Chapter 76

Damian was asleep on the sofa with his long legs bent.

It looked like he had only meant to take a short nap, yet his large body was curled up like a shrimp.

Reina stared at his sleeping face as if entranced, then snapped out of it and lowered the light of the lamp.

‘I just thought I’d never seen his lordship sleeping, and now I see him right away.’

She wasn’t sure if this counted as good luck or not.

Reina quietly watched him for a moment.

Unlike his usual appearance, he was dressed lightly in just a white shirt and trousers. His hair, always neatly arranged without a single flaw, was messily tousled, yet he still carried an air of nobility.

Even in his sleep, his gloved arms were tightly crossed, and his normally stern expression was still slightly furrowed.

After staring closely at his face, something she rarely had the chance to do, Reina came to just one conclusion.

‘He looks exhausted.’

Considering he ruled a vast duchy and governed multiple territories, how could he not be tired.

The dark circles beneath Damian’s eyes were clearly visible even in the dim light.

“…”

Several books were stacked on the low table in front of the long sofa.

They were all about magic stones and magical theories.

Reina quickly realized that every single one of them was related to the projects being carried out under her name.

‘Why is he going this far for me.’

Was it because the experiments were being conducted under the name of Winternight.

If so, did he devote this much care to everyone he invested in.

A strange sense of excitement slowly crept up from deep within her chest.

Damian was reflected once more in her dark golden eyes.

As if possessed, she reached out and lightly pressed his furrowed brow.

The cold of his skin met her calloused fingertips.

Though his skin was cold, she pulled her finger back in shock, as if she had touched fire.

Even Reina herself didn’t know why she had done that.

‘What did I just do.’

Her heart pounded violently from nothing more than secretly touching him once with her finger.

Reina clasped her hands behind her back and glanced at Damian again. He showed no sign of waking, as if exhaustion had fully claimed him.

She slowly stepped backward, then turned and slipped out of the study.

As the door closed behind her, another wave of cold air greeted her, snapping her back to her senses.

Reina hurried away from the study.

Like someone who had seen something they absolutely shouldn’t have.

But Reina knew it well.

She would soon return to the study again.

It was an especially cold night, and Damian was sleeping without anything covering him.

No matter how well the mansion was filled with warming magic, it was a night that called for at least one blanket.

So even if the handkerchief in her pocket couldn’t be delivered tonight, she would have to come back.

* * *

“…I see.”

When Damian opened his eyes, it was already dawn, with light slowly seeping in.

“I only meant to sleep for a moment…”

Judging by how hoarse his voice sounded, he must have slept deeply despite his uncomfortable posture.

As he pushed himself up, he felt something off.

“A blanket?”

Damian had no memory of bringing a blanket over himself. If the design had been unique, he might have guessed whose it was, but it was a standard blanket issued to all the servants.

Looking around, he saw that not a single book had been moved.

‘That’s not the important part.’

Damian rubbed his face and stood up.

“More importantly, I should finish what I was working on.”

Since Reina was heading out again this morning, he needed to make sure those documents were properly organized in time.

If Peter found out, he’d probably say he was going too far. Honestly, Damian couldn’t understand himself either.

‘Why am I doing this much.’

But imagining Reina failing to understand the mage’s explanations left him in a foul mood.

No, he really was sinking deep into this mess.

‘Is it because she asked me to kill her.’

That was right. No one had ever asked Damian to kill them before. Maybe that was why it stuck with him so much.

Damian repeated to himself that was why Reina stood out to him.

He needed some kind of reason.

Caring for her simply because she was someone protecting Estelle didn’t explain the excessive consideration he was giving her.

Damian was aware of it himself, and if Reina didn’t produce results from this research, he wouldn’t even have an excuse to continue favoring her.

He sat down and finished organizing the documents he had been reviewing.

They were already at the final stage, so he would be done before Reina left.

As Damian placed the final period, he scoffed inwardly.

‘Making excuses, how ridiculous.’

As if showing someone kindness required an excuse, like it was some secret that couldn’t be exposed.

* * *

“I gathered some materials that might be useful to you.”

Before Reina left, Damian handed her the documents.

Reina alternated her gaze between the papers and Damian with a dazed expression, at least from Damian’s perspective, she looked flustered and unable to grasp the situation.

“Th-These were organized by you, My lord?”

“I just gathered what was already there.”

“…Th-Thank you?”

After a brief pause, Reina thanked him and accepted them.

Honestly, that moment of silence bothered Damian, but he chose not to ask.

Even though he had already received a report from Peter the night before, Damian asked casually.

“Among those you’re working with, is there anyone who bothers you?”

“Ah, no. Everyone’s very kind. They teach me everything I don’t know. Is it because you selected them yourself, My lord?”

Reina never even imagined that they were being considerate toward her specifically.

Damian briefly debated whether he should tell her the truth, but it was obvious she wouldn’t understand even if he did.

Knowing her negative and passive nature all too well, Damian neither confirmed nor denied anything.

“I’ll lend Peter to you until next week, so make good use of him.”

“Thank you always for your consideration. I’ll be sure to repay this kindness.”

“Alright, alright.”

He wasn’t doing it expecting repayment anyway.

After confirming that Reina had boarded the carriage and departed, Damian returned to the mansion.

Several servants looked at him with puzzled expressions.

As he climbed the central staircase, Damian suddenly felt a sense of dissonance himself.

‘Did I just see Botn off.’

His steps paused for a moment, then resumed climbing the stairs.

‘It just happened to be the right timing to hand over the documents.’

He piled another excuse onto the growing stack in his mind.

Tap tap tap.

The sound of small footsteps running echoed through the corridor.

Pink hair, still messy as if she had just woken up, fluttered about.

An ivory one piece nightdress fluttered in the breeze.

The child ran hard, then gradually slowed, coming to a stop in the middle of the corridor.

“Bonita.”

When Damian called her name, Bonita, who had been bent over catching her breath, gasped and looked up.

“Your Grace.”

Damian’s gaze swept over her from head to toe.

She was barefoot, as if she had rushed out in a hurry.

“Where are you running to in such a rush?”

“Just… because.”

Bonita fidgeted with her fingers behind her back.

Damian leaned slightly to peek, wondering if she was hiding something, but she wasn’t holding anything.

He approached the squirming child who couldn’t seem to speak properly.

‘Barefoot.’

She could have at least put on slippers, so running like this meant she had truly been in a hurry.

Damian tilted his head slightly and looked down at her.

“Were you trying to see Reina Botn off?”

She flinched.

As if it were the right answer, her shoulders twitched once before shrinking in.

‘Is that really something to be this startled about.’

Damian looked at the stiff Bonita with curiosity.

It wasn’t strange for her to want to see off her family, so why was she trying so hard to hide it.

He felt there were aspects of Bonita and Reina’s relationship he couldn’t quite understand.

“Your feet are bare. Aren’t they cold?”

Only then did Bonita look down at her feet.

“…It’s okay.”

Her small feet overlapped and fidgeted.

‘So they are cold.’

Damian briefly looked away, then bent down and took off his shoes.

He nudged them toward Bonita with a gentle push.

“Looks like I misjudged the size. They’re too small for me. You wear them.”

Of course, it was a lie.

A flimsy lie that only a very young child might believe. Bonita gave him a suspicious look, then slipped her feet into his shoes.

Her tiny feet inside the large shoes made her look like a dwarf borrowing a giant’s footwear.

Thud.

The shoes slapped loudly against the floor due to the extreme size difference.

Walking was difficult in shoes that were far too big, so Bonita staggered awkwardly, stepping here and there. If she didn’t look down, the shoes threatened to slip right off.

Damian stared at her back for a moment, then strode over.

“Bonita.”

Standing beside her, Damian bent down to roughly match her eye level and asked.

“May I pick you up and carry you?”

Bonita turned her head to look at him. Gentle pale lavender eyes met his cold blue gaze.

Blink.

Her large pale purple eyes closed and opened again.

“It’s okay.”

“Does that mean you can walk on your own, or that it’s okay for me to carry you?”

“It’s okay to carry me.”

“Alright, then.”

When Damian awkwardly spread his arms, Bonita leaned into him.

Damian lifted her up.

“You’re getting heavier by the day.”

“Am I very heavy? Doesn’t that make it hard for you?”

“It’s hard, but I don’t dislike it.”

“It’s hard, so why don’t you dislike it?”

Bonita looked at Damian with a blank expression.

The child who had once been a little afraid of him was nowhere to be found.

All that remained was goodwill toward him, along with a bit of curiosity.