Chapter 35

On the first evening after leaving the Blumhart Ducal estate, Lia and Harry decided to spend the night in the city of Koblenz, which they reached shortly after leaving the Capital.  

All the expenses for traveling between the north and the Capital were covered by the Blumhart family.  

Thus, the inn where they stayed for the night was a refined place, likely used by nobles or wealthy merchants.  

The luxurious inn was meticulously maintained both inside and out.  

Moreover, the warm meat stew and buttered bread served for dinner at the inn were so delicious that a smile naturally appeared on Lia’s face.  

“…Lady Rafaella resembles His Grace so much that for a moment, I thought His Grace had transformed into a little girl.” 

Harry said, sipping his wine from across the table.  

“Sir Harry, you’re quite different from the knights I imagined.”  

“I’m a bit frivolous, aren’t I? People often tell me that I’d be decent enough if I just kept my mouth shut.”  

“No, that’s not what I meant.”  

She shook her head with a smile.  

“I used to think knights were all scary and intimidating.”  

“Ah, like His Grace, perhaps?”  

“Yes, like the Duke.”  

Though her words could have been offensive, Harry’s witty example made Lia smile.  

Ever since she started living at the Ducal estate, she would often flinch whenever she saw knights in uniform from a distance.  

Now, she only startled a little when she saw knights, but as a child, she frequently had nightmares about them threatening her.  

‘On such nights, I would always run crying to Grandma.’  

Even though she lived in a remote mountain village where she rarely encountered knights, she had thought of them as terrifying and intimidating beings from a very young age.  

Curiously enough, no fairy tales she read as a child ever portrayed knights in a bad light.  

“But seeing you, Sir Harry, makes me think I might have been wrong.”  

“I’m relieved to know that my frivolity has helped you even a little, Miss Lia.”  

Harry made a playful yet formal gesture, which made her laugh again.  

“There are indeed knights who look quite fierce, but they all have gentle hearts, so you don’t need to be so afraid.”  

“Yes. I don’t think I’ll be as scared as before.”  

Harry’s wit and conversational skills made her feel at ease throughout the meal.  

After finishing their dinner, she bid Harry farewell and returned to her room.  

Before going to bed, Lia soaked her travel fatigue away in a small bathtub filled with warm water.  

Although it was only the first day and she hadn’t exerted herself enough to warrant relief, the warm water in the inn’s bathroom was so soothing that it made her sigh involuntarily.  

After soaking for a long time, Lia put on her nightgown and lay down on the neatly arranged bed.  

‘A day without Rafaella….’  

For some reason, the absence beside her felt empty.  

The absence of her beloved daughter felt much larger than the absence of her forgetful husband.  

She worried that Rafaella might also feel lonely and empty, just as she did.  

‘Raffy must be asleep by now. I wonder if he followed through with what I said.’  

As she imagined the stiff man sitting near their daughter’s bed and reading her a fairy tale, a small smile appeared on her face.  

It was a natural sight for her husband in the past, but imagining Johann, now encased in the rigid armor of the “Duke of Blumhart,” doing the same felt somewhat amusing.  

‘Still, if he really reads to her, Rafaella will probably love it.’  

Before losing his memory and leaving, her husband had always read fairy tales to Rafaella before bed.  

Thinking about her daughter, Lia absentmindedly fiddled with the bracelet Rafaella had given her until she fell asleep.  

***

Having fallen asleep late the previous night, preoccupied with thoughts and worries about Rafaella, Lia woke up to the bright morning sunlight.  

‘…What time is it?’ 

She glanced at the clock on the bedside table and hurriedly got up.  

“It’s already past 8….”  

She quickly washed her face, changed her clothes, and headed down to the inn’s dining hall.  

“Sir Harry, I’m so sorry for being late.”  

“It’s alright.”  

She apologized to Harry, who had already been waiting in the dining hall.  

Since Harry hadn’t eaten breakfast yet while waiting for her to wake up, Lia felt even more apologetic.  

She and Harry quickly finished their breakfast, and with his help, she climbed into the carriage.  

“Miss Lia, it’s not that late, so don’t worry too much.”  

Harry reassured her cheerfully as he began driving the carriage toward their next destination.  

***

That morning, Johann had breakfast with Rafaella.  

He had worried that their first meal together without Lia might be awkward, but it turned out better than expected.  

‘Perhaps it’s because I read her a storybook last night.’  

Seeing his daughter behave as usual despite her mother’s absence put him at ease.  

“Goodbye.”  

Rafaella waved as she held Helen’s hand, bidding farewell to Johann as he left for the Imperial Palace.  

Although he would have preferred to work from the Ducal estate today, he had to attend a noble meeting and consult some materials at the palace, leaving him no choice but to board the carriage.  

As he looked at Rafaella waving to him while holding a maid’s hand, he felt a slight tickle in his chest.  

‘When I first signed the contract, I never thought I’d feel this way.’  

Seeing Rafaella wave at him evoked a mix of affection and concern.  

‘…I feel uneasy leaving her behind and heading to the palace.’  

Even though there were people to take care of her, he still worried about his daughter being without her parents.  

‘Is this what it means to be a parent?’  

Shaking his head, he signaled the carriage to depart.  

“Samuel, is it normal for parents to constantly think about their children like this?”  

“…I suppose so.”  

Samuel, who was still unmarried and too busy to think about children, scratched his head.  

Upon arriving at the Imperial Palace, Johann endured a grueling four-hour noble meeting in the main conference hall.  

Afterward, he was so busy with work that he didn’t have time to worry about Rafaella.  

He had quick meals of sandwiches for lunch and dinner, and it was only late in the evening that he could finally board the carriage back to the Ducal estate.  

“Phew, I’m exhausted.”  

Leaning back into the soft seat of the carriage, Johann let out a deep sigh.  

“Did Rafaella have a good day today?”  

“Yes, according to the servant who reported earlier, she spent time with Lady Penelope and got along well with the maids.”  

To prevent any incidents like before, Johann had instructed a trusted servant to periodically check on Rafaella’s well-being while he was at the palace.  

Today, Samuel had received the report on his behalf due to Johann’s busy schedule.  

“It’s a relief to hear she’s doing well.”  

“Yes, I was worried she might feel down without Miss Lia, but thankfully, she seems fine.”  

Samuel, who also worried about the young Rafaella, was greatly relieved to hear the report.

Upon returning to the Ducal estate, Johann, despite his fatigue, quickly washed up and went to see Rafaella.  

“Rafaella, aren’t you asleep yet?”  

“The young lady insisted on waiting for you, Your Grace.”

Paula answered on Rafaella’s behalf.  

“…You stayed up waiting for me?”  

Surprised, Johann asked Rafaella.  

“…I have to say goodnight before sleeping.”  

Rafaella waved at him.  

For some reason, her eyes seemed a little sad to him.  

“I see. But Rafaella, next time, don’t wait and just go to bed. Children need to sleep early.”  

“…Okay.”  

When Rafaella nodded, Johann patted her head and wished her a good night.  

Since it was already very late, he didn’t read her a storybook and left.  

It seemed the second day without Lia passed peacefully as well, which was a relief.  

***

Johann, despite his exhaustion, found himself unable to sleep and only managed to doze off for a couple of hours by dawn. His body felt fatigued, but it seemed as though all traces of sleep had vanished.  

‘I should head to the training ground and work on my stamina.’  

After a simple workout, he returned to his room, took a brief shower in the bathroom, and changed into comfortable loungewear in the dressing room. He then made his way to the dining room to have breakfast with Rafaella.  

Arriving slightly earlier than their agreed time, Johann began reading the morning paper placed on the dining table while waiting for his daughter.  

“…What time is it now?”  

He put the newspaper down and asked the servant standing nearby.  

“It’s past 8:10.”  

Normally, he and Rafaella would have breakfast together at 8 o’clock, but it seemed time had slipped by as he read the paper.  

‘Did she oversleep because she went to bed late yesterday?’  

He worried that the maid might wake Rafaella for breakfast.  

‘I should tell them not to wake her and let her sleep in.’  

Since he only had a few simple tasks to handle in the afternoon, he thought they could have dinner together later instead. Just as he was about to call a servant and send them to Rafaella’s room to deliver the message—  

Knock, knock, knock.  

Someone knocked on the dining room door urgently.  

“Your Grace, it’s the maid Paula.”  

She was the maid tasked with looking after Rafaella in Lia’s absence.  

“Come in.”  

Paula entered, slightly out of breath as if she had run all the way to the dining room.  

“Is Rafaella still asleep?”  

“Well, no, it’s not that… The young lady has a high fever….”  

“What? What do you mean by that?”  

Johann pushed his chair back and sprang to his feet.