He slowly raised his other hand and caressed Lizelle’s white cheek.
He was trying to determine whether this was a dream or reality due to the haziness of his mind caused by alcohol.
Now, as if he was dreaming, all his senses were floating and tingly, it was difficult to tell whether even the feel of her soft skin in his hand was real or not.
Within seconds, Chase thought this whole sequence of events was a dream.
He thought that Wilhazelle came to him in his dream.
Otherwise, there’s no way she would be accepting his touch.
If it were the usual Wilhazelle, she would have scolded him for what he was doing.
Chase decided not to hold back.
It was a dream anyway.
Whatever he said or did, the real Wilhazelle wouldn’t know.
“…”
Wilhazelle’s eyes grew wide enough to almost pop out at the sensation of his hand on her cheek.
His unexpected action froze her thoughts entirely.
The warmth of his hand, combined with the roughness of the calluses on his palm, sent an unfamiliar sensation through her.
Her heart seemed to beat faster than usual.
It was a strange and unfamiliar situation, leaving her at a loss.
“You seem very drunk. I’ll fetch you some honey water.”
Wilhazelle muttered, turning her gaze away and rising from her seat to escape the awkwardness.
“Wilhazelle.”
But his husky voice, calling her name, stopped her in her tracks. She turned her head back, compelled by the sound.
For a moment, the two of them simply stared at each other in silence.
Their gazes meeting and intertwining in the air.
Though the hand on her cheek had fallen away, the hand holding hers was still there.
His body temperature was extremely hot.
Enough to make her wonder if he might have a fever.
In the quiet stillness, Chase’s faint scent wafted to her nose.
The scent, faintly mixed with the smell of alcohol, was a heavy scent reminiscent of the sea on a winter night.
“I’ve always wanted to call your name.”
Chase chuckled lowly at the unresponsive Lizelle.
This wasn’t the usual Chase, where even when he smiled, it was barely noticeable.
The corners of his lips, gently curved upward, were very captivating.
‘Is this person a seductive drunk?’
Wilhazelle thought, staring at his gentle smile.
If she didn’t snap herself out of it, she might fall right into his charm.
A woman unfamiliar with his personality would have succumbed to his appearance alone by now.
“Your Grace, you must never drink alcohol.”
For everyone’s safety, that is.
“Is that so?”
And now he was laughing outright.
In all the time she had known him, she’s never seen him laugh like this.
But even so, Wilhazelle couldn’t tear her eyes away from him.
For some reason, her fingertips trembled slightly.
Why? What was this?
The cause of her trembling was beyond her understanding.
“I never thought I’d have a family in my lifetime.”
He ran his thumb over the smooth back of her hand he was holding and looked intently at Lizelle’s face.
“I was always used to being alone.”
A bitter smile spread across Chase’s lips as he muttered, as if talking to himself.
His father was an overbearing and violent man.
A person who demanded absolute obedience and strict hierarchy from his children, and who didn’t hesitate to strike them if they get on his nerves, even a little.
Having lost his mother at an early age, he grew up relying solely on his older brother and his father.
Who would have guessed that such things occurred in the Halos household, a family revered as untouchable and unparalleled?
Chase didn’t know much about family affection or harmonious families.
To him, family was always a negative word.
Like a prison without bars, binding and oppressive.
He became increasingly suffocated and fed up with his father’s attempts to manipulate his life just because he was a parent.
After becoming an adult, he no longer wanted to be controlled by his father.
So, he left the mansion and wandered alone for a long time.
Over time, solitude became second nature. Chase grew accustomed to making decisions alone, retreating further into isolation.
At some point, he became the only one who existed in his world.
Perhaps that was why he saw others as bothersome distractions.
Opening his heart to someone was unimaginable, and he had never dreamed of starting a family.
And yet—
“This is the first time I’ve felt this way.”
For the first time, he wanted to know someone better.
He wanted to let someone in, to be with someone.
Chase confessed what he hadn’t even fully understood himself, thinking of the moments Raphel and Wilhazelle shared at the dining table that had always been empty before.
“For the first time, I want to step into the shelter of a family.”
In that shelter, he thought it could be different from the cold, harsh family he had known. It could be warm and comforting, a true family supporting each other.
Because in that shelter, there was Wilhazelle.
That’s why he had been so greedy.
He made excuses and tried to keep her by his side.
“As long as I have you, I…”
His voice trailed off, growing fainter until it disappeared entirely.
Chase’s heavy eyelids finally closed.
“Your Grace?”
“…”
“Your Gra—ah!”
Wilhazelle let out a startled cry as she was pulled down onto the bed by an unexpected force.
Chase had lost consciousness and fallen backward, pulling her hand with him as he went.
Before she knew it, she was lying on the bed beside him.
Staring at his face, now so close, Wilhazelle blinked in disbelief.
It seemed the alcohol had finally taken its toll—he was fast asleep.
Even in his sleep, he refused to let go of her hand, holding it tightly.
“This…”
She tried to pull her hand free, but he didn’t budge.
Even asleep, his grip was astonishingly strong.
She struggled for a while, but it was futile.
Exhausted from supporting his weight earlier, she had no strength left.
“Sigh…”
Resigning herself, Wilhazelle lay back down on the bed.
Chase was right next to her.
He was so close she could feel his breath.
Quietly, she let her gaze linger on his face.
He wore a troubled expression on his face the whole time he was muttering to himself. However, after he fell asleep, he looked peaceful, as if nothing happened.
She never knew he had such thoughts until now.
In the original, he was only portrayed as the uncle of the male protagonist, Raphel, so his true feelings had been a mystery.
“’As long as I have you’, what’s next?”
She found herself curious about the rest of his unfinished sentence.
What made a man who had resolved never to have a family suddenly long for one?
And what difference would her presence make?
Her questions hung in the air, unanswered.
The one who could provide the answers slept soundly beside her.
All she could do was ponder.
“I don’t know.”
Turning her gaze away from him, Wilhazelle stared at the ceiling.
So, this marriage wasn’t just about Raphel.
Today, she learned something new about Chase.
Oh, and that he laughed more when he was drunk.
“Miss, the Madam has sent up some honey water.”
There was a knock on the door and the voice of the butler, Merhyn, was heard.
No matter what, she and Chase were currently lying together in the same bed.
Nothing happened, but the situation was undeniably embarrassing.
“I would appreciate it if you could leave it in front of the door.”
“Okay. I will leave it here.”
After the clink of a tray being set down, the footsteps outside faded away.
“When is he going to wake up?”
He was too soundly asleep to wake him by force.
For now, she had no choice but to stay where she was, still held captive by his grip.
With a sigh, Wilhazelle resigned herself to waiting.
Then, without realizing it, she fell asleep.
* * *
“Ugh…”
Chase frowned at the splitting pain in his head.
The nausea forced him to open his eyes, revealing an unfamiliar room.
“…”
His half-unfocused gaze slowly scanned the surroundings to make sense of where he was.
This wasn’t his room… Where was he?
Then it hit him. He had come to meet Wilhazelle’s parents today.
And he drank with the Baron.
“How disgraceful…”
He groaned, berating himself for not exercising restraint and accepting all the drinks offered.
To pass out drunk in front of his future in-laws when he was supposed to be making a good impression on them…
It was the height of disgrace.
Chase nervously tousled his hair and turned his head away at the sharp sensation.
In an instant, his body froze as if he had been struck by lightning.
Wilhazelle was lying next to him.
Sound asleep.
