Chapter 1 (Part 6)

Back then, it had been so dark at the scene that she hadn’t even gotten a proper look at his face, aside from the brief moment when he handed her the handkerchief. It seemed only natural that she wouldn’t remember. Since she hadn’t mentioned anything, he hadn’t expected much.  

However, hearing the word “handkerchief” left Theodore feeling deeply unsettled.  

Even though he knew that no one else besides the two of them was aware of what had happened that day, he couldn’t help but feel as if he were completely exposed, as though standing n*ked.  

He even considered whether he should cover her mouth. But just as he was contemplating this, Reinis opened her eyes.  

Their gazes met in midair.  

Reinis looked at him with eyes filled with kindness, longing, and a hint of sadness. As he swallowed nervously, she gave him a soft smile and reached out her hand.  

“Your eyes… are still so beautiful…”  

Still not fully awake from her dream, she murmured in a dazed voice, gently stroking his cheek as she spoke.  

Shock and disbelief.  

It was a situation that left everyone present utterly dumbfounded.  

However, Reinis, the person at the center of it all, simply turned over as if nothing had happened, her breathing soft and steady as she fell back into a deep sleep.  

Among the servants, who all knew very well how much Theodore hated physical contact with others, a heavy silence fell.  

Everyone held their breath, carefully observing Theodore’s reaction.  

Some of the servants, fearing a disaster might unfold, quietly slipped out of the room, saying they would call for Deputy-Commander Hel.  

At that moment, Theodore softly smiled and gently brushed her hair back.  

“It’ll be our little secret.”

His voice was so tender that it made the hearts of those watching flutter.  

Everyone in the room froze in place.  

None of them had ever imagined that Theodore, who had never shown a smile filled with affection toward anyone, could look at someone with such an expression and gaze.  

The first to recover from the shock was the physician.  

“I think it would be best to treat the lady while she’s awake. For now, everyone should step outside.”  

A distinguished guest had suddenly arrived at the Duke’s manor.  

The presence of a young lady, around Theodore’s age, became quite the hot topic among the servants of the Duke’s manor.  

Above all, the incident where she had stroked his cheek had been greatly exaggerated as it spread from mouth to mouth among the staff.  

The servants, who had already been whispering about how unusual it was for the cold-hearted Duke—so cold that it seemed not a drop of blood would spill even if he were pricked—to bring a woman into the manor, were now spinning wild tales. 

Some even went as far as to write an imaginary romance novel, claiming that the two were involved in a love that could never be and that the Duke had ultimately kidnapped her.  

No one had any malicious intent. They were simply excited, thrilled at the idea that love had finally come to their master.  

Moreover, since her arrival, the atmosphere of the Duke’s manor had begun to change noticeably.  

The interior of the mansion and even the flowers in the garden had become brighter and more splendid. At the center of all this was Hel, the Duke’s aide and Deputy-Commander of the Knight Order.  

Hel, who had arrived holding a letter from the Baroness Martin, Reinis’s mother, spoke in a playful tone.  

“Are you really going to keep rejecting visits from the Martin family? They’re your future in-laws, after all.”  

“Be quiet.”  

“She’s the only person who’s ever touched your cheek and lived to tell the tale. Ah, I should’ve witnessed that historic moment myself. As your mentor, it pains me that I couldn’t see it firsthand.”  

“I said, be quiet.”  

Theodore replied, not even bothering to look up from the documents, as though annoyed. Hel, finding his reaction amusing, continued teasing in a playful voice.  

“Next time, can I come along too? Since you gently brushed her hair this time, perhaps next time you’ll pull her into a tight embrace?”  

“Hel!!”  

Finally, Theodore’s anger exploded. He jumped up from his seat and shouted, glaring at Hel.  

“Oh, now you’re finally looking at me. Sir, do you know what this is?”  

Hel, satisfied and smiling, shrugged his shoulders with a mischievous expression and waved the letter from Baroness Martin in the air.  

Theodore let out a deep sigh and pressed his fingers to his forehead.  

Hel—he was a commoner boy whom the Duke and Duchess had brought to the manor when they were still alive.  

The Duke and Duchess gave him the name Heldor and accepted him as a member of the Duke’s knight order.  

Although there wasn’t much of an age difference between him and Theodore, Heldor’s skills, honed from working as a mercenary since childhood to survive, were truly exceptional.  

As soon as he was properly taught swordsmanship, his aptitude for becoming a Swordmaster quickly became evident. Because of this, he naturally took the position of Theodore’s swordsmanship instructor.  

This also made him the only person in the Duke’s manor who dared to play pranks on Theodore.  

“This is a letter from Baroness Martin. I brought it because she caused a commotion, insisting she would deliver it to you personally. If I hadn’t gone, she would’ve broken through the guards and made it into the garden.”  

After finishing his explanation, Heldor placed the letter in front of him.  

“This was your goal, wasn’t it, Heldor?”  

His voice was filled with irritation. Realizing that pushing him any further would not end well, Heldor awkwardly smiled and said,  

“I have to oversee the knights’ training, so I’ll take my leave and head to the training grounds.”  

Theodore let out a sigh as he watched Heldor quickly flee, then turned his gaze to the letter in front of him.  

During the days when Reinis focused on her recovery, Theodore had gathered information about her.

Their first meeting was still vivid in his memory, so much so that it felt as if it had happened just yesterday. He had even attended one of those detested banquets just to meet her.  

However, after that, he hadn’t seen her again.  

Following that day, Reinis had been confined for an entire month, and right before her confinement ended, Theodore had to leave for the battlefield.  

By the time Theodore returned from the war two years later, he had already given up searching for her—a woman whose name and family he didn’t even know—and returned to his usual self.  

When he finally met her again, his heart was thrown into chaos by a whirlwind of emotions.  

The cheerful and bright woman who had once smiled and carried on lively conversations had completely disappeared. In her place was someone with dull, lifeless eyes and a despairing expression, as though she had given up on everything in the world.  

What could have possibly happened to her during that time to change her so drastically?  

With such thoughts, Theodore began to investigate her past and eventually learned about her family background, which was somewhat well-known.  

‘After the death of the late Baroness Martin, Jackley Martin remarried Elina Martin, the current Baroness, and had a son, Adolf Martin, who is the lady’s half-brother and the heir to the Baron’s family. Since then, her tutors have been dismissed one after another, and no new ones were hired. In social circles, it’s an open secret that she’s being abused, but everyone pretends not to know.’

As Theodore quietly recalled the story Hel had uncovered about her, he unhesitatingly crumpled up the letter from Elina that was sitting in front of him.  

“With what nerve could she dare…”  

Although frustration surged within him, Theodore knew well that he couldn’t keep delaying his meeting with her forever. He had to suppress the urge to burn the letter immediately.  

“Miss! Do you know what this is? The head chef of the Duke’s manor taught me how to bake cookies, so I baked these cookies myself!”  

Yuria, brimming with excitement, placed a basket of cookies in front of Reinis as she spoke.  

“Oh, and the meals for the staff here are just too extravagant! When I went to have breakfast, the table was filled with dishes I’d never even seen before!”  

Seeing Yuria so cheerful, as if she were boasting, Reinis’s eyes began to glisten with tears.  

At the Baron’s manor and even when they were at the Earl’s manor, Yuria and Reinis had subsisted mostly on dry, hard bread. Even then, the portions were so small that Yuria often handed over her share to Reinis, claiming she wasn’t hungry.  

The treatment they had received was nothing short of the worst.  

As those memories resurfaced, Reinis was overwhelmed with guilt toward Yuria.  

“I’m sorry…”  

In the end, Reinis apologized to Yuria, her voice trembling as though she were about to cry.  

Caught off guard by her sudden apology, Yuria tilted her head and replayed her earlier words in her mind.  

“Oh…”  

Letting out a short sigh, Yuria’s expression quickly stiffened.  

“More than anything, I just enjoy being with you, Miss!”  

Yuria finished her words with a deliberately serious expression, then studied Reinis’s reaction.  

Although she had raised her voice for Reinis’s sake before, she had never once spoken up about the unfair treatment she herself had received.  

Even back at the Earl’s manor, she had shouted that the true Countess was Reinis, not the mistress, which had gotten her thrown out by the mistress.  

As all those memories resurfaced, Reinis, unable to suppress the emotions welling up inside her, burst into tears.  

“Miss… I was wrong. Truly, as long as you’re here, that’s all I need.”  

Seeing Reinis crying, Yuria eventually broke into tears as well, and the two of them embraced each other, sobbing for a long time.  

Even though she had returned to the past, Reinis felt utterly frustrated with herself for not being able to save Yuria or herself.  

It was then that she made up her mind. She resolved that she would no longer allow Yuria to suffer such treatment because of her. For Yuria, who had always stayed by her side and supported her, she decided she had to change.  

And it wasn’t long before Reinis was given an opportunity to act on her resolve.