Chapter 31. I Want to Know More About You

“Isn’t it hot?”

“!”

At that moment, Yuelina picked up the napkin placed in front of the table and carefully wiped the corner of Theo’s mouth.

Every time her fingertips touched his lips, Theo felt like his hair was standing on end.

At times like this, Theo felt truly unfamiliar with his own body.

Her touch felt so good, yet strangely, his body couldn’t stay still.

Yuelina hesitated when she saw Theo furrowing his brow.

Wiping his mouth seemed to have been too forward an action.

It was clear from how his expression instantly hardened.

She quickly withdrew her hand that had been wiping his mouth.

On the other hand, Theo barely held onto his reason, feeling regret as Yuelina’s touch left him.

“So, what did you do today, Yuna?”

“Ah! Today I cleaned the lower floors of the White Tower.”

“You cleaned it yourself?”

Theo’s expression was even more rigid than when Yuelina had wiped his mouth.

Yuelina hastily shook her head.

“Raye and Maelyn helped me……”

“Cleaning rooms is not the Grand Duchess’s job. You should have the servants do it.”

“But people are helping because I’m going to use it……”

Theo looked at Yuelina, who had drooped her shoulders. She looked like a squirrel drenched in rain.

What sudden wind had blown to make this squirrel-like woman clean the tower?

Did she feel the attic room was too cramped?

If that was the reason, Theo could help her in every way possible.

As soon as Yuelina hinted at wanting to come into the mansion, he would give her the largest room.

Theo let out a heavy sigh.

He felt it was ultimately his fault for coldly sending Yuelina to the attic room at their first meeting.

Feeling restless, Theo picked up his water glass and glanced at Yuelina again.

“What kind of room are you trying to make?”

“Our room.”

For a moment, Theo almost dropped the glass he was holding.

Our room?

Finally, sharing a room?

While Theo was trying to calm his racing heart, Yuelina opened her cute lips and spoke in a lively voice.

“The room on the first floor doesn’t have windows. You can’t see outside!”

Theo found himself nodding vigorously without realizing it.

There was a small room on the first floor of the tower that was meant to be used for storing weapons.

But as long as Theo was around, there was no chance of war in the principality, so it was just an empty room now.

That room was even smaller than the attic room where Yuelina was staying.

A small room without windows, to be our room?

What exactly did she want to do in a room where no one could peek?

Theo glanced at Yuelina’s face.

Yuelina, who had been smiling shyly, met Theo’s gaze.

“When the first snow falls, let’s meet there.”

Yuelina’s cheeks turned pink like a watercolor painting.

Right.

When it snows, it’s cold, so we desperately need each other’s body heat.

Of course, we should be alone in a room where not a single ray of light can escape when it snows.

No, it had to be that way.

Theo looked at Yuelina intensely.

Inside, he was already like a thick black snake twisting its body this way and that.

But would Yuelina really have thoughts similar to his dark intentions?

Could a white squirrel have such thoughts?

Theo became truly curious about her thoughts.

“What could we do in that room……”

He carefully broached the subject while observing Yuelina’s expression.

“We’ll avoid the snow.”

“I see. Avoid the snow……”

Theo paused.

“Why would we avoid snow?”

Theo, who had been consumed by all sorts of lustful thoughts, tilted his head as he looked at Yuelina.

So, this woman wanted to use that tiny room…

To avoid snow?

“I don’t like snow either.”

“You don’t like snow.”

“Yes! I’ve decided to dislike snow too.”

As she said this, Yuelina’s eyes were somehow filled with determination.

Decided to dislike snow?

As far as Theo knew, Yuelina had probably never seen snow.

The island where she was born and raised was said to have a warm climate that had never experienced winter.

They said autumn winds were just starting to blow on the island. There was no way Yuelina could have seen snow.

It would take at least half a year before the island would face a proper winter.

“Yuna, you’ve never seen snow, have you?”

At Theo’s words, Yuelina hesitated before parting her small lips.

“…I heard.”

“About what?”

“About Grand Duke Karenrose.”

Theo looked at Yuelina’s finely trembling eyelashes.

Yuelina, lowering her gaze and fidgeting with her hands, looked both anxious and apologetic.

“Yuna, if we’re to avoid snow, we’d have to stay in that room for half the winter.”

“What? Half?”

“Usually, the north is covered in snow throughout winter.”

“Ah……”

Yuelina opened her mouth slightly, looking perplexed.

She seemed unaware that surviving winter in Phaenyx was a battle against snow.

Still, Theo realized why Yuelina had been trying to be nice to him.

The way she fixed her gaze on him during meals, taking care of this and that.

Even her sudden desire to furnish a windowless room…

It was because she had learned where and how his mother had died.

There was no one in the principality who didn’t know about Grand Duke Karenrose’s death.

Everyone thought the principality had developed so much thanks to her.

If Ulysse and Raye had heard those words, they might have jumped in protest.

While Karenrose had given freedom regarding magic stones, it was Theo who had brought an abundance of magic stones.

Theo tilted his head slightly to the opposite side to hide his suddenly bitter feelings.

Yuelina, seeing Theo’s expression harden, grabbed the end of his sleeve.

Theo’s gaze, which had drifted away, returned to Yuelina’s fingertips.

“But, but I’m okay! I don’t need to see snow or anything!”

Theo burst into laughter as he looked at Yuelina’s clear face.

Yuelina thought Theo’s face, smiling gently, was quite handsome.

“You like taking walks, don’t you?”

“The room is big, so I can just keep walking!”

“To that extent?”

“…You’ll be sad when it snows, won’t you? I don’t want to leave you alone.”

Theo stared at Yuelina fidgeting with his sleeve.

Did Yuelina think he was pitiful?

Or was it something like sympathy?

Either way, Theo didn’t mind that fact at all.

Rather, he thought it would be good if Yuelina pitied him more, felt more sorry for him, sympathized with him more.

Then situations like this, where Yuelina reached out first, would occur.

Perhaps it would be better to tell Yuelina not about his mother, but about the wars Theo had experienced?

Starting with how he reattached an arm that had fallen off in battle.

He should also talk about how all his hair fell out when he was tortured, and how he stitched up a stab wound on his abdomen without medicine.

Then Yuelina would feel very sorry for him.

If that happened, wouldn’t she stay by his side, even if out of sympathy?

“Theo. I want to know more about you.”

“……”

“I want to know a lot about you, so I never want to do anything that hurts you again.”

Theo almost let out a hollow laugh.

Yuelina had never hurt him.

Yet Yuelina was now apologizing to Theo.

She was saying it was because she didn’t know about him.

Theo felt his heart swell unknowingly at this fact.

His body kept alternating between feeling hot and unsettled.

“I want to know about you too, Yuna.”

“Hmm… What should I tell you about?”

Yuelina crossed her arms and fell into deep thought.

Her pink eyes kept rising to the sky and falling back down.

“I grew up with just my father. In a house smaller than the attic room I’m staying in now.”

“I see.”

“My mother passed away early, they say. I don’t remember, but according to my father’s words, she was a fiery person.”

“Did she have a bad temper?”

At Theo’s question, Yuelina burst into laughter.

“No, I think he wanted to emphasize that she was a warm person.”

Yuelina continued speaking with a smile on her face.

“My father was rather reserved about talking about my mother. Whenever I was curious about her, I would light a bonfire in front of the house.”

“A bonfire?”

“Yes. Father became a bit more honest in front of the bonfire. I think the warm fire reminded him of mother.”

“Then we should light a bonfire in winter too.”

Yuelina’s eyes widened at Theo’s words.