Chapter 18

I returned to my room and wrote a letter to Shuan because I had a favor to ask him. While writing the letter, Anna finally woke up. I smiled and handed her the letter.

“Oh, My Lady. A letter at this hour?”

“Your Grace.“

“Oh, sorry.”

Anna covered her mouth and mumbled again. Still half-asleep, she looked at me playfully, her voice still groggy.

“Your Grace, are you perhaps meeting another man?”

“Look at the name. It’s Lethe.“

“Oh, like I would read your letter, Your Grace. And there could be a man named Lethe.“

“You didn’t read it, but you’re curious? Stop being curious and send it first thing at dawn.“

“Yes.”

I glared at Anna and then smiled slyly. Just as I was about to get into bed, I stood up again. Anna rubbed her sleepy eyes and followed me.

“Where are you going at this hour?“

“If you’re sleepy, just stay here.“

“How can I do that?”

She would start nagging if I said I already had, so I kept quiet.

When I stepped out of the room and headed to the fourth floor, Anna stopped in her tracks, covering her mouth in surprise.

“You’re meeting His Grace at this hour? I’ll wait here quietly.“

“Anna, it’s not like that. And you can come along, too.“

“Really?“

“Yes, Julian said it’s fine.”

When we reached the fourth floor, we reencountered the butler. He seemed surprised to see me but quickly concealed it.

“Is Julian awake?“

“Yes, he is.“

“Please show me the way. If he refuses, I’ll leave, so don’t worry.“

“Though it’s the meddlesomeness of an old man, he won’t refuse.”

The butler was smiling happily. Both Anna and the butler were making such a fuss. Explaining the situation would only embarrass me, so I fanned my flushed face instead.

The butler entered the bedroom and soon came out, naturally guiding me. I left the butler and Anna outside and carefully closed the door.

Julian was sitting comfortably on the quiet bed when I entered the room. He looked the same as when I saw him last night, the only difference being that he was reading a book instead of documents.

“Julian. I’m sorry for visiting at this hour.“

“I was awake, so it’s fine.”

His indifferent response put me at ease. As I stood there without moving closer, Julian glanced at me and extended his hand. When I took it, he gently pulled me beside him on the bed.

“Ah…”

Julian let go of my hand as soon as I sat on the bed. However, the proximity made my heart pound even more than holding hands. Julian, sensing my anxiety, briefly touched my forehead with the back of his hand and then frowned.

I found it surprising that he could act so tenderly, and I smiled awkwardly.

“You still have a fever, so why are you wandering around?“

“Ah, the butler told you?“

“Yes.”

I fiddled with my empty fingers and climbed onto the bed to sit more comfortably. Julian didn’t stop me.

“Maybe you’ve been too kind to me. I forgot what I was supposed to do. When I’m sick and weak, I tend to think that way.“

“That’s a strange habit.“

“It’s not a habit. It just happened.”

Silence fell between us. I knew what I needed to say, but it wasn’t easy to bring it up. I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to talk about it. Fortunately, Julian spoke first.

“What will you use Marian for?”

I slowly rolled my eyes.

Hadn’t I said that Julian was too kind to me? Maybe he really was.

For some reason, I felt it would be okay to share my thoughts with him.

“I’m thinking of sending her as a spy to the second prince.“

“How will you manage that?“

“Prince Cain is greedy and arrogant. If there was the most beautiful woman in the world, he would want to kidnap her to have her.”

Julian said nothing, but I could tell he was listening intently.

“So, I’m going to take Marian to the social scene. I’ll put a mask on her, tighten her corset, and dress her in something most wouldn’t dare to wear. Marian has a beautiful body, so people will naturally imagine her as the most beautiful woman.“

“What will the second prince do once he kidnaps her? Her face will be revealed soon.“

“Oh, haven’t you seen Marian? Isn’t she beautiful?”

Marian was quite beautiful. I teased Julian with a smile.

“She’s not as beautiful as my wife.”

But I was the one being teased. My face flushed instantly. Embarrassed, I hunched my shoulders and turned my head. Julian smiled, but I didn’t see it.

“Don’t tease me. About the second prince, yes. We were talking about Prince Cain, right? He’s so arrogant that even if Marian’s face doesn’t meet his expectations, he won’t be able to throw her out. How could he admit to having been fooled into kidnapping a woman?“

“You have a point.“

“But Marian’s life would be in danger. I plan to rescue her before that happens.“

“Rescue her?”

It must have sounded strange. The whole world probably thought I hated Marian enough to take her away.

By now, people must have imagined Marian as a pitiful woman, whipped and starved every day. So, taking her to the social scene would cause quite a stir.

But instead of explaining all this to Julian, I responded calmly.

“Yeah. I’m not that narrow-minded, am I?”

Earlier, I hadn’t felt excited at all. I wasn’t disturbed in the least. I kept repeating that to myself.

“I have two things to say. One is random, and the other keeps me from sleeping.”

Julian looked at me and nodded. Just as I was about to speak, he leaned towards me. Startled, I looked at him.

“I won’t do anything. But it seems you have a lot to say.“

“Oh…”

With those words, I looked at his fingertips. He was holding the edge of the blanket I had carelessly flung aside. Following his lead, I slowly slipped under the blanket and lay down. This wasn’t what I intended, but I didn’t want to refuse since he asked me to stay.

“Thank you.“

“Now talk.”

I grasped the edge of the blanket with my fingertips and looked up at him. He even put down the book he was reading on his lap to listen to me. I appreciated Julian’s serious demeanor. Or did I? I shivered my shoulders and began to speak.

“I want to raise a dog. A huge dog. One as big as me.“

“Why?“

“My family always greeted me warmly when I came home. But you don’t come out to the garden to meet me. So, I’d like a big dog to always greet me.“

“Very well.“

“Really?”

My eyes lit up as I asked again. We kept many hunting dogs at the Winsley estate, but here, it was lonely without even the sound of a dog barking. Julian’s hearty permission made me smile brightly.

“What’s the second thing?“

“Um…”

This time, I hesitated quite a bit. But I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t say it now after setting everything up.

“I’m sorry for picking a fight earlier when you were worried about me.“

“A fight?“

“Yes, I picked a fight with you earlier.”

Julian seemed to recall the memory as I mumbled. Shortly after, he let out a slight exclamation. It was fascinating to see him realize something; it was usually my role.

“Ah, yes, you did pick a fight with me.“

“What? You didn’t even remember.”

Julian reached out to me again. I didn’t avoid it. I slowly closed my eyes as his hand approached and gently covered my forehead. His hand was large and cool, feeling pleasant. It didn’t feel rough at all.

“You called me a friend, so there’s no need to apologize.“

Julian’s fingers slowly brushed over my eyebrows. I exhaled and mumbled.

“Because you’re my friend, I should apologize even more.”

To be honest, I was worried Julian might think it was a pointless thing to do. But now I realize he considered me a friend, too. That made me feel thankful and even more at ease. When I was with him, thoughts of my family’s death and revenge seemed to fade away, even though I knew they shouldn’t…

The fever cooling on my forehead naturally made me drowsy. I slowly fell asleep, trusting in his gentle touch.

* * *

Bark!

“Kyaa! What is this? Are you insane?”

Bark! Bark! Bark!

“Get this crazy dog away immediately! Now!”

At Princess Abigail’s sharp scream, I hurriedly exited my comfortable sleep. As expected, Julian was not beside me. The bed was fabulous, indicating he had left long ago.

I grabbed the neatly folded shawl from the nightstand and approached the window. The bright light streaming through the curtains suggested it was already midday. I was embarrassed to realize I had slept in Julian’s bedroom until now, but more importantly, I wanted to find out the cause of this commotion.

“Anna!”

I called for Anna to determine what was happening as I drew back the curtains.

Bark! Bark! Bark!

As I opened the window, the barking grew louder. It seemed to be coming from just below the window.

“Kyah! Why is this dog barking like that?”

I leaned out the window. The source of the screams was Princess Abigail.

“Your Highness!”

Startled, I urgently called out. Princess Abigail looked up and turned her gaze in my direction. Then she sharply shouted at me.

“Get rid of this dog immediately! And why are you in that room?!”

Following her finger, I saw a large dog, as big as me, barking loudly in front of her. It was a beautiful dog with white fur.

“I’ll be right down! Please wait a moment, Your Highness!”

My voice was very, very urgent.

But as I closed the window and headed down the stairs, I couldn’t help but laugh.

My clear laughter echoed down the hallway.