“Ah!”

I came to my senses and swept the room one last time. Now it was my turn to frame my memories and lock them away in the exhibition hall deep in my heart.

As I also exited the room, he even locked the door with a click this time.

Consistently petty.

“Come in.”

The one who came to see him at this late hour was the butler Freddie. I stuck close to the door I had just come out of to avoid catching his eye as much as possible. Since the room was generally dark, I thought I might be able to hide well in the shadows if I tried. But.

“What are you doing there?”

What else would I be doing? I’m desperately trying to protect my reputation. Ricardo, who didn’t care about my reputation at all, froze his face coldly and deliberately called me out.

“Come here.”

“Yes……”

In just three or four steps, my figure was clearly revealed under the moonlight. Freddie’s face, upon seeing me, naturally froze in surprise. I didn’t need to ask how he would think of me, a woman visiting a man’s room in the middle of the night.

All the more so, I held my head high. After all, isn’t my goal an engagement with Ricardo?

“I apologize, young master. I didn’t know you had a guest.”

“What business do you have at this hour?”

“There were two matters I wanted to report, but……”

As Ricardo stared at the butler who trailed off, he cleared his throat repeatedly.

“One of them is no longer necessary.”

Ah, he came to report that I was missing. Ricardo seemed to have guessed what the butler had come to report as well.

“Then what about the other?”

Freddie glanced at me briefly, then stood straight facing Ricardo again.

“News that the people of the Pennel family have arrived at the mansion.”

‘What…? Did he just say Pennel…?’

I was too shocked for words to escape my mouth. I immediately looked at Ricardo, but he had his back to me, so I couldn’t see his expression.

“Let them in……”

Ricardo paused and tilted his head slightly towards me. I thought I saw the corner of his mouth lift, but I couldn’t be sure.

“To the Blue Hill quarters.”

Hearing the name of the mansion where my family would stay, my frozen mind returned. Though the imperial pinnacle of Rochester wouldn’t play such a low prank, I felt I needed to see my family’s faces to believe they were really here.

I immediately grasped my skirts in both hands to run outside. I could ask the knights on guard duty where Blue Hill was.

“Lienne.”

But I couldn’t even take a few steps. I had no choice but to stop in my tracks at the sound of my name being called affectionately from behind. Only then did I remember that I was about to leave without observing proper etiquette towards him.

“I’ll be taking my leave now, young master.”

“No, not today.”

“What… do you mean?”

“I said you can’t meet them today.”

“Why… not?”

“Because that’s what I want. Isn’t that right?”

With an utterly mean expression, he strode over to where I was standing. It wasn’t a distance at which noble men and women would stand face to face, unless they were dancing.

As he came right up to me, Freddie silently left the bedroom.

My head tilted up involuntarily due to the man approaching boldly. The focus of his slightly downcast eyes gradually turned towards me.

Ricardo probably wanted to give me some sense of pressure. Normally, it would have gone according to his wishes. In front of him with such a terrifying face, I wouldn’t have even been able to breathe deeply.

But unfortunately, right now Ricardo could make me laugh no matter what he did. Given what I had suddenly barged in and done today, I could take this much spite and more.

“That’s right.”

Instead of moving away from Ricardo, I leaned slightly towards him. And with a face full of gratitude, I smiled brightly.

“It’s all up to you, young master.”

At my sudden change in attitude, he burst into loud laughter. The unexpected sound of laughter made me dizzy. As I listened to that refreshing sound, even his bedroom, which had felt chilly enough to give me goosebumps until just now, began to feel cozy.

“I know. You just said so yourself a moment ago.”

“What did I say…?”

“That I could do whatever I wanted.”

“Ah……”

Of course, I had said that. But when a man wearing only a flimsy robe over his handsome naked body said such things at close range, for some reason my eyes and throat stung.

“Of course, a woman licking my feet without a stitch of clothing isn’t to my taste, but……”

Why did I feel like he was lying when I was sure of what I had just said?

“Well, if necessary, it wouldn’t be so bad to change my tastes once.”

“If you see something that’s not to your taste, you might be a little, no, very displeased……”

“Since I haven’t experienced it, it’s hard to say definitively that it’s not to my taste.”

I must have bitten my lower lip hard. My lips parted involuntarily as Ricardo’s hot finger lightly touched them.

“Don’t be scared. I’m a bit too tired to have a new experience right away.”

My eyes sparkled.

“That’s right. You look very tired.”

“Yes, so you go back to your room quietly.”

Ricardo took a step back and closed his eyes tightly once before opening them again. My gaze, which had been tightly bound to that action, was suddenly released.

Whew, a long sigh escaped involuntarily.

“Alright, I’ll do that. If you answer just one thing.”

“What is it now?”

He replied as he walked leisurely towards the bed.

“Everyone came, right? Lady Pennel, Sabrina, Jonathan too.”

As he reached the bed, Ricardo suddenly took off the robe he was wearing. I turned away from him in surprise. Still, I needed to hear his answer. Otherwise, I would surely spend this long night wide awake.

“Well, is that all?”

I heard Ricardo flop onto the bed. When I looked back, he was lying face down on the bed, staring at me intently with half-closed eyes.

Why did I feel seduced by what was just a sleepy face?

Ricardo’s little mischief, his playful tone that only I would notice, his moist eyes looking at me languidly as he lay on the bed.

“Why, want to put me to sleep?”

Even his voice, tinged with laughter that made it hard to tell if he was serious or joking as he smiled slightly, was it because it was just like when we were children?

Back then, I would sit by his bedside. And I would stroke his jet-black hair that gently parted between my fingers.

“Sure, shall I sing you a song?” I would ask, and he would answer, “You’re really bad at singing, just read me a book instead.”

But no matter how familiar the current Ricardo felt, I couldn’t give the same answer as back then.

“No, you wouldn’t be able to sleep well if I were here.”

“That’s not true……”

He mumbled in a half-asleep voice.

“It’s strange, when I look at you I keep getting sleepy and…… I keep getting hungry.”

With those final words, he fell asleep, breathing evenly. So defenseless.

I felt the urge to approach and stroke his head, but I shook my head to shake off the feeling as well.

When I quietly opened the door and went out, Freddie was waiting for me. As our eyes met, I smiled awkwardly.

“I’m sorry for disappearing without saying anything.”

“It’s alright. I’m glad you’re safe.”

“This won’t happen again in the future.”

He nodded slightly.

“And the young master…?”

“He fell asleep.”

“He must have been very tired. He barely slept for four days.”

In times of peace like now, the heirs of the ducal family work mainly for the imperial family rather than family affairs. On top of that, he had to resolve my family’s issues, so he must have been really busy.

Once Ricardo becomes duke, even the imperial family won’t be able to send him to the battlefield carelessly. Because family matters take priority.

“He was busy, I see.”

The fact that my family could be here now meant that Ricardo had already taken measures even before I entered the ducal residence.

“Yes, he’s always busy. Would you like to meet your family now?”

“No, the young master didn’t allow me to meet them today.”

“He probably didn’t mean it.”

“I know, but I want to listen to him. He must have gone through a lot because of me.”

“I understand. Then I’ll arrange for you to meet them tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, please take good care of my family.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Freddie walked away from me with quick steps to carry out Ricardo’s orders. I immediately returned to my room.

I had many questions I wanted to ask Ricardo.

When did he plan to bring the Pennel family here, for what reason, how did the paintings I saw today come to his mind, and if he really… intended to get engaged to me.

But I couldn’t ask a single thing.

Because I felt like I wouldn’t be able to handle whatever answer I heard.

That night, of course, I couldn’t fall into a deep sleep. Freddie was kind enough to relay through my dedicated maid that all my family members had been safely escorted to their quarters. Even so, sleep wouldn’t come easily.

In the early dawn, when the sky was just starting to lighten, I finally fell into a light sleep.

Was it because I had heard the news that my family was at the mansion? I dreamed of our home in Lesothia. It was a very gentle and warm dream where even the crowing sound that was different from other chickens, faintly echoed.

“Yes, mmm, looks like our Coco laid an egg. But, sis, let me sleep a little more.”

Hearing the familiar chicken sounds after a long time, instead of waking up, I rather fell into an even deeper dream.