The subordinate sighed.

“I know you have a lot of accumulated vacation days. You’ve barely used any.”

“That’s true.”

“Please take just today to rest properly. I’m saying this as your subordinate. And don’t take any work with you.”

Dominic stared blankly at his desk. The desk that was always clean was now such a mess it could be mistaken for a battlefield. The backlog of work was piled up like a mountain, with documents stacked as tall as an adult woman.

Right.

Exactly like Karina Crawford’s height.

When his thoughts reached there, Dominic startled and struck the desk as he jumped up from his seat. As the stacked documents scattered to the floor, Dominic’s office became even more magnificently chaotic.

Neither the subordinate nor Dominic said anything. What broke the heavy silence was the subordinate’s sigh.

“I’ll clean this up. So please just go home and rest today, sir. I beg you.”

As he spoke, the subordinate placed something he had been holding onto the desk. It was an item he hadn’t been able to deliver earlier because there was no space on the desk packed with documents.

“This is also the first time you’ve lost something, isn’t it?”

What he handed to Dominic was a naval dagger. Seeing it, an even darker shadow fell across Dominic’s face.

It wasn’t lost.

And that’s why he almost wished it had been lost.

“Perhaps you’re right about needing some rest.”

His voice was gloomy, as though it was echoing from deep underground.

* * *

“Young Master?”

It wasn’t even sunset yet. Seeing the second young master’s sudden return, the people at the Marquis’s residence exchanged glances with each other. The butler stepped forward, unable to hide his concern.

“Did you perhaps forget something in your room? You could have sent someone instead of coming by yourself when you’re so busy.”

The butler’s misunderstanding was natural. The young master who usually returned every day after sunset with arms full of documents had come back in broad daylight today, and without any luggage at that.

His complexion hadn’t been good lately, seeming to have too much work. The butler spoke with concern in his heart, as it seemed the young master hadn’t been sleeping well every night. However, contrary to the butler’s thoughts, Dominic handed him his outer coat and said,

“No. I came back early to rest today.”

“Pardon?”

The butler blinked as he thought. Had he heard correctly what was just said?

“Then today…”

“I’ll have my meals in my room too, so please send them up.”

Dominic said while pressing his brow, looking genuinely tired. Only then did color return to the butler’s face.

“You’ve made an excellent decision! The Madam has been so worried lately. She was just saying we should ask the physician for some fatigue recovery medicine because your face hasn’t been looking well.”

While medicine might improve his condition short-term, without proper rest it would be like pouring water into sand.

“Please go up right away. Today, don’t think about work and just rest properly. I’ll have them draw a bath first. After that, have some tea and spend time comfortably. I’ll tell the chef to prepare something special that’s good for fatigue recovery.”

The butler’s nagging seemed endless. Dominic gave a hollow laugh.

“Was my condition that bad?”

“You’re asking that? To be honest, though I hadn’t said anything, I’ve been so worried. You’ve been spending a lot of time lost in thought lately.”

When that ‘lost thought’ came to mind again, Dominic’s expression darkened. The butler exclaimed “eek” and pushed his back.

“No, no, I shouldn’t have said that. First, please go up to your room. Just rest properly for today at least. I’m sure you’ll feel better then.”

“Mm.”

Dominic nodded with a frown.

“I should.”

He absolutely had to.

* * *

The news that Dominic had returned home early was very surprising to his family as well. Everyone came to his room to add their words. When even his father advised that he needed to take care of his body sometimes, after his mother and his older brother had done the same, Dominic finally took his situation seriously.

He received careful nursing as if he were a child. Though he wasn’t actually sick, he took a warm bath and drank three cups of herbal tea in succession. Not satisfied with just serving dinner made only with foods good for strengthening the body, the butler even brought out items that weren’t usually used.

“What’s that?”

“It’s sleep incense.”

“Sleep incense?”

“The Madam received it as a gift, and she said to give it to you.”

Dominic glanced at the clock. It was barely 7 o’clock. The sun had just set.

“Are you saying I should go to bed already?”

“What time did you sleep yesterday? And the day before? And the day before that, young master?”

Dominic closed his mouth. Because of his troubled mind, he hadn’t been able to concentrate on work properly, and because of that, his bedtime had been pushed back each day. He was certainly lacking sleep.

“Still, telling me to sleep now seems a bit much.”

“Do you have something else to do?”

He didn’t particularly have anything, so he had nothing to say.

“Why don’t you sleep now and wake up early tomorrow? They say using sleep incense allows for quality sleep, so it will surely help.”

“What exactly is sleep incense? Does this sort of thing really help?”

“Yes.”

The butler nodded.

“They say it helps resolve worries. Apparently you can solve real problems in your dreams?”

That can’t be.

Dominic shook his head with a slight laugh at the butler’s naive words. It’s just incense that you light and inhale the smoke from, how could it help with his worries?

However, thinking of his mother and the butler who would be disappointed, Dominic decided to stop voicing his complaints. Instead, to make the old man happy, he lay down on the bed as instructed.

Right. Days like this are needed sometimes.

Though it was still too early in the evening, the comfort he felt from his back as he lay on the soft bed wasn’t too bad.

“I’ll light the incense.”

With a hiss of the match being struck, a sweet fragrance began to spread through the room.

“I’ll come back later to ventilate. Have sweet dreams.”

“…Alright.”

His response was delayed. Perhaps sleep was already coming, as strength was leaving Dominic’s voice.

And a moment later, when the butler knocked and entered the room again to ventilate it, Dominic was peacefully asleep, just as the butler had hoped.

* * *

He had a dream.

In the dream, for some reason, he had all his shirt buttons undone and his bare chest exposed. Not only that, he was sitting on a long sofa in a strange position, waiting for someone. Though he thought he should button up his shirt, his body wouldn’t move as he wanted.

Before Dominic appeared a familiar platinum blonde hair. But it wasn’t Lucas. Because the hair was long.

Dominic knew who that hair belonged to. As if enchanted, he called out the name of the woman who had her back turned to him.

“Karina?”

He wasn’t sure why he called her that way. Though they had only met a few times, he had always been formal and used the title ‘Lady Crawford.’

Like this, it made them seem…

Quite close, didn’t it?

Whether Dominic was confused or not, she slowly turned around at the sound of her name. Her eyes, which had widened in surprise, curved into crescents as she recognized him. She opened her mouth with a smile.

“Dominic.”

Just that, that was all.

Just calling his name, that was all.

“Ha.”

He woke from the dream. Though the butler said he had ventilated the room, the sweet fragrance still lingered in the air. But unlike the pleasant scent, Dominic’s mood couldn’t have been worse.

“You crazy bastard.”

A harsh curse escaped his lips. But cursing didn’t make the damp feeling in his pants go away.

“Why did I… ha.”

To do something he hadn’t done even in his youth, now long after becoming an adult.

Overwhelmed with self-loathing, Dominic squeezed his eyes shut.