“What are you saying……”

“Is it good that a father like that is just alive?”

At this pointed question, she almost blurted out her true feelings. She wanted to scream that she didn’t need such a father.

No matter how hard she worked until her bones ached, there was nothing left after deducting the alcohol and gambling debts. Without proper medicine, her sister’s illness showed no improvement. He squandered everything she earned, and when she was young, he even resorted to physical abuse.

But she couldn’t tell Eugen such things. One shouldn’t carelessly reveal feelings of hatred towards family to others.

“……He’s family, after all.”

Eugen’s expression subtly changed.

A cool breeze blew between them. Like other noble ladies’ clothes, the thin fabric of her dress fluttered in the wind, contrasting with the thickly woven shawl.

Celia suddenly realized that his gaze was directed at her. Specifically, Eugen’s eyes were fixed on her forearm, on the skin where goosebumps had risen from the cool breeze. Celia unconsciously covered her exposed white arms with both hands.

“I really don’t understand the fashion of noble ladies.”

He sighed. Celia also didn’t understand the fashion of noble ladies.

She had heard that nowadays noble ladies often caught colds or pneumonia because they wore thin clothes. When she first heard this, Celia couldn’t understand it at all.

Nobles and wealthy people should have plenty of money, so why did they save on fabric and make thin clothes, why did they insist on wearing thin clothes even in autumn or winter when cool winds blow, suffering from illness?

“Do you understand it, Madam?”

“I…… don’t really know.”

Celia answered honestly.

“If you have money, you should be able to make clothes with better fabric, so why……”

She was saying this while wearing the fashionable attire of noble ladies herself, so she had no room to talk.

“Indeed. Why they insist on wearing such thin clothes and live with constant sneezing and coughing, it’s truly incomprehensible.”

Celia couldn’t help but burst into laughter. It was an extremely brief moment, but she was taken aback.

She tried to cover it up quickly by raising her hand to her mouth, but she couldn’t take back the laughter that had already escaped.

After laughing out loud, even if just a little, she felt even stranger. Eugen and she were not close enough to have such a comfortable conversation about clothing. Realizing this fact, Celia stiffened and fell silent.

“I suppose there are people who think this kind of attire is beautiful.”

His eyes lit up with interest at Celia’s response.

“What do you think, Madam?”

Celia was flustered by that question. Him asking for her opinion felt unfamiliar. Why was he asking such a question?

She looked at him with doubt, but Eugen was shining his blue eyes as if he really wanted to hear her answer.

“It looks…… beautiful. Like fairies, or goddesses.”

“And?”

“But I’m human. I might understand in spring or summer, but in this season, I’d prefer to wear clothes made of thicker fabric.”

“I see.”

There was a hint of amusement in Eugen’s eyes as he looked at her. She couldn’t understand what was so amusing.

Or was she misunderstanding something, had she said something wrong? As she racked her brain, she suddenly had a thought and smiled awkwardly.

“……But I suppose noble ladies don’t really need to do that. They can just stay indoors during the cold seasons.”

Only after saying it did she realize she had said something quite foolish. Noble ladies didn’t have to put their hands in cold water in the middle of winter, or go from house to house delivering milk.

For them, protection from the cold was enough just to ward off the chill during the brief moment from getting out of the carriage to entering the ballroom for a dance.

Outer garments could be replaced with luxurious furs or shawls woven with gold and silver threads. Of course, there were still many noble ladies who constantly caught colds despite this.

That’s probably why Eugen laughed. He must have found it amusing that she was going on about wearing thick clothes while knowing nothing about the lives of noble ladies.

“Do you think you’re not a noble lady?”

“……Well.”

Faced with this unexpected question, Celia looked at him with a troubled expression.

“You didn’t even notice that you’re not wearing a veil, you’re certainly not very ladylike.”

“Ah.”

Only then did she realize that she had forgotten to wear the veil that covers the face.

“Oh, that, I’ll put it on right away.”

As Celia, startled, hurriedly moved towards the annex, a strong hand firmly grasped her arm.

“……”

Celia looked up at Eugen with her white wrist held. The wrist he held felt hot and sore. Celia looked at him with a confused gaze, but he didn’t seem to intend to let go. He even pulled her slightly towards him. Celia’s small body was drawn closer to Eugen by his hand.

“There’s no need to wear it here. This is a space where outsiders can’t enter. Ee can omit such formalities among family.”

Celia, who had been confused not knowing what was happening, opened her eyes wide in surprise at these unexpected words. A smile gradually spread across Eugen’s lips as he looked at her.

“Aren’t we family?”

“……”

As if her mouth was glued shut, Celia couldn’t say anything. Family, family…… family. No matter how many times she repeated it, she felt anew that the two of them were bound by this unfamiliar word.

That’s right, at least nominally, we are family.

Seemingly demanding an answer, he stared at her, and she slowly nodded.

“……Of course.”

“Then let’s put aside unnecessary formalities. You can treat me more comfortably.”

“Comfortably?”

After stupidly repeating his words, Celia was startled and lowered her head.

Whoosh.

While she was looking down at the damp ground, the jacket he had been wearing was wrapped around her body. Enveloped in clothes large enough to bury her body, Celia looked at him with a dazed expression.

Eugen, who had taken off his jacket for her, smiled at her.

“But you’ll be cold too, Your Grace.”

Eugen, who had given her his jacket, was now only in a thin shirt.

“Are you comfortable staying here?”

“……Thanks to your consideration, I’m staying comfortably. Mrs. Letten is also taking care of me.”

“I see.”

“It seems too much for me.”

Celia unknowingly voiced her true feelings.

“You might be carrying my sibling, so we should treat you accordingly.”

“……”

Celia wrapped her hands around her stomach. It was a slim belly with nothing to grab onto.

“I’ve heard that some mothers sense the presence of a baby faster than anyone else.”

Eugen’s voice resonated low in her ear.

“They say there are cases where women know there’s a child in their womb and seek out a doctor, even without a doctor’s diagnosis.”

“I… see.”

Celia felt as if there was a thorn stuck in her throat.

“Like you, Madam.”

“……”

Celia had no way of knowing why Eugen was saying such things. No matter how hard she tried to understand his intentions, it was in vain.

It was she who felt her conscience pricked by each of his words. Having committed a sin and told lies, she couldn’t help but be startled by whatever Eugen said.

“Madam, do you have any particular feeling?”

“Pardon?”

“If I were to express it, something like a maternal instinct. I’m curious if you feel certain that you’re carrying a child in your womb.”

He was carefully examining Celia’s stomach with his blue eyes that emitted a calm light. His gaze felt as if it was penetrating through her belly and examining the inside in detail, making Celia want to hide somewhere. It seemed as if Eugen could truly see through her completely and then some.

“I’m certain. The night I spent with Duke…… Andros was the best day for me to conceive. I’m healthy, so I think there’s a high possibility that I became pregnant right away.”

The words flowed out without hesitation. It was thanks to the countless times she had thought about it and practiced saying it out loud during her time alone.

“It seems I’ve asked an impolite question.”

“No, not at all.”

Watching her hurry to answer, Eugen smiled with narrowed eyes.

“Aren’t you curious why my father tried to have more children when he already had a grown son?”

“A little bit.”