“She’s a clever young lady, but still a child. She cannot fully understand your heart, my lady. Perhaps… she may even be misinterpreting it.”

Coming from a man who shone as brilliantly as the sun, his words were surprisingly cold.

Selaia paused with a soft “Mm,” then replied in a tone almost flippant.

“Then what can I do about it?”

“…Pardon?”

Her irresponsible answer drew a stunned response.

Seeing Laska’s dumbfounded expression, she let out a small, amused laugh. When this only made Laska look more foolish, Selaia lightly brushed the corner of her eye with her fingertip.

“All I can do is keep showing her how much I love her.”

The wind stirred. Her golden hair, grown long, tickled at the corner of her eyes, blurring her vision. As though her focus had broken, all else turned hazy—save for the woman before him, who stood in sharp relief.

‘So, there was always that way too.’

The moment Laska swept back his hair and lifted his gaze, a slender white hand appeared suddenly before him.

“Here, you’ve got something on you.”

“…!”

At the touch of her soft fingers brushing the corner of his lips, Laska’s blue eyes widened.

“Oh, did I startle you? You had a breadcrumb by your mouth…”

“Ah.”

As he sat there in a daze, the tips of his ears—peeking through strands of golden hair—flushed a vivid red.

It was Selaia who found herself unsettled by his dramatic reaction.

‘But just a few days ago, he brushed something off my cheek without the slightest hesitation…’

She had thought of it as a simple kindness, nothing more. So she had offered the same gesture in return, only to receive a response she never expected.

“It’s just that—you came so suddenly… and right before my eyes, your hand was so pale and bright, it was…”

Laska, ears still burning red, fumbled with a clumsy excuse. He didn’t even seem to know what he was saying anymore.

Selaia held back a calm response.

‘I hadn’t meant to, but it looks like I startled him far too much.’

She was just about to apologize—her understanding of others as boundless as the sea—when a small noise interrupted.

“Mm.”

Roused by the bustle, Rote stirred awake, rubbing her blurry eyes. Her cheek, pressed flat, was flushed as red as an apple, her face carrying the sweet scent of deep sleep.

“Are you awake, Rote?”

“Yes…”

Her heavy, drowsy voice made Selaia smile. She brushed aside the child’s unruly fringe as Rote stretched out her short arms and pushed herself up.

By then, Laska had already recovered his composure, placing Rote’s shoes neatly in front of her with an air of practised nonchalance.

Having missed the moment for an apology, Selaia scratched her cheek in mild embarrassment.

“So, Laska, you’re here too. Didn’t you see any bears?”

“Unfortunately not.”

When the child’s bright, sprouting eyes turned to him, Laska smiled warmly in response.

“But look here—see what you’ve caught, my lady.”

At his words, Rote blinked, puzzled, and looked around.

Her gaze swept the area until it landed on the basket trap they had set earlier. A few feathers were sticking out from beneath it.

“Oh? A pheasant!”

With eyes wide in surprise, Rote leapt to her feet. Selaia and Laska exchanged smiles as they watched her.

Rote hurried to slip on her shoes and ran toward the basket. With his longer strides, Laska easily caught up, kneeling down in front of it.

“Laska, if we lift the basket, it’ll fly away, right?”

The child asked with a touch of excitement. Laska only shrugged, feigning nonchalance.

“That’s why you have to catch it first. Do you think you can manage it?”

“No promises. I’m just a kid, after all.”

Her cheeky reply made Laska laugh, but he quickly pressed his lips together to stifle it.

“Ahem, well then…”

But whatever he was about to say vanished in an instant as his expression changed suddenly.

“Laska?”

“Shh.”

Laska’s voice dropped at once. The good-natured look on his face vanished, leaving only a man whose sharp gaze swept the surroundings.

“What is it, Laska?”

Selaia approached, quickly sensing the change in atmosphere. She whispered, hiding the unease on her face.

“Someone’s approaching.”

His eyes fixed on one spot, and hers followed. He was watching the forest that stretched out from Mount Mether.

“…In the woods?”

“Yes.”

“Could it be a bear? One of Mount Mether’s brown bears?”

Rote cut in with her own guess. At once, Selaia’s mind filled with every scrap of knowledge on what to do when facing a bear. Wasn’t it something about making oneself look larger and more threatening?

“I can’t say for certain yet.”

Slowly rising to his feet, Laska drew his sword. The scrape of steel against its sheath was cold and menacing.

“Even if it’s a person, it’s suspicious. That forest connects to Mount Mether—meaning they would’ve come over the mountain to get here.”

At his words, Selaia’s cheeks tightened with tension.

‘What if it’s someone sent by the imperial family…’

She thought of Empress Dowager Leticia and Empress Johanna. If it were the Dowager, she would target Selaia herself. If it were Johanna, she would go after Rote.

‘I must protect Rote.’

Selaia drew the child into her arms. She would run while holding her if necessary, but leaving Laska’s side could be even more dangerous.

“My lady, stay right behind me.”

It seemed Laska was thinking the same. He stepped forward, shielding Selaia and Rote as he glared toward the forest where the sound was coming from.

“…! Just now, that noise…”

Even Selaia could now hear the rustling from within the trees—the sound was close. Every sense in her body sharpened to a point.

And then, at last, from the thicket where all three of their nerves were fixed, burst out—

“Damn these blasted trees! Someone ought to cut every last one of them down!”

It was a young man of short stature, with light brown hair.

Brushing off the pine needles clinging to his clothes as if they were a nuisance, he stepped forward. The moment he caught sight of the three watching him, his face lit up with delight.

“Oh! Just the people I was hoping to see!”

Even as the man strode toward them with a bright expression, Laska did not let down his guard.

“Benian…?”

The tension only eased when Selaia, who was standing behind him, murmured what sounded like the man’s name in a dazed voice.

⭕ ⭕ ⭕

Benian Tran.

He was none other than the only son of Marquess Tran—Selaia’s uncle. In other words, he was her cousin.

But he bore no resemblance whatsoever to his beautiful and wise cousin.

‘A foolish, boastful opportunist.’

At least, that was how he appeared to Laska.

“Cheringen… looks the same as ever, doesn’t it?”

Back at the lord’s castle, Benian muttered under his breath as he cast a dismissive glance around the drawing room.

Laska could barely hide his disapproval at this condescending look. However, Selaia responded with her usual gentle expression, as if the remark had not hurt her at all.

“What could have changed? How are Uncle and Aunt doing?”

“It’s always the same. Both old people are in good health, although they do like to nag.”

Benian waved his hand carelessly as he spoke.

“That’s a relief.”

Selaia murmured softly, before tilting her head in curiosity.

“But what brings you all the way out here, Benian? The last time you came was two years ago, after you spent so much money on racing that your uncle kicked you out. You didn’t seem to care for this place then either.”

“Ahem! Do you really have to remember every detail so precisely?”

Glancing about nervously, Benian flushed faintly before straightening his posture into something more arrogant.

“I’ll have you know, this time I’ve brought plenty of gifts.”

“Gifts?”

“Yes. I thought I might ease my dear cousin’s meager household, if only a little.”

Selaia couldn’t hide her bewilderment. After all, Benian himself looked the very picture of a destitute noble.

‘The clothes looked flashy, but they were poor quality. The shoes were worn out, and the satchel was battered. It seems that the Marquis’s household is still experiencing financial difficulties.’

Following the death of Selaia’s father, the Tran marquisate was handed over to his younger brother, Baros Tran. After this, the family’s fortunes steadily declined.

By the time Selaia had reached adulthood, only three of the original twenty-plus retainers remained. Ultimately, even the estate pledged as collateral for loans was lost.

“This is outrageous! The empress cannot possibly be insane enough to tie such a beggarly family to my son!”

Upon hearing the news, Empress Leticia — who was then Hendrick’s mother — flew into a rage.

“How dare they impose that worthless thing on my son!”

Selaia fell to her knees before the angry woman and begged her forgiveness. She apologised for her humble home and for being of no help to her husband. She implored the woman to calm down for her own sake.

“Tch! Noisy.”

Selaia could still remember the moment when Hendrick walked past, casting them both a glance full of annoyance before moving on without another word.

At the memory, Selaia lightly bit the soft flesh inside her cheek.