Chapter 38
“Would you like to go outside if it’s alright?”
“Outside?”
Kylen asked on my behalf, responding to Isaya’s suggestion.
“The weather today is really nice. I haven’t stayed here long, but I’ve rarely seen such a sunny day.”
Kylen pulled aside the thick, heavy curtains.
He was right. The snow clouds that seemed never-ending had vanished, leaving a clear blue sky.
With the clouds gone, the bright sun poured sharply into Kylen’s office, making the room almost too bright.
No wonder my hands didn’t feel as cold today.
Having been buried in work, I hadn’t even noticed the weather.
“Yes! Let’s go out!”
I bent down to meet Princess April at eye level.
“Princess! Let’s go on a picnic!”
“Pi… picnic?”
“Yes!”
Even though there were still documents to check and tasks to handle, a person can’t live doing only work. And beside me was a child who needed to run and play freely.
Besides, this winter weather in Winterford couldn’t be wasted! The year-end gathering could be replaced with a picnic instead.
I smiled brightly as I watched Princess April’s face light up with joy.
Even though the weather was mild, this was Winterford.
I put on an extra layer over my clothes and wrapped the scarf my mother knitted…
“Eri! So chubby!”
April laughed at my appearance.
That’s fine—if April is happy, I’m happy. I laughed along and reached out my hand. April, now familiar with holding my hand, took it confidently.
There was no wind outside. My breath still fogged in the cold, but the sunlight made it feel warmer.
Excited by the outing, I reached to lift April into the carriage. Her eyes widened.
“Oda-bun-ni!”
She wriggled free and ran to hug Kylen’s legs.
Wasn’t she supposed to be with me?
Kylen looked uneasy as I explained that April and I were going on a picnic together.
Seeing him frown at the desk piled high with documents, I reassured him several times that we would be safe and careful.
Does he not trust me?
I bit my lip, realizing why he, who said he had no time, appeared anyway.
“Haha. We thought we’d come along for the outing.”
Isaya peeked out from behind Kylen. April, clinging to Kylen’s leg, noticed him and ran to me again.
“When will Princess April finally warm up to me?”
Isaya’s silver brows drooped.
Thanks to this, April and I had bonded quickly, but April still regarded Isaya warily.
“Be satisfied that she’s not crying,” I said.
“You’ve won her heart, yet you’re so cold,” Isaya retorted, raising his golden eyes in mock challenge.
Was he trying to start a fight? The one who used to hide whenever he saw me?
I squared my eyes in response, but Kylen stepped in front of me.
“Where are we going today?”
“Oh, Benjamin recommended it. It’s a place Winterford lords and guests enjoy visiting.”
Kylen nodded and lifted April, who was holding tightly to my skirt.
“Let’s have fun today, April.”
“Okay!”
April laughed joyfully, hugging Kylen’s neck.
The four of us—April, Kylen, Isaya, and I—boarded the carriage. Horses were rare in Winterford and expensive to maintain, so multiple carriages would have been a waste.
Still, why did we have to ride in such a cramped space? I looked down at April’s small head.
Isaya, sitting opposite comfortably, clearly felt left out.
“Princess, I’m not that bad,” he said, smiling as harmlessly as possible. April, hiding her face against Kylen, didn’t even look at him.
April sat with Kylen on her right and me on her left. When Kylen tried to sit next to Isaya, April’s eyes narrowed sharply and she shouted,
“Don’t touch!”
I tried to move next to Isaya, but she shouted again,
“Don’t touch!”
Poor Isaya looked genuinely hurt. Even today, he remained strikingly handsome. Squinting and widening my eyes, his charm still radiated.
They say children are shy around strangers, but April seemed to hide her face rather than her person.
Feeling a little bad, I wanted to give April a special trick to warm up to Isaya, but the carriage slowed.
We had arrived at the destination—Lake Taikal.
The scenery was breathtaking. Looking at Lake Taikal, I had one thought:
If it’s this close, couldn’t we have walked here?
I stepped out of the carriage, glancing at Winterford Castle nearby, then changed my mind seeing April in Kylen’s arms.
Even if the weather was nice, this was Winterford, and a 5-year-old child couldn’t walk this far.
Benjamin had mentioned that in summer, Lake Taikal was for boating, and in winter, for skating.
Benjamin, being competent, had prepared everything in advance. Items kept coming from another carriage.
April’s nanny, Rea, appeared with a small pair of skates.
She explained they had belonged to the previous lord’s children. Since it was a sudden outing, they couldn’t make new ones, she said regretfully.
“These are practically new,” Kylen said, taking the skates from Rea. He seated April carefully on the hastily prepared chair.
“Oda-bun-ni, what’s this?”
“Skates.”
“What’s that?”
“Shoes for playing on ice. It’ll be fun.”
April stared, fascinated by the tiny shoes with blades.
“These are for you, the Grand Duchess, and Isaya, too,” Mia brought the skates. I spoke firmly,
“I don’t need mine.”
Isaya tilted his head, then pursed his lips in a dramatic frown.
“Could it be…?”
“Nope.”
“I haven’t even asked all my questions yet…”
“No, it’s not that.”
I passed the grinning Isaya, sat in the chair set for me, and asked Mia for coffee. I absorbed the scenery before me.
I imagined April skating across the frozen lake—it looked like a fairy tale land.
Excited to see it, I bounced my heels lightly.
In this white world, the sky was the only thing with color. Perhaps that’s why it seemed so blue.
As I stared at the sky, I thought walking along the lakeshore while April skated wouldn’t be bad.
I wished I had sunglasses… or at least a parasol.
The sunlight reflected off the snow, making me squint, when a large shadow fell over me.
It was Kylen.
He placed the white leather skates next to my feet. I looked up as he straightened from bending down.
“If you don’t know how, I can teach you.”
“No, it’s fine—”
“You’re dressed so warmly, you shouldn’t get hurt if you fall.”
His tone was mixed with a smirk. I sighed deeply and removed my shoes.
Might as well try.
I slipped my feet into the skates Kylen brought.
“Ugh!”
Again.
“Ugh!”
Ah, I was too bundled up.
I couldn’t bend enough to tie the skates. I looked at Mia to help, but she was busy setting up a rest area, blowing on her hands to warm them.
As I hesitated, Kylen bent one knee and crouched down.
“No, it’s okay!”
“You don’t look okay at all. Why say it is?”
Watching him carefully tie my skates, I thought: yes, this is exactly why he’s the main male lead.
A tsundere.
I tried not to laugh. The sunlight reflected off his golden hair, sparkling like dazzling sand on a summer beach.
Looking at the perfect shape of his head, a tingling feeling ran through me.
I wiggled my toes. Kylen looked up.
“Uncomfortable?”
I was. My heart raced, and a tickling sensation had spread all the way to my palms.
