By dinnertime, the dining room of the Hitchens Estate felt livelier than it had in years.

Count Leon Hitchens sat at the head of the table, while Helena and Alexander occupied the seats opposite one another.

“I’m glad to hear you’ve already met Helena.”

Raising his glass toward Alexander, Leon spoke in a deep, measured voice.

“I’ve been feeling somewhat guilty for not informing you in advance. To be honest, I had no idea the child would arrive so suddenly.”

The lingering discomfort Leon felt toward Helena was still evident in his tone.

Pretending not to notice, Helena turned her head slightly and avoided his gaze.

“I’m merely a guest imposing upon your hospitality. How could I possibly have any complaints?”

Alexander raised his glass in return.

The two men continued their conversation with ease, exchanging remarks on various trivial subjects.

Their interaction seemed remarkably natural.

‘They really do seem close.’

‘I’ve never seen Grandfather look this pleased before.’

Quietly listening to their conversation, Helena picked up her fork.

The table was laden with roasted duck, fresh vegetables, and steaming bowls of soup.

The meal looked delicious, but perhaps because of the company, Helena found it difficult to relax and enjoy it.

Then—

“Come to think of it, I had no idea you had a granddaughter. Although, now that I think about it, we’ve never really spoken much about our families.”

Alexander casually brought Helena into the conversation.

Leon responded in his usual gruff manner.

“After my wife passed away, I spent my life alone. I have a daughter, but after she married and left home, we rarely saw one another. There simply wasn’t much to talk about.”

His gaze briefly landed on Helena before moving away.

“I bear no particular resentment over it. None of it is the child’s fault.”

After a pause, he added quietly,

“I simply don’t have much to say.”

“I see.”

Alexander studied Helena’s face for a moment before speaking.

“At first, I didn’t think the two of you looked alike at all. But the more I look, the more I think your noses are somewhat similar.”

His gaze shifted between them.

“Though her eyes resemble her grandmother’s.”

At those words, Leon looked at Helena once more.

As though reading the pages of a familiar book, he examined her features slowly and carefully.

Then his eyelashes trembled faintly.

“…Perhaps you’re right.”

‘Was it just her imagination?’

After that conversation, Helena began to notice a subtle change in the way Leon looked at her.

The sharp disapproval that had lingered in his eyes ever since her arrival seemed to have softened.

Just a little.

‘Perhaps…’

Her gaze drifted to the man sitting opposite her.

As though he had sensed her attention, he looked up and met her gaze.

A crooked smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

In an instant, the cold, imposing aura that usually surrounded him seemed to melt away.

But the moment was fleeting.

Almost immediately, he looked away.

The smile vanished as though it had never been there at all.

Returning to his usual impassive expression, he calmly answered Leon’s questions and resumed his meal.

Helena watched him quietly for a moment before tilting her head in thought.

‘Was he helping me?’

***

About a week later, Helena had begun to settle into the quiet rhythm of life at the Hitchens estate.

At first, everything felt unfamiliar and slightly uncomfortable.

There was the damp morning air that slipped through the window cracks.

The creak of the old wooden floorboards.

There was also the constant chorus of birdsong outside.

Not to mention Mabeline’s endless chatter.

But as the days passed, these things gradually stopped bothering her.

What had once felt strange and inconvenient slowly became part of her daily life.

‘If this is peace, then perhaps this is what peace feels like.’

Helena leaned back against the garden bench, closed her eyes and embraced the thought.

The gentle warmth of the early summer sun washed over her face and sank into her skin.

She had nowhere to go and nothing to do.

Life at the Hitchens Estate was undeniably quiet.

Perhaps even boring.

But there were no whispers here.

No judgemental stares.

No cruel gossip lurked around every corner.

If there was one thing Helena had learned, it was that boredom was far easier to endure than misery.

Truthfully, she wasn’t even that bored.

If she had to identify the reason…

It was probably the man not far away, splitting firewood beneath the summer sun.

“What a strange person.”

Helena narrowed her eyes and murmured to herself.

Most noblemen spent their days seated at desks with pens in hand.

Alexander, however, worked outdoors until he broke a sweat every day.

Thud.

Crack.

Each swing of the axe sent a dull, powerful sound echoing through the yard.

Helena watched the sunlight glint across Alexander’s forearms, turning his lightly bronzed skin golden.

Light flowed along the lines of his defined muscles.

“…”

Her gaze drifted to the back of his neck, damp with sweat.

A bead of perspiration slid slowly down the strong line of his throat.

Realizing she was staring, Helena quickly looked away.

For some reason, it felt as though she were watching something she shouldn’t have been.

‘It’s a little hot today.’

Fanning herself with one hand, Helena glanced toward the manor.

Mabeline was hanging halfway out a window, dusting the curtains.

Suddenly, Helena remembered a conversation they had shared a few days earlier.

“Lord Plimont is always busy. Around midday he’s usually off swimming somewhere. And if he isn’t, he’s chopping firewood.”

“Firewood? Personally?”

“Yes. I was shocked at first and tried to stop him, but he said he enjoys it. Apparently he feels better after working up a sweat. Thanks to him, we won’t have to worry about firewood this winter.”

“He’s certainly unusual. Down-to-earth, perhaps.”

“Very much so. He rarely asks for anything and treats everyone kindly. Though…”

“Though?”

“Sometimes he shouts in his sleep. I think he has nightmares. The whole manor can hear him when it happens. Have you really never heard it?”

A man as strong and unshakable as Alexander having nightmares.

The idea had seemed oddly out of place.

Even more so now.

Watching him split logs with powerful, practiced swings, Helena found it difficult to imagine anything capable of rattling him.

‘I wonder what happened to him..’

Just then—

“And what brings you outside today?”

Startled, Helena looked up.

The very man who had occupied her thoughts moments ago was now standing before her, leaning slightly to one side.

“I was beginning to think it was impossible to catch a glimpse of you.”

“The weather was nice.”

Helena rose from the bench.

“Why don’t you sit down for a while? You look like you could use the rest.”

“Are you offering me your seat?”

Alexander let out a laugh, sounding genuinely amused.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, he met her gaze.

Helena shook her head.

“I was about to go inside anyway. I’ve had enough sun for one day, and it’s starting to get warm.”

“Already?”

A faint note of disappointment slipped into Alexander’s voice before either of them could pretend it hadn’t.

Alexander raised a brow.

“Then what exactly do you do all day? You don’t seem to meet anyone, and it’s not as though you ever go out.”

“Do I have to be doing something?”

Helena replied lightly.

“I simply rest. I read in the library, among other things.”

“Ah, the library.”

A look of realization crossed Alexander’s face.

“So that’s where you’ve been. No wonder I couldn’t find you by the lake, in the garden, or in the drawing room.”

His answer made Helena pause.

“Then, Your Gra—”

“Alexander.”

He corrected her immediately.

“I believe we agreed to call each other by our names.”

Strictly speaking, he had been the only one to make that decision.

Still, Helena decided not to argue.

There was little point in spending the entire summer engaged in pointless debates with him.

“Very well… Alexander.”

“That’s better, Helena.”

His response came far too smoothly.

Helena chose to ignore it.

“What I meant to ask is… why are you looking for me?”

Alexander regarded her quietly.

“Am I not allowed to?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

She hurried to clarify.

“You came here to rest somewhere peaceful, away from people. I simply happened to intrude upon that.”

“Let’s call it an unexpected pleasure.”

A faint smile touched his lips.

“I didn’t realize I was such an easygoing person myself, but having someone new to get to know has proven surprisingly enjoyable.”

“…”

“And wouldn’t having someone to talk to make a long summer a little less lonely for you as well?”

Helena pouted slightly.

“You say that, but you never answer my questions properly. I’ve asked at least three times how you came to know my grandfather.”

“That’s because the more I avoid answering, the more curious you become.”

One corner of Alexander’s mouth curved upward.

“And I very much enjoy the idea of you being curious about me.”

His gaze settled on hers.

“Even more curious than I am about you.”

“This isn’t a competition.”

“Then let’s make it one.”

Alexander’s dark brown eyes gleamed with amusement.

“How about this?”

He leaned forward slightly.

“The first person to learn more about the other wins.”

“What kind of ridiculous wager is that?”

Helena asked, unable to hide her disbelief.

Alexander only smiled.

A confident, infuriating smile.

“Are you afraid you’ll lose?”