Her gaze, which seemed ready to devour me at any moment, stubbornly followed me. Glancing at Nathaniel, he seemed entirely disinterested, looking elsewhere with a neutral face.

“Please come inside.”

“Thank you for the invitation, Prince.”

In the end, succumbing to that gaze, I invited her inside.

For some reason, my steps inside felt heavy.

Maximilian paced anxiously in front of the ducal residence. Damon, the commander of the Winter’s Duchy knights, sighed as he watched him.
“Please be quiet; it’s not like Teresa will come any faster just because of that.”

It was a soothing remark, but Maximilian didn’t hear it. He looked out the window, paced around the room, and repeatedly sat and stood up on the sofa.

That’s when it happened.

A maid knocked and entered.

“Young Duke, the carriage has arrived.”

“The carriage?”

Upon hearing the awaited news, Maximilian stood up abruptly. He immediately opened the door and descended the stairs.

Seeing the young duke for the first time, Damon, for the first time, thought he looked pitiful.

‘What does he think he can achieve by threatening a woman like that?’

Damon had heard about Teresa as well. He felt that she fell far short of being the fiancée of the Winter’s Duchy heir.

So, he had subtly rejoiced at the news of their breakup…

‘Well, he might soon be hosting her as the mistress of the house. Let’s get a hold of ourselves.’

He quickly followed Maximilian.

Descending the stairs and reaching the entrance, Maximilian was already opening the door.

They almost stepped outside simultaneously.

In front of the entrance, the ordinary brown carriage’s door opened, and someone descended.

The first to step out was a man with long red hair loosely tied. Holding his hand was an elegant-looking woman who alighted from the carriage.

Maximilian rushed forward and stood in front of her.

“Welcome, Theresa.”
“Thank you for the warm welcome, Young Duke.”

“Was the journey not tiring?”

“It was fine. I think it was even better with Guild Leader by my side.”

Only then did Maximilian’s gaze turn to Kilian, who was standing in the forefront after being completely ignored until now. Kilian awkwardly stepped forward.

“Ha, haha. It’s an honor to meet you, Young Duke. I am Kilian from the Principality of Freesia.”

“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Maximilian from the Winter’s Duchy.”

Maximilian knew why Kilian had come here. However, that didn’t mean he harbored positive feelings towards him, especially considering he came along with Teresa.

Even if his heart was narrow, it didn’t matter.

“I’ve heard about the tasks for Lord Bee. Thank you for coming all this way.”

Damon shuddered as he watched Maximilian’s perfect smile. Having observed the Young Duke from a young age, he knew that such a smile was displayed only when Maximilian was suppressing his emotions desperately.

‘They said he was assigned to protect the fiancé, but…’

Maximilian ordered the servants to move the luggage to the rooms. Then, he turned around and called Damon, who was standing a step behind.

“Damon, over here.”

Responding to the sudden call, Damon snapped out of his thoughts and approached.

“This is Damon, who is in charge of the castle’s security. Damon, I hope you can assist them.”
“Glad to meet you.”

Damon firmly shook Kilian’s hand as he offered a refreshing handshake.

“Now that you’re here, let me guide you to your rooms.”

“Oh?”

“Follow me.”

Damon hurriedly led the bewildered Kilian away.

Finally, Maximilian stood by Teresa’s side, and only the two of them were left.

“Shall we go in too?”

“Yes.”

Unlike the past when Teresa always smiled and laughed, her face now held only coldness. Nevertheless, Maximilian was content. Just having her by his side was enough.

“I’ve prepared a room for you to stay for a while. This way.”

Even with Maximilian’s words, Teresa remained standing, not moving from her spot. He cautiously asked,

“Why? Is there something you need to take care of separately?”

“Oh, I didn’t think the Young Duke would personally guide us.”

Only then did Teresa begin to move. Maximilian stood stupidly for a moment before regaining his composure and following her.

It was a place that, positioned at the forefront of the war against demons, conveyed a practical and sturdy impression.

Compared to the extravagant Winter’s Duchy in the capital, it was completely different. Teresa, who had been silent for a while, spoke.

“Even though it’s a castle, it’s still warm, but…”

“Haha, still chilly? Well, it can’t be helped being in the north.”

A cold wind blew through the corridor to the extent that it felt like the body was shrinking.

‘Even though the capital’s Winter’s Duchy was so warm that you could wear summer clothes in winter.’
“Why are you living like this? It’s not like you lack magic stones or anything.”

“Oh? Um… I just don’t feel particularly uncomfortable.”

As they chatted about trivial matters, they arrived at a room with a soft brown wooden door.

“How about having lunch later… together? There’s someone I’d like to introduce.”

Maximilian swept the back of his neck with his palm as he spoke.

It seemed like his throat was a bit hoarse, but Teresa didn’t pay it any mind.

“Yes, sure.”

Afterward, she turned around, entered the room, and closed the door.

Maximilian, left alone outside, shrugged his shoulders and returned to his room.

“Phew…”

As Maximilian’s footsteps faded away, Teresa, who was in the room, let out a long sigh.

Even though she had come thinking thoroughly about using Maximilian, now that she faced his gaze, it was uncomfortably awkward.

“For now, until Nana comes…”

Muttering to herself, Teresa paused for a moment as she looked around the room.

The walls adorned with small flowers on a light mint background were complemented by dark oak wooden furniture.

Teresa slowly walked around the room, inspecting them.

The furniture might not have been adorned with jewels or gilding, but judging by the form of the carvings and the wood material, they were undoubtedly high-quality items.

Small ornaments and flowers placed everywhere indicated how meticulously the room was decorated.

It was a room that someone had unmistakably tailored to their taste.

“Did Max do this?”
Everything she had received from him so far didn’t match Teresa’s taste at all.

Expensive and flashy items stood out too much in her space.

The memories were full of bitterness, feeling like her situation next to him.

“Did Lord Bee provide these?”

Teresa quickly corrected her thoughts. The Maximilian she knew wasn’t the kind of meticulous man to do this.