Chapter 23
“If we make eye contact one more time, I’ll take it as a sign that you don’t need to sleep.”
“…What happens if that’s the case?”
Swoosh.
He reached out next to the pillow. I blinked and looked down at him, completely caught in his embrace, as he looked up at me.
“Are you curious?”
“No. I think I know.”
I awkwardly smiled and squeezed my eyes shut. I could still feel his hand resting beside me.
My heart began to race.
‘Calm down… He’ll hear it.’
I imagined a gentle breeze and playful animals. As I pictured that, my heartbeat slowly returned to normal.
And, as if it were magic, sleep began to take over.
Cedric left the room quietly after Claire had fallen asleep.
Truthfully, he had wanted nothing more than to lie next to her and sleep. Even though it was just an act, Cedric had been more sincere than anyone else.
He wasn’t sure when it started, but Claire had steadily taken up more and more space in his heart.
He paused in the hallway, ran a hand through his hair, and gazed out the window. From where he stood, he could see the garden. His brows furrowed.
“What is she thinking?”
He caught sight of Isabel walking with Caven.
It wasn’t just the fact that she had shown up so suddenly and without proper manners—her gaze toward Claire was also unsettling.
The way she looked at Claire, like she was beneath her, was filled with arrogant disdain, and Cedric found it extremely unpleasant.
Before, Cedric hadn’t fully understood why Claire had seemed so anxious.
But the moment he saw Isabel’s behavior toward her, everything clicked into place.
‘So that’s why she was so uneasy.’
He had found her behavior strange ever since she heard the emperor was coming. The subtle look of anxiety, the busy way she moved, and the way she seemed as if she were being chased—it all weighed on his mind.
‘It wasn’t her father she was worried about; she was concerned about her sister.’
He thought back to the times Claire had smiled at him, but Cedric’s face hardened. He couldn’t just sit back and watch someone openly disrespect his wife.
That’s why he had gone along with everything Claire wanted. Frankly, he was happy she had acted that way. As long as she wasn’t talking about divorce anymore, that alone was enough for him.
In truth, he wouldn’t have minded if Isabel stayed a bit longer. Perhaps it would give him a chance to grow even closer to Claire.
‘But that’s just my selfishness.’
Cedric shook his head.
He didn’t want to see Claire suffer. Ever since Isabel arrived, it had been clear she was pushing herself too much.
So what was there for him to do?
There was only one answer.
He had to summon back the reason Claire had run away in the first place.
Cedric headed straight for his office. If he didn’t resolve this quickly, Claire would only continue to struggle.
He began writing a letter to the royal family.
He told them that their beloved princess was here and they should come get her immediately.
Meanwhile, Isabel, walking through the garden with Caven, couldn’t hide her surprise.
The mere fact that there was a garden in the cold north was shocking, but she had never expected it to be this well-kept.
As she stood in the fragrant garden, irritation welled up inside her.
“This is… a garden?”
“Yes, there’s nothing particularly special about it.”
No, this itself was special.
The scale was completely different from other noble estates’ gardens. What was particularly unusual was how the environment was arranged for the animals to rest comfortably.
Isabel walked slowly through the garden, furrowing her brows.
“I never thought something like this would be possible in the North.”
“It’s all thanks to Her Grace, who devoted a lot of attention to it.”
“I see. It looks like the animals would enjoy it here, but I don’t see any.”
“…Is that so? I wouldn’t know. I’ve been away from the estate, called to serve in the war so often.”
Caven tilted his head.
Now that she mentioned it, it was strange. Just a few days ago, animals had been running around the estate, but now there wasn’t a single one in sight.
The number of animals Cedric had ordered him to bring in was enough to fill two carriages. But there was no need to tell an outsider every detail of the estate.
‘What face does she have to show up here, after sending her sister in her place, rejecting His Grace?’
Caven didn’t like Isabel.
He kept it hidden for now, but the fact that she had suddenly appeared now, after all this time, seemed terribly rude.
No matter if she was a princess, was it really acceptable to act so carelessly?
Isabel reached out to touch a flower, and then abruptly snapped its stem.
“They’re weak. Is it because they were grown in an artificial environment?”
“…”
“Ah, right. Flowers are rare in the North, aren’t they? But if I stay here, you won’t need to worry about that.”
Isabel twirled around and looked at Caven, dropping the flower onto the ground.
Caven’s brows twisted slightly.
“My ability is very useful in the North. So, tell me… does everyone in the Grand Duke’s estate follow my sister?”
“I’m not sure what you mean by that.”
“Do you really not know?”
Caven stared at Isabel with a calm expression. She waved her hand dismissively, her excitement fading.
“It’s just a joke. There’s no need to be so serious. I was just asking because this is where I was supposed to be in the first place. You’re aware that my father, the emperor, is coming here, right?”
“…Yes, I know.”
“He’ll probably take my sister back with him.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, you’ll see soon enough.”
Isabel laughed brightly, as if she was enjoying herself.
Cedric’s eyes snapped open.
He immediately got up and stepped out of bed. He felt refreshed after waking up.
Glancing to the side, he saw that Claire was still asleep.
‘It’s been a while since I slept this well.’
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so soundly, without any unnecessary thoughts. After sending the letter to the imperial family, he had finished his work and returned to the room. At some point, he must have fallen asleep beside Claire, who had been breathing softly in her sleep.
He placed a hand on her forehead—no fever, and her complexion looked fine.
Cedric slowly rose from the bed, careful not to wake Claire. Feeling a bit warm, likely due to a slight fever, he moved to open the window—
Thud, thud.
As soon as he opened it, suddenly, a heavy noise filled the room as a cold gust of wind blew through the open window.
Startled, Cedric looked up at the sky. It had been calm, but now a fierce cold front had come, and hail was pouring down so hard that it was impossible to see.
“What on earth…?”
Sensing something unusual, Cedric hurried toward the entrance of the estate.
“Your Grace, the weather is too harsh right now. You shouldn’t go outside,” the butler warned him, shaking his head.
“Hail…? This is unusual for the North. A snowstorm, perhaps, but hail?”
Come to think of it, hadn’t Isabel been in the garden earlier?
Cedric bit his lip and made his way to the room where Isabel was staying. He didn’t know exactly what kind of power she had, so he needed to consider all possibilities.
Though he didn’t want to believe it, it was better to check.
If this had been a common occurrence, he wouldn’t have been suspicious. But since it started after Isabel arrived, he couldn’t help but question it.
Thud, thud, thud.
“Princess Isabel, are you in your room?”
“…”
There was no response. Cedric signaled a maid to open the door.
“I’m just here to check.”
The maid nodded and opened the door.
As the door swung open, there was Isabel, rubbing her eyes as she sat up in bed.
“Mmm… Your Grace? Barging in like this…?”
“Oh… You’re here.”
Cedric looked at her with disbelief. She nodded, looking confused.
“Did you come to see me at this hour?”
She was dressed in a thin slip. Isabel, having sat up in bed, gestured toward the maid.
“Leave us. It seems His Grace has something important to say.”
“There’s no need. You can stay,” Cedric said.
“Did you come here because you have something to discuss?” Isabel asked, blinking up at him with a smile. She reached out, lightly brushing her fingers over his arm, tilting her head to the side.
“Are you just going to stand there?”
The maid, unsure of what to do, shuffled anxiously.
“You should retrain your servants. It seems they don’t listen when their superiors speak,” Isabel said with a frown, giving the maid a slight push. She then attempted to close the door.
Thud.
Cedric caught the door before it closed and swung it wide open again. Holding the door steady with one hand, he spoke to Isabel.
“There’s no need to close the door. We can talk from here.”
“In this freezing cold? If I catch a cold, will you take responsibility?”
Isabel stepped closer to Cedric, lifting her head to look up at him. Despite the cold expression in his eyes, she didn’t back down.
Cedric, stepping back to avoid touching her, gently placed his foot in the doorway to keep it from closing.
“I only came to check if you were in your room.”
“At this hour?”
Cedric’s brow furrowed even more. He shouldn’t have come inside—it felt like he’d walked into a trap.
“Yes, that’s all.”
Feeling it would be best to leave quickly, he opened the door and turned his back to her.
“Sleep well. With the hailstorm outside, it’s best if you stay indoors for the time being.”
“Oh my, are you worried about me now?”
Isabel reached out and grabbed Cedric’s collar.
Through his thin shirt, she could clearly see his well-defined muscles. He let out a short breath as his clothes were suddenly tugged.
“…Cedric?”
