Liana urged him once more.

He wanted to lie down next to her too, but his cold body temperature was the problem. He couldn’t impose the snake’s coldness on a sick person.

“No. Now that you’re awake, it’s fine. Sleep comfortably. I’ll sleep in another room.”

Dain said calmly.

“……Yes.”

Liana answered with a disappointed expression to his words.

Dain slowly got up and added more firewood to the fireplace. Liana’s gaze followed his back, but he deliberately ignored her and disappeared into the adjacent bedroom.

‘Why is he acting like that? Does he hate being next to me?’

Do I smell? I was lying collapsed on the mountain soaked in muddy water, so I must look terrible.

Only then did Liana lift the blanket and examine her own body.

Huh? Someone had washed her and she was clean, wearing a new gown.

‘Did the maids clean me?’

Liana tilted her head and thought for a moment, then fell asleep again. Since Dain had gone to sleep, she planned to sleep soundly without worry.

In the adjacent bedroom, Dain couldn’t sleep all night. He was on the verge of his blood drying up from suppressing his desire to hold Liana. He pretended to be calm in front of her, but he wanted to embrace her slender body right away.

But he couldn’t embrace her sick body with his cold one.

He looked down between his legs. His two c*cks were shamelessly dripping thin fluid and protruding through his robe.

“Tsk!”

Glaring at his lower body and clicking his tongue, he threw off his robe with irritated movements and entered the bathroom.

* * *

The next morning, Liana woke up feeling refreshed and sat across from Dain at the dining table. Dark circles stretched long under his eyes.

“Couldn’t you sleep?”

Liana asked while looking at his face.

“……I’ve had a lot of work lately.”

Dain, who couldn’t sleep all night from suppressing his desires, made an excuse about official duties.

“Ah……”

Liana nodded with an understanding expression. He must have sent her to Rozella because he had a lot of work.

“Take breaks while working. Health is most important.”

“Right.”

“There’s a village festival today, want to go see it?”

Liana asked with a bright smile.

“Sure, let’s do that.”

Dain looked at her smiling face as if enchanted and answered obediently. Liana’s vacation was until today, and Dain wanted to let her do whatever she wanted.

“But how’s your body?”

Dain’s gaze examined her. She had been unconscious in the snowfield for half a day and woke up after just one day, but she seemed fine.

“Yes, I feel better after sleeping well.”

Liana answered with a bright expression.

“That’s a relief.”

Dain nodded. Except for looking slightly tired, she seemed to have nothing particularly wrong with her.

After finishing their meal, the two prepared to go out and went to the lobby to board a carriage.

“It’s still cold. You need to dress warmly.”

Liana wrapped a scarf around his neck. Dain was wearing a thin shirt unsuitable for winter.

“I’m fine……”

“Fine my foot. You’ll catch a cold if you’re careless.”

He had never caught a cold once in his life. But he didn’t hate her attention. The corners of his mouth curved up as he looked at the scarf wrapped around his neck.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

The carriage had just arrived in the front yard. Dain lifted Liana, who was still weak, and helped her into the carriage.

“Wow, they have everything here too.”

Liana, who was watching the festival while eating grilled chicken skewers, exclaimed. She recalled memories of watching festivals when she lived in the imperial capital. It was so splendid with so much to see that she had wandered around frantically.

But the festival in Rozella, a small city in the northern countryside, had just as many attractions as the imperial capital. On one side of the festival grounds, there was an outdoor circus, and on another side, people were performing traditional dances.

“Wow, she keeps spinning like a music box.”

A dancer kept spinning in one direction at the center of the stage. She must be dizzy, but she never stopped once and maintained a constant speed.

“It’s a folk dance from the Rozella region. In a little while, everyone here will spin together.”

Dain explained with a smile. Since Rozella was his hometown and a city belonging to the duchy, Dain knew well about Rozella’s festivals.

“Shall we spin too?”

Liana spread both arms like the dancer, brought one leg to her knee, and tried spinning in place. But she staggered without completing even one turn.

“Haha, shall I spin you?”

Dain, who supported the staggering her, said with a laugh.

“Yes.”

Liana answered with a puzzled expression. She was curious about how Dain would spin her.

“There’s an ice sledding rink over there.”

“A sledding rink?”

Liana’s expression brightened. She had thought about wanting to ride a sled before, but there weren’t any in the imperial capital so she couldn’t ride one.

“There’s an ice lake. It stays frozen for a long time even when spring comes.”

“Great. Let’s go.”

A little later, the two people who arrived at the ice lake bought and put on shoes with wheels.

This is totally roller skates? It was really amazing that the Empire had wheeled skate shoes.

“Um, but I can’t ride this.”

She had only ridden snow sleds when she lived in the real world, but had never tried skating.

“It’s fine. I’ll pull you.”

“Yes.”

Dain could move freely on ice even without skate shoes, but he wore them in case she found it strange. Fortunately, since everyone from children to adults was watching the circus, there weren’t many people at the ice lake.

“Here, hold my hand.”

Dain extended his hand. It was a large and reliable hand.

“Yes.”

Liana placed her slender hand on top of his. Dain gripped her hand firmly and pulled.

“Oh my.”

Liana was suddenly pulled forward and nearly lost her balance in surprise, but Dain caught her, and she quickly steadied herself.

“Wow……!”

Just by holding Dain’s hand, her body glided forward smoothly. Even though it was her first time on ice, it wasn’t difficult at all.

“How is it?”

“It’s fun.”

“I played on ice a lot when I was young.”

Dain spoke casually like making a confession. It seemed like the first time she was hearing about his childhood.

Come to think of it, she remembered hearing from Kelly that this place was his hometown.

“That must have been fun.”

Liana said with an envious expression. Her blonde hair fluttered in the wind. Running on ice made her feel no cold despite the chilly weather, and she kept smiling like a child absorbed in fun play.

“Right. I played without knowing how time passed.”

A smile bloomed on his face too, like he had returned to childhood.

“Here, I’ll spin you.”

“……?”

Dain grabbed both sides of her chest with his hands and lifted her up.

“Oh my, Dain.”

Liana screamed and struggled, but he ran on the ice rink holding her up without wavering. He could lift her with one arm but held back thinking she might be surprised.

“Dain, put me down.”

Liana, who had been screaming in fear, became quiet at some point. Being held in his hands in a flying position and looking ahead felt like she had become a bird.

“Woooow……”

She kept exclaiming in amazement at the feeling of flying through the sky. Dain chuckled and continued circling the lake while holding her, sometimes spinning round and round in place.

“Wow, that was fun.”

When Dain put her down after a while, Liana said while catching her breath. She had screamed continuously while being held by him, almost to the point of vocal training.

“Good if it was fun.”

Dain felt like his s*xual frustration had been somewhat relieved too. He had taken the medicine Baron gave him again before coming to Rozella, but it didn’t have the same effect as spending nights with Liana.

“Shall we go eat now?”

He said while wiping the sweat that had flowed down Liana’s forehead. Quite a bit of time had passed while watching dances and running on the lake.

“Yes, sounds good.”

Liana answered with a joyful face.

The carriage carrying the two stopped in front of the most famous restaurant in Rozella.

“Did you come here when you were young too?”

Liana, sitting at the VIP room table, asked.

“Mm, I came with my parents. I also came with just my mother.”

“I see.”

Liana looked at him with gentle eyes.

According to what she heard from Kelly, his parents had died in a carriage accident when he was ten years old. She felt pity for him becoming an orphan when he most needed his parents’ love.

“What about other relatives?”

“My maternal grandfather lived at the ducal castle and raised me when I was alone.”

She thought he would hate talking about his childhood, but Dain unexpectedly spoke calmly.

“He’s currently staying at a count’s residence in the south.”

“I see.”

“Did you keep in touch with Baron Brian occasionally?”

“No. I’ve never even seen him.”

“Hmm…… Then you don’t know your father’s face either.”

“I saw him in a portrait. My mother would take it out sometimes.”

Mother kept the baron’s portrait hidden deep in the wardrobe like a treasure and would take it out to look at occasionally.

“I don’t understand why she can’t let go of her attachment to someone who left. If it’s not meant to be, she should forget.”

Dain’s eyes twitched at Liana’s words.

“……Would you immediately forget a man who left?”

“Of course. Why would I need to think about a man who left because he hated me? Especially a man who ignores his own child.”

Liana said matter-of-factly with her light blue eyes wide open.

“Mm…… I see.”

This time one side of Dain’s face twitched.