~Chapter 5~
When Lily said she’d go to the stable to do some work…
“Whaaat?”
It wasn’t really dangerous, but the maids tried to stop her.
“No, no, you can’t!”
To them, it was like sending a newborn into the cold snow.
But they couldn’t say no to Lily for long.
“…Is it really not okay?”
Lily’s blue eyes looked sad and her shoulders drooped.
Her life had always been full of hardship, from her own family to her selfish, uncaring husband.
That’s why she had a calm mask on the outside, but she’d once been the flower of society—she knew how to handle people.
“Is it really not okay?”
She blinked her big eyes as if about to cry.
“Ugh… Well, how about I come with you?”
“It’s not even a hard job for two people.”
“You catch on quick.”
The maids explained a dozen times how far the stable was, and packed jerky in paper for Lily to eat if she got hungry.
“If you get lost, just shout really loud—we’ll come running!”
“It’s just seconds from the castle. Why are you acting like I’m going on a journey?”
Lily thought the big maids were really cute, despite their size.
They bundled her up with scarves and hats until she looked like a snowman, and then she headed outside.
At about the same time…
Blake was sitting in his dim office with only a candle burning.
It was still dark; the sun hadn’t risen, and the castle was pitch-black.
“Oh! You scared me!”
The old butler, Alfredo—the one whose daughter’s dress was given to Lily—walked in, surprised.
Alfredo was Uffus, but age had made him smaller and calmer. He’d worked in the castle for years.
“Hoho… Why are you up so late, sir?”
“Thinking.”
Blake hadn’t moved since Lily left.
The candlelight cast shadows across his strong jaw.
“I was thinking about what kind of person my father was.”
“The late master was a good man.”
“We disagree. I remember him as selfish.”
“Hohoho.”
The butler had been close to the late master, but he couldn’t deny that.
“Isn’t it strange? He spilled wine on a stranger’s dress and promised her anything, in the family’s name. Was he really that crazy?”
“Maybe she wasn’t a stranger to him.”
“You know something?”
“Just a guess.”
Alfredo shook his head. He was more the head maid than an aide—he handled everything inside the castle.
“But let me tell you an old story.”
He smiled, wrinkles deepening.
“When you were a child, your father hated going to the capital. But one time, you both returned happy from the city. You weren’t even seven, I think.”
“Us? Why?”
“Even I never got an answer. Maybe you should ask your seven-year-old self.”
“Fine. Bring me seven-year-old Blake.”
“The young master is wanted! Hoho.”
“Not funny.”
“My apologies.”
Alfredo couldn’t remember more, and left Blake with only questions.
The old butler walked the halls by lamplight, lost in thought.
‘I must be getting old. My memories aren’t as clear as before.’
But he could still remember the lively winters of the old castle:
the late master’s loud laughter, and young Blake, grumpy but kind.
Everything changed after the master’s mysterious death five years ago.
‘He rarely smiles now. It’s been five years. This castle’s been frozen too long.’
He wondered if he’d ever see the old warmth again before he died.
He stopped and looked out the window at the moon.
Down below, he saw a small figure moving across the snow.
What was that?
It was Lily, walking bravely to the stable with her breath puffing in the cold.
The butler smiled.
‘She couldn’t sleep, I guess. Such a small, pale guest, but she walked here alone. Maybe she’ll bring something new to this castle.’
Suddenly, a memory came to him of the late master teasing young Blake after returning from the city:
—“Oh my! You naughty kid! Promising marriage to that girl already?”
—“Go away!”
—“Alfredo, book the wedding hall! For my wonderful son and his bride!”
—“Stop it! Aagh!”
Alfredo’s wrinkled eyes softened with nostalgia.
‘It probably means nothing now…’
He thought about telling Blake, but the office was already empty.
Blake was walking down the opposite hallway, feeling restless.
‘I need to do something to clear my head. Maybe check on the stables.’
He didn’t know Lily was already there.
He didn’t notice her footprints in the snow, maybe because she wore shoes given by the maids.
He thought someone had just brought water to the horses.
Blake had promised himself he wouldn’t see Lily for a whole year as he entered the stable.
Inside, magical whale oil lamps were always lit.
The air was dim, and the smell of barley tea lingered.
But among the usual scents, he caught a faint whiff of peaches.
He stopped, startled.
“Could it be…?”
That woman?
He hid in the shadows.
Lily came into the dark stable by lantern light.
It was quiet.
She soon found the black horse the maids had mentioned.
“You must be Mr. Blake’s favorite horse.”
Blake, hidden, watched her quietly.
‘Did I really meet this girl as a child…?’
She felt strangely familiar, but it was just a guess.
Even the butler didn’t know for sure, and Lily herself seemed clueless.
Maybe it was pointless to wonder.
So he decided just to watch what this fussy noble lady would do in a place like this.
Lily thought the horses were cared for well—each had its own space, clean straw, and tidy feed.
‘So this is how a stable should be. I never knew, since I could hardly ever leave the house in the capital.’
Outside was always snowy, but inside was warm—the horses were comfortable.
She stood in front of the black horse.
“Good morning, friend.”
She took off her scarf; the maids had dressed her so much she looked like a tiny giant.
The black horse snorted softly in reply.
Its sharp eyes and silky black mane looked like a work of art.
Its belly was round—clearly pregnant.
“Oh! You really are pregnant. That’s amazing.”
Lily moved quietly, talking as memories came to her.
“I once thought I’d have a baby after marriage too.”
She didn’t mind talking to an animal—it was easier than talking to people.
She poured the warm water into the trough.
Steam rose.
She had nothing else to do, so she lingered by the horse.
‘So peaceful and calm here.’
The whale oil lamp flickered, casting a brown light on the wooden walls.
She liked the simple, quiet mood.
She decided to rest and remember the hard times she’d survived.
Blake watched everything.
He could hide his presence completely, like a wolf before the hunt.
He crossed his arms and stared at Lily’s pale wrists.
‘If she’s done, why doesn’t she leave? What is she doing?’
Lily dragged over a square bale of hay and sat down, rising to the horse’s eye level.
She didn’t have the power to talk to animals, but she spoke softly.
“Hey, you’ll give birth soon. Are you scared?”
Blake almost laughed.
‘Dominic is a brave horse—her line has always helped the Uffus family. There’s no way she’s scared!’
But watching Lily talk so gently stirred something inside him.
Suddenly, an old memory surfaced.
“…?”
In his memory, he was much smaller.
It was a brown wheat field.
Little Blake was talking to a girl even younger than him.
—“Are you stupid? If you talk to the wheat, it won’t answer.”
—“But… I still want to.”
The wheat bent in the wind, making a gentle sound.
