“Amelia.”
Edwin, who had been focused on his drawing for some time, quietly called out to her.
Amelia stopped what she was doing and immediately looked at him, surprised by his rarely serious tone.
With an expression as serious as his voice, Edwin stared straight at Amelia and asked,
“Is Renee okay?”
“She’ll recover with a good day’s rest. Of course, since the Duke is taking care of her, I can’t help but worry a little…”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Pardon?”
“Renee is going to get engaged to Father soon, right?”
Expecting him to be concerned about Renee’s health, Amelia was caught off guard by his unexpected question.
“Do you know what an engagement is?”
“It’s a promise to get married, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“I’m not that clueless, you know.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to belittle you, Edwin.”
“I know. You were just confirming.”
“Then, where did you hear about Renee getting engaged?”
“There are a lot of people who think I don’t know anything. But even if I stay still, I hear plenty.”
“I see.”
Indeed, even if everyone tried to be cautious around Edwin, the Loerian estate had been buzzing enough with talk of the engagement that even he could pick up on it.
“So, what’s worrying you?”
“I’m just worried that if Renee becomes someone important to Father, she might end up in danger.”
Edwin’s words left Amelia momentarily speechless.
She knew he was smart and thoughtful, but she hadn’t expected him to deduce that much.
Did this mean he also realized that he, too, might be in danger someday?
She had spent years carefully shielding Edwin from Schneider’s attention, trying to keep him oblivious to certain truths.
She had thought they had succeeded in protecting him well, but now she wasn’t sure if they had underestimated him or if there was an unforeseen variable.
“Is it very dangerous?”
Edwin seemed to interpret her hesitation as confirmation and leaned in closer, his face full of worry.
“No, it’s not that. I was just lost in thought for a moment… You don’t need to worry too much about Renee.”
“Still…”
“Besides, the Duke is very attentive. You know that, given how he’s kept Chase and me by her side.”
“That’s true, but…”
“There’s really nothing to worry about. There haven’t been any particularly dangerous moves so far.”
“Alright.”
“Edwin.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ll protect her well.”
For once, Amelia spoke without her usual cheerful tone, meeting Edwin’s eyes directly.
After studying her for a moment, Edwin finally nodded, his face relaxing with relief.
“Okay. Please, take care of Renee.”
“I will.”
She couldn’t ask him outright how much he knew.
But one thing was clear—Edwin likely understood far more than they had anticipated.
As she realized just how much he was hiding behind that ever-smiling face, Raynan’s image surfaced in her mind.
Perhaps Raynan needn’t have worried so much. Edwin might truly be capable of surpassing his father as a formidable Duke.
Did Raynan know?
The question crossed her mind. In the past, when they barely spoke, he might not have known. But now that they were closer, there was a chance he did.
“Honestly, the two of them always have different faces on, hiding their thoughts.”
Edwin seemed to understand the meaning behind her muttered words, smiling brightly. Then, he quietly asked her,
“Don’t tell Father or Renee.”
With a helpless smile, Amelia promised to keep his secret.
****
There was a small commotion on the last day, but overall, the vacation ended peacefully.
Whether Raynan volunteering to nurse someone could be called a commotion was up for debate.
Still, compared to what followed, his nursing was a relatively minor matter.
“Are you still feeling unwell?”
For some reason, Raynan joined the carriage on the return journey.
Sitting beside me, he continuously checked my condition. When he noticed my worsening complexion, he asked with concern.
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
It seemed he didn’t hear my response.
“Stop the carriage immediately and fetch Carlson,” he said, standing as though signaling to Chase.
I quickly grabbed his arm. The sudden movement made my nausea worse, but that wasn’t the issue.
If we stopped here, it was clear we wouldn’t make it back within the day.
“I’m really fine, Your Grace.”
“Why do you always say you’re fine? Do you even know what you look like right now?”
“Like someone who might collapse at any moment.”
The answer came from Amelia. Having seen this before, both Amelia and Edwin looked relatively unconcerned.
“Then we should stop the carriage.”
“Reaching our destination as quickly as possible might be better for Renee, Your Grace,” Amelia said calmly. Edwin supported her.
“She was like this on the way here, too.”
“I didn’t realize. What did you do then?”
“We just let her sleep. She slept well,” Amelia replied.
Feeling awkward, I added, “Yes, it was a relief to wake up and find we had arrived.”
Hearing this, Raynan adjusted his position and said, “Then sleep now.”
I let him settle me in, but there was no way I could sleep.
How could I, with him staring at me like that?
I opened my mouth to speak, but the words remained in my throat.
“Your Grace, anyone would find it difficult to sleep if you’re staring at them like that,” Amelia said, voicing my unspoken thoughts.
“Really? Why is that?”
“How could someone sleep with you looking at them so intently? It might help Renee if you looked elsewhere or refrained from watching her for a while.”
“I see.”
Raynan readily accepted Amelia’s suggestion—or so I thought.
“Your Grace,” I called, unable to resist any longer. As soon as I spoke, he leaned in toward me.
“Yes? Do you need something?”
“Even watching out of the corner of your eye is…”
“Is what?”
Uncomfortable? Or should I say it’s distracting?
Struggling to find the right words, I hesitated. Once again, Amelia stepped in to say what I couldn’t.
“Uncomfortable, I’m sure.”
“You think I’ve been watching out of the corner of my eye?” he asked, genuinely surprised.
“I’ll just sit up. I can’t seem to fall asleep anyway.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to lie down?”
Raynan offered his support as he spoke. But lying down only made the carriage’s movements more pronounced, worsening my nausea.
“No, lying down feels worse.”
Even sitting against the carriage wall, the jolts were relentless. That’s when Raynan reached out, gently guiding my head to rest on his shoulder.
“You might feel less of the shaking if you lean on me,” he said, removing his hand.
“…Thank you.”
Indeed, his shoulder offered a steadier support than anywhere else in the carriage.
Every bump caused our arms to brush against each other. At first, it felt like we were simply touching by chance, but eventually, our arms stayed in contact.
It seemed deliberate, as though he was subtly keeping me close to reduce movement.
While his intent might have been practical, it made my thoughts spin.
I tried pulling away slightly, only to feel his arm tighten around me.
He gently enclosed me in his arms, pressing my face against his firm chest. The movement’s impact lessened, but my heartbeat grew louder.
Despite the discomfort of nausea, his steady presence began to soothe me. Slowly, I drifted in and out of sleep until we finally arrived back at Loerian Manor.
Though I hadn’t slept as deeply as on the journey there, and the nausea lingered, stepping onto solid ground felt like a small relief.
My legs weak, I moved slowly until Raynan came over and wrapped his arm around my waist.
“Lean on me. We’ll go slowly. It’s better than walking alone.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“Or would you prefer I carry you? That would be quicker.”
“Oh… I appreciate the thought, but being carried might make things worse…”
“True, that might not help,” he agreed.
More than anything, I was worried about how it would look to others, but I kept that thought to myself.
“Let’s take it slow, then,” he said, adjusting his pace to match mine.
Though it took longer, his careful attention made the walk to my room more manageable.
“We’ll call Austin to check on Renee. Carlson deserves some rest at his age,” Raynan instructed Roman, who had come running upon our arrival.
In another situation, Roman might have protested, but seeing my pallor, he simply nodded.
“Yes, understood.”
“No, really, I just need to rest on my own,” I interjected.
“Still, wouldn’t it be better to take some medicine?”
“Reaching home was enough. I’d like to rest alone. Talking only makes it worse.”
“I see.”
“If I’m still unwell by morning, I’ll seek treatment then.”
Raynan studied me briefly, then nodded.
“Alright. Rest for now. We’ll decide tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
Seemingly reassured by my willingness to seek treatment if necessary, he left the room.
Finally alone, I collapsed onto the bed. Sleep, which had eluded me in the carriage, came almost immediately.
*****
By the next morning, the nausea had completely subsided. Still, Carlson examined me and advised caution, recommending a light diet.
As a result, my meals consisted of only healthy food for a while, and whenever possible, I had to eat with Raynan to ensure I was eating enough and at the right times.
When I requested to have breakfast with Edwin instead, Raynan readily agreed, which felt like a significant victory—at least for a moment.
But the misunderstanding that followed Raynan’s slight shift in attitude toward me caused quite the stir among the manor staff, leading to an entirely unexpected—and immense—misunderstanding.
