Chapter 1 (Part 2)

It was the pale dawn.  

When she opened the door, the cold, heavy morning mist exhaled by the dense forest wrapped around her face like a thin layer of cotton.  

Today, Levin was leaving for work earlier than usual. And she was following behind him like a puppy.  

Of course, under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have come this far. Being someone who loved to sleep, her usual farewell was limited to a brief wave from the bedside.  

Yet, despite rubbing her sleepy eyes and wrapping herself tightly in a thick blanket to come along, she had a reason. She wanted to beg him to take her to the place where he worked.  

“Can’t I come with you today?”  

Hearing her, Levin, who was leading a horse out of the stable, turned to her with a puzzled expression. Then, without saying a word, he firmly shook his head.  

“No, I’ll be busy. I might not even have time to glance at you. What if something unnecessary happens because I brought you along?”  

Levin worked as a sheriff—or, more precisely, as someone who guarded a “specific passage.”  

From what she had seen on the few occasions she had accompanied him, his job involved inspecting people crossing the road to a neighboring village. He would check their names against a list and select certain individuals. Those selected were then handed over to someone who arrived in a large, black carriage and taken somewhere else.  

He explained that it was “a task to ensure safety.” He also added that it was a responsibility directly assigned to him by someone of very high status, so it could never be taken lightly.  

Thus, it was originally inappropriate for her to follow him to such an important workplace. However, there had been a few occasions when, due to whims, she was allowed to observe from the side. She hoped to enjoy that privilege again this time, but it didn’t seem likely today.  

“Why? Would you prefer it if I didn’t go? Should I just quit and spend the entire day playing with you?”  

As he approached, leading the reins of the horse, he bent down to kiss her cheek and asked. Feeling slightly sulky, she responded in a somewhat pouty tone. She felt hurt from having her request rejected so quickly.  

“I don’t want you to do that because of me.”  

“If it’s about money, don’t worry. I have plenty. I can give you everything you want. Even if you ask for a jewel as big as your face, I can get it for you.”  

“Really?”  

When she laughed in disbelief, he quickly replied in a slightly aggrieved tone.  

“I mean it. So, I can quit and play with you as much as you want. Or I could even take a few months off…”  

“No, I wasn’t seriously suggesting you quit. Besides, you’ve said it before—what you do is important. What would happen if you stopped doing it because of me? I just… I just said it because today, for some reason, I wanted to be by your side. I wanted to be somewhere near you.”  

She truly meant it. She wasn’t sure why she felt this way, but today, of all days, she wanted to cling to him, even if it meant being a little needy. She had a strange premonition, as if something immense and unavoidable, like a great natural disaster, was about to engulf them. It was a feeling akin to animals sensing an earthquake before it happens.  

“I must seem like a woman with extreme separation anxiety, don’t I? Do you think you’ll get tired of me?”  

At her question, Levin squinted his handsome eyes and laughed heartily. Then, with a cheerful expression, he said, 

“Tired of you? Quite the opposite. Isn’t this just you saying you don’t want to be apart from me?”  

As soon as she nodded, his smiling lips quickly closed the distance. His tongue delved deep, skillfully stealing all her breath away. It was a short but intense kiss. As she gasped for air and barely managed to push him away, Levin looked down at her with a gaze darkened, as if heated, and said, 

“Looks like I put you to sleep too easily last night.”  

He suddenly shared his thoughts with a wistful expression, licking his lips in a way that carried a slightly suggestive undertone.  

“Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden…!”  

“It’s because you’re especially adorable today. Besides, if we hadn’t stopped halfway and kept going, you’d probably be too tired to even make such wistful remarks right now.”  

He spoke in a tone of mock exhaustion. Then, he began planting kisses on her cheeks and lips, one after another. Feeling ticklish from his affectionate behavior, she pouted her lips in mock displeasure. She then murmured, almost like a complaint, that he could simply not leave her behind. She promised she could behave, asking if it was truly impossible.  

This time, as he trailed kisses down her neck, he paused near her nape and spoke.  

“To be honest, I don’t want to be apart from you even for a moment. Of course, I’d love to take you with me. But for now, it’s really not possible. There’s been a report that a serious criminal might be among them. I can’t risk putting you in a situation where…”  

“…Ugh!”  

“…you might catch their attention, not even for a second.”  

At that moment, she felt a strong suction on her skin, interrupting Levin’s explanation. He had left a kiss mark on her neck. Then, in a voice even more serious than before, he continued.  

“Haah… Or should I just go back inside now, put you to sleep, and then leave?”  

Levin raised his head, his tone suddenly urgent, and asked. His eyes were blazing with unmistakable desire. “Putting her to sleep” sounded sweet, but she knew it was just a prettier way of saying he’d tire her out in bed. Shooting him a sharp glare, she pushed his face away.  

“You’ll be late if you do that. Don’t make yourself late for no reason.”  

“It’s fine. Our Skoll is fast. If I ride at full speed…”  

“What if you fall off the horse? Don’t do anything reckless.”  

“Are you worried about me right now?”  

“Of course! If you get hurt, I’ll be so sad. So, make sure you don’t get hurt today. You said there might be criminals, right? Don’t come back with even a scratch from those kinds of people, okay?”  

“Haah… Cordelia, why are you saying such adorable things today? With you like this, I really can’t just leave…”  

At that moment, she stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Then, as if in retaliation, she left a deep kiss mark on his neck.  

“Ugh…”  

“There. Now I’m satisfied. I’ve marked you as mine, so I won’t feel as sad. Think of it as a lucky charm.”  

She wiped her lips as she spoke. Levin, who had been gently caressing the area where a deep red mark was left, chuckled as if amused.  

“How can you be so… utterly lovable? I really can’t let you off the hook today.”  

“Tch… Then just come back quickly. I’ll even make your favorite raspberry pie.”  

At that moment, Skoll snorted loudly behind him, as if signaling that it was time to move. Levin finally clicked his tongue regretfully and mounted the horse.  

“Alright. It’s cold because of the mist. Go inside quickly. Oh, and it’s fine to go out to pick berries, but don’t go into the forest. Only pick from the trees in front and come straight back, okay? Be careful not to trip, always.”  

“Such nagging. You just take care of yourself, Levin.”  

“Hmm… If you called me ‘darling’ instead of my name, I feel like I could refuse any overtime work and come straight back.”  

He said it jokingly, smiling mischievously like a playful boy. As he grabbed the reins and began to guide the horse, Skoll started stamping his hooves.  

Calling him by a different title all of a sudden? And ‘darling’? Isn’t that way too cringeworthy?  

Startled, she furrowed her brows and held her breath. But she didn’t want him to come home late. So, suppressing the ticklish feeling in her heart, she answered awkwardly.  

“Take care, darling… Come back quickly, okay?”  

Even though her voice was small, it seemed to reach his ears. Levin’s golden eyes widened in surprise.  

At that moment, impatient Skoll finally started galloping. Levin’s delighted, astonished expression quickly faded into the distance along with the horse. His loud voice echoed back to her.  

“I love you, Cordelia!”  

“Watch where you’re going! You’ll fall off!”  

“I’ll come back soon! As fast as I can! I love you!”  

Despite her scolding, he stubbornly kept shouting his declarations of love. 

Was he really that happy? 

Hearing the joy in his voice made her smile without realizing it. He was truly adorable.  

Maybe she should start calling him ‘darling’ from now on.  

She stayed in place until Levin and Skoll disappeared into a tiny speck in the distance. Then, rubbing her sleepy eyes, she went back into the house. Lying down on the bed again, she tried to fall asleep.