Grey, who had spoken with a cold edge, reached up to smooth the collar of his coat. His long fingers moved gracefully, almost artfully, over the fine fabric.

The gesture stirred something in her—bringing back a spring day from long ago, when she had watched him gently stroke the sleek, muscular back of a black horse in the green park, and her heart had fluttered without warning.

“Regina.”

He loosened his collar and held out his hand.

“I can’t give you my cloak, but I have room for a lady.”

It wasn’t a gesture meant to push her away. Drawn in by something she couldn’t name, her hand lifted on its own—only to freeze halfway. Was this pause, this faint reluctance to fall into his arms like before, a sign that she’d changed, even just a little?

She simply stood there, uncertain, expecting him to retreat at the first sign of hesitation. But to her surprise, it was Grey who closed the distance—reaching out, not pulling back—and gathered her into his arms.

“There is no need for formalities between man and woman.”

His embrace smelled faintly of the chill of the sea, but it was broad and firm, like a breakwater shielding her from the harsh sea winds. One arm wrapped around her and pressed gently against her back until their chests met.

She could control her limbs with logic, but not her heart, which was beating so wildly it felt like it might burst. A foolish thought crossed her mind – was her heart beating so loudly that he could feel it through her thin clothes?

“You’re warm. Like a puppy I once held as a child.”

“A puppy, madam? I’ve already got all my teeth.”

“Should I be afraid of being bitten?”

“If necessary.”

His body shook slightly with laughter. The rippling movement took Regina completely by surprise, but Grey remained calm and continued his conversation with Finley without missing a beat.

“How much money and time will the restoration take?”

“Ten days at the earliest. The restoration budget is still being calculated. I’ll have the report ready by midnight tonight.”

“What about the cruise dock?”

“It’s in a recessed area inland, so the tsunami damage was minimal. However, the entrance is completely blocked by rocks and debris. Getting in and out will be difficult until it’s cleared.”

“We will have to postpone the test run again.”

There was a faint trace of weariness in Grey’s voice, a rare crack in his usual composure. It wasn’t as if the loss would ever truly affect his wealth, but that subtle note of discouragement tugged at her heartstrings. Almost without realising it, she reached out and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. Grey inhaled sharply, as if the simple touch had taken him by surprise.

“You should go now.”

“Excuse me?”

Finley’s eyes widened at the abrupt dismissal.

“You just cut the conversation short and tell me to go? Go where…?”

“Anywhere. Just stop talking and go.”

“…Ah.”

Still confused, Finley looked at Regina’s face peering out from under the collar of Grey’s coat. As if something had suddenly dawned on him, he quickly excused himself.

Once they were alone, Grey rebuked her.

“You’re not a very virtuous woman, are you? Seducing your husband while he’s at work.”

“When have I ever…”

Again her protest was cut short by his lips.

His cloak wrapped around her, his strong arms, the rising scent of rain on his skin – it all rose like a storm, shaking her to the core.

Inside, she felt like a small boat breaking apart piece by piece.

And yet the lips that untied her filled her with bliss. When his slightly rough tongue brushed against hers, it felt like he was releasing a pheromone she couldn’t name.

Only after a long, dizzying kiss – one that left her lips tingling – did he finally pull away.

A kiss, of all things, at a moment like this. Their eyes met, as if sharing some unspoken guilt, and an awkward laugh escaped between them.

Her face was brighter now, her cheeks flushed from the kiss and her eyes shining like stars. Grey looked at her wordlessly, his expression unreadable – until his brows knitted together in a sudden frown.

He quickly looked away, but it was too late. Regina had already caught it – that fleeting flicker of unease in his eyes.

“Ah.”

That’s right. Like a wave that rushes in and slips away, you always leave nothing but bubbles on my heart – then disappear without a trace.

Fortunately, Sir Kiers arrived just in time to break the heavy silence.

“Excuse me. The mistress sent me.”

“Mother? Oh… I forgot to pass on the message about the lifeboats.”

He’d forgotten something? That was almost inconceivable.

Even Grey seemed unsettled by it. He repeated his earlier words as if to ground himself.

“We can’t send a boat. Going out into rough seas at night, with no visibility… it’s practically s＊icide.”

“The fishermen of Kapten are deeply concerned, my lord. They’re full of questions – about the rescue efforts, about whether the missing will be found. Someone needs to step in and calm their fears.”

“Do I really have to go? My mother should be there by now.”

“That’s exactly the problem.”

Kiers replied, his expression uneasy.

To Grey’s surprise, he understood what Kiers meant without further explanation.

“Exactly. My mother won’t do it.”

With a worried sigh, Grey rubbed his forehead. He couldn’t leave his post now. Finley would have been the perfect person to do it – but he’d just sent him away.

“I’ll go.”

Regina’s voice was soft but firm as she quietly raised her hand.

***

“Why won’t they send a boat?”

A woman with a dark, ashen face clung to Barbara, pleading desperately.

“My daughter is missing! She’s just a child – barely grown – and who knows what happened to her in those waves!”

“Do you think I don’t know? Use your head and think for a second!”

Barbara snapped, her expression harsher than ever.

“If we could launch a boat, we’d have done it by now! Look at those waves! How the h＊ll do you expect anyone to sail in them?”

“Then… does that mean you’re giving up on the missing?”

“Of course we have to search! But we can’t send a boat right now!”

“But if we’re going to save them, we have to go now!”

“I told you, we can’t launch a boat in these waves!”

The conversation went on and on, each turn more agonising than the last. The woman clutched her hair in despair, her cries raw with fear. Every second that passed felt like a lifetime – her daughter was out there, lost to the sea, and could disappear forever.

“Oh, my poor baby! Please, someone save my child!”

“What’s got into you?!”

“I beg you,” she cried, falling to her knees. “I know I’m lowborn, and I have no right to address you this way, madam… but I’m still a mother – just like you. I will crawl, I will grovel at your feet if I have to… just please, I beg you – bring my daughter back.”

The kneeling woman desperately rubbed her forehead against Barbara’s shoes. The fear that she might never see her daughter again if she gave up now overwhelmed her.

“Stop it! Don’t you understand? This won’t change anything!”

Her words were sharp, but Barbara’s voice trembled slightly as she stepped back. How could she not understand, when she too was a mother?

Though she was now called a noblewoman, Barbara had spent far more time wielding a sword than attending tea parties. She was used to hierarchical orders, not heartfelt conversation, and preferred swinging a blade to talking in circles.

She didn’t resent it or feel ashamed of it. It was simply the history she had made for herself through a life of struggle. But when she saw a woman who had lost both her daughter and her home in one day, now begging embarrassed and tearful, a pang of helpless guilt gripped her chest.

Just as Barbara turned away to hide her twisted expression, a familiar face caught her eye.

Regina was running towards her, her soft brown hair pulled back, dressed simply in a modest gown with a shawl draped over her shoulders.

“I’m sorry, Mother. I was late, wasn’t I?”

“No. You arrived at the perfect time!”

Unable to hide her relief, Barbara instinctively stretched out her arms – then froze, startled by her own reaction.

‘What am I doing?’

Without the slightest hesitation, Regina embraced her warmly. As a result, Barbara’s outstretched arms didn’t feel so awkward. Held in the arms of a daughter-in-law half her size, Barbara felt an inexplicable comfort.

“You must be exhausted. You’ve been here since early morning, running around all by yourself.”

“You think that would exhaust me? You don’t know me at all!”

‘I can’t do it anymore. I’d rather face monsters than this.’

As always, Regina understood Barbara’s heart without her having to say a word.

“Why don’t you go back and get some rest? I’ll stay here and take care of things.”

“Thank you.”

Barbara didn’t refuse. As she walked away – almost fleeing – the woman on the floor looked up at Regina with tear-filled eyes. The desperate sincerity in those humble eyes pierced Regina’s heart.

“Have you eaten?”

“Yes… They gave us bread earlier. It was soft, like a baby’s bottom.”

“Good. It’s times like this when you need to keep your strength up. What’s your name?”

“Jennifer.”