HKRH 7

The mockery in his silver eyes sharpened.

It seemed he was surprised that she—someone with no connection to him—knew of a weakness that had only recently surfaced, something no one else knew.

Yet Roger Crawford showed no emotion as he spoke in the same indifferent tone.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s simple. If Your Grace protects Ailsden from the monsters, I’ll stabilize your condition.”

Roger Crawford let out a quiet breath.

But he could no longer dismiss her words so easily. It was true that he had recently begun reaching his limits in controlling his power.

Instead of asking how she knew, he asked,

“And how do you intend to stabilize it?”

She liked how quick he was to judge. In other words, it meant he was that desperate.

So Natalie chose to show rather than tell.

“May I see your hand?”

Roger Crawford narrowed his silver eyes, then slowly extended one hand.

Without hesitation, Natalie took it.

And her expectation was correct.

Whoosh—!

Contrary to his cold appearance, the man’s body temperature burned like fire.

But as Natalie intertwined their fingers and held his hand firmly, the blazing heat quickly subsided.

At the same time, a clear spray of water rose over their joined hands, then disappeared with a faint hiss like steam.

“…!”

Beneath his smooth black hair, his silver eyes widened. His expression remained blank, but he was clearly shocked.

Though it was only temporary since there was no affection level yet, the effect was undeniable.

Smiling, Natalie slowly released his hand.

“You have to attend the imperial ball, don’t you? If you go alone, controlling your power will be difficult. And as a naval colonel serving under imperial command, you can’t exactly skip it either.”

“……”

“If I stay by your side as your partner, you’ll be able to stabilize—just like just now.”

Now, the only person who could control Roger Crawford’s overwhelming power was Natalie—the protagonist of the game.

No one else could do it. No one.

“…Very well. I accept the lady’s proposal.”

After a moment, Roger Crawford agreed.

Natalie smiled sweetly, her pink eyes curving.

“Thank you. You won’t regret it.”

“Don’t be so certain. If no monsters appear tomorrow night, I’ll assume the lady approached me with ulterior motives.”

As expected of a cold duke who only showed warmth to his woman.

Natalie inwardly clicked her tongue as she faced Roger Crawford, who still regarded her with a guarded, impenetrable attitude.

So prickly.

Well, it didn’t matter.

Soon enough, whenever he struggled to control his power, he would come looking for her.

And Natalie planned to use her ability to stabilize him as leverage in future dealings.

Roger Crawford would use her as a stabilizer, and she would use him as a weapon.

“He’ll definitely question how I know his secret… I’ll have to prepare an answer for that.”

Still, the Duke of Crawford—holder of the greatest water power in history—was worth the risk.

“The first meeting for the route went well…”

More importantly, he would be a useful force in the many obstacles Natalie would have to overcome to reach an ending.

“I’ll be eagerly waiting for you tomorrow night.”

She spoke softly but sincerely. His silver eyes glinted with unreadable intent.

“I look forward to it.”

Natalie returned home around her usual morning waking time.

Fortunately, her father and older brother—who had been summoned to the imperial palace—had not yet returned, so her violation of house arrest hadn’t been discovered.

Still, worried about being seen by the servants, she quietly entered through the back gate.

“Natalie?”

Of all people, she ran straight into Sharon in the corridor.

“Y-you went out? This early?!”

Why was someone who loved sleeping in already awake?

Slightly annoyed, Natalie faced her.

“I just went out for some fresh air.”

“Oh my, no wonder you weren’t in your room! It’s dangerous to go out alone at a time like this!”

Her high soprano voice echoed through the hallway. Startled, the servants who had been leisurely starting their morning began gathering one by one.

“Lady Natalie went out?”

“Oh dear, what should we do? The young duke told us not to let her leave her room at all until he returned!”

Whenever Natalie got angry, she would lock herself in her room and drive everyone away.

The servants had learned to avoid her, whispering among themselves, since dealing with her foul temper wasn’t worth it.

That had made sneaking out easy—but now, all the servants knew about her early-morning escape.

When her father and brother returned, a scolding was guaranteed.

Glancing at the whispering servants, Natalie turned to Sharon, whose eyes were brimming with tears.

“You came to my room?”

“Y-yeah! You seemed really upset last night…”

Hesitantly, Sharon pulled something out and held it toward her.

It was a party hair dye labeled “Color: Black.”

“You always wanted black hair, Natalie. I know a wig isn’t ideal, but I hoped this might at least comfort you.”

Sharon smiled brightly, her glossy black hair swaying.

Only then did the servants realize that Natalie was no longer wearing the wig she had used like part of her body for years.

“Oh my, how kind-hearted!”

“She must have been so worried to wake up this early despite loving her sleep…”

Any perceptive servant would have noticed that Natalie no longer needed the wig.

And that Sharon’s kindness was, in fact, unnecessary.

But the praise still went to Sharon.

Everyone already knew how kind she was, yet the servants were once again deeply moved.

To think she even brought a gift for someone who had shouted angrily at her just last night!

…That was the tone of their whispers.

Well, even from Natalie’s perspective, Sharon did seem excessively saint-like.

“The problem is, it’s completely useless to me.”

Natalie gently pushed back Sharon’s hand holding the dye.

Then, with a hollow smile, she spoke.

“Thanks, Sharon. But you keep it.”

“Huh?”

Sharon froze, her smile faltering.

Her green eyes filled with tears again, as if she thought Natalie was being spiteful like before.

“N-Natalie… did I do something wrong? I’m sorry, I just…”

As her frail voice trembled, the servants murmured sympathetically.

They didn’t dare intervene directly, but words from below always traveled far.

“Anatole’s going to come running and get angry again.”

How annoying.

Natalie had wanted to slip in quietly—why was Sharon so oblivious here?

If she had been perceptive enough to notice Natalie’s distress earlier, she should’ve realized this situation would only make things worse.

But Natalie had no intention of arguing.

Whether Sharon was more loved or more popular didn’t matter anymore.

Such trivial power struggles no longer interested her.

“No. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“N-Natalie! Then tell me. I’ll fix it, whatever it is—just don’t be upset…”

“I just don’t need it.”

Natalie said gently, her pink eyes softening.

Sharon blinked in confusion.

“Your hair is pretty, of course…”

Her gaze swept over Sharon’s silky black hair.

Sharon quickly held out the dye again with both hands.

But Natalie didn’t even glance at it. Instead, she lightly pointed to her own hair.

“My hair color is quite pretty too.”

Her soft golden hair shimmered.

Everyone had forgotten, since she had worn a black wig for years—but Natalie’s hair was a beautiful gold.

The same lovely blonde as the duchess.

“So I don’t need dye.”

Her tone was calm and composed.

For the first time ever, she looked like someone who already had everything—confident and elegant, like a true victor.

Sharon’s innocent expression stiffened slightly.

“Still, thank you for the thought.”

“N-Natalie…”

“I’m going.”

With a bright smile that didn’t match her indifferent expression, Natalie walked past her.

Sharon wasn’t even a romance target—just a side character in a game. Natalie had no time to waste on her.

She strode down the corridor without hesitation.

Naturally, she didn’t spare a single glance for the servants fussing behind her.

“My lady, Lady Sharon, are you alright?”

“Don’t take it to heart. Lady Natalie has always been like that.”

“…Sniff. I’m okay.”

Sharon stared blankly at Natalie’s departing figure, then gave a faint smile to the maids fussing over her.

Looking fragile and pitiful, she was quickly supported by them.

“Oh my! The dye has burst!”

“What should we do? It’s all over your hands and clothes!”

“Maybe when Lady Natalie pushed your hand earlier…”

As one maid trailed off, the others exchanged quick glances.

All of them sympathized with Sharon and blamed Natalie.

Sharon lowered her head and murmured softly,

“It’s okay. If it helps Natalie feel better, even a little…”

“Oh dear, come along. I’ll clean you up, our angelic Lady Sharon.”

Surrounded by warm concern, Sharon moved along, supported by the maids, her face touched with emotion.

“Thank you, everyone.”

She smiled sweetly.

Casually crushing the leaking tube of dye with the small hole in it, and lightly flicking her left hand through the air.