MDCHC 17

chapter 17

My heart thumped at Lord Winchester’s unwavering gaze. Not out of excitement, but out of a prickling anxiety. What if he noticed my shallow little scheme?

“That’s so.”

…Excuse me?

It was far too brief an answer to understand his intent.

His short, ambiguous reply threw me into confusion again. What had I said last?

“Sometimes, isn’t this nice?”

Yes. That was it. Then, did Lord Winchester’s answer just now mean that he also liked this? Sleeping together, the three of us?

Or did it mean that sleeping with Daniel was nice, but that sleeping just the two of us felt awkward even for him?

Suddenly, it all felt confusing.

Whether he knew how I felt or not, he habitually approached the window.

“…….”

And then I noticed what was on the table.

“Ah! I prepared this.”

Seeing his eyes on the teapot and teacups on the table, I quickly spoke up. Not only that, I got up from the bed and walked over to his side.

“Drinking alcohol every night isn’t a good habit, after all.”

The teapot, covered with a thick lid, still radiated warmth despite some time having passed.

“It’s lavender, good for insomnia.”

Pouring the lavender tea into the teacup, the clear liquid made a soft sound as it filled the cup. The color was surprisingly pale, but the gentle scent of lavender wafted softly into the air.

“Ah, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to drink it.”

I watched Lord Winchester stand quietly, wondering if perhaps he disliked tea, and hurriedly added. Herbal tea can be divisive—especially floral teas like lavender or types like mint.

“I don’t dislike it.”

He pulled a chair to sit at the table and slowly drank the lavender tea I had poured.

The star-speckled night sky outside the window looked like a painting framed perfectly by the windowpane. And in front of that, Lord Winchester, dressed comfortably, quietly looking down at his tea, was even more picture-perfect.

I stared at the scene, mesmerized, as if viewing a deceased master painter’s work. Whether it was the magic of starlight, the intoxicating lavender scent, or simply being captivated by Lord Winchester, I could not tell.

“Not bad.”

His low, murmured voice finally snapped me back to reality.

“I-I’m glad.”

Ugh! Why am I stammering?

“Th-then, good night!”

Ugh! Why is my pitch going off just saying goodnight?!

Enough. I won’t say another word.

I quickly turned my head and hurried back to my spot on the bed, slipping under the covers. I closed my eyes tightly.

‘I’m sleepy! Really, really sleepy! I was exhausted today! I’ll fall asleep quickly! Zzzz!’

I had firmly tried to cast this “spell” on myself, but perhaps my willpower was too strong—my mental resistance ignored it.

‘No, it’s because of his gaze.’

Even as I lay on my side, I could feel Lord Winchester’s eyes on the back of my head.

Lorinus lay in his bed, quietly watching Naery. Honestly, even he hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.

He had been surprised when the marriage proposal first arrived, and even more so when Naery claimed she had fallen in love with him at first sight. Of course, her eyes probably hadn’t given that away at all.

Curiosity had risen in him. What did it mean to fall in love at first sight? What was it to like someone so much you couldn’t eat or sleep? What was ordinary love like? Lorinus wanted to know.

So he had agreed.

Perhaps, thinking that if it was a woman with such gentle eyes, he himself might end up liking her too, he even proposed. Naery had seemed quite startled by the proposal, but he assumed that was simply because she hadn’t expected him to accept marriage.

‘Three days have passed.’

Nothing particularly remarkable had happened. She said she liked him fervently, but he had decided to wait patiently for her, perhaps because she was shy or overly nervous. Lorinus had always been rather indifferent to sexual matters, so it wasn’t difficult for him.

Though he occasionally noticed that she seemed more interested in Daniel than in him, the way she adored the child was a positive trait, not a negative one.

Even after marriage, Lorinus’s life hadn’t changed much. He was still busy and today, the third day of their honeymoon, he had come home late due to a shift change at work.

Yet Naery hadn’t complained at all. She had even prepared tea like this, thinking of his health.

Taking a sip of lavender tea, Lorinus stared absentmindedly at the back of Naery’s head. He thought he saw a blush there, though that was likely just his imagination.

‘She’s a strange woman.’

Lorinus didn’t know much about relationships between men and women, though he had some knowledge from colleagues at drinking parties or from soldiers’ chatter on the battlefield.

Offering alcohol to the one you like was customary. That was how people set the mood to spend the night together in one bed. If your partner chose work over you, it was normal to feel disappointed.

But Naery had shown the exact opposite behavior.

And it was the same with Daniel.

‘A stepmother does not like her predecessor’s child.’

A very common-sense notion. Lorinus had naturally accepted it as such.

Yet that common-sense rule did not apply to Naery.

There was, of course, some hope. Seeing that she had given cookies to Daniel, Lorinus thought she wouldn’t dislike the child; otherwise, he wouldn’t have considered marrying her.

But he had never expected her to like him this much.

To the extent that she furnished and decorated the child’s room before their own honeymoon bedroom, read fairy tales to him until he fell asleep, and even gladly let him sleep beside her—Lorinus had not anticipated any of this.

To an observer, it might seem that Naery’s passionate crush was on Daniel rather than on Lorinus.

‘Truly a strange woman.’

Lorinus’s curiosity about Naery had grown even more than before marriage.

“I need to join the mothers’ group. That’s where all the information is!”

Advice from Sophia, his older sister.

Fortunately, being the Countess of Winchester made it relatively easy to attend the social gatherings of noblewomen.

“So, typically, a six-year-old sleeps about ten hours a day, right?”

I confirmed once more with the ladies present. Daniel’s schedule really did seem a bit off.

“That’s right. Assuming the child doesn’t nap.”

“But it depends on the child. If the child wants to sleep more, let them; if they want to sleep later, that’s fine too. Ah! But you shouldn’t let them sleep too late. A routine is best.”

Oh? I see. So kids’ sleep needs vary depending on the case?

I nodded earnestly, listening closely to the experienced mothers.

“Thank you for the advice. I’ll definitely take it to heart. By the way, does anyone know a reliable governess or tutor?”

“Well… good governesses or tutors are as hard to find as stars in the sky.”

“Exactly. I initially hired a governess without knowing much, and she turned out to have sticky fingers, which was very troublesome.”

“Oh my? That’s difficult indeed. Especially with a governess, you have to find someone suited to your child’s temperament.”

This question seemed slightly trickier than the topic of ‘how many hours a six-year-old should sleep.’ Most ladies looked troubled or shared their frustrations.

As they say, you don’t just take in a black-haired beast—the important thing isn’t the hair color but the form. Even with various hair colors, the concerns were similar.

“Ah! If it’s not urgent, how about Miss Lenord as a tutor?”

“Miss Lenord?”

Naturally, I hadn’t heard the name before.

“I don’t know about her skills, but I’ve heard she has great patience and explains things carefully without pressuring the child. She’s currently recovering from a leg injury, but once healed, she’ll look for a new position.”

A leg injury? Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.

“Is she the governess who worked at the Aytley household?”

I carefully mentioned the family of Daniel’s notorious former husband.

“Oh, you already know her?”

The lady recommending Miss Lenord nodded.

Of course… the troublemaker had already started making waves.