“How is Diana doing?”

The Duke asked nonchalantly while sitting at his desk handling documents.

It was so natural that one might miss the oddity in the conversation.

Butler Benjamin, who was compiling a list of slaves nearby, pushed up his glasses with a surprised look.

“Are you… talking about Lady Diana?”

As he asked incredulously, the Duke continued writing without even turning his gaze, speaking as if it were a foolish question.

“Is there another Diana I would be asking about besides Diana de Arnel?”

He looked as composed as someone asking about lunch options.

However, Benjamin knew. This was definitely not a topic that would normally come from his mouth.

“…The young lady is doing well. I’ve heard she spends most of her time in the library these days.”

“That wolf from back then. Does Diana keep it around?”

“Yes. It seems she’s been handling it well since then.”

‘Handling it well,’ huh. The Duke recalled the fierce wolf pup.

‘Taming such a creature, how unexpected.’

“By the way, I was really surprised that day. When you ran into the center of the training ground. It was just like seeing the old Madam.”

Benjamin cautiously brought up the topic. The Duke silently turned his gaze to a small portrait on his office desk.

‘Merius.’

As he seemed lost in thought, Benjamin carefully spoke up.

“How about taking the young lady to the Imperial ball this time… I’m concerned you might have brought in a slave out of loneliness. You don’t have even one close friend.”

Benjamin glanced at him with hopeful eyes, but there was no response.

‘As expected… sigh.’

The cold-hearted man remained unchanged, contrary to his expectations.

Benjamin looked outside, rubbing his arms against the chilly temperature of the office.

‘Isn’t it about time for spring to come?’

In the place where the snow had melted hazily, there was a sense of the freshness of green sprouts.

The season that had arrived silently was now truly just around the corner.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Drink this while you work.”

Diana set down some juice next to the focused Raoul and sat down.

His skills had been improving day by day, and recently he had reached a level where he could write sentences proficiently.

‘With such an amazing thirst for knowledge, how was he illiterate until now?’

She smiled fondly as she looked at his concentrated profile. Even Raoul’s handwriting was as neat as if it had been written with a ruler.

‘Diligent’, ‘thorough’ – his personality was clearly reflected.

Ever since learning that he was illiterate, Diana had felt somewhat strange.

‘It’s pitiful, but also kind of nice…’

She pursed her lips sourly, recalling the numerous love letters she had sent in her past life.

Raoul, your eyes are truly beautiful. They must be bluer than the goddess’s tears that Aiona is said to have thrown into the sea. Your appearance is outstanding, and your heart is vast and blue. Sometimes, no matter how hard I try, my feelings for you can’t be hidden. These days, I feel like I’m doing handstands every day. Blood always rushes to my face… Please don’t run away in surprise. P.S.) I’m worried you might not have winter gear in this cold weather, I hope you’ll grant me the honor of helping.

‘It’s a thousand blessings he didn’t see them.’

“I’m done.”

Before Diana could dig herself deeper into her thoughts, Raoul pulled her out.

“Okay. I’ll check it.”

Diana smiled as she took his notebook.

‘Even seeing it every day, it’s really perfect penmanship.’

She felt embarrassed about her own handwriting that she had honed for 20 years. Despite his young age, he exceeded expectations in everything.

“You’re doing so well, I might not have anything left to teach you.”

“Did I do well?”

“Yes, it’s really excellent.”

Diana drew a large circle with a bright smile.

Raoul stared blankly at Diana’s profile, then startled when their eyes met and quickly turned his head away.

“…Next time I’ll try writing an essay.”

“Already?”

“Yes.”

‘As expected of a prodigy.’

Even though it was a phonetic alphabet, his learning speed was remarkably fast. It was truly befitting of a main character’s excellence.

“Alright. Then from tomorrow, let’s do creative writing.”

“Okay.”

“Shall we end here for today?”

“…Sure.”

Raoul nodded, but there was a hint of regret in his voice.

‘He still wants to study more even after nearly three hours?’

He was truly a talent born in the wrong era.

However, today she wanted to end the lesson quickly. Because she had another goal she really wanted to achieve.

“Since the lesson ended a bit early today… would you stay and do me a favor?”

Raoul tilted his head curiously.

“…What favor?”

“Can I cut your hair?”

The hand that had been fidgeting under the desk raised a pair of hairdressing scissors.

It was a scene that would make an ordinary person faint, but Raoul, having nerves of steel, touched his hair and asked.

“My hair…?”

“Yes. It looks uncomfortable because it’s too long.”

It had been bothering her for a while, but she hadn’t dared touch it thinking he might dislike it.

Raoul paused for a moment before nodding slightly.

“Okay, do as you wish.”

“Thank you!”

Diana wrapped a thin cloth around his neck and spread newspapers widely on the floor.

“I’ll be careful.”

Even in an era without hair treatments, his hair flowed as if it had been soaked in iris water.

She pulled the soft ash-gray hair straight and trimmed it evenly.

Snip, snip.

Only the sound of scissors echoed gently through the quiet library.

‘Now that I look at it, your head shape is really round.’

A smile naturally appeared at the impossibly adorable sight.

It was cute how hair clippings fell and piled up on his straight nose, and his downcast eyes with long eyelashes were pretty too.

After trimming the back of his head, as she was about to gently brush off the fallen hair from his face, Raoul shook his body like a wet dog.

“Is it done?”

“…Yes! I’ll show you the mirror.”

Quickly lowering her awkwardly suspended hand, Diana presented the mirror.

“How is it…? Do you like it?”

“…Well, what do you think?”

Diana, with a slightly excited expression, rattled off compliments.

“Your eyes are so beautifully revealed now. You know, you have really pretty eyes. Just like Ariona’s sea…”

“Sea…?”

Diana covered her mouth. As her words were cut off midway, Raoul raised his gaze and stared intently at Diana.

“What about the sea?”

Diana bit her tongue, reminding herself to be patient.

‘Such sappy words can cause discomfort. You’ve already experienced that in your past life…!’

Diana awkwardly smiled and rolled her eyes.

“I just meant it looks good.”

Fortunately, Raoul didn’t press the issue further.

He seemed uncomfortable with his shortened hair, running his hands through it messily.

The static electricity caused strands to stand up, looking just like dandelion seeds, making Diana chuckle.

It was a peaceful day.

[This is the timeline separator]

The weather had improved, and spring was in full swing.

The Duke, the only one in the castle who could be called a villain, had left for the capital to participate in the Founding Day celebration. Perhaps due to the ticklish spring air, the servants’ mouths were constantly bursting with cheerful laughter.

Moreover, there had been many changes in the relationship between the two.

“What are you doing there?”

In the past, the baby wolf would have sighed deeply just at the sight of Diana near the training grounds, but now he approached first and spoke to her.

“Oh, I was just passing by and saw… Sorry, did I interrupt you?”

“It’s break time anyway.”

Vincent, who had been cleaning his sword behind them, smiled so widely his eyes almost disappeared when he spotted Diana.

“Lady Diana, it’s been a while.”

“Vincent, it’s good to see you.”

Diana responded with a smile.

After a long time, he was still a handsome man with a flower-like aura swirling around him.

“I should have thanked you earlier for the last incident, but I couldn’t find the opportunity to visit you separately. Please forgive me.”

“Oh, no. It’s nothing… I just listened to the story, you did everything, Vincent…”

“Who would have had the courage to speak up without the backing of the young lady? You did a great thing.”

“Oh, come on…”

It wasn’t modesty; it was the truth.

Diana, embarrassed by the excessive praise due to her position as a noble lady, blushed and awkwardly waved her hands.

Raoul, suddenly forgotten between the two, stared intently at her flushed face.

Vincent, who had been laughing heartily and praising her achievements, looked down at his disciple who had been silent for a while.

An unusual light flickered in his usually calm eyes.

“So, Angela praised you a lot too at that time. She said Vincent did well this time, and I heard about it and was really grateful…”

“My lady, please lower your speech. It’s alright.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I have little interaction with knights, so… it’s a bit uncomfortable to suddenly lower my speech.”

“Ah, I see. Haha. Anything is fine with me, I just mentioned it because I was worried you might be uncomfortable, so don’t worry about it.”

Vincent placed his hand on Raoul’s shoulder as if to tell him to laugh, but he didn’t even blink, just staring at Diana.

The first person to notice this unusual atmosphere was Vincent.

He raised an eyebrow once and then pulled Raoul’s shoulder firmly.

“By the way, aren’t you curious about this guy’s sword practice?”

Raoul showed signs of discomfort with a surprised look.

“What are you doing?”

Vincent, like an overly friendly uncle, smiled slyly while massaging Raoul’s shoulders.

“This guy is something else, isn’t he? I’ve been through wars since I was sixteen, but I’ve never seen talent like this. The way he intimidates unlike a child, and his sense of exploiting the opponent’s weaknesses when fighting is amazing.”

“…Is that so? I actually expected it, but I guess it’s true.”

Diana revealed her excitement with a slightly brighter voice.

“He’ll probably be incredible when he reaches adulthood. If we manage him well from now on, that is.”

Diana was quick-witted.

‘He needs something.’

It would be best if it could be solved with money. She asked as if ready to open her wallet right away.

“What kind of management specifically does he need? I can’t do anything personally, but I can provide material support. If you need anything, just say the word…”

“That’s enough.”

Gasp. Diana was startled and examined Raoul’s expression.

He seemed somewhat displeased.

‘Why am I offering kindness to Raoul! He didn’t even ask for help!’

It was a clear mistake. Diana bit her lip regretfully.

Vincent, who had been happily watching the two, smiled gently and said.

“No matter how good a weapon you give him, if the basic skills aren’t there, it’s completely useless. So, what this little one needs right now isn’t that.”

“Oh, I see. Then there’s no way for me to help, is there?”

Diana replied dejectedly. Vincent laughed heartily, patting Raoul’s shoulder.

“There is something, my lady. There’s definitely something only you can do!”

“What, what is it?”

“Love and attention. Did you know this guy sometimes just stares at the corridor even during lessons? Haha.”

“Are you crazy? What nonsense are you spouting!”

Raoul’s face turned bright red as he kicked Vincent in the shin.

“Ouch! You see this? He’s acting like this because he feels guilty, right?”

Watching the two bicker, Diana smiled contentedly.

‘They’ve become quite close. I’m envious… Getting along so casually… But Vincent, that’s not it. He’s just monitoring me…’

On the outside, Diana wore a benevolent smile like Buddha, but inside, she was silently shedding tears.

‘Dear author, can we talk? The atmosphere was good, so why is he in monitoring mode again?’

She composed her bitter feelings and offered a greeting.

It seemed she shouldn’t take up any more of their break time.

“Well then, I’ll be going now. Work hard.”

As she was about to turn and leave,

“Where are you going?”

Raoul gently grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

“That’s not the way to the library.”