5. His Hobby

The terrace made of transparent glass extending outside the building served as both a pathway and corridor connecting all floors of the castle.

The place Young Master Riverton proudly led me to, like a child sharing a secret only he possessed, was breathtakingly beautiful—enough to immediately justify his attitude.

“This is the place in my castle where the most sunlight enters.”

Though he was merely introducing where he lived, he had to endure a difficult journey to get here.

Throughout our walk along the dazzlingly sunlit corridor, his steps trembled severely. Additionally, he coughed intermittently the entire way here. Occasionally, he had to stop walking and lean against the wall to supplement his insufficient breathing.

Each time, my hand hesitated briefly in midair.

Of course, there was the reason that I couldn’t dare touch him due to the enormous status difference between us.

But above all, I didn’t want to confirm with my own eyes that my insignificant healing power wouldn’t create any miracles for him.

“If it’s all right with you, I’d like to have tea together……”

He said, looking at me with emerald eyes full of concern, as if gauging my mood.

“Since coming here, I’ve never had tea with anyone else.”

My heart sank.

How difficult must it have been for him to casually reveal his long-standing loneliness to me, a strange visitor?

A sense of mission rose within me that I absolutely must have tea with him.

“Yes, let’s do that!”

Hearing my answer, he smiled slightly.

But before his smile ended, he coughed and collapsed down again, cooling the atmosphere once more.

“Where is the kitchen? And the kettle?”

Remembering that there wasn’t a single servant here, I casually asked, intending to prepare tea in his place.

My question brought a puzzled look to his face.

“I’ve already prepared black tea, but perhaps you don’t like black tea?”

As he said, I could see that the rather spacious table in the middle of the terrace was already filled with a tea set.

I was a bit surprised inwardly.

When did he prepare all this with such a sick body?

Moreover, today he had come out to the entrance to greet me as if he had been waiting only for my arrival.

He must have been so lonely for human company to do this.

“Young master……”

“Yes……”

At my meaningful call, he faced me with an anxious expression.

“Actually, I can’t drink black tea.”

“Pardon……?”

I could see various emotions—emptiness, dejection, and bewilderment—passing across the young master’s face in sequence.

Seeing this, I covered my mouth and laughed softly.

“I meant I can’t drink it because there isn’t any.”

“Ah.”

He let out a short exclamation.

“How did you know that black tea is my favorite tea, young master……”

I stopped mid-sentence while trying to joke around.

The face in front of me looked a bit serious.

As if lost in very deep thought, his eyes seemed to lose focus.

I must have made an unnecessary fuss. Judging by the young master’s reaction, my joke had clearly failed.

But words once spoken couldn’t be taken back. The chilled atmosphere also seemed impossible to revive.

“I knew you would like black tea.”

He said mechanically, moving his mouth without any expression.

While saying this, his face looked like that of someone in whom all emotions had dried up and died.

“Actually, black tea is my favorite too.”

Looking at his face again, a bright smile had appeared. That sunny smile seemed capable of melting even midwinter icicles.

I must have seen wrong.

The brief darkening of the young master’s bright expression was probably because I was too conscious of him every minute and second. Everyone naturally has pauses between smiles.

“Oh, right. Young master, I have a gift I prepared.”

I quickly opened the bag I was holding.

“Would you like to have it with the tea?”

I tried to find the box containing pastries with plum jam in the bag.

But as soon as I opened the bag, something very bulky swelled up and fell out as if escaping.

I immediately recognized what it was.

Why was this coming out here?

This was clearly the clothes I had ruined while making them over the past ten days.

I had deliberately set them aside to avoid bringing them here. Could Annie have seen and put them in?

Her kindness seemed excessive.

I quickly stood in front of him, blocking the hideous object with my body.

“Pretty, Rosie.”

“What?”

With a face flushed from the sudden compliment about my appearance, I raised my head.

But his eyes were fixed on something else entirely.

Of course, someone born with such a flawlessly perfect face couldn’t possibly find my face matching his aesthetic standards.

Feeling embarrassed for having made such an excessive misunderstanding, I became a bit awkward.

His eyes were directed at the rag peeking out from beneath my feet.

So he saw it after all. I had hoped he wouldn’t discover I had brought such a thing.

But to call that pretty—his courtesy seemed too generous.

“This…… this is.”

Just as I was about to quickly explain that it wasn’t a gift for the young master but a portable rag I carried around, he intercepted my words.

“Jello would like it.”

“Jello……?”

Who was Jello?

Hearing that name, it didn’t sound like a proper formal name but rather someone’s nickname or pet name.

“Ah…… Jello is.”

He showed signs of hesitation, shifting one leg behind him, unsure whether to speak or not.

Could it be a lover?

Yes, that was entirely possible.

Even though the young master was someone who shut himself in this castle, he did possess such a beautiful face.

But why did I suddenly feel so bitter?

I wasn’t even his real fiancée anyway.

The reason I came here and became his fiancée was purely financial. Not love for him, nor compassion, nor overflowing humanity, but money.

In fact, right after our first meeting, I briefly considered whether I should leave this place. It felt wrong to be by his side with such materialistic motives.

But it seemed there was no other way to provide a bright childhood for my siblings Elaine and Theo except by maintaining this engagement.

My conclusion was that the only way to resolve the family’s enormous debt in that short time while the children grew up was to remain as his fiancée.

What kind of fiancée was I then?

If the young master had a lover, I, who had benefited the most from him, should be enthusiastically supportive.

“It’s the name of a tree I’m growing.”

“……”

“Not a person.”

Somehow, he seemed to have read my expression.

His explanation appeared like an effort to soothe my feelings.

I must have shown disappointment on my face.

I felt extremely embarrassed, having behaved like a child selfishly trying to monopolize their mother.

“Shall we have tea now, then?”

He pulled out a chair that was close to me.

The seemingly heavy chair was somehow pulled by his fragile hand.

Seeing this, my mind naturally filled with apologetic thoughts.

He was the sick one, yet I was the one being cared for.

“Yes…… I don’t mind.”

I quickly answered while awkwardly perching on the chair he had pulled out.

Almost simultaneously, he sat down opposite me and smiled gently as he picked up the teapot.

“That’s good. It seems the tea hasn’t cooled yet.”

He filled my cup.

When I reached out to take the teapot from him, he gently blocked my hand. I flinched slightly in surprise as our hands naturally touched.

“You’re my guest, so please just be comfortable.”

“Ah……”

At that moment, I seemed to smell a strong herbal scent from his wrist as it moved in front of me.

That fragrance reminded me again that he was a patient.

“Young master.”

“Yes, Rosie.”

When I called the young master, he immediately responded.

“I’ll do better from now on.”

“Then, so will I.”

That wasn’t the response I was looking for.

Looking at him with a dumbfounded face, he grinned at me.

“No, I’ll definitely do better no matter what.”

“Then I’ll do even better.”

With each of my statements, he responded competitively, matching me word for word.

This strange parade of well-wishes that kept building on each other only ended when the teapot he had prepared was completely empty.

Despite my persistent refusals, I accepted his escort and walked with him to the carriage at the end of the garden path.

Just before boarding the carriage, the color of the sunset I looked up at was as beautiful as the plum jam between the pastries we had shared earlier.

❀❀❀

Somewhere in a dark interior, a heavy iron door opened silently.

Inside was a bed like an operating table with only a white cloth spread on it. And on it lay a man with countless syringes inserted into him, unconscious.

Throughout his entire body, every blood vessel was ruptured, and there were bruises here and there that were either bluish or sometimes brownish.

The man’s bulging eyes were directed at the ceiling.

“Jello, I have a gift for you.”

Young Master Riverton walked to the bed and looked down at the man, speaking kindly.

The man, who should have struggled and backed away immediately upon discovering him, lay quietly in place without any movement.

He was Prince Glemis’s closest confidant, officially sentenced to indefinite house arrest.

Young Master Riverton looked at the unconscious man’s appearance with a satisfied smile.

“You’re being so well-behaved, so I’m treating you well. You’ve definitely improved from before, right?”

He removed the cloth wrapped around his hands and placed it around the man’s neck.

“My fiancée brought this today. I’ll give it to you specially.”

Not long after placing that light beige cloth piece on him, vivid red blood could be seen seeping through.

Young Master Riverton rested his chin on one hand and observed this for a while. Occasionally tilting his head, he carefully took in the sight.

After watching for quite some time, his face suddenly crumpled without any warning.

“No, I’ve changed my mind.”

He grabbed the cloth that had been placed on the man’s body as if snatching it.

As a result, several syringes inserted into the man’s chest and collarbone were loosely pulled up or fell to the floor.

“This seems too good a gift for someone who interfered with my plans. Count Geloit. Let’s just pretend this never happened, I hope you’ll forget it.”

Young Master Riverton stuffed that cloth piece roughly into his pocket and left the room.