Riena absentmindedly touched her cheeks as she recalled her conversation with Baroness Donovan.

Come to think of it, her voice did seem to have lifted unconsciously when talking about Cassel.

However, there was something strange.

“The Duke also has feelings for me? That can’t be…”

“Of course, it could be my misunderstanding. But from what I see, at least you two will live well together without any problems. So I feel relieved. Now then, Duke Winkler must be waiting, so hurry along.”

Riena left the reception room as Baroness Donovan led her out.

As she entered the hall, she saw Cassel waiting for her. Upon noticing her, he smiled faintly.

Riena felt a small hope as she saw him staring at her intently.

‘Perhaps you…’

Could he like her?

Even while thinking it was impossible for Cassel to come to like her in just 2 weeks, she simultaneously felt the desire for it to be true.

Maybe Cassel really hadn’t forgotten Riena and came looking for her to keep their childhood promise?

Accepting Cassel’s escort and boarding the carriage, Riena swallowed dryly as she observed Cassel sitting across from her.

He had been looking out the window, but seeming to feel her gaze, he turned his head towards her.

“Do you have something to say?”

Do you perhaps like me too, Your Grace? Have you not forgotten me all this time?

She wanted to ask, but the words wouldn’t come out. Instead, Riena took advantage of a moment when the carriage stopped to move to Cassel’s side.

Then she overlapped her hand on top of his, which was looking down at her blankly as if asking what was going on.

This was a kind of experiment. If Cassel pulled his hand away now, she would abandon her useless hopes.

‘But if he doesn’t pull away…’

Riena held her breath as she waited for his reaction. Cassel seemed to flinch for a moment, but he didn’t pull his hand away.

Encouraged by this, she carefully grasped his hand and then interlaced their fingers. She wanted to be even a little closer.

It was just their hands touching. But why did her hand feel as hot as if it had been placed against a fireplace where it met his?

Riena raised her lowered head to examine Cassel’s face.

He was staring down at her blankly. Turbulence arose in his eyes. He also looked surprised.

Perhaps he was displeased. Maybe he just hadn’t pulled away out of consideration for her, but she had grabbed his hand without realizing it.

“I-I’m sorry…”

It was just as Riena belatedly realized her rudeness and tried to withdraw her hand.

Cassel turned his hand so their palms were touching, gripped tightly, and then pressed his lips to the back of her hand while looking into her bewildered eyes.

Up to that point could be seen as the common courtesy a knight shows to a lady. But it didn’t end there.

Cassel parted his lips slightly and gently bit Riena’s hand before releasing it.

With a moist sound, Riena’s cheeks flushed lightly at the same time.

Riena gained some certainty from his behavior. However, she couldn’t bring herself to ask him out loud.

For fear that a negative answer might come from his lips.

So she just quietly smiled at Cassel. Hoping that someday she would be able to hear his true feelings.

Even after that day, Cassel and Riena often spent more time together. The big difference was that the two now had breakfast together as well.

“Come to think of it, you used to have breakfast alone in your room. Is there a reason for that?”

When Cassel suddenly asked this question, Riena answered honestly.

“I always had breakfast with my family. Even when father wasn’t there, I ate with other family members. It wasn’t extremely lively, but I liked that cozy atmosphere of chatting together. Being alone in the dining room felt somewhat empty.”

“Didn’t Amy or other maids join you?”

“Of course, Amy and the others would serve me. But it feels different from that. So I just decided to eat alone in my room. I couldn’t ask Amy to eat with me, after all.”

After pondering her words for a moment, Cassel asked:

“I hadn’t thought that far. Then how about having breakfast with me from now on?”

“With you, Your Grace? No, it’s fine. I can’t hold up a busy person. And I heard you don’t usually eat breakfast.”

“I can make plenty of time. Then I’ll expect to have breakfast with you in the dining room starting tomorrow.”

Riena was a bit skeptical, but when she went down to the dining room the next morning, he was really there waiting for her first.

“You really came.”

“I made a promise, so of course I had to keep it.”

However, contrary to his words about joining her, Cassel barely touched the food.

He lightly sipped tea or ate a little bit of egg omelet while reading the morning newspaper.

But he didn’t leave his seat until Riena finished her meal.

Riena was about to tell him several times that he didn’t have to eat with her, but she stopped herself.

She was grateful for Cassel’s consideration, and she really enjoyed having cozy meals with him.

It felt different from having dinner together to end the day.

And so the peaceful days continued. She had breakfast and dinner with Cassel, and after dinner they would have a light tea time.

The gardener Ryan brought her fresh flowers every three or four days, and Amy and the other maids were good conversation partners for Riena.

She also occasionally went to the Donovan barony to spend time with the baroness.

While enjoying her ordinary daily life, Riena worried that Countess Dyke might chase her all the way to the capital and cause trouble, but fortunately no one came looking for her.

There was no contact from Raoul either.

Then one day.

Unlike usual, Cassel sat at the table with a somewhat serious face and spoke heavily as Riena was finishing her meal.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

Riena also tensed up in response to his expression.

“I have nieces and nephews. They’re the children of my brother who died 10 years ago.”

This was the first time she had heard of this.

She knew Cassel had an older brother named Asher, but she didn’t know he had been married or had children.

Riena, who was trying to grasp the situation with wide eyes, suddenly stood up and grabbed his hand, pulling him.

“This doesn’t seem like something to discuss here. Let’s go to a room and talk more calmly.”

The two headed straight for the library that only Winkler family members could use. The library was decorated a bit brighter than Cassel’s office.

Cassel offered tea, but having just eaten, she declined.

“Tell me a little more about your nieces and nephews.”

“First, I’m sorry for not telling you earlier.”

“No, why would you be sorry about that? I’m the one who’s sorry for not being more considerate. So what happened?”

Cassel was silent, his hands tightly clenched, as if recalling memories of his brother was difficult. Riena hesitated for a moment before moving to sit beside him.

When she took his slightly trembling hands in hers, Cassel turned his head to look at her.

Riena spoke in a deliberately calm tone.

“I already know how meaningful your brother was to you. When you heard the news about your brother 10 years ago, you were terribly distressed, weren’t you?”

“…”

“So I know it’s hard to recall. But you brought this up because it’s something you need to talk about, right?”

“…That’s right.”

“Then you can tell me. We talked about this last time, remember? That if we have difficulties, we should tell each other.”

Cassel’s trembling subsided. His expression had also returned to its usual composure.

Relieved, Riena was about to return to her seat across from him when he gripped her hand tightly.

“Is it alright if we stay like this for a moment?”

“Of course.”

Riena sat down beside him again and held his large hand.

She hadn’t noticed at first since his hand wasn’t shaking, but judging by the cool temperature of his fingertips, he seemed to be nervous.

In that state, Cassel’s story began.

“As you already know, I had a brother 10 years older than me. From childhood, my brother grew up as the heir to Winkler. He perfected everything befitting our parents’ expectations.”

Riena nodded lightly instead of speaking. It was an expression of her intent to listen seriously to his story.

“At the time, my brother had a wife he had been married to for less than a year. They didn’t have any children yet. So after my brother’s sudden death, my sister-in-law’s position in the family became ambiguous.”

“…”

“Father didn’t approve of me, but there were no other options, so I began to be educated as the heir. And Father sent my sister-in-law back to the Loraine Marquis family, saying he couldn’t stand in the way of a young daughter-in-law’s future.”