Spring deepened.

The early spring flowers bowed their heads, while the late spring blossoms began to open their buds one by one.

By the time they were all in full bloom, many things had changed.

New people had arrived at the Winfried estate and the manor was gradually regaining its vitality.

Meanwhile, Irina continued her studies, was introduced to everyone at the estate and learnt to read — although finishing even one book still took her a whole day.

Consequently, the people of the Winfried estate often saw Irina scurrying through the manor with a book clutched tightly to her chest.

The Duke of Winfried was no exception.

“Haah.”

It was just another night when he had had a nightmare.

Another night when he could hear the sound of rain despite it not being raining.

Unable to sleep, he pressed his hands hard against his ringing ears.

“…….”

Should he take the medicine that Mr Beren had prescribed, or turn to alcohol instead?

After a moment’s thought, he shook his head.

Either way, the nightmare would pursue him to the bitter end.

It would drag him back to that day, to that moment, just as it had for hundreds of nights before.

Winfried pressed his fingers against his heavy eyelids, then abruptly walked towards the window.

He was trying to follow the advice of the physician who had examined him a few days earlier.

“Even when there is no immediate danger, you need to repeatedly remind yourself that you are safe. You need to learn to stay calm in everyday situations too.”

Mr. Beren, the elderly physician whose family had served the House of Winfried for three generations, offered this advice with grave sincerity.

His wrinkled face showed nothing but concern for the duke.

Even so, his words were difficult to accept.

Remind himself repeatedly that he was safe so that he could feel secure in ordinary, uneventful situations?

Was that not almost laughable?

“It will be difficult, Your Grace, but you must overcome this.”

“…….”

“Your Grace, please do not skip your meals. And make certain you see the sun at least once a day. It should help you sleep more soundly.”

“Haah….”

Remembering Mr. Beren’s face, Logan pulled back the curtains that had been blocking out the sunlight.

For now, he intended to enjoy the sunlight. If his condition improved even slightly, he would try going for a walk outside.

“……?”

Then something caught Logan’s eye.

A small yellow head.

A head of short golden hair tied into a single ponytail was making its way across the still-untended garden.

‘What is that?’

Had his lack of sleep finally caused him to start hallucinating?

Winfried pressed hard against his eyelids.

Yet the yellow head did not disappear.

Instead, it hurried around the garden busily, as though searching for something, and then vanished between the low shrubs.

“…….”

He had not imagined it.

The next day, and again the day after that, the back of her golden head appeared in the garden, her hair tied neatly in a ponytail, before disappearing from view.

One day, she vanished among the low shrubs. On another day, she sat down near an old garden bench. The day after that, she entered the garden pavilion.

He found himself growing curious.

At the same time each day, he stood by the window and watched her hurry around the garden, looking for a good spot to sit, wondering where she would go next.

As the days passed, he naturally began to notice what kind of places she preferred.

For one thing, she liked the shade.

As early summer approached and the sunlight became stronger, she no longer hid among the low shrubs.

She also liked flowers.

Perhaps because she had rarely seen them before, she always stopped whenever she passed one, leaning closer to breathe in its fragrance.

She smiled with delight as she breathed in the fragrance of an early-blooming summer rose.

However, when she leaned down to smell the astilbe, she immediately recoiled and hurried away, the scent must have been far worse than she expected.

Judging by the way she vigorously rubbed her nose against her sleeve, she must have hated it.

He thought he might have laughed out loud at that moment.

It was a small but welcome pleasure.

For some reason, watching Irina search diligently for the perfect spot always lifted his spirits.

Even after a sleepless night and the return of boot-clad feet to his dreams, watching her bustle around the garden prevented his mood from sinking.

It allowed him to start the day on a pleasant note.

Today, he could observe Irina from much closer than usual.

With a book in one hand and a rattan basket in the other, she bustled about as always.

Something tucked inside her skirt pocket created a round bulge.

“What is she planning to do?”

Like a small animal searching for somewhere to rest, she moved from place to place, looking for the right spot.

She sat down in several different places, but got up again when none of them felt quite right.

Eventually, she settled on one particular place.

Fortunately, this was somewhere that Winfried could see clearly.

A tree that had grown unusually large for the garden cast a cool shade over the area.

‘The weather has been growing warmer lately.’

With each passing day, summer drew closer, and even the air against his skin felt hot.

That must be why she had left her usual haunts in search of somewhere cooler.

Was she a rabbit?

Winfried chuckled softly.

Oblivious to the possibility of being watched, Irina spread a large cloth on the ground and began arranging the items she had brought with her on top of it.

From the rattan basket, she took out a sandwich that looked freshly made and a bottle of milk.

Then she took out the object in her pocket that had piqued his curiosity.

“Ha.”

It was a potato.

An enormous potato, even larger than Irina’s hand.

Satisfaction spread across Irina’s face as she gazed at it.

She looked like a squirrel that had stored away enough food for the winter.

‘I heard she has been visiting the kitchen often lately.’

She had grown quite close to the head chef and the kitchen maids.

When he first brought her here, he had wondered whether she would be able to walk unaided.

She was painfully thin, with limbs so fragile that she seemed capable of being knocked over by the slightest gust of wind.

Then there were the wounds covering her body.

Fresh red injuries lay atop old, discolored scars, and newer wounds layered over them.

Amid it all, only her face had remained untouched — a realization that drew a bitter laugh from him.

It was obvious why the man in the slums had kept Leonid with him.

She injured her palm on the day she awoke at the townhouse.

He had made a mistake, too.

“…….”

Recalling what had happened when Lady Leonid entered his room, Logan released a deep breath.

Still, it was fortunate that it had ended with no worse an injury than that.

Logan continued watching Irina.

‘After everything that happened, I thought she wouldn’t be able to adjust.’

At the very least, he had expected her to require considerable time.

He was mistaken.

Defying all his expectations, Leonid quickly adapted to life at the estate.

She still occasionally glanced around nervously and paid far too much attention to everyone’s reactions. She had also left him thoroughly bewildered when she asked to be hired as a maid.

Ultimately, however, she settled in well.

She scurried around the estate, greeting everyone she met, keeping them company and eagerly offering to help with their work.

‘I saw her in the kitchen the other day.’

“If you clean it this way, you can scrub the grill much faster!”

“My goodness, look how clean it is.”

Her eyes had sparkled as she proudly shared the cleaning trick she knew.

She had even been discovered in the maids’ quarters once.

When asked what she had been doing there, she had glanced around guiltily before answering—

“I showed them a good riverside spot for doing laundry. And, well, I helped them a little too…….”

That was her answer.         

She had drawn everyone’s attention with her radiant smile.

Perhaps that was why.

The estate began to regain its vitality.

People had started to laugh again.

Even the knights undergoing grueling training would smile and wave at her.

“Miss Irina!”

Now, Irina’s name could be heard throughout the estate.

Just as it could be.

Smiling, Logan continued to watch her.

Once she had unpacked, Irina settled beneath the tree and began reading.

Judging by its cover, the book had come from his study.

Then again, it was the only place on the estate where she could find books.

‘There can’t be many books there that she would enjoy.’

Generations of Winfried dukes had used that study, and his grandfather had been the last to reorganize it.

In other words, there would hardly be any books suitable for Lady Leonid.

“…….”

As far as he could remember, most of the books in the study were practical.

For instance, there were books on economics and law, as well as guides on managing a property portfolio.

There were also a few philosophical works, as well as several books on painting, art and music, intended to promote cultural refinement.

‘What on earth is she reading?’

Leaning against the wall, Logan prepared to take a proper look at Irina.

She turned the pages with great care, her expression immediately becoming serious.

Whenever she came across an unfamiliar word, she wrote it down on the paper she had brought with her. All the while, she steadily nibbled at her sandwich.

Perhaps she had saved the milk for the potatoes. Each time she unconsciously reached for the bottle, she stopped herself and lowered her hand.

When her thirst got the better of her, she would glance at the remaining milk, allow herself a single sip, and then carefully set the bottle down again.

As the shade shifted, she wiped the sweat from her forehead before slowly shuffling backwards to stay in it.

Irina read slowly.

By the time she reached the final pages, the sun had nearly set.

At last, she closed the book and popped the final bite of her sandwich into her mouth.

Leaning back against the tree, she felt the cool evening breeze brushing over her as she began to eat the large potato with the milk she had carefully saved.

She was just eating a potato.

Yet, for some reason, Logan found the sight endlessly fascinating.

He watched until she had finished the potato and the entire bottle of milk, gathered her belongings, and left.

Then a thought suddenly occurred to him.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to add another library to the estate.