How long had she been curled up like that?

The sound of regularly paced shoe heels approached. The owner of the footsteps was walking toward Lena’s room.

Lena had fallen asleep with her entire body frozen stiff. A pair of black shoes stopped abruptly in front of her.

“Why are you out here? And in this state……”

The owner of the voice like waves crashing in a deep cave was none other than Delian.

Delian looked down intently at Lena, who kept hunching her shoulders as if cold.

“Hey, you’ll catch a cold.”

Delian nudged her shoulder. At the same time, Lena collapsed sideways with a thud. Delian shouted in alarm.

“Lena!”

Only then did Delian realize that Lena wasn’t simply sleeping. Her body was ice cold.

It was only natural. It was winter now, and this place was the Northern territory of Northdelion, known as the coldest region in the Empire.

To fall asleep curled up on a marble corridor wearing only a nightgown-like dress in such a place. Even the most exceptional warrior wouldn’t remain unaffected.

Delian hurriedly picked Lena up.

“Penna! Penna!!”

It was fortunate that he had deliberately assigned Penna to the room next to Lena’s.

Startled by the sudden commotion, Penna came out wrapped in a blanket, then let out a small scream when she saw Lena hanging limply in Delian’s arms.

“What on earth happened?!”

“I don’t know. She was just outside by herself.”

Penna hurriedly opened the door to Lena’s room. The room was warm. It was puzzling why she would leave such a cozy room to go outside.

Delian laid Lena on the bed and covered her with a thick blanket up to just below her face.

Even so, Lena’s frozen body wouldn’t thaw easily.

“Turn up the heating.”

“What? Yes, yes!”

Penna threw logs into the fireplace and ran to the boiler room.

Delian placed the back of his hand on Lena’s forehead to check her temperature. There was no fever. That made him more anxious.

The tips of Lena’s fingers were frozen red. Delian looked down at her, clicked his tongue, and carelessly threw off his upper garment.

“I never thought we’d end up sharing a bed like this.”

Having removed his top completely, Delian squeezed his long body into Lena’s bed.

Then he tightly embraced the motionless Lena. When the warm heat touched her, her frozen body twitched. He tightened his arms around her.

At that moment, Lena burrowed into his embrace as if she had been waiting for it.

Ironically, it was Delian who stiffened and felt like running away.

Delian momentarily froze rigid, then hugged her tightly once more.

The starlight-like hair touching his cheek was ticklish, but he didn’t loosen his arms holding her.

Rather, he looked curiously at her as she nestled against him with the blanket pulled up to just below her eyes.

Not long after, Penna returned. She was about to scream in surprise at the sight of the two lying together in bed but covered her mouth. Her unconscious desire not to wake Lena had won.

Delian put his index finger to his lips in a gesture to be quiet and shooed her outside.

How much time had passed? Finally, Lena woke up groggily.

‘It’s warm……’

No, it was almost hot. But that wasn’t bad. It felt warm and moderately uncomfortable, as if she were nestled in a broad embrace.

Thump, thump, thump……

She could even hear the beating sound.

‘…Sound?’

At that moment, Lena’s eyes flew open. She saw a nicely tanned chest right in front of her.

‘…A chest?’

It was so close that it was difficult to tell what she was looking at. Lena stared at what was in front of her for a moment, then raised her head.

A yellow dandelion flower was the first thing she saw.

‘A dandelion flower?’

Lena slowly closed and opened her eyes, still half-asleep.

“Are you awake.”

“……?!”

At the deep voice, Lena was suddenly thrown back to reality.

That was definitely Delian’s voice.

Lena opened her eyes wide in shock. Delian, with one eye covered by a black eyepatch bearing the ducal crest, was looking down at her.

That wasn’t all. One of his arms was under her head, and with the other arm, he was holding her.

Only then did Lena realize that the heavy weight she felt on her shoulder and somewhere around her waist was his arm.

The yellow circle she had hazily seen was none other than his pupil.

“Y-Your Grace?!”

“I thought you were dead.”

“Ah, no… what on earth……”

As Lena stammered and opened and closed her mouth, Delian let out a short sigh.

But Lena’s shock didn’t end there. Now she noticed he was half-n*ked with his upper body exposed. Lena’s face turned bright red.

Delian, who was about to ask why she had been outside, saw the broken-down Lena and realized his mistake.

“Don’t misunderstand.”

“……”

“Really, don’t misunderstand. I didn’t do anything.”

Delian explained with an uncharacteristically urgent voice. Lena muttered.

“…As if I’d believe that.”

“What?”

“How am I supposed to believe that!”

Lena’s face was so red it looked like it might burst.

And for good reason—Lena was in a nightgown dress, and the huge “mad dog” had removed his top and was holding her tightly. All night long.

Lena, finding strength from somewhere, screamed and jumped up from the bed.

Was it because she got up so suddenly? Everything went dark before her eyes, and they hurt as if they would pop out.

Feeling dizzy, Lena collapsed, and Delian quickly caught her. He hurriedly added an explanation.

“You were frozen solid! This was the only way to thaw you quickly. It’s the most effective method.”

“Ugh… but did you have to take off your clothes……”

“And if you want to treat me like a pervert, you should check where your hand is right now.”

“What… did you say……?”

Lena barely looked around, holding her spinning head with one hand. Surprisingly, her hand was on Delian’s chest.

“Huh……?”

Why is it there?

As Lena blinked blankly, Delian snapped at her exasperatedly.

“Yes, I took off my clothes, and I embraced you first. But it was you who burrowed into my arms, and it was also you who kneaded my chest like you were kneading dough. So why am I being treated like a pervert?”

“Kn-kneading dough?!”

Even at that moment, Lena’s hand was still on his chest, so she truly had nothing to say.

Moreover, it seemed true that she had kneaded the Duke’s chest. She instinctively felt like she knew how to knead it to fill her hand.

Lena shut her mouth tight like someone who had swallowed honey.

Delian said.

“If you understand, would you please remove your hand now.”

Lena hurriedly removed her hand as if she had been burned. Delian cleared his throat with a “Hmm, hmm.”

“Anyway, I didn’t do anything. I just thawed your frozen body with my body heat.”

“……”

Lena kept her mouth shut like a clam.

Yes, she was properly dressed. Even if it was just a nightgown-like dress.

Her skirt wasn’t hiked up, nor were her shoulder straps down. If something had happened, she wouldn’t look like this.

Lena whispered.

“I’m sorry…… for mistaking you for a pervert.”

Pervert.

Though he didn’t like her choice of words, Delian nodded, accepting her apology.

“And thank you for helping me.”

“Sure.”

Delian cleanly accepted her thanks as well.

A moment of silence passed. Lena carefully fanned herself.

‘It’s hot……’

The bright room was beyond hot—it was sweltering.

Seeing this, Delian called Penna and ordered her to lower the room temperature.

“Don’t you like the room?”

“…Pardon?”

“Why were you outside in this cold? If you don’t like the room, you should say so. Why protest in such a stupid way?”

“Ah, um……”

Delian seemed to genuinely think so, his brow deeply furrowed.

Lena looked briefly at the raw handsome man lying casually on her bed, showing off his firm chest and broad thorax, then turned her head away.

‘Where… should I look……’

Delian was still shirtless.

“Please… put on some clothes.”

“No, it’s hot.”

“……”

“…What now.”

“It’s… embarrassing.”

“What?”

“I don’t know… where to look, so……”

Lena squeezed her eyes shut.

This was her first time seeing a man’s bare body, so she was very flustered.

‘She doesn’t answer my questions but this is all she has to say.’

Delian looked at her, dumbfounded, then got up. His angry back muscles rippled with each step.

Lena found herself staring mesmerized at the muscles that appeared even more prominent when he was standing than when lying down.

After telling him to put on clothes, she now felt a twinge of regret seeing his figure being covered by the robe.

Having tied the sash of his robe, Delian returned and said.

“Now answer.”

“……”

“If you didn’t like the room, tell me your preferences. I’ll accommodate them.”

“Ah, …th-that’s not it.”

Lena answered hastily.

At that answer, Delian’s eyebrow shot up as if asking ‘Then why?’

“Well……”

When it came to actually saying she had fled outside because she was afraid of the dark, Lena hesitated for a long time out of embarrassment.

Delian was originally a man without even a mouse’s worth of patience. Nevertheless, he quietly waited for her words.

Like a dog that had been told to ‘stay.’

If he had followed his temperament, he would have grabbed her by the collar and urged her on long ago. It seemed tomorrow the sun would rise from the west.

After hesitating for a long time, Lena mumbled.

“I… couldn’t sleep.”

“…What?”

Delian wondered what he had just heard.

Between his fiercely twisted lips, beast-like sharp canines were visible. Lena hunched her shoulders tightly and groaned.

‘But I can’t say I’m afraid of the dark. It’s embarrassing.’

Lena was in her own predicament.

Delian looked at her trembling with her head bowed, then slumped his shoulders and sighed.

She couldn’t sleep so she went outside…… It was strange, very strange.

‘Let’s say you couldn’t sleep. But why go outside? You could have just rolled around in your room.’

But he didn’t press Lena for answers. Setting everything else aside, what could he say to someone trembling like a small sparrow?