Chapter 36
Lincia didn’t even realize that she was speaking formally to Oberok.
“Ah, well, Oberok is someone Julius cares for…”
She knew no one would believe such an excuse. Lincia unconsciously hid her trembling hands under the blanket.
“I understand! But since there’s a difference in rank, wouldn’t it be proper to speak down to him?”
Anna said that with a bright smile. A smart woman like her must have already guessed what Oberok meant to Lincia.
That was exactly why Lincia didn’t want to take Anna with her for the examination.
On a normal day, she wouldn’t even have been able to meet Harvich, let alone ask for such a favor.
But for some reason, she felt that this time, Harvich might grant her request.
After eating and reading in her room for a while, a maid brought word that Harvich had returned.
“You came early.”
“Did I not say I’d return as quickly as possible?”
Though Harvich had promised to come back soon, Lincia hadn’t believed him.
The hunting festival was the most important event in the Cassius territory, and today was only the first day. She had already prepared herself to understand if he came late.
But Harvich arrived earlier than expected, and in his hand, he carried a flower.
“…What is this?”
“A flower made of jewels.”
What was wrong with this man?
Even though she couldn’t understand his sudden change, she couldn’t stop the warmth rising in her chest.
“I wanted to bring you a real flower, but I thought none grown in Cassius territory would please your eyes.”
“…Ah, what kind of flowers grow there?”
“Mostly moss species. Some are poisonous.”
With a soft sigh, Lincia quietly accepted the jeweled flower.
Shaped like a rose, each petal had been delicately carved from gems. It shimmered in the light, clearly made for beauty and luxury.
“It’s beautiful.”
Lincia smiled brightly, holding the flower.
“Thank you.”
“I was planning to escort you to your bedchamber now.”
Lincia hesitated, then grabbed the collar of his coat.
“Um… could you stay with me tomorrow?”
Harvich looked slightly surprised by her words but didn’t reject her right away. After a moment’s thought, he replied,
“All right. But I must at least show my face there, so I can’t be with you the entire day.”
“That’s fine. Just stay with me during the examination.”
Harvich paused, as if counting the days, and asked,
“…Tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll come as early as I can.”
“Thank you.”
Lincia felt even happier that Harvich hadn’t turned down her request than she had when he gave her the jeweled flower.
She tried not to expect anything, but her heart was light.
Again, she found herself dreaming of an impossible reality.
Maybe Harvich remembered that night he had forgotten. Maybe that was why he was being so gentle now.
Even though she knew that if he did remember, he would first apologize to her, Lincia still let herself hope.
Because no husband could be this kind to a wife carrying another man’s child.
“Have you been comfortable in the outer castle?”
“Yes, no problems.”
“I’ll stay here only during the hunting festival.
Once it ends, we’ll return to the main castle, so don’t worry.”
You used to live in the outer castle, she wanted to say, but the words stayed on her tongue.
Seeing his gentle expression again made her heart flutter.
She felt like she might mistake his kindness for something more.
Even though nothing between them had truly been resolved, Harvich’s tenderness made it seem like everything would be fine.
“Yes, I understand.”
It didn’t take long for her to realize how foolish and meaningless that thought was.
***
Late that evening, after escorting Lincia back, Harvich headed to the tailor’s workshop.
In the outer castle, there were special facilities like the forge, the tailor’s shop, and the refining room.
When the snow season began, the duchy often became isolated, so it was used to producing its own goods.
For that reason, many skilled craftsmen lived there. Their swords and armor were of notably high quality compared to other regions.
Harvich had never thought he’d have reason to visit the tailor’s workshop himself.
He had only recently learned of its existence when preparing Lincia’s dresses and formal wear.
When he appeared, the tailor’s eyes went wide with shock.
“Y-Your Grace… w-what brings you here?”
As if he had just seen something he shouldn’t have.
“I’d like to commission a scarf. I’d like it made before the snow season begins.”
“…Excuse me?”
The tailor, Joseph, faced the biggest crisis of his life.
The duke himself, who had never set foot here before, suddenly appeared late in the evening.
Joseph immediately wondered if he had done something wrong. But that wasn’t the only surprise.
The duke handed him a piece of processed fox fur.
“You mean… you’d like me to make a scarf?”
Wanting to be as accommodating as possible to his master, Joseph chose his words carefully.
“…However, to make a scarf, we’d need at least three fox pelts.”
“…Three?”
The duke tilted his head, as if the words made no sense.
“Even if it’s for a woman?”
He raised his hand, as if imagining the woman’s build.
“She’s quite small.”
No matter how small she was, she wasn’t smaller than a fox.
“Also, it would take at least a week to make. Preparing the leather takes considerable time.”
The duke closed his eyes for a moment, as if thinking.
Even for him, some things were impossible.
“…I’m afraid one fox isn’t enough to make anything.”
There was simply too little to work with—unless he thought the woman was rabbit-sized.
“I understand. Then I’ll have two more foxes hunted.”
“Yes, if you can bring them by tomorrow, that would be ideal. Since this is your first request, I’ll do my best to finish it quickly.”
Harvich nodded, left the fur behind, and exited the workshop.
The hunt resumed early the next morning, much like the day before.
They reset the broken bear traps and mapped out the migration routes of the herds, marking the dangerous zones.
Tereo, who had failed to catch anything the day before, had also come out again today.
Harvich glanced briefly at Tereo, then turned away.
Supposedly, he wanted to make gloves for the baby that would soon be born.
A useless effort, really.
Tereo wouldn’t be able to make them. Harvich wouldn’t allow it.
After checking the safety measures, Harvich prepared to return to Lincia. Many of the traps were destroyed, and he had only managed to catch one fox, which delayed him.
…Wouldn’t two be enough? he thought.
That’s when he saw another fox in the distance.
