TCBCVF 105

~Chapter 105~

Ah.

Dietrich blinked slowly.

“Don’t tell me… you were worried about me?”

His voice was hoarse. Even with a worn-out face, he gave a playful smile.

“This makes me happy. It was worth falling ill.”

“Really, is this the time for jokes?!”

Laritte frowned, then hurriedly stood.

“Wait here. I need to send someone to tell Lady Eva you’ve woken—”

“Where is Eva?”

“She’s resting in the next room. You have no idea how much she cried because of you.”

“….”

A pang of guilt struck his chest.

He had sworn to protect Eva—his only family—and keep her happy. Yet again…

“Leave her be.”

He shook his head slowly.

“Let her rest.”

“But…”

“I doubt I’ll be awake for long anyway.”

His head was still heavy. All he wanted was to fall back asleep—yet somehow, just knowing Laritte was nearby made him feel warm.

“By the way… were you the one taking care of me?”

His tone softened.

“Well… in a way, yes,” Laritte replied awkwardly.

“I see.”

Dietrich’s smile deepened slightly.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. I…”

She hesitated, then smiled faintly.

“I feel the same as you do.”

He looked puzzled.

“What do you mean, the same as me?”

“Well…”

Her cheeks flushed like ripe apples. Fidgeting with the cloth in her hands, she admitted,

“I took care of you because I wanted to… because I was worried about you.”

What?

Dietrich almost doubted his ears. This was the careful, reserved Laritte—always keeping a step back from everything. And yet… she said that.

“Now that you’re awake, you should eat something, take your medicine, and go back to sleep. I’ll call someone—”

She tried to avoid his gaze and head for the door, but Dietrich was faster.

“No.”

His fingertips caught lightly on her collar.

“If it’s not too much to ask—no, even if it is…”

The usual sharpness in his blue eyes was gone, replaced by a relaxed gaze as he looked up at her.

“Could you… just stay here with me?”

“….”

Her pink eyes trembled for a moment, then she sat down.

“I will. I’ll stay with you.”

Her soft voice brushed his ears like down feathers.

“Your Grace, you must recover quickly. Alright?”

That day, Dietrich slept deeply, waking several times—each time glancing instinctively to check if Laritte was there.

And every time, she was.

Whenever she noticed his gaze, she met his eyes and smiled warmly.

And for him…

…that alone was enough to feel at peace.

Three days later—

“You’re in excellent health,” the doctor declared.

Dietrich murmured sheepishly, “I told you I was fine…”

In truth, he’d felt fine since the day after falling ill, but Eva and I had conspired to keep him in bed.

“Since it happened, you might as well rest more. You know the saying—rest while you’re down,” Eva said with a shrug.

“Goodness, Eva,” he said, looking at her in admiration.

“To think you could make such a high-level analogy.”

“What?!” she snapped.

They bickered for a while before Dietrich met my eyes.

“Come to think of it, Lady Ansie, you were out in the rain with me. You haven’t been unwell, have you?”

“No, I’m perfectly fine.”

He looked genuinely relieved.

“That’s good to hear.”

“Thank you.”

Feeling a strange flutter in my chest, I stood and turned toward the window.

Outside, bright red autumn leaves blazed in full color.

And the face reflected in the glass…

…was redder than the leaves.

Chapter 8. You are more important than fate

It had already been two weeks since returning from the Claudius Duchy to the capital.

The days had grown steadily colder.

It was now fair to call the weather early winter.

Yesterday, frost covered the entire city for the first time.

Time has flown.

I stood at the window, watching frost form delicate patterns on the glass.

So much had happened this year—
I had become friends with Lady Eva,
unexpectedly taken part in Claudius family events,
and met new acquaintances at the reading club.

And most of all… the Duke.

“…”

Since the day we visited the villa, there had been a subtle distance between us.

We were certainly closer than before.

I couldn’t deny I had some romantic feelings for him…

But what about him?

I clenched my fists tightly.

Honestly, it doesn’t seem like he feels nothing for me.

It felt like I only needed to take one more step forward.

But whenever I thought of the words Seraphina’s destined partner, I hesitated.

My heart raced on its own.

The sound was like raindrops pounding on an autumn forest.

Shwaa—

Before I knew it, I felt as if I were back in that cave—
the firm arm wrapped around my shoulder,
his warmth spreading through me,
his vivid blue gaze fixed only on me.

‘Ahhh.’

My cheeks burned hot.

Stop thinking about it.

I waved my hand at my face in fluster. The Duke was terrible for my heart’s health.

Well, there are other problems to deal with besides him.

My eyes sharpened.

Seraphina has been making her move again, hasn’t she?

While I had been away visiting the Duchy, rumors came that she was thriving once more in the capital’s social scene.

I first heard of it when I attended the Watkins reading club for the first time in a while.

“Lady Lopez, I hear she’s grown close to High Priest Evans recently,” Lady Sherwood said with a sly smile, sipping her tea.

“Poor Lady Sanchez—she’s been hanging on to him for ages.”

Apparently, Seraphina had snatched away the man Lady Sanchez had been showing interest in.

High Priest Evans and Seraphina?

Eva and I exchanged glances.

I asked casually, “They’ve never had any connection before. How did they become acquainted?”

“They say Lady Lopez volunteers regularly at an orphanage run by the temple,” Lady Sherwood replied.

Volunteering?

I blinked in disbelief. The Seraphina I knew wouldn’t lift a finger if she could help it.

Lady Sherwood shrugged.

“They supposedly met there by chance and became close.”

When the meeting ended and Eva and I were alone, she spoke up immediately.

“Don’t you think it’s strange?”

“I do,” I agreed.

It was all too convenient.

An adversarial priest toward the Claudius family, and Seraphina, who disliked both Eva and me.

The two of them together…

That didn’t bode well—for me or for the Claudius family.

Hmm.

Remembering it now, I narrowed my eyes.

I definitely don’t like the feeling of this. I need to keep watch.