Fortunately, despite the large accident, there were no deaths.

Kaius visited the infirmary to meet and comfort the injured people one by one, and surveyed the hotel accident site. After handling urgent matters, he returned to Bronchu’s mansion when the sky had already darkened.

“Your Grace, your meal has been prepared in the study.”

By the time he had washed his tired body and come out, butler Ted was waiting. Kaius nodded slowly and headed to the study in his robe. Sitting alone on the study sofa having a late dinner, he naturally thought of his wife.

[Kaius, please listen to me.]

Her voice calling out to him echoed in his mind. Kaius lightly furrowed his brow and moved to the desk with his wine glass. To erase the unpleasant feeling, he intended to review the documents that had come up regarding compensation payment plans. He lowered his gaze to the documents, but the letters read by his eyes did not seep into his consciousness.

[Kaius, please let me raise Japaros. Please. That’s the only way for both you and me to live.] [Ariel, how many times do I have to say it? Have a child. Then I’ll do whatever you want. It’s easy, isn’t it?] [I don’t have time.] [Then you need to try harder.]

And then inevitably followed the time on the bed. As that harsh act was repeated, Ariel gradually lost her words. While her becoming docile was satisfying, his mood only seemed to become more wretched, as if falling into a mire. It felt as if it was not her, but Kaius himself who was becoming a mess in the process of tormenting her.

But so what?

Even so, nothing would change. Sometimes the desire to torment her and the desire to keep her by his side would mix chaotically, making him confused about what was what. Nevertheless, one thing was clear. Whatever the reason, he still wanted her.

As Kaius laughed self-mockingly and refilled his wine glass, a polite knock was heard.

“Your Grace, it’s Ted.”

Butler Ted hurriedly climbed up to the second-floor study, holding a note from a carrier pigeon that had flown in from the main house. This was because messages sent by carrier pigeon were usually for urgent matters.

“A message from Tris, sir.”

Ted placed the small rolled-up note on the table and stepped back, checking the sofa table. It was to clear away if the meal was finished. But leaving food? That’s rarely seen. I brought up the usual amount. Tilting his head, Ted spoke again.

“Your Grace, was the meal not to your liking?”

“No. I just don’t have an appetite. You can clear it away now.”

At his words, Ted called a maid to start clearing the table. Only after they had all withdrawn did Kaius unfold the note.

[Kaius, are the injured people alright?]

It was a note from Ariel. How clever. When told she couldn’t speak, she used a carrier pigeon instead. Kaius chuckled and continued reading the note.

[When I use my ability, it consumes my life force. So I always go into water or drink water to replenish my life force. You may not be very curious, but I thought you should know.]

Kaius’s brow furrowed slightly. So that was the reason for the bizarre pool in the greenhouse.

After being lost in thought for a while, Kaius lowered his gaze back to the documents he had been reviewing. Without realizing it, the documents that had not been entering his eyes before now flowed smoothly as he read.

***

After Kaius left, Ariel felt lighter in both body and mind.

Wrapping a thick shawl around her shoulders, Ariel headed for the terrace. Last night’s first note had started with relatively light conversation. That way, he would check the next note too. There was no reply, but she hadn’t expected one, so there was no need to be disappointed.

She now had about twenty days left, but it would take a week to raise Japaros, another week to pick the flowers and turn them into oil again, so she had to convince Kaius within a week. She felt impatient, but decided not to rush. There was no way he would listen even if she did.

As she took in a deep breath of cold air, her mind cleared and stray thoughts disappeared. Seeing the two snowmen made in the garden, she chuckled. One was made by Ariel, the other by Anna.

[Lady Ariel, this one looks just like the Duke. The expressionless face is exactly the same.]

The reason the snowman resembled Kaius was because she had made it while thinking of him.

“Lady Ariel! Come in quickly!”

Anna opened the terrace door and urgently called for her. She went inside and looked where Anna’s finger was pointing.

Oh my. They’ve finally hatched.

“Anna, lock the bedroom door.”

Blue and red dragons were born from between the large eggshells. They looked exactly the same as in the past. Ariel brought the two artifacts she had prepared beforehand and attached them to the dragons’ short, thick legs. They were artifacts to conceal the dragons’ aura.

For about 3 weeks from now, they would sleep without opening their eyes, so the children needed to be safely moved to the greenhouse right away. Without anyone in the duke’s mansion knowing.

“I can’t believe the eggs really hatched.”

Ariel snapped Anna out of her daze as she stood laughing “Ha, ha” in amazement.

“Snap out of it, Anna. Let’s take them to the greenhouse right now. The children hatching is a secret from everyone except the Duke, so you must absolutely keep your mouth shut.”

“Will it be possible to keep hiding them?”

“We have to hide them until the dragons can protect themselves. As long as possible.”

On the bench in the greenhouse, two baby dragons that the two had smuggled in under their cloaks were safely settled.

“Lady Ariel. But are these really dragons? In books, dragons are said to be big enough to cover the sky. They’re smaller than Big. Could they be some other kind?”

Anna tilted her head as she poked the baby dragon with her finger.

“They are dragons. There’s a separate time for growth. Anna, let’s go back quickly. If anyone asks about the eggs, say that the dragon eggs broke.”

Ariel, who had covered the strange wings with a thick blanket, was able to smile for the first time in a very long while.

***

Ludvian secretly entered the duke’s mansion in the dead of night. Although security was tight, it wasn’t too difficult for him.

Around the time Ariel closed her eyes to sleep, a knocking sound was heard at the terrace door. She thought she had misheard, but it came again. Wondering if she had forgotten to lock Big’s cage, she turned on the lamp beside the bed and headed for the terrace.

“Big?”

She opened the terrace door slightly in the darkness.

“Is that hawk’s name Big?”

Startled by the low male voice, Ariel tried to close the terrace door, but he was faster. The one who entered was Ludvian.

“Get out! I’ll scream!”

“It’d be better to be quiet. If the knights come rushing in, I’ll have no choice but to kill them. Besides, the Duke isn’t here today, is he?”

At his words, she thought of the baby dragons in the greenhouse. The image of him killing baby dragons in the past overlapped, and cold sweat began to run down her spine.

Ariel quickly stepped back and pulled out the dagger hidden under her pillow. As far away from the bed as possible. That was where the dragon was born today, so she was afraid he might sense something.

But Ludvian had already started walking in from the terrace, and Ariel was helplessly pushed back to the fireplace. Still gripping the dagger tightly with both hands.

“Wh-what do you want?”

Seeing the woman pointing a dagger at him was more unpleasant than he had expected. Ludvian smirked and spoke casually.

“What happened to Ciela?”

“…She was caught as a spy and kicked out.”

“Do you know how she was caught?”

“I don’t know much about that either. Just that she was caught the day she returned after meeting you.”

Having confirmed what he had suspected, he examined Ariel, who was trembling and pale. Her silver hair was dyed red in the flickering firelight. It looked quite nice. As if dyed in his color.

His gaze moved to the thin white neck exposed above her nightgown. Discovering the red marks, his eyes sank deeply.

Traces of the Duke’s, but they would soon disappear.

As he took another step closer, Ariel brought the knife she had been pointing at him to her own neck.

“Don’t come any closer.”

He could easily subdue a mere dagger if he wanted to, but he had already made up his mind before coming here.

That he had only entrusted his to her temporarily.

So he should endure a little longer.

“Since Ciela is gone, from now on we’ll meet on the last day of every month, same place and time as before.”

After finishing his words, Ludvian looked at Ariel a little longer before turning and slipping out through the terrace. As he disappeared so compliantly, Ariel collapsed on the spot.

The baby dragons hadn’t been discovered. The relief from that fact was greater than anything else. Because it meant she could safely raise the dragons from now on.

***

Kaius’s past week had flown by quickly.

He had prepared compensation plans according to the extent of injuries to the wounded, and the future construction schedule needed to be re-discussed. He had ordered an investigation into the cause of the accident, but no major problems were found. Although there were some suspicious aspects, for now it was concluded to be an accident due to heavy snow. Unlike the past few days when he had boarded the carriage only in the middle of the night, today it was a time when the sunset had not completely disappeared.

As he watched that scene, the memory of walking hand in hand with Ariel vividly came to Kaius’s mind. As the image of himself waiting for that time every day came to mind, his brow furrowed slightly. Even if he had that time again, it wouldn’t be the same as before. Soon, wispy tobacco smoke rose from between his lips as he lit and puffed on a cigar.

“Your Excellency, may I stop the carriage for a moment?”

As the carriage entered the city, Lemon scratched his head and asked for permission. Feeling stuffy, Kaius also put out his cigar and got off with him.

Seeing Lemon choosing gloves for Anna in the shop, Kaius’s consciousness recalled Ariel making a snowman. It was when he was reading a book about the demon realm in the second-floor study overlooking the garden. As he absently looked out the window, he saw her rolling snow with a bright face, unlike the quiet face she showed when she saw him.

For a long time, Kaius watched that scene, unable to take his eyes off. Until Ariel took off her completely soaked gloves and blew on her red, frozen hands.

Now, Kaius fingered the white waterproof gloves before him. In his mind, he could already see Ariel wearing those gloves.

“Will you buy them too, Your Excellency?”

Kaius nodded briefly, let go of the gloves, and got into the carriage outside the shop. A little later, Lemon boarded the carriage holding two gift boxes tied with pretty ribbons. Snow began to flutter outside the window once again.