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~Chapter 37~
Lily stood straight, dressed like a farm woman on a cold day—
a worn brown skirt, a plain blouse, a warm coat, and her hair tied up high.
She looked around at the people from Winter Castle who had been tracking her “escape route.”
“I asked what you’re all doing here. You never gather like this, do you? I’m really curious…”
She was full of life now, so different from the blank and gloomy girl she had been. Even in plain clothes, her beauty couldn’t be hidden.
“Were you all playing tag together or something?”
Everyone stared at her in shock.
“Huh?”
“It’s nice to take it easy, but Mr. Blake might scold you. He’s really strict, you know.”
“Uh, yeah?”
“It’s cold, so don’t stay out too long. I’ll go inside first.”
Lily walked away with light steps, probably because she’d started working early that morning.
The knights and servants just looked at each other.
“Huh?”
“What just happened?”
“Wait, was that really Miss Lily?”
They felt like they were in a dream. But it wasn’t—Lily really was back, bright and smiling as ever.
As she walked through the first-floor hall, she talked to Blake.
“Mr. Blake, I just saw Coco the Second. There’s some white fur near his tail. Is he okay?”
“He’s just shedding. Black fur will grow back soon.”
“And about Coco…”
Lily looked at the people standing at the entrance, their heads covered in snow. She thought it looked funny.
“People here are full of energy in the morning. They were all running around outside. Hehe.”
“Them?”
Blake turned his sharp eyes on the group.
Big men, running around? He thought they must be crazy.
“Are they out of their minds? Don’t go near them—it might be some disease.”
“Oh…”
Lily poked his strong arm, as if to say he was joking too much.
The staff just stood there, still in shock.
One of them suddenly burst into tears.
“If this is a dream, I never want to wake up…”
“Miss Lily is back!”
“You go blow the horn, and you raid the food storage! Even if we get scolded, let’s have a celebration!”
“I’m sorry for making you all worry.”
At breakfast, Lily was surprised by a huge cake brought out to her.
“I’ll try not to cause any more trouble… but… what is this cake?”
“Chef Alex made it in a hurry! We didn’t have any flour or cream, though.”
The servants had to make a cake out of whatever they had, because today was just that special.
They realized just how precious Lily had become, even though she hadn’t been here for long.
“So, it might taste a little weird… It’s not the kind of cake you’re thinking of, hehe.”
A little chick who’d fallen into a den of wolves hadn’t just made trouble—she’d drawn out the wary leader and saved many lives with her strange powers.
Without knowing it, she became the queen of the wolves.
“A cake without flour or cream?”
Lily looked at it, repeating the strange words.
The white outside wasn’t cream but some sauce, and inside was finely chopped meat.
She took a careful bite.
“It’s delicious.”
“Really? I knew it! Please, eat a lot! You haven’t eaten properly and you’ve gotten so thin! Can you even walk for half a day like that?”
‘Most people can’t walk for eight hours anyway,’ Lily thought as she watched the mountain of steak-cake piling up.
Well, if it’s by Winter Castle standards, maybe…
“Yesterday, a hole suddenly appeared in the wall. We fixed it, but don’t get too close or you’ll catch a cold.”
Blake coughed and changed the subject.
“She probably can’t even eat a quarter of what you serve her, you fools.”
“Really, sir? Good to know.”
The maids sounded serious, but it was all an act—they quickly turned angry.
“Oh wise master, we have another question. What exactly happened to Miss Lily?”
Everyone knew Lily had locked herself away after fighting with Blake. Even the workers down the mountain heard about it.
During that time, Winter Castle had felt empty and lifeless.
“Yes, you’d better tell us the truth.”
Even though this was a dining hall, it sounded like a battlefield.
Blake twitched his eye.
He’d worked so hard to keep Lily here, and these people dared challenge him…
He spoke up.
“Lily Hedwick will be staying at the castle for a long time—not just a year, but without a set date.”
“What?! Are you serious?”
“Also, I’m replacing the whole staff. You all have to say goodbye to her. In fact, you don’t even get that—she’s busy with me today. Goodbye.”
Blake quickly took Lily and left the dining room.
The servants were left in confusion, not even sure if it was a joke or not, unable to be happy or sad.
Blake brought Lily to his office.
The old clock ticked loudly.
Lily sat in the chair Blake offered and looked at him.
“Here, read this.”
Blake pushed a letter toward her.
The sender was “Duke Blake Uffus.”
The receiver—Lily’s ex-husband, Count Fox.
“Wow. So this is what you meant by having something for me to do.”
“I’m going to send this letter to your ex-husband. Read it before I do.”
It was only a few pages, but this letter could start something huge.
This was Lily’s chance to break away from her parents and ex-husband.
Blake’s voice was blunt, but his actions were thoughtful. He really was keeping his promise to discuss everything with her.
“Oh, um, thank you.”
This was the first time they’d been alone since their early-morning reconciliation.
Lily felt a little nervous as she put her pale hand on the letter.
Even though it wasn’t from her ex-husband, her heart pounded.
“Mmm…”
She frowned a little. It still wasn’t easy.
Suddenly, Blake’s big hand covered one of hers.
His touch was warm.
“Don’t worry. You don’t need to be scared because of a man like him.”
He thought to himself that he was actually the one shaking, though not from fear.
Maybe it was because of that silly kiss yesterday. He’d held her hand before, but now he couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Lily felt his rough, strong hand, and smelled the old paper and mahogany of the office.
It was like a cozy old bookstore.
Her fear slowly faded.
“Thanks to you, I’m feeling better. I guess it’s time to see what you wrote.”
“Change anything you want.”
She started reading the first line to herself.
“To Count Fox… Thank you for your letter…”
“Mmm, mmm…”
Lily was very serious at first.
But as she read on, her face changed. In the end, she almost laughed out loud, which wasn’t proper.
“Wait a minute. Are you really going to send this?”
To her, her ex-husband was a big, scary part of her life.
The idea that Blake could write something that made her laugh—it was amazing.
She brushed her platinum bangs aside and read the letter again. She wasn’t mistaken.
“Especially this part in the middle. ‘By the way, why do you call her your wife when you’re divorced? If you’ve gone mad, I’m sorry to hear it. I don’t have any magic stones that can help your head.’ Are you really going to write that? If this is a joke, it’s a good one, Mr. Comedian.”
“Why? I mean it.”
Blake pouted. What’s wrong with calling a crazy guy crazy, anyway?
