muddy. The ground’s soft at night with all this snow, it’s hard to see.”

He picked burrs out of his hair and didn’t notice how cold Lily’s voice was.

He even smiled, happy to see her right away.

“Just in time, Miss. About those new magic stones—they’re for your room, so you won’t need a fireplace.”

“……”

“Don’t worry. It’s not for you, but because it’d be a hassle if a weak pureblood imperial gets sick.”

He was lying to make her feel less pressured.

“The work will be done in two days… Why do you look like that?”

Finally, he looked up and met Lily’s eyes.