My body was becoming drowsy. My hands instinctively burrowed into his embrace. Every time they touched a new spot, probably because they were cold, he twitched.

After feeling sorry and pulling my hand away, I lay down leaning lightly against his chest. It felt as if my face, which had been exposed to the cold air all along, was melting. But then, I heard a strange noise.

“Indeed, Hertian definitely seems unwell somewhere.”

The sound came from his chest.

Thumpthumpthump.

The sound of a heartbeat that seemed to burst out. Just like his body temperature, that sound was not normal.

“Oh my.”

I gasped and distanced myself from his embrace, looking at him.

“It doesn’t hurt. It’s just an arrhythmia.”

“Ar…rhythmia?”

“It’s a disease where the heart beats irregularly, either too fast or too slow.”

It wasn’t normal to have a rising body temperature.

Even with a light touch of my hand, I could feel his pulse.

Hertian might die first at this rate.

“When did this start?”

At this level, he would have known himself.

After pondering for a while, he answered.

“It’s been about 5 years.”

Five years ago, he had just inherited the title of Duke.

It seemed that he was rushed into war without a chance to get treatment. He had inherited the position of family head before even coming of age, and the empress’s restraint was also severe. He would have had to keep his mouth shut to avoid being seen as weak even if he was sick.

‘Poor man.’

On closer inspection, his sturdy body was full of tiny scars. What good is being a Duke? There was not a single person in this vast castle to tend to his wounds. As an individual, a wave of sympathy washed over me.

“I will provide you with medication good for arrhythmia starting from tomorrow. Make sure to take it.”

“……I will do so.”

He smiled stupidly.

From now on, I would have to take care of him.

Night deepened, dawn passed, and it was soon dawn.

In the quiet room, only faint breathing resonated.

Hertian stared at the woman sleeping on his arm, her head rested on it. It was a face that he had watched all night and did not tire of.

The light eyelashes visible beneath the forehead that protruded neatly. The small lips that looked delicious like eating macarons in a dream.

If he touched it as if in a dream, she would rub her face.

It was not a dream, it was reality.

Anette was lying in his arms.

Just the fact brought a happy smile to his lips. As always, he chewed on the conversation he had with her several times.

Then, thinking of the earlier event, he placed his hand quietly on his chest.

“Did she say arrhythmia?”

As Anette said, his previously calm heart was beating irregularly. It was a beat quite different from the throbbing when he read Anette’s letter.

At this point, it’s suspicious, but Anette had mistaken it for a disease.

“I wonder when she will notice.”

Of course, even that was fun. If he kept approaching bit by bit, the day would come when her heart would beat at the same speed as his.

Then, the bedroom door carefully opened.

A maid entered with washing water. But seeing Hertian sitting by the bedside barechested, she was surprised and quickly bowed.

“I’m so, sorry, Master. I will come back later.”
Anette’s robe had been halfpeeled off throughout the night due to the warm wind burrowing into her robe. Only then did he, realizing his nakedness, chuckle as he redonned his robe.

“I’ll leave first, so don’t wake the madam until she wakes up.”

“Understood.”

Barely managing to detach himself from Anette, who clung and fussed, Hertian left the room.

It was only after hearing the sound of the door completely closing that the maid lifted her head. Fanfanning her momentarily flushed face, she nearly collapsed on the floor. It was because of the giant caterpillar occupying the bed.

“Ma…madam?”

It was Anette, whom Hertian had swaddled with the blanket for fear of her getting cold.

The ducal mansion was buzzing with maids’ voices for the first time in a while.

Rumors of the young duke and duchess who had spent their first night together spread everywhere.

“Well, I heard that the maid who entered in the morning saw all their bare skin.”

“They say their eyes were puffy as if they had cried all night.”

“It’s good that the two of them are on good terms. Isn’t the madam usually beautiful? She’s even beautiful enough to be praised in the capital.”

“What kind of person is the madam?”

Everyone was interested in that. The atmosphere of the castle was rapidly changing depending on the new madam.

“Um……. she looks wrinklefree and just happy.”

The maid talked about Anette, recalling her. The image of her smiling with a clear smile without a hint of depth on her face came to mind.

“Like Miss Liri?”

“Yeah, like Miss Liri. By the way, I heard that the master sent twenty new dresses and hurt her shoulder carrying them.”

“Twenty?”

“Obviously. She’s like Miss Liri, she’ll never wear a dress more than once.”

There was no particular ill intent. Because nobility is generally like that.

“But twenty dresses at once is a bit much. How much money is that?”

“Well, the master will handle it.”

Of course, there was a bit of grumbling.

“It’s cold.”

Once Hertian’s warmth disappeared, this place was still a winter kingdom. When I left the warm room and roamed around the castle, my legs felt paralyzed from the cold wind coming through the hem of my dress. I sniffled as I wandered around the castle again today.

“Liri went outside?”

“According to the butler, he saw her going out a little while ago.”

It was to find Liri.

Liri is the daughter of the Blondiche clan of guards. She is the cousin of the former Duke and lost both of her parents in an unexpected accident and lived in the Duke’s castle. As there was no information about her in the original work, all I knew was that. No, there is one more thing I know.

“Is she not cold?”

That Liri is also not sensitive to cold. Otherwise, how would she think about going outside the castle?

The harsh wind blowing outside, visible to the naked eye, was no place for people to step foot in.

“Liri……. did you really have to go outside?”

It was obvious she knew she lost the bet and ran outside.

“Madam. Shall we call the knights to search for her?”

“No. She wouldn’t have gone far.”

I wanted to believe so. I walked along the castle wall, exhaling white breath. I’d walked almost a complete round of the castle. I started to worry if Liri had gone far away.

Thump.

The sound of skin ripping from a collision rang clear.

In the distance, I saw the sight of pink hair fluttering in the wind.

“Liri?”