Chapter 35
Princess April was riding the early-morning train to Winterford.
From the original story I remembered two things:
Princess April was five years old this year, and she was Kylen’s half-sister.
She was the only princess of the Empire and younger sister of Crown Prince Ferdinand, yet her presence was faint.
It wasn’t simply because she was young.
I recalled a line from the original novel:
“Princess April was born weak and fell seriously ill right after birth. She survived, but her development was slower than other children. At five years old, her clumsy speech and small size made her look like she was four.”
At dinner, Kylen had shown me a letter she had sent him. It said:
“I miss you! I’m going!”
The large, wobbly handwriting was so big that I couldn’t avoid seeing it even if I wanted to. She had used yellow crayon—Princess April must like yellow.
The sister-in-law I had never met in person, only heard stories about, was coming to Winterford Castle today.
I slipped my arms into the nightgown I had taken off. After tying the waist belt tightly and pulling the bell cord, Mia entered the bedroom.
“Today, speed is everything, Mia!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Where are Greta and Benjamin?”
“Since His Grace has already departed, I think they’re in the dining room.”
“Good.”
My energy must have spread to Mia, because she hurried to prepare the washbasin.
After finishing a quick wash, I headed to the dining room. When I swung the door open, a guest was already there.
“Pfft—! Cough! Ahem—”
Isaiah, who had been drinking tea, spit it out when he saw me. He frantically wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and stood up straight.
“G-good morning!”
“Yes, good morning.”
He really didn’t need to be that scared…
Like a middle-schooler afraid of a high-school bully, Isaiah nervously said he suddenly had something to do and turned to leave.
“Wait!”
I called him urgently. His golden eyes trembled.
Seriously… he didn’t need to be this afraid. Tsk.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and pointed to the seat he had been using earlier.
“Could you spare me a moment?”
Now even his hands were shaking.
His face clearly showed he wanted to run away, but pretending nothing was wrong, he awkwardly sat down again.
“What is it…?”
I really didn’t understand why he acted like this. The only thing I’d ever done to him was charge him lodging fees.
If he had actually put bread in his mouth during dinner that night, our precious guest might have run away immediately.
Good thing he didn’t. Good job, me.
“Do you know anything about Princess April?”
“T-the Princess? Why all of a sudden…?”
“Well, she is the Princess and His Grace’s younger sister. I don’t know much about her.”
“Oh, is that all?”
Relieved, Isaiah asked a servant for more tea. Seeing him lift his teacup, I nodded.
As expected of a second male lead.
He was a little shorter than Kylen and had softer features. Silver hair, golden eyes. Nothing more needed to be said—perfect.
“Princess April can be described in just one word!”
The terrified Isaiah from earlier vanished. The man who could make girls laugh and cry smiled confidently.
“She’s Kylen’s little shadow!”
Three hours had passed since leaving Winterford Castle. The train station was close now.
Fortunately, the weather was nice. The wind was calm. There were a few clouds, but it didn’t look like it would snow.
Reading the letter Caspian had delivered, Kylen couldn’t deny his own carelessness.
Marriage had come suddenly, and receiving the Winterford territory—something he hadn’t planned—threw everything into chaos. All his plans fell apart and had to be redone. Every day passed in a blur.
So he forgot.
He forgot about April.
On the night before he left the palace, he had met April and promised—pinky swear—to keep in touch often.
But then…
Ha.
Kylen sighed deeply, fogging up the carriage window.
At first he thought April must have been very upset when she wrote that letter. But the letter from her nanny, Leah, which came with it, made his mind go blank.
“To Grand Duke Kylen. I will accompany the Princess to Winterford.”
The letter included the date and time of their arrival. Leah wrote that she would explain the reason for traveling this far once they met.
Maybe he felt guilty for forgetting his sister for a moment, or maybe it was because this was the first letter he had ever received from April.
He remembered the day they first met.
Three-year-old April had cried loudly in a way that seemed to beg someone—anyone—to notice her. She had wandered into a small garden on the edge of the palace, a place even palace servants rarely visited.
Surrounded by yellow summer flowers, tears pouring down like raindrops, she looked so pitiful that Kylen suddenly saw his younger self in her.
Maybe it was because his birth mother had loved that garden.
When Lady Helena was alive, she often had picnics there. After she passed away, Kylen secretly cried there for a while. Perhaps that was why April looked so familiar to him then.
No one knew how the tiny princess had gotten there.
Her face was flushed from the summer sun, her eyes swollen from crying, and she wouldn’t answer when he asked who she was or how she got there. Instead, she grabbed Kylen’s pants tightly and burst into tears again.
That was the day April became his sister.
He learned soon after that she was his half-sister, Ferdinand’s sister, and that the Empress—who hated Kylen—had abandoned the child. But none of it mattered much to him.
While Kylen’s mind drifted far into the past, the carriage slowly came to a stop.
“Your Grace, we’ve arrived.”
He put his gloves on and opened the carriage door. The cold morning air hit him, and he pulled his coat tighter as he stepped down.
Twenty minutes remained before April’s train arrived.
He was glad he had left at dawn and made it before her.
Snow had not melted yet, and the roads were rough compared to the capital. April might get motion sickness, so their return would be slow.
But that meant it would take a long time to reach Winterford again, and Kylen grew anxious.
Since it was winter, sunset came early. By evening, the temperature would drop even more. The road home would be hard on April.
To arrive before dinner, the train needed to come on time.
Thankfully, it did.
The train released steam and slowed to a stop on the tracks. Soon, passengers began to spill out. Some glanced at Kylen and the knights, but he ignored them and watched only the entrance to the first-class car.
After a few people stepped off, a small, adorable child hopped down the stairs.
“Uuuh!”
Holding Leah’s hand, April stomped her feet at the cold air.
“April!”
Kylen walked toward her. The moment she spotted him, she let go of Leah’s hand and dashed forward.
“Oodabunny!”
(“Big Brother!”)
Her fur hat slipped off and fell to the ground, but April didn’t care. She kept running and jumped into Kylen’s arms.
“Oodabunny!”
Kylen lifted her easily. The giggling princess wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Why! Why you no come see Aipri!”
Just moments ago she had hugged him happily, but now she glared and smacked his shoulder with her tiny fists.
“I’m sorry. I was busy.”
“You no wanna see Aipri?”
“I wanted to see you.”
At his answer, April’s anger melted instantly. Her big eyes curved into a bright smile.
Her innocent laughter spread across the platform.
