MLHRGD 48 🍇

#48. Rest (3)

After leaving the clothing shop, they entered a restaurant.

They’d been walking for a while and were hungry, and it just happened to be mealtime. They didn’t feel like going all the way back to the castle, so this became their natural stop.

They were lucky to get seated right away at a well-known restaurant nearby.

Of course, if they had revealed their identities, they could have skipped any wait. But since it was just a casual outing, they didn’t want to draw attention.

‘The atmosphere’s nice.’

Even though the place had only opened recently, it was already popular with nobles.

Sasha gave the server a serious warning.

“No mushrooms. Not even a little. If the recipe absolutely needs mushrooms, just remove the dish altogether.”

Fortunately, their food came out exactly as requested—and it tasted good.

Still, after being used to the excellent meals from the castle’s chef, Sasha couldn’t help but think:

‘The food at the castle is much better.’

After eating just enough to fill their stomachs, they left the restaurant.

When Pavel asked where they should go next, Sasha cautiously suggested,

“How about buying a gift for the Grand Duke?”

Sasha was someone who believed in repaying kindness.

She had received a lot from the Grand Duke: helping her marry Pavel and pay off her family’s debt, dealing with Count Tula, and the recent Gorky family issue.

Even though she didn’t want the acting head position, it came with the Duke’s support, and that support made the transition smoother.

‘Maybe I can use this as a way to improve Pavel’s relationship with his father.’

Sasha glanced at Pavel, who was looking around the area with a bored expression.

When their eyes met, Pavel softened his look—he was clearly trying not to make Sasha uncomfortable.

‘He’s such a kind, warm-hearted boy…’

But his relationship with the Grand Duke was still completely frozen.

When the two were together, it was so awkward they could barely talk. That hadn’t changed even as the Grand Duke prepared to leave the estate.

If Pavel really hated his father, Sasha wouldn’t get involved. But she had sensed something deeper.

During their heartfelt conversations, Sasha realized that deep down, Pavel longed for family.

And the Grand Duke wasn’t the worst kind of parent.

Sure, he had neglected Pavel, but it seemed more like clumsiness than cruelty.

He never hit or abused him.

‘Not taking care of a child properly is definitely wrong… but it seems he started trying, only for Count Tula to ruin things.’

Lately, the Grand Duke seemed to be making an effort to reach out, but Pavel kept avoiding him.

So Sasha thought maybe a gift would help open a door between them.

‘If the gift creates a warm moment, maybe their relationship can soften.’

“What kind of gift would be good? Something practical?”

“Yeah.”

Pavel didn’t take the lead, but he wasn’t against the idea either.

“Nothing too fancy though.”

“How about a pocket watch he can carry?”

“That sounds reasonable.”

They happened to be near a watch shop, so they went in and picked a design together.

“This ruby in the center—it looks like your eyes, Pavel.”

Pavel’s eyes resembled his father’s, the Grand Duke’s, so the watch seemed fitting.

“Then let’s get that one.”

Pavel stared at the ruby Sasha mentioned.

His red eyes had always been called creepy, like blood—but now Sasha said they were beautiful, like a gem.

It felt strange.

After buying the Grand Duke’s gift, they got into the carriage again.

But it didn’t head back to Velikorod Castle just yet. Their outing wasn’t over.

The next stop was a huge lake.

Surrounded by lush greenery, the lake was stunningly beautiful.

“Wow…”

Sasha let out a small gasp. Now she understood why everyone said this was the most beautiful place in the Volkov estate.

The scenery was like a painting. Her tired mind and body felt instantly refreshed.

Pavel glanced at Sasha as she admired the view.

Even though he had grown up in this land, this was his first time seeing the lake.

Because he had been sickly as a child, he was never allowed to leave the castle.

So this was his first time outside the estate—and the first time seeing this lake.

But unlike Sasha, he wasn’t mesmerized by the view.

His eyes stayed fixed on her.

Watching Sasha enjoy herself so much made him happy.

‘I’m glad we came out today.’

Pavel silently kept looking at her with a satisfied smile.

Then he noticed Sasha’s nose and cheeks turning red from the cold.

He regretted not giving her a scarf or fur hat earlier.

Without a word, he unwrapped his scarf.

“Sasha.”

“Hmm?”

“Here, wear this.”

Sasha’s eyes widened when she saw what he was handing her.

Wait a minute…

“Are you worried about me?”

“You made me wear a mountain of layers, and you didn’t even put on a proper scarf.”

He grumbled while handing her the scarf. Sasha took it and said,

“Thanks, Pavel. But if I take this, your neck will get cold…”

“It’s fine. I’ll just do this.”

He popped the collar of his coat.

But compared to Sasha’s tightly wrapped scarf, his neck was still pretty exposed.

She wasn’t happy about him facing the wind like that, but she didn’t return the scarf.

Pavel was too stubborn—he’d never take it back if he gave it.

Sasha wrapped the scarf around her neck. It still held Pavel’s warmth.

“So warm.”

She buried her nose in it and muttered softly.

“It smells like you, Pavel.”

“….”

Pavel froze.

Sasha had no idea what kind of expression he was making as she sniffed the scarf again.

“It smells nice.”

“Ugh…!”

Pavel opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it.

He turned his head and stared off into the distance.

Then he urgently said,

“Let’s stop standing around and go over there. We’re wasting time.”

“Oh, right. We only have a few hours, so we should get moving.”

“Exactly. Hurry.”

Pavel walked ahead with a grumpy tone.

His ears and neck were red—even beneath the collar.
Whether it was from the cold or something else, only Pavel knew.

*

Strolling by the lake, Sasha and Pavel found a beautiful spot and sat down.

“Ahh, this is nice.”

Sasha stretched out, relaxing deeply.

After staring at documents nonstop, it felt so good to sit back and do nothing.

She swung her legs a little and called out,

“Pavel.”

“What?”

He was resting his chin and looking at the lake, but turned to her.

Sasha studied his face, which was slowly becoming more like a young man’s.

‘Kids this age really do grow fast.’

She was surprised.

Pavel frowned, wondering why Sasha was staring without saying anything.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Sasha smiled gently.

“Just thinking how quickly time has passed.”

Leaning on her hand, Sasha recalled the past fondly.

He used to glare at her like a wild child—but now he’d grown so much.

“When we first met, you were just a little boy. Now you’re taller than me.”

Pavel frowned.

‘Why is she talking like I’m still a kid?’

To Sasha, he still seemed like the angry boy she met on their wedding night.

And what she said next didn’t help.

“At this rate, you’ll be a full-grown man before I know it.”

She let out a little sigh of disbelief.

Pavel couldn’t hold back anymore.

“My coming-of-age ceremony isn’t far off. I’ll be even taller by then.”

“Even taller?”

“…Taller than Medvedev.”

Sasha blinked.

“Medvedev? You mean Sir Andrei?”

Pavel clearly didn’t like her saying that name—but he didn’t deny it.

From the look in his eyes, Sasha saw fierce competitiveness.

Which made her even more curious.

‘Why him, of all people?’

Unable to resist, Sasha asked,

“Why? Why do you want to be taller than Sir Andrei?”

Pavel hesitated, then gave a short answer.

“…No reason.”

“No reason?”

“Yeah.”

Sasha let out a thoughtful hum, tilting her head.

Since he wasn’t going to explain, she tried to figure it out herself.

‘Maybe Pavel thinks Sir Andrei is really cool.’

Kids often look up to people they admire and want to be like them.

She remembered boys saying they wanted to be just like their dads.

‘But then… why not the Grand Duke? Why Andrei?’