Adelia asked me to give this letter to Kaern. Although you’ll receive the report soon, there’s surprising news in it.

I smiled brightly and handed him the letter.

“Surprising news?”

“Yes, please read it.”

Kaern soon began to read the letter. I waited quietly until he finished reading.

“Adelia is pregnant.”

“Yes, you’re going to have a niece or nephew.”

“A niece…”

However, something seemed off. I expected him to be happy about becoming an uncle, but contrary to my thoughts, Kaern’s expression was somehow dark and stern.

Lost in thought for a moment, he remained silent for a while.

I carefully observed Kaern’s demeanor and waited until he spoke.

“How is Adelia’s health? Wasn’t it difficult for her?”

“No, she’s perfectly fine. The Duke of Crayton takes good care of her, so you don’t need to worry.”

He also added that she was very happy.

“Alright then. Speaking of that, when do you plan to leave? I thought you had already left, to be honest.”

“Huh? Oh, if nothing special happens, I planned to leave in a week, but I think I might have to delay it.”

“Delay? Why?”

“Seeing Kaern fully recover, I think I should postpone my departure.”
If not, I would be worried and restless all the time, unable to focus on anything.

“I’m fine, so there’s no need for that.”

However, he firmly refused my offer.

“Huh?”

“So, do as you planned.”

“But…”

“You seem tired. I want to rest a bit.”

“Oh, right. You must be tired. Okay, then I’ll leave.”

“Take care.”

“Yes. Rest well.”

I left Kaern’s room with a puzzled expression.

No, it was more accurate to say I was chased out.

‘What’s going on?’

Throughout my way back home, I kept replaying the conversation we had today.

Something was different.

I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but his attitude today was different from usual.

But it was challenging to express what it was.

It was such a subtle and elusive change that it was hard to identify.

Even after arriving home, I continued to think about Kaern until the last moment.

Yet, I still couldn’t figure out what it was.

“It won’t do. I should go see him again tomorrow.”

I had already finished my preparations for studying abroad, so I had nothing else to do separately.

Therefore, I decided to spend all my time with Kaern until the study abroad period.

????????????

The next morning, as soon as I woke up and got ready, I headed to the Duke of Laberion’s mansion.

When I arrived and got off the carriage, the butler welcomed me.
Today, like yesterday, a large number of knights were guarding the mansion in various places.

“Have you come, Miss Herena? Did you come to see the garden?”

“Oh, yeah. I’ll take a look at the garden, and also… Where is the Duke?”

“The Duke is currently in his study.”

“He’s working with that condition?”

“Yes. I and the chief physician advised against it, but it was in vain. If Miss Adelia were here at a time like this…”

“That’s right. If Adelia were here, she would have forced the Duke to take a break.”

Feeling regretful, I nodded in agreement with the butler’s words.

“Would you mind telling the Duke on behalf of Miss Herena?”

“Me?”

“Yes. Since Miss Herena is the Duke’s fiancée.”

After a moment of contemplating what to say, I awkwardly responded with a forced smile.

While I was the Duke’s fiancée, I had never assumed I had that much influence on him.

So, even if I spoke, it was unlikely to change his behavior…

“Given the situation, I should at least try saying something, right?”

I wanted to prevent him from overexerting himself.

And somehow, unlike before, I felt that he might listen to me now.

“He’s in the study?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“Alright. I’ll go and see him.”

“Thank you.”

I followed the butler to Kaern’s study.

“Duke, Miss Herena has arrived.”
Upon the butler’s announcement, I heard Kaern’s response telling me to come in. I passed through the open door and entered the study. Kaern was seated at his desk wearing a shirt.

“Kaern.”

As I called out to him, his red eyes stared at me, synchronized with the closing sound of the door.

“Come and sit here.”

Kaern pointed to the sofa, rising from his seat.

“Yes.”

Approaching the sofa, I gradually neared him. Through his thin shirt, I noticed that, like yesterday, he had bandages around his chest and shoulders.

After a moment, we sat facing each other across the table.

“How’s your body?”

“It’s gotten much better.”

“In just a day?”

Even if someone had exceptional healing abilities, it was unlikely for the body to recover completely in a single day, especially after such a serious incident.

Noticing the bandages still wrapped around him, I couldn’t help but express my suspicion.

“You should rest more.”

“There were many things piling up during the two months I was away from the capital.”

“You haven’t even removed the bandages yet. If you push yourself too hard, it could be dangerous.”

“I’m not that weak. I know my body best.”

“But…”

Adelia was also stubborn, but Kaern seemed even more formidable. In fact, he appeared stronger than Adelia.

“This won’t do.”

I had hoped he might listen to me, but it seemed not.
Naturally, I felt my mood sink for some reason, perhaps due to unnecessary expectations. However, unlike me, Kaern seemed strangely pleased.

“Are you worried about me?”

He asked me with a subtle tone, smiling.

“Of course. Kaern is my fiancé, after all…”

As I answered positively, he suddenly narrowed his eyes as if something didn’t sit well with him.

“Just because we’re engaged?”

“What?”

“Are you worried just because we’re engaged?”

“Well…”

Uncertain of how to respond, I hesitated for a moment. Of course, my concern for Kaern wasn’t merely because he was my fiancé. It was because I liked him. Who wouldn’t worry when someone they liked got hurt? However, I couldn’t reveal all the emotions and feelings I had for him.

“Because we’re engaged and also… As I mentioned before, Kaern is a precious person to me.”

A precious person. Instead of saying that I liked him, it was the most appropriate phrase I could use.

“A precious person, huh? Yes, I am a precious person to you.”

“Yes. Adelia and Kaern are both precious to me.”

And, as always, today, I brought Adelia along and tightly concealed my feelings.

“So, I hope Kaern takes better care of himself.”

I took the opportunity to once again encourage him to rest.
“I want to listen to the words of my precious fiancé, but it’s impossible right now.”

However, with a faint smile, Kaern once again rejected my words.

“You’re leaving for your studies next week, right?”

With that, he steered the conversation back to my study plans.

“Yes? I’m still considering it, but…”

“As I mentioned yesterday, I’m fine, so you should go as planned.”

“But, Kaern…”

“You wanted to go. So don’t think otherwise. Just think about what you want.”

He had always been lenient about my studies, and it was the same now. Yet, there was a subtly different attitude that bothered me a bit.

But, whether yesterday or today, I couldn’t grasp what that difference was.

“…Yes. I’ll do that.”

In the end, unable to find better words, I responded that way.

“But with your current condition, you might not be able to attend the homecoming celebration tomorrow.”

“Yes. Taking a break is only natural.”

“What about you… Will you attend?”

“Me?”

“Yes. Do you happen to want to go? Are you considering going alone?”

“I… I didn’t originally have the thought of wanting to go… I’m not particularly fond of such gatherings, and also, since you’re not going, Kaern…”

While I had promised Adelia that I would attend, it was valid only when Kaern went with me.