Chapter 86

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To Damian, the capital house was like an inescapable prison. A ducal castle where Winternight had lived for generations.

Winternight was the sword he wielded, and at the same time, the sword that bound him.

There were many titles used to describe him, but not a single person knew why he had grown into someone so cold and fierce.

After his parents, the previous Duke and Duchess of Winternight, passed away, the ducal castle became an endless winter to Damian.

Titania, who had promised to become his spring, showed him only a brief warmth before leaving.

“Ah, Dad!”

As Damian followed Reina into Estelle’s room, a welcoming voice greeted him.

She was the single handful of spring that had finally appeared after years of waiting.

“Estelle.”

Damian called her in his usual flat tone. Estelle was no longer afraid of his expressionless face.

She knew now that only his face was cold, not his heart.

As Estelle approached him, Damian naturally lifted his daughter into his arms.

Now quite used to it, Estelle lightly pressed her cheek against his shoulder and said,

“I really love this room, Dad.”

“Do you? That’s a relief.”

“You can see the whole garden from here. And there’s so much sunlight, and the bed is super soft and warm.”

Damian couldn’t hide the affection in his gaze as he looked at her.

He slowly walked toward the window.

Even after so long, just as he remembered and just as Estelle said, the garden was visible at a glance.

“This room is one I used when I was very young.”

“When you were very young?”

“Yes. Long before you were born.”

At that, Estelle’s eyes widened as she looked all around the room before smiling.

“That makes me like it even more.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Estelle smiled softly at Damian, then tugged at his sleeve, signaling to be put down.

Once Damian set her down, Estelle immediately went over to Bonita.

Grabbing Bonita’s hand tightly, Estelle said,

“Dad, Dad. Boni says she got her own room too.”

“I see.”

Damian, who had ordered that Bonita’s room be prepared as well, naturally already knew.

Even so, he responded gently to his daughter.

“So Boni wanted to say thank you to Dad too.”

“Thank you, Duke.”

The moment Estelle finished speaking, Bonita bent at the waist in a perfect ninety degree bow.

From behind Damian, someone struggled to hold back laughter.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“You heard that?”

“My hearing’s pretty good.”

Reina, wearing an awkward expression, stepped closer to Damian.

“Boni really loved her room. So much that I almost felt a little sad.”

At that, Damian realized that Reina and Bonita had never once used separate spaces.

“A child’s growth makes parents feel wistful.”

“Yes. From now on, she’ll probably make me feel that way countless times.”

At Damian’s answer, which carried a hint of warmth, Reina smiled.

“But that wistful feeling isn’t so bad.”

She then bent down to meet the children’s eyes.

“Do you like this mansion?”

“Yes.”

“Yes!”

At Reina’s gentle question, both children nodded vigorously.

They were adorable, like baby birds. Both Reina and Damian smiled in fond amusement.

‘My daughter really is an angel.’

‘Our Boni is so lovely.’

Each parent continued indulging in very similar, hopelessly doting thoughts.

The two children, unaware of what their parents were thinking, simply looked happy.

“Dad, Reina. Can we go see the garden ourselves?”

“Of course. As much as you want.”

Damian gave his permission without hesitation, and Estelle’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Reina too? And Boni too?”

She glanced at Reina and Bonita. Reina smiled gently and nodded.

“Of course.”

Compared to the ducal castle, the mansion in the capital was much smaller.

But precisely because of that comparison, it was still grand and splendid compared to other noble estates.

The garden was no exception.

“I can see the fence clearly.”

That was Estelle’s first comment.

“It looks like we could reach it if we ran.”

Bonita added.

Reina didn’t disagree with the children.

In the Winternight duchy, a carriage was necessary just to leave through the main gate.

She remembered that servants usually used the back gate instead.

“It must be easy for the gardener to manage.”

Though smaller than the main castle, the garden of the Winternight mansion was beautiful enough to rival any noble garden in the capital.

Reina’s impression was calm and simple.

One could even call it dry.

“Only one other person besides you ever had that impression of this garden.”

“May I ask who it was?”

Without looking at Reina, Damian stared at the garden, or rather, straight through empty space, as he answered.

“Titania.”

“…”

At the name Titania, Reina stopped, unable to respond.

After a long silence, she finally asked,

“Did I make you recall an unpleasant memory?”

“Not at all.”

Damian’s voice sounded the same as always.

Because of that, Reina had no way of knowing whether he truly was fine. His face was always stiff, so looking at him didn’t help.

“…If you say so, then I suppose that’s true.”

Reina had no choice but to believe his answer.

After another long stretch of silence, she cautiously asked,

“Your Grace, do you not need a handkerchief?”

“A handkerchief?”

“Yes. A handkerchief. I brought one before at the young lady’s request.”

Strictly speaking, what Estelle had asked for was an embroidered handkerchief, but Reina didn’t bother correcting herself.

“I usually carry one. It seems Estelle is short on them. I’ll have new ones prepared soon.”

“…Yes.”

“Is there some problem?”

“No, no. Nothing at all.”

Reina replied immediately, hiding her true thoughts.

After all, she wasn’t a lady wishing a knight’s safety, nor a woman secretly in love with him, nor family concerned for his health.

Besides, it was too crude to give to Damian, and the embroidery pattern was painfully simple.

She couldn’t give him a handkerchief she had made as an afterthought.

Reina felt like she kept choosing the wrong topics and slowly digging her own grave.

So it seemed better to stay silent.

In the end, Reina shut her mouth firmly.

In the silence, all the adults could do was watch Estelle and Bonita.

The two children wandered around the garden, laughing at whatever caught their interest.

They snapped off a stem with flowers no bigger than their fingers, showed it to each other, then burst into laughter again.

Just watching them felt peaceful, and it was hard to understand what could be so fun.

“…What’s so funny.”

Damian muttered, as if to himself.

But in truth, it was as good as speaking to Reina.

Reina noticed that he was subtly engaging her in conversation.

“They say children’s eyes can see more than adults’ eyes.”

“I suppose that’s true…”

Damian crossed his arms.

“As you grow older, all you see are lines of text packed tightly on documents. It’s only natural for your view to narrow.”

“Pfft.”

Damian probably meant it seriously, but Reina found the answer amusing.

She tried to cover her mouth to hold back her laughter, but it was too late.

Frowning, Damian asked,

“What’s so funny?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“I wasn’t asking for an apology.”

“That is…”

“Mom.”

“Reina.”

As Reina hesitated over how to answer, the two children came running toward them from afar.

“Look at this. Look at this.”

“Isn’t it amazing?”

Inside the handkerchief Reina had given her, Estelle carried several flowers.

White flowers and pink flowers. Tiny, nameless wildflowers that normally wouldn’t bloom in a garden.

“They look exactly like the flowers you embroidered, Reina.”

“Yes. So the young lady and I brought them to show Mom.”

“Oh my.”

Reina smiled brightly as she looked at the flowers the children had brought.

Of course similar flowers existed. The flowers Reina had embroidered were simply the general image people thought of when they imagined flowers.

But there was no need to tell the children that.

No, the moment the children had gone to find flowers for her, these two blossoms had already become the most special flowers in the world.

“They’re exactly the flowers I had in mind when I embroidered them.”

“Really?”

“Really?”

Reina naturally matched the children and told a gentle lie.

“Of course. You found them together? I’m so happy.”

At Reina’s warm praise, Estelle’s cheeks flushed shyly as she handed them over.

“R-Reina, you take them.”

“Is it really okay for me to take them?”

“Yes. I can’t embroider them as pretty as you, so for now they’re flowers.”

A shadow fell over Reina and Estelle. It was Damian’s.

“Reina Botn knows how to embroider too?”

His voice didn’t sound particularly interested, but he did seem curious.

“I used to do a little when I was selling things. I’m not especially skilled, though.”

“I’ve seen enough of your modesty to know that’s probably modesty too.”

“…”

As always, Damian evaluated Reina highly.

The warmth rising in her cheeks was entirely Reina’s burden to bear.