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Chapter 29
And then, this morning.
I greeted the newly risen sun with eyes swollen beyond belief. The world looked a little narrower than yesterday. Well, technically, it was just my field of vision that had narrowed.
Arne, who had cried alongside me, wasn’t much different.
Rubbing his eyes, he asked,
“Mom, my eyes won’t open. What’s wrong with them?”
“That’s because the tear fairies came by. The fairies sat on your eyelids and patted you to comfort you, so they got swollen like that.”
Then I sent Arne back to his original bedroom. The servants were probably panicking over where he had disappeared to. They’d take care of his swollen eyes too.
Before he left, I told him,
“Stay in your room, and Mom and Dad will come get you later. Wait just a little after we finish getting ready.”
“Okaaay—”
How adorable.
Arne smiled brightly and waved before leaving the room.
Still sitting on the bed, I turned around.
My eyes met another man in the room.
Owen.
He had already been awake for quite a while. When I opened my eyes, he was already watching me, so he was probably the earliest one awake out of the three of us.
“Is it morning already?”
That had been my brilliant attempt at a morning greeting earlier when I first woke up and met Owen’s gaze.
I’d lived for decades counting my previous life, and that was all I could come up with!
But this was the first time I’d slept in the same bed as this man. So naturally, I had no idea what kind of morning greeting I was supposed to give.
While I was busy making excuses to myself, Owen accepted my awkward greeting naturally.
“Indeed. Time passes quickly.”
Huh? People don’t usually say time passes quickly after sleeping.
Owen lay at the very edge of the bed, propping up his head with one hand as he watched me.
How long had he been lying there like that?
“Would you like to sleep more? You may if you wish.”
His expression was astonishingly calm. Where was the man who had nervously asked if he could hold my hand last night?
Without hesitation, Owen pulled up the blanket covering me and tucked it around my shoulders. The thick, fluffy blanket smelled pleasantly fresh.
This was practically an invitation to go back to sleep.
But I had no intention of doing that.
“No, I’m hungry.”
And with that single sentence, the morning officially began.
The moment I said I was hungry, Owen immediately rang the bell to summon the servants, and the sound woke Arne up.
Even after sending Arne away, Owen was still half reclining on the bed, watching me.
Just look at that laid-back posture.
He seemed exactly the same as usual. Last night almost felt like a dream.
No, actually… I preferred it this way.
If he carried that heavy emotion around all day too, I definitely wouldn’t know what to do with myself.
As I sat on the bed loosely tying my hair back, I could feel the man’s gaze on me.
But unlike last night in the darkness, his stare now felt oddly light and casual, enough that I could toss out a question without much embarrassment.
“What?”
“Sophia certainly seems to know a lot of fairies.”
Yawning, I answered,
“That’s because I used to be a fairy.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
What?!
“If you were truly a fairy, shouldn’t you eventually return to the fairy world?”
Good grief. The fairy world. How could this man think something so cute?
I resisted the urge to cover my mouth from laughing and instead answered solemnly,
“I don’t think I’ll be returning for quite a while.”
“And why is that?”
“Because the food in the human world is too delicious.”
At that moment, I distinctly saw Owen bite his lip.
“That’s fortunate indeed. Is there anything in particular you especially enjoy?”
“Hmm… probably meat dishes?”
Right then—
Knock knock.
The maids had arrived. Time for my morning preparations.
Owen leisurely adjusted his night robe before casually running his fingers through my hair several times.
Completely unhurried, no matter how long he was making the servants wait.
“Your personal maid has not been chosen yet. I thought perhaps you might wish to bring one from your family home.”
My eyes widened immediately.
That was wonderful news. Everyone was on leave right now, but there were certainly maids who would want to follow me.
“I think I probably will.”
“Understood. Though if there are any maids in the duchy you find suitable, feel free to tell me.”
“Okay.”
After finishing his sentence, Owen briefly pressed a kiss to the tip of my nose.
I was startled again, but not nearly as much as before.
Maybe I was already getting used to it.
Besides…
Honestly, I didn’t dislike it.
Every touch I shared with this man.
Enough that I thought maybe… I wouldn’t mind if things became even more intimate.
Seeing my expression, the man smiled softly.
Seriously, that face could improve anyone’s eyesight.
“If you continue sitting there quietly like that…”
“Hm? Why me?”
I answered a beat too late because I’d been admiring his face.
“It makes me want to keep the maids waiting longer.”
Owen lifted one hand and brushed my hair behind my ear.
Then he lightly grasped the tied length of my hair.
At this rate, this definitely wouldn’t end quickly.
Because it was morning, because everything was bright, I was painfully aware that my expression was completely visible.
And besides, I was hungry.
“Go get ready already. We need to eat breakfast.”
“As you wish.”
He answered, but didn’t move an inch.
“Owen, aren’t we leaving to visit the Grand Duchess today? You need to prepare for that too.”
Only after I deliberately put on a stern expression did Owen finally back away.
I remained seated on the bed with my hands on my waist.
Owen watched me as he walked backward, grinning mischievously as though teasing me.
I nearly smiled back, but quickly forced my face stiff again.
The moment my expression softened even slightly, it looked like Owen was ready to walk right back over.
Eventually, he returned to his own bedroom through the connected door between the couple’s rooms.
I stared at the closed door for a while before finally calling in the servants waiting outside.
Truthfully, Owen wasn’t the only one who wanted to keep the maids waiting longer.
I’d thought this before, but the food at the duchy was truly excellent.
Back before I regressed, how had I survived eating nothing but bland porridge in my final years?
“Arne, are you enjoying your meal?”
“Yes! It’s really delicious.”
“Sophia, I’m enjoying mine as well.”
“Yes, it certainly looks that way.”
As I happily cut into my meat, I glanced at the two males sitting across from me.
I’d eaten with Owen a few times before. Both then and now, his table manners were impeccable.
His actions and speech were relaxed and almost unruly, yet the way he handled utensils was so proper and elegant it could’ve appeared in an etiquette textbook.
I also carefully observed Arne.
For a child, his manners weren’t bad at all. In fact, they were quite good.
He’d mentioned living with his grandparents before coming here. Perhaps they were a lower-ranking noble family—poor, but still aristocrats.
Curiously, Arne used a fish fork to eat his salad.
Everything else about his table manners was correct, though.
While eating, Owen explained the schedule for visiting the Grand Duchess.
“If we rode without resting, it would take two full days by horseback. But since we’ll be traveling by carriage and staying overnight along the way, it will likely take around five days.”
Then he added,
“A fitting first family trip.”
Five days, huh.
Farther than I expected.
I asked,
“Where does the Grand Duchess live?”
“My mother resides in the northern part of the Empire. Have you heard of the County of Verdi? It is extremely cold, sparsely populated despite its vast lands—essentially possessing every condition my mother would adore.”
Ah, the north. Of course I knew it. That was basic knowledge.
I asked again,
“Who is the head of the Verdi family?”
Perhaps the Grand Duchess’s younger brother?
Owen answered,
“My mother. Even when she lived in the capital, she preferred being called Count Verdi rather than Duchess.”
“I see.”
I nodded calmly despite my surprise.
Of course, women could inherit titles under Imperial law.
But socially, female heads of households were not considered desirable.
By the time I died in my previous life, a few prominent female family heads had only just begun appearing.
At this point in time, there were probably many people who didn’t even realize female succession was legally possible.
Because of that, nearly every noble family passed titles to male heirs, and adoption was common when there were no sons.
Owen’s mother really was ahead of her time.
I imagined the Grand Duchess—or rather, Count Verdi.
The former Duchess who packed her belongings and left for the north immediately after the Duke died.
I vaguely remembered hearing about the Verdi County before my regression. I thought it might have appeared once in an Imperial newspaper, though I couldn’t recall clearly.
Since Owen said she disliked social activities from the start, perhaps she was the type to remain quietly in her territory without ever leaving.
Someone like that probably wouldn’t appreciate outsiders suddenly showing up unannounced…
After briefly considering it, I spoke.
“Owen, I’ll stop by the marquisate for a moment.”
In an instant, despair overtook Owen’s face.
“So the truth is… visiting my mother is too burdensome for you—”
“No! There’s just something I want to bring.”
Owen asked whether it would be alright if the servants of the duchy retrieved it instead.
Apparently, he was worried about me going personally.
I had no reason to refuse, so I gladly accepted Owen’s offer.
After finishing breakfast, I carefully explained to the servants exactly what the item looked like and where it was located.
