“True. After all, Heraena has been the owner of that room from a very long time ago. Isn’t that right, brother?”

In response to Adelia’s words, Kaelen nodded slowly.

“Let’s leave it at that for now.”

And, as if telling Adelia to stop talking, he wrapped up the conversation.

“Yeah. Heraena, see you later.”

“Adelia, rest well. And, Young Duke Craeton, rest well too.”

Leaving the two in the room, Kaelen and I went outside and headed to his study.

After entering the study and taking a seat on the sofa, I glanced at him without resentment.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“To surprise you.”

“What?”

A response that seemed unlikely to come from him made me burst into a dry laugh.

“You surprised me on purpose?”

“Yeah.”

Why do his jokes always sound so serious? Moreover, even when making such remarks, his expression remained unchanged, making it even more convincing.

“Well, you succeeded. I was genuinely surprised.”

“Even though Adelia tried to stop me after telling her you were staying here, she insisted on coming.”

“Very much like Adelia. Oh, by the way, what we’re doing right now should obviously be kept a secret from Adelia, right?”

“It’s better that way. If she finds out, I can’t guarantee how she’ll react given her personality.”

“I agree.”

After the incident that made the Lavereon former Duke and Duchess famous, Kaelen was so busy that there were hardly any days when he came home.
Even so, he somehow took care of his younger brother and showed affection in his own way.

And I could still feel that sentiment in him now.

“Oh! Can I prepare dinner?”

“Of course. As long as it’s not something dangerous, you don’t have to ask for my permission for everything you want to do.”

“I’ll prepare a lot of dishes that Adelia likes. I’m not sure what Young Duke Craeton likes… Hmm, I should ask Adelia for a moment.”

After saying that, I headed straight to Adelia.

Knock, knock.

“Adelia, it’s me.”

As I knocked on the door and called Adelia, I heard her inviting me in.

As I entered, Adelia was lying on the sofa, resting her head on Calix’s lap.

In Calix’s eyes, gently stroking Adelia’s hair, there was a full expression of affection.

The scene was so peaceful and pleasing that I couldn’t help but smile.

“Heraena. What’s the matter?”

Adelia raised her head slightly, looking at me and asked.

“Oh, I’m going to prepare dinner later. I know what Adelia likes, but I don’t know what the Young Duke likes, so I came to ask.”

“I like anything Adelia likes.”

As if expecting her to say that, Adelia smiled brightly toward Calix.

“Calix likes stew with beef and potatoes.”

“Stew? Got it. Anything else?”
“Well, Calix, is there anything you want to eat?”

“Adelia, tell her what you want to eat. You couldn’t eat well because of the swollen gums.”

“Adelia, is the gum swelling severe?”

I approached Adelia with a face full of concern.

“Should I call a doctor?”

“No. I’m much better now. I’m so comfortable and happy like this.”

Adelia, holding Calix’s hand and placing it on her cheek, closed her eyes, looking truly content.

“Are there any foods you can’t eat?”

“I can’t eat foods with strong smells.”

Calix answered my question instead of Adelia.

“Foods with strong smells? Okay. Then, I’ll prepare dishes that Adelia can eat as much as possible.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Adelia, rest. Young Duke, you too.”

Having completed the information gathering on what kind of food to prepare for dinner, I went down to the dining room.

And, to treat the two of them to a delicious meal, I spent the afternoon in the restaurant.

As the day darkened and dinner time approached, we all gathered in the restaurant.

Adelia, without a single complaint about her gums, enjoyed the food well. Especially, the stew with potatoes and meat, which Calix likes, seemed to suit Adelia’s taste as she was already on her third bowl.

“This stew tastes so good.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

Seeing Adelia eating with pleasure, a satisfied smile naturally appeared on my face.

“Isn’t it delicious, Calix?”
“Yeah. It’s delicious. I should ask the chef for the recipe later.”

“Exactly. Our chef is originally skilled at cooking. But it seems like his skills shine even more because of Herena, right?”

“No. The chef is just exceptionally talented.”

“Adelia’s right.”

Feeling embarrassed by the compliments, I shook my head, and then, agreeing with Adelia’s words, Kaern added,

“Is that so? Brother is lucky.”

While saying that, Adelia stared at Kaern meaningfully.

“Oh? By the way, Brother, aren’t you drinking wine today?”

Adelia asked Kaern with a puzzled expression, as if noticing something strange.

“You always drank wine during dinner, Brother.”

“Now, there’s something to replace that.”

Saying so, Kaern looked at me.

“Something to replace it?”

“Yeah, so there’s no reason to drink wine anymore.”

Lately, Kaern had been following the promise to take a walk with me before bedtime for a good night’s sleep. As Adelia mentioned, except for occasionally enhancing the taste of food by drinking, he rarely sought wine.

“That’s good. I was worried sometimes that Brother drank too much.”

“Did Kaern really drink a lot?”

“Well, relatively.”

Hearing Adelia’s words, I felt a momentary pang of heartache.
I couldn’t estimate how many moments there had been in my life when I couldn’t easily fall asleep with Kaern. To think that I relied on alcohol day by day, now that I knew, I didn’t realize how fortunate I was.

“Now don’t worry, Adelia. I haven’t been drinking much lately.”

“Really? Whew. Finally, I can breathe.”

“Adelia, try this salad. So should the Viscount.”

I recommended a salad with a dressing that didn’t have a strong scent to Adelia.

“Kaern too.”

And I served salad to Kaern as well.

“Wow, it’s refreshing. My mouth feels instantly refreshed. Herena, try some too.”

“Yeah. I’ve been eating a lot.”

Perhaps because it was a lively and enjoyable dinner after a long time, my stomach was already full, even though I didn’t need to eat.

“You should eat too.”

As I had done, Kaern served salad onto my plate and said.

“Thank you.”

I picked up the salad on my plate with a fork, smiling gently at him.

The remaining dinner time was also very heartwarming.

Time spent with the people I loved was always the happiest and most satisfying.

The next day, both Kaern and Calix went out, claiming they had work to do. So, for the first time in a long while, Adelia and I had some time alone.

As always, we started our morning with a stroll in the garden.

“Wow, there are more beautiful flowers. The fragrance seems better too. Did Herena do all this?”
“Yeah. Since the weather is nice, I decorated it with bright flowers.”

“As expected, Herena is amazing.”

Adelia praised me with a wide smile under the sun.

“Wanna sit here for a while?”

“Sure. Sounds good.”

When I pointed to a nearby bench, Adelia nodded in agreement.

After a while, we took a seat side by side on the bench.

“How’s your body? Wasn’t it tiring to ride the carriage for a long time?”

“It was a bit tiring, but Calix took good care of me, so it was okay.”

“That’s a relief.”

“By the way, how did Herena end up staying here?”

“Hmm?”

Adelia, once again, caught me off guard with her question.

“Well, your brother mentioned that you’re here, but he didn’t explain the reason.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. Did you change your mind? Are you planning to get married soon? You mentioned going abroad for studies.”

Adelia’s question made my head spin, unsure of how to respond. I didn’t want to accidentally make Adelia worry or ruin her carefree smile. So, reluctantly, I gave a positive response to Adelia’s inquiry.

“Yeah. Marriage… is something I’m considering at the moment.”

“Really? Did your brother finally confess to Herena?”

“Huh? Confess?”

Confessing? What on earth was she talking about?