「Go away.」

“…Don’t you need to head back soon?”

Cordelia looked at the grandfather clock.

It hadn’t been two hours since she had prepared the young master’s lunch and left. Since today was the day Hugo was coming, she could return a bit later.

「I’ll handle it myself.」

“You’ve become even colder since learning the imperial language.”

Cordelia focused on memorizing vocabulary, ignoring Evan’s complaints.

Whenever Dr. Hugo came, Caspian always sent Cordelia out of the room.

Although she didn’t want to face that rude and unpleasant character, Cordelia couldn’t understand why she, as a personal maid, should be excluded from monitoring the young master’s health.

The young master never commanded her forcefully, but Cordelia could read the atmosphere.

That subtle change in his expression and voice when drawing a line that shouldn’t be crossed.

Her hand holding the fountain pen stopped. Evan rested his chin on both hands and looked at Cordelia.

“Your concentration is slipping, right? Right? So play with me.”

「Why are you being so annoying today?」

“Annoying? Is that how you talk to your big brother!”

“He’s being clingy because he has to return to Luzen next week and feels regretful.”

Gideon, who had entered without notice, placed his hand on Evan’s head. Evan pushed out his lower lip in a pout.

Cordelia looked up at Gideon with wide eyes. If Gideon left, it would be difficult to study the imperial language as she did now.

Gideon, immediately noticing the child’s concern, smiled kindly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay in Asteris. You can come visit anytime in the future.”

Cordelia let out a small sigh of relief.

“Uncle, why aren’t you going with us?”

“Unlike you, who will become the future heir of Luzen, I’m the son who has fallen out of the family’s favor.”

Gideon raised the end of his sentence as if teasing. Evan turned his head sharply and grumbled discontentedly.

“You wouldn’t be comfortable there anyway because of grandfather…”

“What did you say?”

“Oh, nothing…”

The Baron of Luzen, who was in Asteris for Caspian’s successor education, was also staying at the Luzen family’s villa.

Although Evan had already noticed that the relationship between his grandfather and his youngest uncle was not good, Gideon didn’t show this to his nephew.

“By the way, Del, don’t you want to meet your mother?”

Gideon no longer bothered speaking to Cordelia in the Therion language. It meant that Cordelia could now understand the imperial language without much difficulty.

Cordelia flinched at Gideon’s question.

“If you really don’t have time, we could invite Amelia here.”

“That’s just your personal interest, uncle.”

“Evan, stop interfering and leave.”

Since starting work as a maid at the Obenhart villa, Cordelia had not visited the inn where she lived with her mother even once.

It wasn’t that she didn’t miss her mother. She had simply realized something.

That her desire to escape from her mother’s embrace was just as strong as her determination to overcome her situation.

Being with her mother inevitably made her think of her father and the happy times they had shared.

Due to the guilt over this sudden realization of her true feelings, Cordelia became even more reluctant to see her mother.

Perhaps her mother had seen through her daughter’s heart. In the occasional letters she sent, she never wrote that she missed her.

Gideon smiled bitterly as he looked at Cordelia, who gave no answer.

Evan, who had been looking back and forth between the two, suddenly raised his voice.

“Butler! Bring what I mentioned earlier!”

Soon, an elderly butler with white hair brought in a large strawberry cake. Cordelia’s mouth fell open.

“I ordered it early this morning. You like strawberries, don’t you?”

Evan said proudly with a satisfied expression.

Seeing the child’s previously dark expression instantly brighten, Gideon thought he should let Evan do everything he wanted before returning to Luzen.

* * *

Cordelia flung open Caspian’s door, then belatedly closed it in surprise.

Although it seemed pointless to leave after already entering, Caspian pretended not to notice and waited for the child’s knock.

Soon, a knocking sound was heard. Caspian deliberately gave his permission in a leisurely manner to the somewhat urgent sound.

Once again, the door burst open.

「Would you like some cake?」

The reason for her excited footsteps was immediately apparent without asking.

Cordelia, who had placed the packaged strawberry cake on the table before even hearing his answer, looked at Caspian with an expectant face.

“What’s this cake for?”

「I received it!」

“Oh?”

「It’s delicious!」

While eating the cake Evan had prepared, she suddenly realized something. That she had never seen the young master eating dessert.

Though she had often served him tea, she had never brought sweet desserts like cookies or cake during her time working.

It could simply be that he didn’t prefer them, but she thought it wouldn’t be bad to occasionally recommend such things since they could improve his mood.

Caspian was always in a bad mood on days when Hugo visited. Though it didn’t show on his face, Cordelia could tell.

Could that man be rude even to the young master?

Thinking about it, there were many strange points.

His confident attitude that was almost brazen for an employee, the young master always having nightmares after his visits, and the suspicious fact that he only examined the sickly young master once a month.

Hugo was Caspian’s personal physician but didn’t reside at the villa.

Of course, Cordelia had a poor impression of him to the point of suspicion, even if Hugo were to greet her with a gentle smile.

Caspian, who had been looking at the bright blue eyes, picked up a fork.

“Sit down.”

Cordelia promptly sat across from him. The child seemed to be waiting for his opinion on the cake.

The sweet cream melted softly in Caspian’s mouth.

“It’s sweet.”

「Do you dislike sweet foods?」

“Well…”

「I like them!」

“Do you?”

「Sweet things make me feel good.」

Caspian stared at the last sentence for a moment.

He stabbed the cake deeply with his fork. His chewing mouth moved slowly.

Cordelia waited quietly with her hands neatly placed on her knees.

“Would you like to tell me something? Anything.”

Caspian said after eating about half the cake.

Cordelia, who had been thinking with her eyes rolling, picked up her fountain pen.

「Do you like winter?」

“Well, I don’t particularly like or dislike it.”

「I like it. But Asteris’s winter is different from the winter I used to like.」

“How is it different?”

「In Therion, it snows a lot in winter.」

Cordelia recalled the winter in Ernel covered in white snow. There, snow fell all day, piling up so softly that it didn’t hurt even if you ran around excitedly and fell.

However, in Asteris, the temperature didn’t drop much even in winter, so it rained instead of snowing. One of the things Cordelia missed since coming to Asteris was snow.

Cordelia suddenly realized and wrote:

「Snow is something white and cold that falls from the sky like rain.」

“Yes, I know.”

She had added this explanation thinking that Caspian, who had only been in Asteris, might not know what snow was, but he responded indifferently.

“Obenhart is a territory in the northern part of the Empire, so the weather isn’t much different from Therion.”

Despite his tone, his explanation to the curious Cordelia was kind. Cordelia nodded.

The young master was said to have been seven years old when he came to Asteris.

A question crossed Cordelia’s mind: didn’t the young master miss Obenhart after spending such a long time of seven years in a foreign place?

During the three years since leaving Therion, Cordelia had missed Ernel countless times.

The cool summer breeze and the scent of the lush green forest. These faded sensations were now blurry even in her dreams.

The things she liked became hazier with each passing day, while the things she wanted to forget only became clearer.

“Do you miss the snow?”

Cordelia looked up at the gentle voice. The calm green eyes pretended not to observe the child’s expression.

Instead of answering yes, Cordelia asked in return:

「Don’t you miss it?」

“…Well.”

Uncharacteristically hesitating, Caspian put down his fork. Half of the cake still remained.

“I forgot about such things long ago.”

Caspian turned his head toward the window. Cordelia instinctively felt that this was an opportunity to make her tenth suggestion.

「Would you like to go for a walk in the garden?」

“No.”

Despite her determined look, Caspian immediately refused. Not disappointed by the expected answer, Cordelia pressed on.

「It’s good for a change of mood!」

“No.”

「Since Asteris isn’t cold even in winter, the trees in the garden—」

The writing that had been fluttering as if about to fly with her rapidly moving hand was suddenly cut off. Her small hand was completely covered by a large, firm hand.