“Lyn, no. Mom, mom is here.”
“…It can’t be.”
Seeing Hilane crying, Aachen took some holy water from his pocket.
“Princess, just a moment.”
“Your Grace, what are you…”
Aachen opened the holy water and let Chevelyn swallow it little by little.
After swallowing the holy water, Chevelyn’s breathing noticeably became more comfortable.
“Your Grace, what did you do…?”
“People blessed by the miracles of God must drink holy water regularly to sustain their lives.”
Hilane nearly lost her balance at Aachen’s unexpected words.
If no one here had known the secret of the holy water, Chevelyn’s life would have…
‘That would have been dangerous…’
“…Your Grace. Thank you.”
Hilane was genuinely grateful to Aachen for acting quickly in a critical moment.
Aachen shook his head.
“I’m just glad the princess is safe.”
Chevelyn was fine. Now they knew how to handle similar situations in the future.
But why did it make her feel like crying?
“Your Grace, is she really alright now?”
“…Yes.”
“I was so afraid I might lose her, it felt like she was being taken away as if someone was just waiting for it to happen…”
Hilane turned her gaze toward Chevelyn.
“What if I take my eyes off her for a moment and she’s in danger again?”
She was just sleeping as usual.
But the fear that her fever might spike again, like before, clouded her mind with anxiety.
“Hil. It’s alright. Now, don’t worry. I won’t just stand by and let something happen to the princess.”
“…….”
“I promise to protect the princess, just like today. So don’t cry.”
Aachen embraced the sobbing Hilane and patted her back.
* * *
The next day, Chevelyn was running around as if she had never been sick.
‘If it weren’t for Your Grace, I wouldn’t have been able to see this.’
Watching her, Hilane thought of Aachen.
He had returned her necklace without saying a word, a gesture of consideration that surprised her anew.
Aachen didn’t seem to care at all about what had happened with his twin brother.
‘How can His Grace be okay with everything?’
As she was lost in thought, Gaeren came to inform her that Winter had arrived.
“I’ll escort him to the drawing room, Your Highness.”
“Please tell him I’ll be there shortly.”
“Yes, understood.”
After Gaeren left, Hilane turned her attention to Chevelyn.
“Chevelyn, today… um, yes. You’re going to meet a friend of Mom’s.”
Choosing her words carefully, Hilane found the right way to explain Winter to Chevelyn.
“A friend?”
“Yes.”
“Cherry wants to meet Mom’s friend right away!”
Chevelyn was very excited. She looked much better than yesterday, which was a relief.
Hilane took Chevelyn to the drawing room on the first floor.
“Lord Rendell.”
“Your Highness.”
It was nice to see someone she thought was dead after such a long time.
“How have you been?”
“I should have properly informed Your Highness and left Peztaine, but I was in a hurry.”
Winter bowed deeply and kissed the back of Hilane’s hand.
At that moment, the ribbon holding Winter’s red hair came undone.
“I never thought I’d get to greet Your Highness again like this.”
Holding the ribbon, Winter smiled sheepishly.
“Indeed.”
“Meeting you as the lady of Hestur Castle, now the Duchess of Belzette, is quite moving.”
Chevelyn, who had been hiding behind Hilane, peeked out.
“Ah. You must be Her Highness’s daughter. Princess, I look forward to getting to know you.”
Winter knelt down to meet Chevelyn’s eyes, making her blush.
“!”
“Chevelyn!”
Perking up her ears, Chevelyn ran out of the drawing room.
“Please wait a moment, Lord Rendell. I’ll bring her back right away.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Apologizing to Winter, Hilane followed after Chevelyn.
Chevelyn ran to Aachen, who had just come out of his office.
“Good morning, Princess.”
[Your Grace. Mom’s friend is here!]
“A friend?”
[Cherry is happy to meet Mom’s friend!]
Aachen looked at Chevelyn lovingly.
Hilane, who had hurried out of the drawing room to follow Chevelyn, smiled softly at the sight of the two getting along so well.
When did they become so close?
Hilane approached Chevelyn, who was clinging to Aachen’s leg, and asked.
“Chevelyn, did you not want to stay in the drawing room?”
[No, I came out because I heard Your Grace coming!]
Hearing Chevelyn’s explanation, Aachen patted her head.
“Hil. By ‘friend’… do you mean you were talking to the doctor?”
“Oh, yes. That’s right.”
Chevelyn glanced back and forth between Hilane and Aachen. Then, suddenly, she grabbed Aachen’s hand and pulled him toward the drawing room.
“Princess?”
[ If he’s Mom’s friend, he’s Your Grace’s friend too. Your Grace, you should greet him too. Friends should get along! ]
Chevelyn’s chattering mouth showed just how happy she was.
“Chevelyn.”
Hilane tried to stop Chevelyn with an awkward voice.
“It’s alright, Hil. I’m not particularly busy right now. And… the princess isn’t wrong, you know.”
Aachen shook his head with a smile.
“Your Grace…”
With Aachen taking her side, Chevelyn wore a triumphant expression.
Hilane laughed, as if to say there was no stopping her.
“Your Highness?”
In the meantime, Aachen’s face hardened as he noticed Winter coming out of the drawing room.
“Your Grace?”
As if nothing had happened, Aachen quickly smiled again.
‘Was I mistaken? No, it’s not like the duke holds any ill will toward Lord Rendell. I must have seen it wrong.’
Feeling relieved, Hilane quickly introduced Winter to Aachen.
“Your Grace, this is Winter, who will be looking after Chevelyn.”
Since the title of Lord Rendell no longer existed, she referred to him by name for convenience.
Telling everything would mean explaining what kind of relationship she had with Winter.
‘It could make things unnecessarily complicated.’
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Duke Belzette. My name is Winter.”
Winter smiled politely and greeted him.
“…I entrust the princess to you.”
Aachen, having removed his gloves, extended his hand first, and Winter shook it with an innocent look.
[ Mom, Cherry wants to play outside. ]
“Outside? Now?”
Chevelyn was drawing Hilane’s attention just in time. Aachen tightened his grip.
Winter’s inner thoughts, which Aachen could read, suggested he was pretending to be fine when he was actually in pain.
His anger flared at the thought that Winter might be trying to deceive Hilane.
“…Your Grace?”
“Just focus on the treatment.”
“I-I’ll… do my best…”
Winter’s face turned pale as his hand went numb from the lack of circulation.
“Then, I’ll be going, Hil.”
Aachen muttered quietly as he left, his face twisted in a scowl.
‘Damn redhead.’
* * *
The treatment took quite a long time.
Winter’s expression became serious as he meticulously noted Chevelyn’s mouth movements.
Hilane worried that there might be a bigger problem than she had anticipated.
“Your Highness, I need to speak with you in private for a moment.”
“…Alright.”
After calling Elisha to take Chevelyn upstairs, Hilane clasped her hands together nervously.
Winter was reading Chevelyn’s psychological assessment report.
Seeing his troubled look, Hilane cautiously asked.
“Is there a problem?”
“The princess… is very sensitive to others’ emotions. The closer the person is, the more she has formed an attachment to them, the more intense her reaction seems to be.”
“Are you saying she’s very conscious of me?”
Understanding immediately, Hilane’s question made Winter nod quietly.
“I noticed that the princess seems especially fearful of being separated from Your Highness.”
“Afraid of being separated…?”
“It seems recent changes in her environment have settled in as a form of trauma.”
Winter’s words made Hilane recall the time before her wedding ceremony.
When she told Chevelyn that a new family member would be joining them, she couldn’t forget how the child had asked if she was going to be abandoned.
‘I hoped she wouldn’t think like that… I didn’t realize it would be traumatic.’
Hilane sighed repeatedly, realizing Chevelyn’s condition was more severe than she had thought.
“Children with these sensitivities commonly exhibit anxiety, and it seems the princess is no exception.”
“…I see. I’ll need to pay more attention.”
“And… perhaps… um…”
Winter hesitated, opening and closing his mouth several times.
“When Your Highness smiles, doesn’t the princess also smile, or hasn’t she ever said, ‘If Mom is happy, then I’m happy too’?”
Winter’s question made Hilane recall past moments with a jolt.
‘She definitely said that if I’m happy, she’s happy… back then.’
“…When I told her I was going to remarry the Duke, she said something similar.”
“It seems Your Highness’s anxiety has been passed on to the princess. Perhaps it’s her way of trying to reassure you.”
“……”
Hilane pressed her fingers against her forehead.
She felt guilty for not realizing sooner.
“Please continue to show the princess that you have a good relationship with Duke Belzette, and that this place is safe for you, Your Highness.”
“My relationship with the Duke…?”
Hilane replied with a puzzled expression.
“The princess is most emotionally influenced by Your Highness.”
Winter spoke firmly.
“This is an innate temperament that cannot be changed.”
“Temperament…”
“It may take a long time before she starts talking to others again.”
“…I can wait.”
“Yes. I will also do my best to assist in the princess’s treatment.”
Winter smiled as Hilane nodded.
“We will proceed with counseling sessions twice a week using drawings.”
As Winter explained the details of the counseling, Hilane steeled herself.
♡♡♡
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