Once again, he had let her slip away. Perhaps due to his illness, her presence had felt so faint.
“…I need to send a carriage right away.”
He thought he should say he’d attend the lessons even while sick. He needed to see her face once more. If he let her go now, it would be over.
He had thought there was nothing he could do if she said she was leaving, but this wouldn’t do.
The Duke returned to the bed. He planned to pull the bell rope to call Mrs. Wells.
But before he could pull the rope, all strength left his body. It felt like all the blood in his body was draining out through his toes.
This was different from usual.
“Ugh…argh.”
It felt like all the muscles in his body were twisting. Cough. As he coughed, he tasted blood in his mouth.
This body was of no help at all.
Even as his consciousness faded, the Duke searched for only one person.
“…Carol.”
The Duke couldn’t see his own body, so he didn’t notice, but a faint light was emanating from him.
Carol didn’t know.
The reason holy power was included in the conditions for breaking the curse was because the curse reacted to holy power.
The dormant curse needed to be awakened by bringing holy power close, and then the rest of the conditions fulfilled for the curse to be broken.
Holy power was a basic condition for breaking the curse.
The amount of holy power didn’t matter for the same reason.
Even without innate holy power, just being surrounded by it was enough.
Woong-!
The air vibrated.
The Duke’s body floated in the air. The fur covering his entire body began to fall out. The claws that were no different from weapons disappeared into his skin, and his sharp teeth gradually reduced in size.
And what emerged from within was the Duke’s lost former appearance.
The Duke looked at his hands.
He had thought that when the curse was broken, he’d want to rush out and look at the sky.
“…I want to see the teacher.”
But the Duke wanted to see Carol, whom he had never truly seen.
The Duke picked up the herb placed on his lips. It was a common medicinal herb in the North.
Scanning his surroundings, he soon found a brown feather fallen among his silver fur. When the Duke held the small feather under his nose, he smelled a familiar scent.
It was the scent of lily of the valley.
****
Norman went to the Duke’s room with a meal.
Knock knock.
“Duke, it’s Norman.”
Instead of waiting for a response from the bedridden Duke, he opened the door.
As soon as he opened the door, Norman furrowed his brows.
The room smelled of winter.
“If you leave the window open while you’re ill…!”
Norman rushed in but stopped abruptly.
Under the bed, silver fur was piled up thickly.
“…Duke?”
Norman couldn’t bring himself to pull back the drawn curtains, instead pacing anxiously in front of the bed.
“How noisy.”
It wasn’t the usual voice that grated the throat. Shouldn’t it be deeper than usual when waking up?
“Excuse me for a moment!”
Sensing something amiss, Norman asked for permission and pulled back the curtains.
Fur was piled on the bed, and on top of it lay the Duke. The Duke slowly sat up.
“You’ve aged a lot, Norman.”
The Duke brushed past Norman and approached the window. His nightgown had become loose, revealing his toned body with each step.
The Duke looked at the dazzling sky. The morning sky, with the sun fully risen, was excessively blue.
“How on earth…!”
Norman was so shocked he fell on his backside. Instead of getting up, he rubbed his eyes until they were red.
Even the Duke didn’t know exactly what had happened. The only thing he knew for certain was…
“The ancient curse has finally been broken.”
The curse that had been gnawing at the Duke’s family for ages had finally ended in his generation.
At the Duke’s declaration, Norman burst into tears.
“Oh my… oh my… such a thing…!”
“Calm down.”
The Duke acted as if it wasn’t his own affair, while Norman acted as if it was too much his own.
The Duke handed the water Norman had brought right back to him. Norman drank it all without refusing.
Only then did he seem to come to his senses, jumping to his feet.
“How can I calm down! I must inform Mrs. Wells of this immediately.”
“…”
“And, and we must share this joyous news with Noah and Carol…!”
“No. Let’s postpone that joy for a while.”
“…Pardon?”
Though he didn’t know exactly how the curse had been broken, he knew the small contributor who had broken it.
My little friend, my teacher, and my love.
‘Carol.’
The Duke looked at the feather and small herb in his hand.
To think such small things, which others might consider nothing, could contain such great love.
He had realized it far too late. The Duke kissed the feather in his hand.
He wanted to chase after her right away.
“It’s too early to celebrate. Doesn’t the Council of Elders hold the family head’s authority in my stead?”
The Duke felt the joy of the curse being broken only briefly before immediately thinking practically.
Breaking the curse was no longer what he desired most.
‘It will take some time to reclaim my power. Until then.’
He planned to stay apart only until then.
****
Two and a half years later.
The Northern tourism project led by the Winternox and Chesworth families achieved great success within a year.
{Hot summer? Don’t wait for winter, come find it yourself!}
The capital’s summer was hot enough to cause heatstroke, and nobles who believed time could be bought with money couldn’t help but respond to this slogan.
Although there had been delays in the project due to the Duke’s accident, this success was natural given the long-standing foundations they had built for the business.
Northern travel was most popular among young ladies, mainly because jewellery made from unique minerals discovered in Northern mines had become fashionable in the capital, starting with the Chesworth family ladies who attended capital banquets.
Those unfamiliar with the situation called it a success born of overlapping luck, but insightful people knew that since the Chesworth family’s eldest daughter had entered the business, the trend was also a strategic move.
“It’s a shame that Lady Chesworth isn’t participating in this banquet.”
“I wanted to hear her wise opinions.”
Most people seemed more pleased than disappointed by her absence.
The rush of young ladies to the North this time wasn’t simply to celebrate the first anniversary of the business.
This banquet held special significance.
“It’s unusual for the Winternox family to open their castle for a banquet.”
“The castle is incredibly beautiful.”
Firstly, the main castle Snow Hall, the Duke’s residence in Cardiff, had been opened for the banquet, which was the primary reason.
“Indeed. The lady who’ll become the mistress of this castle will be very fortunate.”
“When he returned to the North after the accident a few years ago, rumors were rampant that he wouldn’t be able to return to his position.”
“There were even ominous whispers circulating about a hereditary disease.”
“But in the end, those all turned out to be baseless rumors.”
The second reason was the news that the Duke, who had appeared in the capital’s social circles like a comet but hadn’t shown his face for nearly 4 years due to an unexpected accident, would be appearing at an official event.
“I never believed in such rumors.”
“Neither did I.”
The nobles gathered together to discuss the elevated status of the Winternox family.
“The engagement with Lady Chesworth won’t continue, will it?”
“He’s managed to advance his business brilliantly even without an alliance between families.”
Since the host of this party was considered the most eligible bachelor in the marriage market.
“His Grace, Duke Edward Winternox, is entering!”
With a loud announcement, the doors opened, and the host of the party revealed himself.
There had been talk that he had been participating in business again for the past year, but he had never officially shown his face.
All eyes turned towards the top of the stairs. While older ladies had seen the Duke before, those who had debuted in society only a few years ago had not.
“Oh my…”
The voice of a young lady expressed the surprise felt by everyone in the ballroom.
The Duke descending the stairs was wearing a dark blue uniform embroidered with silver thread. It was an outfit too elaborate for a man to pull off, but it looked plain in comparison to his appearance.
Gone was the youthful and passionate look of the Duke from before. Instead, his mature aura and somewhat melancholic face made him appear even more exceptional.
“I’m grateful that you’ve come all this way to grace us with your presence.”
The Duke greeted the guests with a gentle smile.
Finally coming to their senses, people began to flock to the Duke’s side one by one.
A wealthy single man needs a wife. This was one of the universally acknowledged truths.
The fact that Margaret Chesworth wasn’t accompanying him at this official event was a golden opportunity.
Each person’s eyes shone with the intention of pushing forward their own daughter.
Amidst this, a young lady who had just made her debut called out to the Duke in a loud voice.
“Um… Duke!”
It was Olivia, who believed she had formed a connection with him just by meeting him before his official appearance.
Wow 2yrs time skip…. Not impressed Duke.