Caspian turned his eyes away from the broken rose and brought a book to sit at the table again.
The image of that bowed head lingered in his mind. He couldn’t shake the thought that he had behaved unnecessarily emotionally.

‘I didn’t need to speak so harshly…’

Facing the child, he had felt inexplicably anxious.

It was an instinctive aversion. Something to be kept at a distance, as he had always done.

Things he wanted to possess, things he wanted to keep in his heart, things he wanted to keep by his side to look at for a long time.

Although Caspian was the master of this mansion now, he couldn’t truly own anything in it.
From this room where he spent most of his days to the servants who worked for him, even the clothes he wore—he never knew when they would be taken from him.

It was better not to have something than to lose what you had. If you couldn’t have something, it was better not to give even a piece of your heart from the beginning.

That’s how he had habitually kept everything at a distance. Objects, places, people. So that it wouldn’t hurt when they inevitably left, so he wouldn’t be wounded.

“Young master.”

Caspian jerked his head up at the sudden voice calling him. Baron Luzen was standing there with a stern face.

With his sparse white hair combed back stiffly without a single strand out of place, the Baron’s hairstyle already hinted at his blunt and rigid personality.

Caspian’s shoulders instinctively hunched when he met the Baron’s severe gaze.

“You seem particularly unfocused today. Are you still unwell?”

“…No.”

Baron Luzen was a close aide who had worked as the Duke of Obenhart’s assistant for more than twenty years.

Three years ago, he had handed over his assistant duties to his eldest son and returned to Luzen territory, but recently he had been put in charge of Caspian’s successor education by the Duke’s orders.

“If you’re having difficulty, please say so anytime. We can reschedule.”

“That’s not… Let’s continue.”

The Baron maintained the same expressionless face. Whether greeting, teaching, or pointing out mistakes, his expression never changed.

Yet Caspian always read reproach in his eyes.

“Then I’ll resume with the history of Obenhart territory.”

The Baron restarted the lesson in a solemn tone. Caspian, who had been looking at the Baron’s eyes, lowered his head.

It felt as though this man, who knew the Duke’s intentions better than anyone, was conveying his father’s will through those eyes.

‘Useless thing.’

Caspian shook his head weakly to dispel the afterimage.

Suddenly, he recalled those blue eyes looking at him. That kind gaze he had seen upon waking from a terrible nightmare.

His bitten lips turned pale.

* * *

The barely touched dinner was carried away in a maid’s hands. Caspian sighed deeply with his face buried in his hands.

It had been an unusually tiring day. Though nothing had been different from usual.

Caspian could guess the reason but deliberately chose not to dwell on it.

Standing by the bedside table, he stared for a long time at the white rose that had remained in the same sorry state since last night.

It was pitiful.

Was this sad sight the problem? The reason it kept catching his eye?

Caspian raised his right hand and moved it over the rose. Following his slow, sweeping motion in the air, the separated petals reattached themselves and began to regain vitality.

By the time he completely withdrew his hand, the rose had returned to its original state, just as when Cordelia had brought it.

How long had it been since he’d seen a flower up close? The subtle scent of roses tickled his nose.

A knock sounded. It would be a maid bringing water for washing. With his eyes still on the rose, Caspian spoke.

“Come in.”

Caspian unbuttoned his shirt sleeve. Thinking that he would need to get a sleeping pill prescription if he couldn’t fall asleep on time again tonight, he rolled up his sleeve.

“Leave it and go. I don’t need assistance.”

There was no answer. With a strange sense of déjà vu, Caspian turned around.

Standing at the door with a very tense face was Cordelia. Caspian’s eyes widened.

“You… why…”

Apparently quite surprised, Caspian couldn’t continue speaking.

Cordelia, who had tightly closed her eyes once before opening them again, strode toward him.

From a distance where she had to stretch her arms fully just to reach him, the child held out a piece of paper. Caspian, who had been quietly observing her, took a step forward.

「I’m sorry for being rude yesterday, young master. I didn’t know you disliked flowers. I’ll be careful from now on.」

The paper he took had the imperial language written in an awkward handwriting.

She writes letters like drawing pictures too, he thought absently as he looked at the child.

“I thought you quit?”

At his question, Cordelia handed him another piece of paper she was holding. This time it had a slightly longer text.

「If my inability to speak the imperial language bothers you, I will learn it. Although I cannot speak, I can learn to write. I will do whatever you ask me to do, and I will never do anything you dislike. Please allow me to serve you, young master.」

Each crooked letter conveyed desperation. Caspian couldn’t understand.

“Why… why do you want to stay here so badly…?”

To Caspian, this place, this mansion was a prison he wanted to escape from at any moment. Every time he saw the blue sky outside the window, he felt suffocated and wanted to run away.

But at the same time, it was also a place he absolutely didn’t want to leave.

Like a caged bird that had forgotten how to fly, he could never leave this place.

Until he was finally abandoned.

Cordelia took a deep breath and handed him yet another paper. Her slender frame trembled slightly.

「Since coming to the Empire, I have never once had the chance to choose anything for myself. Deciding to work in this mansion is the first choice I’ve made in the Empire. I’m not here just because I need money. I need to live. I need to take a step forward to continue my life. I am not just a pitiful child who cannot speak. I beg you, with your generosity, to give me a chance.」

The black words resonated loudly in Caspian’s head and heart. He had never heard such a powerful cry before.

Lifting his eyes from the writing, Caspian looked at the child. With her hands clasped together and eyes tightly shut, she looked as if she was praying. Seeing her like that, he felt his resolve weaken.

Everything suddenly seemed meaningless. All his avoiding and running away now seemed foolish.

What right did he have to stand in this child’s way when he himself was trapped in a place even smaller than her world, merely enduring each day?

That would be arrogance.

“…Alright.”

Cordelia’s head snapped up. Her eyes, like a clear summer sky, sparkled.

As if enchanted by those eyes, Caspian spoke softly. For the first time in a very long while, he thought simply.

“Do that.”

“……”

“Work here.”

He wanted to choose what his heart pointed to. He didn’t want to think about the consequences or wounds it might bring. He just wanted to do it.

Just. What a carefree and tension-free word.

The eyelids covering those blue eyes curved like crescent moons. A broad smile filled her face, yet it was quiet.

‘So this is how she smiles…’

Caspian’s expression softened.

Cordelia bowed repeatedly to express her gratitude. As she turned to leave, Caspian called her back.

“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve heard your name yet.”

“……”

“Your name.”

To the puzzled Cordelia, Caspian asked again and took a step closer. Finally understanding, Cordelia opened her mouth wide and took out a notebook and pen from her pocket.

Caspian read aloud the flowing handwriting.

「Cordelia…」

“……”

“What a pretty name.”

Cordelia’s ears turned bright red. Hearing her name called by the young master for the first time made her feel shy.

As Cordelia was about to withdraw her hand showing the notebook, Caspian quickly took it and tore out the page.

He returned the notebook to the blinking, confused Cordelia.

“You may go now.”

Cordelia stared blankly at the returned notebook.

“Oh, take that with you.”

Caspian pointed indifferently at the side table behind him.

Tilting her head slightly to see behind him, Cordelia walked to the table.

She picked up the neatly placed white rose and turned around sharply. Her face was visibly delighted.

Holding the rose preciously, Cordelia bowed to Caspian. He watched her cheerful steps as she hurriedly left the room, then shifted his gaze to the paper in his hand.

“Cordelia Green.”

The crooked handwriting was no exception even for her own name.

Caspian opened the drawer of the side table and placed the paper inside.