At Leon’s question, Alexander’s eyes widened slightly.

When he failed to answer right away, Leon murmured,

“So I was right.”

“……”

“Does Helena feel the same way?”

Once again, Alexander found himself unable to answer.

He did not know whether he had the right to speak about their relationship without Helena’s permission.

Perhaps Leon had not truly expected an answer, because he merely took a slow breath.

“Was that why you left so suddenly?”

This time, Alexander finally spoke.

“No, it wasn’t.”

His voice was calm.

“I simply couldn’t leave my position unattended for any longer.”

“That is true.”

Leon studied Alexander’s face quietly.

Then, for the first time in a long while, he called him by his old nickname.

“Alex.”

Alexander, who had been looking down, lifted his head.

“Leon.”

“I have cherished you all my life.”

Leon’s voice softened.

“I thought of you as a son. As a grandson. And I still do. You know that, don’t you?”

“Yes. I know.”

A faint smile appeared at the corners of Leon’s lips.

“There are still times when you look like a child to me.”

His eyes grew distant with memory.

“A boy who loved sweets and could hardly sit still because he wanted to run around and play.”

“Is that so?”

Alexander leaned back against his chair.

“I don’t remember much from those days. There aren’t many happy memories from my childhood.”

His gaze softened.

“But in the few good memories I do have, you’re always there, Leon. Those summers I spent here at the Hitchens Estate were some of the happiest days of my life.”

“I know.”

A quiet chuckle escaped Leon.

“Whenever summer ended and it was time for you to return to the Plimont Ducal Estate, you’d cry your eyes out with that sunburnt face of yours.”

His smile deepened.

“I can still see it as clearly as if it were yesterday.”

The two men shared a quiet laugh.

Looking into Leon’s blue eyes, Alexander continued.

“Then do you know this as well?”

“……”

“That even if I gathered together every one of those summers, they still wouldn’t compare to how happy I’ve been this summer.”

At Alexander’s words, something deepened in Leon’s gaze.

After a long silence, Leon finally spoke.

“I swear before heaven that I cherish you as much as I cherish Helena. I truly want you to be happy. But I’m worried about her, Alex.”

“I understand.”

“Do you know how Helena came to live here?”

Alexander nodded.

“I do.”

“Then you understand exactly what concerns me.”

“I do.”

Leon let out a long sigh.

“You are the Duke of Plimont. Even if this relationship falls apart, it won’t leave so much as a scratch on your life.”

“……”

“But Helena is different.”

His voice grew heavier.

“She has only just managed to stand on her own feet again. And for someone like her, the Duke of Plimont may simply be too much of a burden.”

Leon looked steadily at Alexander.

“I would stake my life on the fact that you’re a good man. But that’s an entirely different matter.”

After pausing to catch his breath, he continued.

“When a young man and woman spend enough time together, feelings are bound to develop.”

A faint smile touched his lips before fading away.

“But Helena would have to risk far too much for the sake of what may be nothing more than a passing passion.”

Alexander quietly listened before shaking his head.

“It isn’t a passing passion.”

His voice was unwavering.

“Nor did I approach her lightly.”

Looking directly at Leon, he continued,

“What I want is to marry Helena.”

His expression did not change.

“If she accepts my feelings, I can handle every other problem myself.”

There was such certainty in his eyes and voice that Leon could not doubt his sincerity.

After sitting in thought for a long while, Leon finally spoke.

“If Helena chooses to accept your feelings, then I will gladly give you both my blessing.”

He paused.

“But I hope you’ll proceed carefully.”

“I will. You have my word.”

Leon coughed several times.

When Alexander poured him a glass of water and handed it over, Leon took a sip before speaking again.

“The truth is, that isn’t why I asked you to come today.”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“Though it has become rather awkward to ask now.”

Leaning forward slightly, Alexander said,

“If it’s a favor…”

“I was actually planning to entrust Helena to you.”

Alexander’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“I wanted to ask you to check on her from time to time. To look after her.”

Leon cleared his throat.

“For a long time, I believed I had no lingering attachment to this world.”

His gaze drifted somewhere far away.

“For decades, I’ve lived wanting nothing more than to die and see Elizabeth again.”

“……”

“Right before I collapsed, countless thoughts crossed my mind.”

Leon spoke quietly.

“So this is the end. This is how I die.”

A faint smile touched his lips.

“But I didn’t feel relieved.”

His gaze settled on Alexander.

“I was worried about Helena. I kept wondering what would become of her after I was gone.”

Their eyes met.

“If the two of you were to end up together, I would have nothing left to worry about. But if not…”

“Don’t worry, Leon.”

Alexander cut in before he could finish.

“……”

“Even if Helena never accepts my feelings, and even if we grow apart, I will continue to look after her.”

Relief spread across Leon’s face.

“That’s reassuring to hear.”

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

“If it’s your word, then I can trust it.”

After a moment, Leon added,

“In that case, I think I’ll revise my will today. Would you be willing to act as a witness?”

***

Lying in bed, Helena stared blankly at the ceiling.

Her body remained perfectly still, but a fierce battle raged inside her mind.

‘I really don’t know what I’m supposed to do.’

Helena clenched the blanket tightly in her fists.

Even as a teenage girl, her heart had never raced like this before.

Not when she received her first invitation to a date.

Not when she snuck into the garden to share her first kiss.

Not even on her wedding night with Nigel.

For some reason, simply looking at Alexander made her whole body feel warm.

Whenever his amber-brown eyes settled on her, her mind went completely blank.

The slightest accidental brush of their fingertips sent a thrill through her.

And whenever she heard his voice, a shiver ran through her from head to toe.

Before she knew it, she found herself thinking back to the kiss they had shared in the studio several days earlier.

“You didn’t drink it.”

“How could I possibly drink this?”

“I left it here for you.”

It had been during one of the brief moments they paused to catch their breath after losing themselves in each other’s kisses.

Alexander had discovered a bottle of wine resting on a bookshelf and picked it up.

After turning it over in his hands and examining it, he flashed a grin.

“Shall we share it?”

With practiced ease, he pulled out the cork and took a sip.

And then—

Helena’s face turned bright red as the memory resurfaced.

‘I’ve completely lost my mind…’

There hadn’t even been enough wine to fill a single glass.

And yet the two of them were completely drunk.

Perhaps it wasn’t the wine that had affected them.

Perhaps it was each other.

The wine Alexander tasted found its way to Helena.

The wine that Helena lingered over found its way to Alexander.

The rich scent of grapes left her light-headed.

Lost in each other and savoring every stolen moment, they forgot everything else.

Then a single drop of wine slipped from the corner of Helena’s mouth.

A crimson trail traced its way past her chin and down the slender curve of her neck.

In the darkness, something flickered in Alexander’s eyes.

It sent a tremor through her.

Slowly, his lips descended to her neck.

A shiver raced through her entire body.

Helena closed her eyes.