MDCHC 66

chapter 66

“Countess Winchester?”

A pair of round, cute eyes suddenly popped up in front of me, snapping me out of my daze.

“Uh, y-yes?”

Ah, right. I was drawing with Daniel, wasn’t I?

I hurriedly shook my head to scatter all the random thoughts cluttering my mind.

Like the conversation I had with Lord Winchester a few days ago… or how, yesterday, before he came into the bedroom, I quickly lay down and pretended to be asleep—did my fake snoring sound natural? And why did I feel like his gaze lingered on me, as if he realized I was only pretending? The doctor had definitely been by, but what had the results been?

…Wait a second! What the heck? Why are all my thoughts about Lord Winchester? Where’s my sense of self?

“Countess?”

Ack! I zoned out again! And I was supposed to be drawing with Daniel!

This time it was Daniel who tilted his head at me curiously, and I barely pulled myself back together. Focus. Focus!

“I’m done!”

Daniel held up his drawing proudly for me to see. The jawline was a little square, the nose a bit crooked, and I couldn’t tell where the crown on the head came from—but judging from the brown hair and brown eyes, it was definitely me.

“Wow! That’s amazing, Daniel!”

I took the picture from him, tilting it this way and that, letting out words of admiration.

“Especially the gradient in the hair—it’s really cool! Like when you go to bed with your hair still damp, then wake up to find it’s somehow curled perfectly, as if styled. And look here, the eyes sparkle like diamonds! Even though I’m not actually wearing them right now, you added earrings and a crown that make me look so fancy, like a lady from a super wealthy household. You really did so well!”

Daniel blinked, looking like he didn’t quite follow my strange explanations, but when he realized I was praising him, his face broke into a big grin.

Kids really do grow on compliments!

“Show me the one you drew of me now.”

“Shall I? It’s not quite finished, though.”

I lifted my sketch with a smile. But Daniel’s bright face slowly stiffened.

Huh? Why?

“Uh… that is…”

Daniel fumbled for words, then glanced away when our eyes met.

“It’s… a drawing.”

Well, of course?

“I… suppose that’s me?”

Since we agreed to draw each other?

“…Yes.”

Why did that sound like a confession?

“….”

What’s with this awkward silence?

After a moment, Daniel stole another glance at the drawing, then back up at me. More like he was gauging my reaction.

“Lying is bad, right?”

“That’s right.”

I smiled warmly, thinking he remembered our talk from before.

“It’s… strange.”

“Hm?”

“I don’t look like that…”

Daniel muttered, looking deflated.

Ah… so he thinks I did a bad job. That’s why he reacted like that?

I compared Daniel’s face with the sketch I’d made. Honestly, I wasn’t much of an artist. I’d gotten decent at detailed botanical drawings thanks to classes and practice, but when it came to anything else, my skills were average at best.

Still, I thought I’d captured his likeness pretty well. What part was wrong?

“I thought you’d make me look pretty, like a flower…”

His disappointed tone made my heart sink. He must’ve had high expectations, since he thought I was good at drawing.

“I-I’ll try again.”

Flustered by his downcast voice, I grabbed my colored pencils.

Forget realism—this time I’d go for cute and pretty no matter what!

As soon as I said I’d redraw him, Daniel straightened up and tried to look dignified, making me stifle a laugh.

Let’s see… puffier cheeks for extra cuteness, bigger eyes… oh! Sparkles in the eyes! Yes, let’s add those! Maybe even a crown?

While I carefully worked on the new drawing, Daniel, too restless to just sit as a model, picked up his pencils and started sketching a nearby canna lily.

He studied it closely, searching for the best color matches, carefully rendering each petal and vein just like I’d taught him. He tilted his head this way and that, observing before drawing, doing his best to capture the flower’s form.

Each time he moved, his platinum hair shimmered in the sunlight. That hair clearly wasn’t from Lord Winchester. Nor his pale skin or delicate features—they were all from his mother.

“Daniel?”

“Yes?”

He answered without looking away, fully absorbed.

“Do you… remember your mother?”

His gaze slowly left the canna and turned to me. My stomach tensed, worried I might have touched a painful subject. But thankfully, his expression didn’t change.

In that moment, he did look a little like Lord Winchester—the clear blue eyes especially.

“….”

Daniel shook his head silently.

“But… Father told me something.”

After a brief hesitation, he spoke again. He wasn’t weighing whether it was okay to tell me; he was simply treating it like a precious secret, speaking in a small, careful voice.

“He said Mother was kind, so she became an angel in heaven. That she’s watching over me from the sky.”

His Winchester-blue eyes looked up at the sky, as if he could see someone waiting on the clouds.

“I see.”

I only nodded. Once, I would’ve been glad to hear it—relieved that Lord Winchester had said something nice to his child, happy that they had such a memory together, glad Daniel had such a beautiful image to hold on to.

But now… I couldn’t. The shift in my feelings was painfully clear.

Because now I feared I wouldn’t eat well, or sleep well, or spend nights awake and restless—all because of this unrequited love for Lord Winchester.

Honestly, I owed some repentance. After all, I’d told Lord Winchester a boldfaced lie.

“May I have a bit more salmon?”

…Apparently I wasn’t the type to waste away from lovesickness. My appetite hadn’t diminished at all. Otherwise, how could I empty my plate and even ask the maid for seconds right in front of my supposed crush?

But seriously, this salmon steak was way too delicious!

And earlier, in my panic over not pleasing Daniel with my drawing, I’d suggested hide-and-seek instead, and we’d run all over the garden together. Thanks to that, tonight I’d definitely sleep like a baby.

‘Guess I was never fated to be some tragic heroine of unrequited love.’

As I waited for a fresh, hot piece of salmon to arrive, I idly poked at my potato salad. Glancing up, I saw Lord Winchester, quietly eating.

Maybe he sensed my stare, because he suddenly lifted his head and met my eyes. I instantly turned away, pretending to be interested in something else.

But when I peeked back again, our gazes locked squarely. He was still looking at me, expression unchanged.

No—wait. Was there a faint wrinkle between his brows?

“Is something wrong…?”

The question slipped out as soon as I saw his expression. Ugh, curse my social instincts! Why couldn’t I just ignore it? Small talk wasn’t required!

“N-no. Nothing.”

I hastily backpedaled and turned away, pretending to wait for the maid.

Not pretending, actually. I really was waiting. My melt-in-your-mouth salmon steak! Come on, come on!

“There will be a joint army-navy training exercise next month. Including night drills. I may be home very late, or not until the following day. Once the dates are fixed, I’ll inform you.”

…What did I just hear? Joint training? Night drills? Coming home late—or not at all?

Sir! You are a patient who was poisoned barely a week ago!

“You’re still recovering, and you’re going to do night drills? That’s way too much! Can’t you get out of it?”

Seriously, this man! What if he collapses again? Does he think he’s invincible or something?

“As commander of the Imperial Knights, it’s impossible for me to be absent.”

“Impossible? Isn’t it just difficult?”

“Then let me rephrase. It is impossible.”

His firm tone made my temper spike again. Did he even realize he was still a patient?!

“…!”

Just as I was about to retort, I caught it—his lips, curving faintly upward. The second I noticed, the smile vanished, but I had already seen it.