“My lady, have you returned?”

Eriel, taking off her lace gloves, nodded to the butler’s greeting while rolling her eyes and tilting her head.

“Where’s Lucy?”

“She’s sleeping in the playroom with the Duke.”

“In the playroom… with him…?”

Eriel, who had been walking, stopped abruptly. She turned her head towards the butler who was following her half a step behind.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

A crease formed between Eriel’s brows.

“Are you saying that Damian is… taking a nap with Lucy right now…?”

Eriel made eye contact with the butler, seeking confirmation once again. The butler nodded with a slight smile.

“Yes. That’s right.”

“But wasn’t Damian supposed to enter the Imperial Palace today?”

“Yes, but we also didn’t dare to wake the Duke carelessly…”

As Eriel slowly nodded and started climbing the stairs again,

the butler, who had been recounting the day’s events, mentioned Jessica’s name.

“This morning, Lady Jessica and young Derek came by.”

At those words, Eriel’s steps on the stairs halted once more.

“Jessica? What did she say before leaving?”

“The Duke had a conversation with young Derek in the study, and Lady Jessica waited in the reception room before leaving as she was.”

“She just left?”

“Yes. I heard that the Duke left a note for Lady Jessica through Derek, and after seeing that note, she left immediately.”

“Do you know the contents of the note?”

“No. I’m afraid I don’t.”

With the butler’s final words, Eriel resumed climbing the stairs.

It seemed that quite a lot had happened at the mansion while Eriel was away.

While Bruno was at the club trying to persuade the Count, it appeared that Jessica had come to the Duke’s mansion to attempt persuasion from a different angle.

Up to that point, it wasn’t surprising.

Eriel couldn’t believe the fact that Damian was now napping with Lucy.

Arriving at the playroom with slightly quickened steps, Eriel carefully grasped the doorknob.

Not in their separate rooms, but Damian sleeping with the child in Lucy’s playroom…

It was a scene Eriel couldn’t possibly have imagined.

“…”

Eriel entered Lucy’s playroom, holding her breath. As soon as she entered, she caught a glimpse of Damian’s hair on the visible sofa.

Eriel walked carefully, with an incredulous heart, and confirmed the truly unbelievable scene.

Damian was indeed fast asleep, holding Lucy.

“Huh…”

Surprised, Eriel unknowingly let out a breath.

It wasn’t just a simple nap. Glass marbles and books were scattered messily in front of the sofa.

Eriel, easily guessing the situation, looked at the book in Damian’s hand.

It was a fairy tale book that Lucy often asked to be read to her.

It seemed that while reading the book to Lucy, he too had fallen asleep with her.

Eriel covered her mouth and gazed at the scene before quietly leaving the playroom.

*

Damian, half-asleep, tried to move his hand but felt an unfamiliar sensation and came to his senses.

He felt a very small, warm body breathing softly in his arms. A faint scent of powder passed by Damian’s nose.

Damian then realized that he had accidentally fallen asleep in Lucy’s playroom.

Lifting his eyelids, Damian slowly looked down at the child nestled in his arms.

Her small cheek was pressed against Damian’s arm, completely lost in sleep.

Carefully moving, Damian put down the book he was holding and lifted Lucy up.

As he left the playroom, Lucy lightly nuzzled her face against Damian’s chest.

Damian refused the servants waiting in the hallway who offered to take Lucy, and moved to the child’s room.

Opening the door and gently laying Lucy down on the bed, he felt a slightly strange feeling.

The child’s scent emanating from his entire body felt unfamiliar yet familiar, and his heart felt heavy yet peaceful.

Unable to define this feeling, Damian quietly sighed and arranged the hair stuck to the child’s forehead.

“…What about Eriel?”

A maid holding a blanket whispered softly.

“She’s in the outdoor garden.”

Damian nodded and took one last look at Lucy before leaving the room.

After tidying up his clothes that had become disheveled while playing with Lucy, Damian headed to the garden.

Roughly pushing his hair back, he approached Eriel sitting in the garden.

“Eriel.”

Eriel, who had been looking down at a paper while sitting at the garden table, raised her head.

“…Damian. You’re awake?”

“Yes. When did you get back?”

“Not too long ago.”

Damian nodded and sat across from Eriel.

“…”

While a maid was setting up Damian’s teacup, silence briefly fell between the two.

Eriel put down the paper she was holding and observed Damian’s appearance.

When he was sleeping on the sofa, his sleeves were rolled up, but now he looked neat with even the buttons fastened.

At a glance, he looked like he could put on an overcoat and enter the Imperial Palace just like this.

Only the slight wrinkles at the ends of his sleeves revealed that his disheveled appearance from moments ago had been real.

“Eriel.”

“Damian.”

They called each other simultaneously. Their gazes met, and Damian signaled with his eyes for Eriel to speak first.

Eriel fiddled with the handle of her teacup for a moment before raising her gaze again.

Blue eyes stared at Eriel.

“…I went to the club today. There, I overheard Bruno and Count Scala talking.”

“Count Scala?”

Following Damian’s puzzled voice, Eriel nodded.

“Yes. He seemed to be the figure behind Bruno, but the reason for his actions was a bit puzzling. It felt like there were many aspects too suspicious to fully believe.”

“Which parts made you suspicious?”

“They said they wanted to make you the perfect leader of the Imperial faction.”

At Eriel’s words, one corner of Damian’s mouth turned up.

His blue eyes, avoiding Eriel, briefly lowered to the teacup.

“I see.”

“And…”

Eriel hesitated as she looked at him.

She didn’t want to say such things with her own mouth, but she had to tell him.

“…Bruno attempted to make a deal with Count Scala, saying he could kill you.”

There was hesitation in Eriel’s voice.

In contrast, Damian’s voice was calmer than when he heard Count Scala’s name. He didn’t seem particularly surprised.

“I see.”

However, Eriel frowned at Damian’s attitude.

It was a story about his brother trying to make a deal with someone over his life, how could he listen so calmly?

Could it be that he had been aware of such intentions all along and still continued to turn a blind eye to Bruno?

“Damian.”

“No, Eriel.”

But this time, Damian spoke definitively to Eriel.

As if he knew exactly what Eriel was worried about just from hearing her voice.

Damian, who had clearly expressed his disagreement, put down the teacup he was holding.

“It’s not surprising that Bruno would try to make a deal with my life. But if you thought I would turn a blind eye to Bruno despite that, you’re completely wrong. And…”

Damian paused for a moment and looked at Eriel intently.

“I’m sorry.”

There was still no detailed explanation. But tears were already welling up in Eriel’s eyes.

Eriel closed her eyes tightly. She felt tears rolling down her cheeks.

Immediately, his hand brushed over Eriel’s cheek. When she slowly opened her eyes, Damian had come closer.

Blue eyes, anxiously wavering, were trying to gauge the meaning of Eriel’s tears as he wiped them away.

“Damian… Our Lucy. Lucy…”

Choked up, Eriel’s voice barely came out.

A surge of emotions swallowed Eriel’s voice along with her words.

“Nothing is more important to me than you and Lucy, Eriel.”

Hearing Damian’s words, Eriel nodded while biting her lower lip.

Then she placed her hand over his hand on her cheek.

“And Damian, let’s… not do anything dangerous.”

Eriel spoke, concerned for his well-being.

“I won’t.”

With an affirmative answer, Damian’s hand gently pulled her closer, and Eriel closed her eyes again.

Damian’s lips, which had gradually approached, touched Eriel’s lips.

The warmth of his gentle embrace was mingled with Lucy’s scent.

Eriel smiled and willingly responded to Damian’s kiss.

*

On the warmest morning in 8 years at the Duke’s mansion, a guest arrived early.

“We are in the presence of His Highness, the Crown Prince of the Empire.”

The butler who greeted the guest was momentarily surprised to see Crown Prince Eden, but quickly bowed and paid his respects.

“There is an order from His Majesty for the Duke to return to his duties promptly, so I had to come to the Duke’s mansion early this morning.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Normally, for such matters, they would send a letter of urging or a servant, not have the Crown Prince come in person.

So the expectation clearly visible in the Crown Prince’s eyes must be directed towards the young lady.

Reading this expectation, the butler began to seriously consider.

Somehow, thinking of the recent Duke, it might be better to inform the lady first.

“Crown Prince…?”

Damian’s voice echoed through the hall.

Damian’s eyebrows twitched as he came down the stairs.

The reason for Eden’s visit here was something he could understand without much thought.