The heavy silence was broken by Sarah, who was unaware of the situation. She approached Sidney, who was standing there with a perplexed look.

“Did you two know each other? Sidney, let me take that for you.”

“Ah, it was in the bathroom.”

Sarah looked at Sidney with wide eyes.

It’s no wonder she was surprised, since Sidney spoke as if she was seeing the dress she had worn for the first time.

Fortunately, the quick-witted Sarah changed the subject as she took the dress.

“Mr. Ernest bought some freshly baked bread. Will you join us for breakfast, Sidney?”

“Yes.”

“The young lady will be pleased. Then, would you two wait in the reception room?”

“Alright.”

While conversing with Sarah, Sidney calmed her surprised heart.

Ernest Holden, Victoria’s cousin and Logan’s close friend.

It might be fortunate to have met him like this. If the perceptive Ernest couldn’t tell that Sidney and Marien were the same person… Logan wouldn’t either.

Sidney closely examined Ernest’s face. Judging by his incredulous and sarcastic expression… he didn’t seem to know.

“Huh, to think I’d meet Lord Warden here.”

“I didn’t expect to meet Lord Holden here either.”

Having regained her composure, Sidney looked him up and down with a tilted posture.

Seeing that he was wearing a different ash-gray suit from yesterday, it seemed he had returned to his own home after dropping Victoria off.

“Let’s go to the reception room for now. It seems we have a lot to talk about.”

Ernest guided Sidney to the reception room like a guest. She followed Ernest, who was acting unusually formal, without letting her guard down.

“Have a seat.”

Ernest offered a seat and crossed his arms. Then he silently glared at Sidney as if waiting for something. Like a beast wary of a strange intruder entering its territory.

Was it wariness towards a man in his cousin’s house? Or was he suspecting that she might not be Marien?

Sidney waited, hoping it wasn’t the latter. Either way, Ernest Holden would be more at a disadvantage than her.

In the end, it was Ernest who broke the silence.

“Lord Warden, don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“I’m listening.”

“Well… Neither Logan nor you… ever show your hand first.”

Why was Logan being mentioned here? Sidney unknowingly blushed and cast her gaze out the window.

The first snow.

The snow that had been fluttering earlier was now pouring down, covering the gray sky.

The first… Although she wasn’t one to particularly attribute meaning to things, today the word “first snow” lingered unusually in Sidney’s mouth.

“Good heavens, are you blushing right now? That look and expression…”

“…What do you mean?”

“Wow, you’re flustered. To think the eyes of the stoic ‘Sidney Warden’ could waver like that.”

Sidney was considerably taken aback by Ernest’s wide eyes and confident expression.

And for good reason.

December 31st was special for young lovers in Arsnel. It was a meaningful time to confirm their love throughout the night and welcome the new year.

Of course, for Logan Redford and Sidney, it was just something that happened due to the influence of alcohol and the circumstances.

Inadvertently recalling last night, Sidney unknowingly frowned.

“Ahem, Lord Holden.”

It was a warning to take it easy.

But how could Ernest be afraid of Sidney, who was blushing like a young girl?

Ernest Holden crossed his arms and legs. And he smiled triumphantly as he wiggled his leg.

“I’m speaking because I know everything. Be honest. Last night, you… shared lovers’ love, didn’t you?”

Thump. Sidney felt her heart drop to her toes at Ernest’s direct question.

No longer able to feign composure, Sidney covered her mouth with her fist and averted her gaze.

“I have no obligation to answer that.”

Sidney’s reaction, like a boy who had just fallen in love, was shocking in itself.

Sidney Warden.

Although their fortunes had declined now, the Warden Count family was once called the guardian sword of the Arsnel Empire, a prestigious family.

Moreover, Sidney’s own appearance and character were also decent, so she was popular among young ladies.

The problem was that this popularity wasn’t limited to just women.

But that wasn’t an issue since she was such a cold and heartless person that she wouldn’t cause any problems.

Although slightly inferior to the Owello Ducal family, ‘Sidney Warden’ was not a bad match for the free-spirited Victoria.

And to think that she was so smitten with Victoria that she couldn’t even manage her expressions…

Ernest Holden quite liked this situation.

“No, Lord Warden has an obligation to answer! The person in front of you, this ‘Ernest Holden’, is Victoria’s cousin brother.”

Obligation and cousin brother, and the lovers’ love he had claimed earlier. The implication was clear.

Take responsibility through ‘marriage’ since you’ve been caught by family after spending the night with Victoria Owello, the Duke’s daughter.

Was that it? If it weren’t for the secret that Logan Redford and Marien, and that Marien was Sidney. Sidney Warden, having regained her composure, calmly asked back.

“…Is that so?”

“Of course, I understand that you didn’t know this fact. But now that you know… You are now in the house of the woman you spent the night with, and caught by a man of that family. So it’s not something to be so proud about.”

Every word was correct. If Sidney were a man, and if she had that kind of relationship with Victoria, she should have taken a humble stance.

As a sign of respect for her lover and her family.

“That’s right.”

“Yes. The reason I’m giving this explanation is… because I’ve thought well of Lord Warden until now.”

“Then challenge me to a duel.”

Sidney cut off Ernest’s words and said firmly.

“What?”

“As you said, I should remain silent for the sake of Lady Victoria’s honor. To prevent any more vulgar talk about sharing love.”

“That’s…”

Damn it. Ernest regretted his rashness. He had lost Sidney over a mere slip of the tongue.

“I… won’t say anything without Lady Victoria’s consent… Because I think that’s the duty a man and a knight should keep.”

Ernest had to admit defeat at Sidney’s statement that drove the final nail. Because that’s what a man should do.

“Lord Warden.”

Just as he was about to speak, the reception room door burst open with a bang. And Victoria, in her nightgown, ran in and hugged Sidney tightly.

“Sidney, you’d even duel for my honor… I’m really touched.”

Victoria whined like a child and rubbed her head against Sidney’s shoulder. Ernest, who had thought Sidney was a man, held his forehead and scolded.

“Vicky, what… what are you doing now?”

Victoria turned around with fierce eyes. And she shouted at Ernest, her cousin brother.

“Ernest! Who are you to say anything to my Sidney!”

“Because I’m your brother!”

“So! What! What! What do you want me to do!”

“Hey! You, this brother! Uh! For your own good! Wow, such an ungrateful…”

Ernest, who had been shouting angrily, hit his own chest with his fist as if frustrated.

Sidney, who had been watching the siblings’ argument, gently patted Victoria’s hand.

“Vicky, calm down.”

“No, Ernest is making me angry.”

Victoria puffed her cheeks again as she leaned her forehead on Sidney’s shoulder.

Sidney soothed Victoria while glancing at Ernest.

“As Lord Holden, he had reason to.”

“But he shouldn’t treat you like that.”

It was truly an awkward situation.

For Victoria and Sidney, who were friends, such physical contact was nothing, but in Ernest’s eyes, it would look like an unsightly display of affection between a man and a woman.

Sidney exhaled a shallow breath and unwound Victoria’s arms from around her neck. Then she added weight to her voice as if warning.

“Go change your clothes first and come back. We need to eat breakfast.”

Victoria flinched and seemed to back away, then whispered in Sidney’s ear. In a loud voice, as if for Ernest to hear, while glaring at him.

“Okay, I got it. If Ernest acts rudely one more time, teach him a lesson with a duel. He can’t handle a sword.”

“Did you just call your brother ‘he’?”

Victoria stuck her tongue out at Ernest and then turned around and left.

Silence fell again in the reception room where only the two remained.

Ernest cleared his throat with an embarrassed face.

“Lord Warden, I apologize for my earlier indiscretion.”

“I understand completely.”

“So, what I want to ask is, how do you feel about Victoria? I mean, do you intend to take responsibility as a man?”

Ernest, concerned for his sister as her brother.

Sidney, suppressing the emotional surge she felt looking at him, calmly gave her answer.

“If such a thing had happened, of course I should. But Victoria and I are not the kind of relationship Lord Holden is thinking of.”

“Hmm, that means… there’s nothing to take responsibility for?”

“…”

Sidney lowered her gaze and kept her mouth shut.

It would be strange to say anything now, having already brought up Victoria’s honor.

“Alright. But I still need to say this. Victoria must never be made to cry. That child already has many wounds.”

“I know.”

“You know?”

There’s no way Victoria would have told her that. Ernest’s eyes held such conviction.

But Sidney, mocking such Ernest, opened her mouth.

“Perhaps… I know more about her than Lord Holden does.”

Sarah called the two, saying that the meal was ready. Before leaving the reception room, Ernest put his hand on her shoulder. Sidney turned her head to look at Ernest.

“If you know that… Lord Warden, never die before Victoria.”

“I won’t.”

Sidney smiled as she brushed off his hand. Then she walked away alone, making loud footsteps.

Although he had heard the answer he wanted, Ernest couldn’t move from that spot for a while.

Because Sidney’s fleeting smile seemed somehow eerie yet resolute.

“Well… his brother died first too, right? Ah, I made another mistake.”

Ernest scratched the back of his head. Then he took out a cigarette from his pocket and headed to the terrace.

After lighting the cigarette with a match, Ernest looked at the falling snow and exhaled a long stream of smoke.

“Even brothers can be so different… No wonder I forgot. And… it’s been 6 years already.”

Beyond the dissipating smoke, the face of an old friend he had completely forgotten flickered vaguely.

Anthony Warden.

He was very famous when Ernest attended the military academy.

First of all, Anthony’s appearance was so beautiful and delicate that he could be mistaken for a woman.

He was teased a lot for that, but most of it was childish pranks from immature boys trying to get Anthony’s attention.

Of course, Anthony didn’t even care about that… The brothers were exactly alike in that imperturbable personality.

The point that Anthony really struggled with at the military academy was… his frail physique that couldn’t keep up with military training.

Yet he enlisted in the Imperial Army and went to the battlefield…

Ernest threw the cigarette on the ground and crushed out the remaining embers with his foot. Then he put his hands in his pockets and was about to go inside when he paused.

“Then… did Lord Warden get to know Victoria because of his brother’s death?”