“……I was just saying. Since she transformed into a wolf, I meant that Blanche also has the right to become a viscountess.”

Jade embraced me.

“Why……”

“Larien. You’re not going anywhere, right?”

His tight embrace felt uncomfortable.

I wanted to break free because of the intensified rose scent.

“Jade. Let go.”

It was suffocating, so I pushed him away.

Jade released me from his arms and held my hand.

“Larien. You’ve been strange since earlier.”

“……What do you mean strange?”

He lowered his head and fiddled with my palm, tracing circles in the same spot.

“Larien. I’m afraid you’ll leave me again…… and go somewhere.”

The words that came out between his lips were choked, as if proving his fear.

“Then you’d disappear somewhere I can’t find and never appear again.”

“I don’t plan to leave. There’s nothing to hide anymore.”

Since the moment Blanche was revealed to be Jade’s child, there’s nothing to be concerned about.

There’s no reason to avoid him and run away like before, so what is he afraid of?

“You look like you want to leave, Larien.”

“……Jade, I’m just tired today. You know. The emperor keeps pestering about engagement.”

I met the emperor and received a proposal for Blanche’s engagement, and heard a loveless proposal from Jade.

‘It’s because of that nauseating rose scent coming from you.’

The fatigue of dealing with too much in one day had set in, and the rose scent that grated on my nerves was unpleasant.

Was he hurt by my saying I didn’t want Blanche to become Rowe’s heir?

‘I rejected him too harshly earlier. Saying I didn’t want to, that I had no obligation. I shouldn’t have said it like that.’

Words already spoken cannot be taken back, and I felt sorry.

To Jade, Blanche was a daughter he didn’t even know existed.

Moreover, he had known her as his friend’s child. He found out before I could reveal directly that she was his child.

‘From Jade’s perspective, he must want to do so much more for Blanche.’

Including everything he couldn’t do until now.

Even I, who had always been by her side, wanted to do more for her and wished for Blanche to have many things.

‘Having been separated for years, Jade must feel that way even more strongly than I do.’

Blanche and Jade didn’t have time to build a bond as father and daughter.

As soon as he learned she was his daughter, he was preoccupied with the jewel, and there was also a small misunderstanding that she disliked him.

Just as things had stabilized, I didn’t consider his desire to officially make her his heir.

“Jade. I didn’t mean it like that earlier. It’s-”

“It’s fine. Let’s not talk about this anymore. I won’t force you. Even if she’s not my heir, there’s enough inheritance for Blanche.”

Even when I tried to explain what was lacking in my clumsy rejection, Jade refused.

“……Larien. I’m tired, can I sleep here?”

“Do as you please.”

While asking that this conflict not continue.

‘Since I’m the one who said no, I should stop.’

The entire way into the mansion, we didn’t exchange any words, as if by agreement.

“My lady, Blanche fell asleep while bathing, so we put her in the bedroom.”

Mary, coming down from upstairs, smiled warmly.

“Good job, Mary.”

“Marquis Rowe? When did you arrive?”

Mary called out to Jade, noticing him entering behind me.

“Mary. Show Jade which guest room is prepared and then you can rest too.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“……Jade, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

I went upstairs to escape the space that was causing intense discomfort.

The bedroom was filled with Blanche’s snoring and breathing sounds.

‘My baby. Sleeping so well.’

Gently stroking Blanche’s soft cheeks made my fatigue disappear.

‘……Oh right. The jacket. I should give it back tomorrow morning.’

I finally noticed Jade’s jacket that I had been wearing over my shoulders.

‘I should wash up first.’

I draped the jacket over the bed and headed to the bathroom.

The bathtub was filled with bathwater sprinkled with acacia petals.

‘Mary must have prepared it freshly.’

I removed my earrings, pendant, and the pin holding up my hair.

After taking off my dress, I dipped my foot into the bathwater.

It was pleasantly warm, and as I sank in deeper, the water splashed and overflowed.

‘Larien.’

‘What?’

‘Will you marry me?’

I felt embarrassed remembering the moment I had misunderstood his sudden proposal of marriage.

‘Not realizing he might have brought it up thinking of making Blanche his heir.’

I completely submerged myself underwater to stop the endless thoughts of Jade.

‘One, two, three, four, five……’

As the sensation of suffocation came, I emerged from the water.

My body was flushed with heat.

Wrapping a towel around myself, I returned to the bedroom and put on a light silk slip.

‘I’m thirsty.’

Unfortunately, the glass on the bedside table was empty.

I was about to pull the bell rope to ask Mary to bring water but stopped.

‘I told her to rest earlier, right.’

After applying oil to my wet hair and drying it a bit, I went downstairs.

“……Jade?”

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw Jade standing in the middle of the staircase.

‘Is he sleepwalking again……!’

I went down and grabbed his hand.

“Larien……?”

Unlike last time, Jade’s tone calling my name was clear. His eyes weren’t hazy either.

“Jade, you, were you walking around in your sleep again……”

“No. I dropped my watch on the stairs earlier and came out to find it.”

Realizing my mistake, I let go of Jade’s hand.

“You can keep holding it if you want.”

Jade teased me, saying it was a shame, and his body smelled of the soap I use instead of roses.

‘He, he washed up too.’

He was only wearing a robe. The open gap revealed his collarbone, and I could sense his well-defined lines.

Feeling unnecessarily embarrassed, I looked away and found the pocket watch fallen on the railing.

“Here’s your watch.”

I bent down to pick up the pocket watch and held it out to Jade.

“……You found it for me back then too.”

He moved slowly, brushing my palm as he took the pocket watch.

‘Back then? Oh, he must be thinking of when I bought it at the auction and gave it to him.’

Lights turned on downstairs and I could hear the servants stirring.

No matter how carefully they were selected for discretion……

‘I’m only wearing a slip.’

I didn’t want to be seen alone with Jade in this state.

“Jade, let’s go to the guest room for now.”

Before the servants could come up, I pulled Jade into the nearby guest room.

“I heard a sound from upstairs! Could it be a ghost? I’m scared!”

“We can’t go up there, the mistress is there. The guest room has Marquis Rowe staying too, let’s quickly and quietly go back down.”

The servants’ chatter soon faded away.

Thankfully they went back down quickly, but my thirst had gotten worse than before.

‘Ah, there it is.’

Seeing a clear glass of water on the table, I grabbed it and drank it in one gulp.

“……!”

As I was swallowing the water, I met Jade’s gaze staring intently at me and choked.

It went down the wrong pipe and my throat stung.

“Are you alright, Larien?”

As I was coughing, Jade patted my back.

“……Jade, why were you staring? You startled me and made me choke.”

“That. It was the glass I drank from earlier.”

Embarrassed to have put my lips on the same glass Jade had used, I quickly set it down.

“Jade. I should go now.”

“Wait a moment, Larien. I have something to say about Blanche. Hold on.”

Jade wrapped his hand around mine as I grabbed the doorknob and pulled it away, saying this.

“……Blanche? What is it?”

“Tell the emperor you’ll agree to the engagement.”

“Jade, what are you-”

If Blanche gets engaged to Serendio, it creates a connection to the imperial family, and he’s telling me to accept this?

“The emperor will keep summoning you until he hears the answer he wants. Instead, when you accept the engagement and the emperor is pleased, ask for one favor.”

“One favor?”

Seeing that Jade seemed to have something in mind, I listened quietly.

“Add the condition that the engagement ceremony and exchange of gifts will happen after she has her debutante.”

Debutante.

The day nobles aged 16 to 18 first appear in high society.

‘There’s over 10 years left until Blanche’s debutante.’

Prince Serendio had his divine power outburst at age 8.

‘So the emperor will die within 4 years at least. Oscar would have ascended the throne and Serendio would be crown prince by then.’

When the emperor dies, promises made with him won’t continue afterwards.

“Thank you, Jade. I was worried about how to get out of this……”

“Ah, and Larien, sit over there.”

Jade pointed to a chair.

“Do you have something else to say?”

Thinking it was important, I sat in the chair.

‘A towel?’

Jade brought a towel from the bed and went behind me.

Then he started gently rubbing my hair.

“Ja-Jade. What are you doing?”

“You’ll catch a cold walking around like this.”

“……I’ll do it myself. Give me the towel.”

“Stay still.”

He lightly pressed down on my shoulders as I tried to get up from the chair.

Too tired to even speak, I closed my mouth.

‘Why am I getting so sleepy……’

His fingertips tickled at first, but the gentle touch drying my hair made me drowsy.