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~Chapter 21~
While Blake was losing his mind,
Lily was in the hallway, walking to the banquet hall while chatting with a knight.
“It’s my first time having a real conversation with a knight from here.”
“We spend three months outside and only one month at Winter Castle! It’s my first time seeing such a beautiful guest.”
“By the way, I heard the knights are called ‘Wolves of Uffus’. Wolves of wolves… That’s unusual.”
“You know what ‘Uffus’ means?”
“Is that strange? Mr. Blake explained it to me a few days ago.”
Lily nodded, and the young knight’s eyes lit up.
“It’s true. Uffus is the old word for ‘wolf’. So ‘Wolves of Uffus’ means… we connect the past and present. Our knights protect history. The Uffus people were once free wolves.”
“That’s a nice saying.”
The knight looked embarrassed while talking.
“The captain told you the meaning…? He’s not usually that friendly. We never share our old language with outsiders. That’s our unspoken rule. Pure Imperials just laugh at us.”
The knight wondered if Captain Blake thought Lily was special. If so, that was good news.
A new craze was sweeping Winter Castle lately. Their goal: Keep Lady Lily in the castle until she dies!
The first idea was:
“Let’s get rid of the master and make Lady Lily the new head!”
That had the most support, but it wasn’t realistic, so it was dropped.
“Then… how about the two of them get married?”
If Lily Hedwick became Lily Uffus, she’d have a reason to stay forever.
But the servants strongly objected.
“No! Our lady is too precious and pitiful for that! How can you stick her with our awful master?”
“But you just called her ‘lady’!”
After a 26-hour meeting, they admitted that marriage was the only way to keep Lily here forever.
‘The captain told Lady Lily the old language… People would be happy if I spread that news,’ thought the knight.
But one thing was clear:
“At least, our captain trusts Miss Lily.”
Lily felt something new. She smiled more sincerely than usual and thought,
‘Blake, that man is impossible to figure out sometimes.’
‘He acts grumpy, but he’s actually soft inside. Maybe he built up all those muscles to protect himself?’
She had lived in high society, where soft bodies were a sign of beauty, so Blake’s strong build was a novelty.
Just then, she arrived at the big dining hall for the party.
“It’s Lady Lily!”
“Wow, Lady Lily!”
“My lady!”
My lady?
Lily turned to see who called her ‘my lady’, but no one was there. The servants had already found the culprit.
The person who accidentally spoke their wish out loud would get a serious lecture later.
“Did I hear wrong?”
Lily tapped her ear.
“Of course! Whatever you heard, you must’ve heard it wrong.”
“You look beautiful, my lady!”
“You look perfect in our traditional clothes.”
Lily sent everyone back to their places.
“I’m not some famous actress… Calm down, everyone.”
She picked up her dress and went inside. The Uffus clothes still felt strange.
She looked around the dining hall where the party was happening.
“Wow…”
No one announced her full name or family when she entered. The room smelled like meat and stew, making her hungry.
Red chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the floor was covered in bear-skin rugs to block the cold.
‘No wonder the dress is so thick—this place is freezing.’
Some hairy men were even throwing snowballs inside.
‘So lively. Where’s Blake?’
As Lily walked around looking for Blake, everyone greeted her. Some even hugged her tightly—everyone was wearing thick clothes, so it was soft.
“You saved my younger sibling! You’re a lifesaver!”
“Careful! You’ll break Lady Lily’s bones, you brat!”
“Hahaha! Sorry!”
The mood was totally different from any party she’d attended before.
She remembered something similar, like seeing a village festival from a carriage during the 50th anniversary of the Northern and Southern war, when she led the Voti family.
Men threw spears for sport, kids threw tomatoes…
This place was just as fun.
A smile appeared on Lily’s face.
‘If I hadn’t come to this party, I would’ve really regretted it.’
Just then, she found Blake standing on the platform.
At that moment, Blake was running through hundreds of reasons in his head.
[Reason #341 for why Lily can stay at the castle longer than a year]
When he saw Lily, he stopped thinking.
“…”
His eyes widened at her new look.
Blake had always thought no one could wear a capital-style dress better than Lily.
But now, even the dark, multi-layered local dress looked amazing on her.
At the same time, Lily spotted him.
“Oh, Mother Hen!”
Under the sound of the drums, they walked toward each other.
To Lily, Blake looked even more striking today.
His strong build was highlighted by his armor, and his black hair was neatly styled.
“Where’s the usual rude Blake? The one who always showed off his chest?”
“Just so you know, touching isn’t the only kind of harassment, Miss Criminal.”
“Hmph, you always say that. Then go ahead and arrest me, Mr. Double Standard.”
Lily teased him, holding out her hands.
“Because of you, I have way too many nicknames now.”
“Really? Dictator, Mother Hen, Pervert Duke, Double Standard…”
Instead of arresting her, Blake escorted her up onto the platform.
Lily thought he dressed up for the party, but actually, he’d prepared all this time just to tell her: “Stay longer than the promised year.”
“So what’s with your outfit, Miss? What made you wear that?”
Blake’s low voice was calm, but inside he was nervous—he couldn’t stop looking at her since she entered.
Lily wore a special dress.
She didn’t know it, but the dress was tailored to her, and decorated with wolf embroidery—the Uffus clan’s symbol.
It was fancy, almost like a beaded ballgown, with a fur cloak in Uffus winter style over her shoulders.
“Isn’t it pretty? It’s my first time wearing something like this.”
Lily’s white skin looked almost transparent, and her blue eyes seemed pure.
Her face was so small, Blake almost wondered if she was a different person.
As he admired her, Blake looked away to avoid suspicion and coughed.
“But this…”
He trailed off.
He had always wanted to see her in local clothes, but…
This was…
This was a duke’s outfit, meant for the family. And right now, Blake was the only real member of the duke’s house.
Anyone who didn’t know better might think Lily was his wife.
Of course, he didn’t suspect the maids did this on purpose. They probably just wanted her to have the best.
‘Damn them,’ he thought.
Actually, it was intentional.
Blake changed the subject.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“Honestly, I’m still lying in bed. What you see here is my spirit.”
“You must be feeling better, then.”
“Of course, after a few days of rest.”
“Still, be careful. Don’t walk around too much. If you get hurt again, things will get really annoying—”
Blake started nagging, but stopped when Lily gave him her “Are you my mom again?” face.
“Why does your nagging feel so familiar, Blake? I never even had a loving nanny, but you always remind me of one. It doesn’t bother me, it just feels… strange.”
“Well, you know…”
Blake had been a grumpy kid since he was young. And Lily, being younger, must have heard his nagging all the time back then.
“…So you just call my words nagging now?”
“Hehehe.”
“You always just laugh it off. Fine, that’s how I expected you’d react. Even in your grave, I bet you’d be laughing at dawn.”
“By the way, I have something to say.”
“Hm?”
When Lily suddenly changed the topic, Blake felt a bit nervous.
