Chapter 39
I slightly furrowed my brow and avoided Kylen’s gaze, shaking my head.
He let out what seemed like a soft laugh, but with his head bowed, I couldn’t be sure.
I glanced at the top of his head and, for some reason, hoped it had been laughter.
“All done.”
He plopped down into the chair beside me and started putting on his skates. Unlike when he helped me put mine on, Kylen’s movements were confident and smooth.
April, now wearing skates, held Rea’s hand and was about to step onto the frozen lake.
Her laughter, a pitch higher than usual, quickly spread across the lakeshore. Kylen, having tied his own skates quickly, stood up from the chair.
Before stepping onto the ice, he removed the leather guards that protected the blades.
Then, Kylen glided smoothly across the lake.
April, about to clap her hands and let go of Rea, wobbled. Flailing her arms to keep balance, she struggled—until Kylen quickly moved to her side.
“Got you!”
Kylen lifted April with ease, making her laughter even louder. On the other side, Isaya had finished putting on his skates and stepped onto the ice.
Had I ever seen such a beautiful sight?
The crisp “scritch-scratch” of blades cutting the frozen surface reminded me that this was no illusion.
“Why are you just standing there?”
Kylen’s prompt made me exhale deeply and step onto the ice. Removing the leather guards, I found keeping balance harder than expected with my clumsy body.
“Hold my hand.”
Kylen reached out. As I took his hand and stepped onto the ice, I realized:
“I don’t think I can do this.”
My feet slipped easily. Without Kylen’s support, I would have fallen badly.
Standing awkwardly, I looked up at him and said,
“I’ll just sit and watch.”
“You’ve already put on skates. Try a little. Even a five-year-old can do it.”
He clicked his tongue at my quick surrender. I looked over to see April holding Isaya’s hand, stepping carefully forward.
April’s face, flushed with excitement, showed no fear as she skated.
“Then don’t ever let go of my hand, okay?”
Kylen nodded with a faint smile.
“Don’t tense your whole body like that.”
“I’m not tensing it because I want to.”
Kylen lectured me on this and that, but I had come too far to shout, “I won’t do it!” and turn back.
Servants had prepared a place to rest and lit fires, gradually bringing up skates and sleds to the ice.
Finally, when I could lift my feet from Kylen’s stomach rather than the floor, Mia dashed past me, giggling.
“What? Am I the only one who can’t do it?”
Watching Mia move rather skillfully, I muttered to myself,
“You’re the only one.”
“I wasn’t asking for a response!”
I quickly shook off Kylen’s hand as he mockingly pointed out the truth.
“I’ll try it alone!”
The moment I bravely stepped forward, I regretted it. My clumsy body wobbled, and the blinding blue sky rushed toward me.
I squeezed my eyes shut against the impending pain, and someone pulled me strongly.
Though my eyes were closed, I recognized who it was. His familiar scent mingled with the cold air and hit my nose.
“Looks like you have no athletic talent,” Kylen said with a teasing tone from above my head.
“Think you’re stable now?”
I opened my eyes and looked up to meet his green eyes.
‘Thump!’
I didn’t fall to the ice, thankfully, but my heart seemed to have dropped somewhere deep inside me.
It raced uncontrollably, beating where it shouldn’t.
“Hey.”
I hugged Kylen’s waist and looked up at him, not moving. His eyes narrowed.
“I… I don’t want to skate anymore.”
“…Fine.”
That was enough. I didn’t want to continue.
I stepped off the ice and removed the uncomfortable skates.
Sitting by the fire with a cup of tea, I watched Kylen, April, Isaya, and the servants enjoy the bright winter day.
“I like just watching from here.”
I took a careful sip of warm tea, trying to calm the uneasy flutter in my chest.
After our visit to Lake Taikal, April quickly grew closer to Isaya.
Now, she spent one day in my office and another day alternating with Isaya in Kylen’s office.
Though I felt a bit disappointed at losing the adorable little fairy to someone else, I soon got caught up in the Winterford reconstruction project, leaving little time for personal feelings.
I was grateful to Kylen, who stayed at Winterford and even played with April as her companion, spending money to help with the project.
“Mia, one more cup of coffee for me.”
I lifted my cup, and Mia took the empty one.
“You have to go out later.”
“Why?”
“You’re going to check the north wings and tower with Greta.”
“Oh, right. That’s right.”
Currently, only a small part of Winterford Castle was in use, and the extremely cold northern side was closed off.
We needed to see if it could truly function as a place for storing and aging whisky barrels.
I pushed aside the papers and stood up. Mia had prepared clothes in advance, and I wrapped the scarf my mother had knitted around my neck.
“Where’s the princess?”
Normally, April would be drawing in my office or Rea would be reading to her at this hour. Today, she was nowhere to be seen.
“She had a pretty rough time with Isaya yesterday. She slept in today.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking about how children really do need to run and play.
Greta and I headed toward the northern part of Winterford Castle.
Since it faced north, it received less sunlight than the areas currently in use.
Naturally, it was colder, and the unused space felt eerie.
“They say even in summer, this place stays cool,” Greta relayed, sharing words from those who had managed Winterford for a long time. I nodded, seeing her breath in the cold air.
“It’s a shame to leave such a large space unused,” I said.
Greta nodded in agreement. Compared to other castles, Winterford’s windows were smaller but made of very thick glass.
I tried pushing one open, but the hinges had rusted after years of neglect. The window wouldn’t budge.
Turning away from the window, I imagined rows of oak barrels in the space.
With some repairs in a few key spots, it could become a perfect storage and aging area.
In cold regions, stronger liquor develops to warm the body. This place was no different.
Whiskey was strong, with a unique aroma and smooth taste. I was confident it would be well-received in the capital and other regions.
Once we secured oak barrels through Isaya, everything would proceed smoothly.
“We just need to repair a few loose floorboards and the stuck windows.”
We’d need to check if there were skilled workers and necessary parts.
I smiled at Greta, lifted my heavy dress, and headed back to the office.
“Grand Duchess! Running like that—!”
Mia’s worried voice called from behind, but I didn’t slow down.
I felt impatient with how quickly we might push through the first project.
I dashed down the hallway, smiling widely.
Even if the sky fell, there’s always a way out.
“Where did the Grand Duchess go?”
We received news from a village we had recently scouted. The village chief reported that the young men, long gone on winter hunts, had returned.
I thought of going back to the village, but then I remembered Eliana’s face.
I imagined her squinting her eyes and mumbling alone during the scouting trip. Even if a little bothersome, I had to inform her, but Grand Duchess Eliana’s office was empty.
Dylan and Benjamin, who followed me in, didn’t seem to know her whereabouts either.
I considered coming back later or sending someone, but then my eyes fell on the chaotic state of the office.
