“Constantine said that your illness was because of him.”

“What?”

“That you became this sick because you had a lot of contact with him.”

The nanny bit her lip with what seemed like a surge of emotion. However, she quickly shook her head in denial.

“No. I don’t think my illness is because of His Grace.”

The nanny seemed as adamant as Constantine was certain.

“May I ask why you think that?”

“If His Grace were the cause, then all the previous Duchesses of the Kramer family should have been ill too, but there are no such records. No rumors either.”

Had she researched diligently to convince him? Well, since she came from a long-standing vassal family, information about the Kramer family might have been passed down through generations too.

However, Saena could quickly spot a blind spot in the nanny’s words.

‘If such rumors had spread… who would marry into the ducal family, no matter how prestigious they were.’

This might have been a secret that the family had been keeping under wraps for generations. Just looking at how they hid Caligo and used Morev as a front, wasn’t that a family secret? So it wouldn’t be surprising if there were more secrets.

“I know the previous Duchess passed away early. Was there no connection?”

“The previous Duchess died in an accident. It had nothing to do with illness.”

She knew his parents had died early but didn’t know the exact reason.

But an accident…

“What kind of accident…”

“It was because of a demonic beast. She passed away on the same day as the previous Duke.”

“Ah…”

“How old was Constantine when that happened?”

“Since the young master hadn’t come of age yet, it must have been when he was eighteen or nineteen.”

So he… not only had to bear the burden of the Covenant, but also had to carry out the duties of the head of the family at such a young age.

She couldn’t even imagine how difficult and arduous that process must have been.

“So the previous Duchess never had symptoms like yours?”

“No. Though she struggled with the winters in this region, that was because she was from the south, even before giving birth.”

“Hmm.”

“Besides, just looking at how the previous previous Duchess is still living healthily…”

The nanny continued to expound her argument.

“The previous previous Duchess is still alive?”

So, Constantine’s grandmother?

“Yes. Though news is intermittent, I’ve heard she’s still doing well.”

“Where is she?”

“As soon as her son, the previous Duke, inherited the position of family head, she left for the provincial estate and has been living there ever since.”

“So you mean she hasn’t come to Kramer territory even once during all this time?”

“…That’s what I understand to be the case.”

“That doesn’t seem like a normal situation.”

“I was curious about that too, but I heard that the relationship between the couple wasn’t very good. Their relationship with their son wasn’t very good either.”

Though she didn’t know much, it seemed Constantine’s relationship with his parents wasn’t good either, and it was the same in the previous generation?

Though she understood that the more strict the family traditions in high-ranking families, the harder it was to maintain warmth, somehow it felt like there might be another reason.

‘If the generational distance between parents and children was because of the cold…’

Constantine said that ‘cold’ was accompanied by psychological effects.

Noble women often didn’t personally hold and raise their children, even their own. With little physical contact to begin with, if touching caused goosebumps, would they want to touch even their own children?

It might be natural for the relationship to gradually grow distant, even between biological parents and children.

‘According to him, it was taboo to start succession before fifteen.’

Then the cold probably started after fifteen.

Even affectionate parents only hugged their children when they were young; by fifteen, nobles rarely invaded each other’s space, even between parent and child.

They considered them independent entities by then.

But Constantine was a special case who had to forcibly receive succession at the young age of eight because the previous Duke broke the taboo.

He was still at an age when he needed someone’s embrace.

She could understand why the taboo was taboo.

“…He said that others get goosebumps when they touch him, did you experience that too?”

“Pardon? No! Not at all!”

“What about the cold? Didn’t you feel that either?”

“His skin was a bit cold… It was heartbreaking to see him shivering and seeking warmth. The more it happened, the more I held him.”

“I’d like you to be honest with me. I’m not looking for his flaws to avoid him, I’m trying to find a way to be able to hold him.”

“……”

The nanny wore a blank expression before adding.

“Actually… when I kept holding the young master for a long time, sometimes it would feel too cold. But I really never got goosebumps. He was always someone I wanted to embrace more.”

The nanny added that the heartache was almost impossible to express.

“Other people would startle when they touched the young master. That’s… true.”

That means Constantine’s words were probably true too.

‘So… maybe the reason his nanny got sick was because the previous Duke broke the taboo…’

Even though he was already dead, somehow, she started feeling considerable resentment toward the previous Duke Kramer.

“I’m sorry, Madam. But I really don’t think my illness is because of His Grace.”

The nanny apologized as if she hadn’t meant to deceive, while still appealing to her sincerity.

Her words didn’t seem false. The nanny loved young Constantine so much that even if she had felt psychological goosebumps, she probably ignored them.

Even if she felt the cold, it probably made her feel that much more sorry for him. That’s why she could hold him that much more.

‘Then what am I?’

Am I also deliberately ignoring psychological goosebumps like the nanny?

‘No matter how I look at it, that’s not it.’

Because she hadn’t felt anything like that even when they weren’t particularly close.

Then what was the difference? What was different?

“Was the cold weak at first? Was it just slightly cool at first and gradually got worse?”

“Hmm… Young master first received his markings when he was eight.”

Even thinking about it again, the previous Duke went too far.

“The first year after receiving the markings was the most ice-cold. That year, the young master cried almost every day. Not even a plate full of chocolate bonbons and choux could make him smile…”

It used to be his favorite dessert…

The nanny’s eyes welled up as she recalled that time.

“As years passed and the area of markings increased, it actually became less cold, so I don’t think that’s it.”

Caligo’s cold seemed to affect things in various ways. Though she wasn’t sure exactly how the markings controlled Caligo.

‘The cold…’

No matter how much she thought about it, she hadn’t particularly felt severe cold. Caligo’s energy had never felt creepy to her. Even holding him for a long time hadn’t made him feel colder.

The only time his skin felt coldest was when he was injured. But that seemed more like a phenomenon that occurred when his control weakened due to injury, rather than being Saena’s problem.

Was there still some effect?

Though she tried desperately to recall more, she couldn’t think of anything.

‘I probably am not affected…’

She had that intuitive feeling.

‘But I can’t convince him just because my intuition says so.’

Sigh. She couldn’t just forcibly touch(?) him either.

If she acted carelessly, he would only blame himself more and try harder to maintain distance.

“Madam…”

The nanny’s expression didn’t look good as she watched Saena lost in thought.

‘Ah, did I discuss such heavy topics for too long with someone who isn’t in good health?’

Saena thought she should wrap up the conversation and leave at this point.

“You mustn’t ignore His Grace like this. Please help him, Madam. That poor person…”

“Nanny, he is.”

She felt that even the nanny shouldn’t treat the years he had endured strongly as something pitiful.

“A strong person.”

“But…”

“If you really think Constantine isn’t the cause, why don’t you come live in the main building?”

“……”

“That is, if you’re not staying here just because you like this house.”

“……”

“And please get healthier. Try to live longer.”

Even to Saena, making claims while hiding in the outskirts like this seemed weak. In the end, Constantine’s argument carried more weight than the nanny’s.

“That’s what I truly want too.”

“……”

Having to live carrying not only unbearably heavy duties but also the weight of a loved one’s life was terribly unfair.

* * *

Saena returned to her daily life.

Though she hadn’t found any particular answer, rushing wouldn’t yield results either. So doing what she could was the best option.

‘Spring has fully arrived here too.’

That thought occurred to her as she looked out from the terrace in the morning. Though spring came later to Castle Cream compared to Delvon, verdant growth was in full swing here now too.

Then she heard a knock-knock at her door.

“Oh?”

Could it be Yolly?

Saena hurriedly opened the connecting door. Sure enough, Yolly trudged into her room.

“Did you have a good time?”

“Kyang.”

“Did the Duke sleep well?”

Since learning that Yolly could help Constantine sleep, Saena had asked Yolly to help put him to sleep.

Though Yolly detested it, he eventually agreed. Since he absolutely hated doing it daily, she couldn’t ask that often—just once every three or four days.

That had been last night, and now Yolly had returned in the morning.

“Kyak.”

But somehow Yolly seemed to be in a very bad mood.

He never particularly liked visiting Constantine, but today was especially bad. Beyond just disliking it, his expression was full of displeasure.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Kyaang! Kyang! Kyeuk!”

He rubbed his face vigorously with his bear paw and shook his head as if he didn’t even want to think about it.

Though she didn’t know what had happened, she couldn’t just leave him like that, so Saena hugged Yolly and rubbed her cheek against him.

“Whatever it was, you did well. Good job.”

She just praised him, hoping to improve his mood even a little.