Chapter 009
The interior past the open door was so dark that Irina could barely make out where to step.
It was a sunny day outside, but the darkness in the room was so thick it felt as though night still held its grip there. Relying on the slivers of light escaping through the curtains, Irina crept inside bit by bit.
‘Ah, I can see now.’
Soon, her eyes adjusted to the gloom, and the layout of the room took shape: a bed, two long sofas facing each other, and a low table.
‘Where is the Duke?’
They had said he was definitely in the room, but no matter how much she looked around, she couldn’t see him. The room remained silent and shadow-drenched despite her calling out earlier.
‘I think he’s sleeping. I wanted to say something to him quickly.’
Exhaling a small breath, Irina continued forward. She planned to leave the meal she had brought.
“I’m a bit worried about it getting cold. Still, he will surely be hungry when he wakes up, so it’s best to leave the food.”
Her target was the low table situated between the long sofas.
“Carefully, carefully….”
Worried that the sound of her footsteps might wake him, Irina lifted her heels and treaded softly. The plush carpet swallowed what little sound remained.
‘I made it.’
Thanks to her caution, Irina reached the table safely. Just as she leaned over to place the tray in the center and turned to leave—
‘Oh?’
A figure that had been hidden from view appeared. Duke Winifred was asleep, looking as though he had collapsed onto the sofa. Although the sofa was large enough to seat three people, it seemed cramped under the Duke’s frame. His legs were so long that his feet touched the far armrest.
‘Why is he sleeping here?’
Surely the bed would be much more comfortable. Irina stood there, watching him for a moment. It felt rude to keep staring at someone while they slept, and she feared she might wake him. She prepared to leave as silently as she had entered.
“…….”
In an instant, her vision flipped. Before she could grasp what was happening, she was pinned against the carpet. What she met were eyes of piercing red.
The eyes, which had been closed just a second ago, stared at her without a hint of sleep or even the slightest blink.
Terrifying. Was this how a small animal felt when targeted by a hunter’s bow? Her breathing grew heavy; her chest rose and fell rapidly. She bit her lip hard. Those red eyes peered directly into hers as if verifying something. Her wrist was caught in a firm grip, but for some reason, it felt as though her gaze was caught too—she couldn’t turn her head away.
“Hah….”
A heavy breath escaped Irina’s lips. How long did they stay like that, locked in a stare?
The Duke’s eyes widened slowly as if he finally recognized her. However, his face remained a blank mask.
“…Why are you here?”
His voice came out hoarse, like the sound of stone scraping against the floor. Realizing the situation, Winifred released Irina and pulled away. He wiped his face with a large hand.
“I asked you why you are here.”
“Well, I wanted to bring you a meal… I heard you haven’t eaten anything since yesterday.”
“…Who asked you to do this? Delphia? The chef?”
“I wanted to…..”
She felt as though she might start hiccuping. She bit her lip again and forced the words out. “I was the one who said I would do it.”
“Ha….”
A deep sigh flowed from his lips. He lowered his hand from his face, revealing an expression of clear displeasure.
“You cut your hands on the first day, and now you’ve decided to do housework yourself? I don’t know if I brought home a guest or a new maid.”
Irina lowered her gaze at the biting sarcasm. She felt a sting of hurt layered over her fear.
“……. I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”
Winifred, watching her, wiped his face again and turned his head away.
It would have been better not to see Lady Leonid right now. In fact, it would be better for her to stay out of sight.
“There is no need for you to do things like this from now on. You are truly my guest.”
There was nothing specific Winifred wanted from Lady Leonid. All she needed to do was eat well, sleep comfortably, recover from her wounds, and come to terms with her difficult past. After she had rested, she would take her own steps to leave and find her own path. That was all. Doing chores meant for servants was not what he expected of her.
“So.”
Furthermore, such tasks might cause her further injury.
“I want you to leave the room.”
He spoke firmly because Irina showed no sign of moving. Only then did he feel the small body step backward. Irina paused after a few steps, hesitating for a moment.
‘What is she trying to say?’ Winifred wiped his dry face once more.
“Please,” a hesitant voice reached him. “Eat the meal while it’s warm.”
It was unexpected. When Winifred turned his head in surprise, Irina had already left the room.
* * *
‘That was startling.’
Irina walked out of the room and gently tugged at the edge of her sleeve. Red handprints were visible on her wrists where she had been held.
“Hmm.”
Irina frowned as she inspected the marks.
“He was certainly kind yesterday.”
She stopped in front of a sunlit window and gently rubbed the prints on her wrist. He had saved her, allowed her to stay in the mansion, and even taught her how to stop her hiccups yesterday. She had thought he was a scary but kind person.
“Haaaah.”
Irina let out a long sigh. She ran her hand through her hair, smoothing out the tangles. A moment ago, she had felt a little sad, but now that she had calmed down, she realized her mistake. Hadn’t Delphia and Rio told her to leave the food in front of the door? She was the one who ignored the advice and went inside.
“Whew.”
She exhaled sharply. If she met him later, she decided she would apologize for surprising him.
“…….”
Irina looked out the window. Spring was approaching rapidly, and spring flowers were blooming sparsely in the Duke’s garden. It seemed some plants from the previous season had survived the winter to bloom again, while others were like seeds carried by the wind, taking root where they landed.
Among them, the daffodils caught her eye. Had someone planted the bulbs in the winter, or had they just bloomed on their own? White and yellow daffodils were blooming in clusters. Irina whispered, mesmerized.
“Beautiful….”
“Indeed.”
“…..!”
Irina was so shocked her body practically jumped.
“But isn’t it messy? I haven’t even seen it cleaned yet; it’s not even organized.”
When she turned around, she saw Duke Winifred standing there, looking exhausted. Irina, so startled she nearly screamed, quickly covered her mouth.
“Why… are you here…?”
“I think I startled you earlier,” the Duke began to say. But his words didn’t register with Irina.
“Oh, the clothes…”
She hadn’t noticed earlier because it was so dark, but the clothes the Duke was wearing now… Irina’s gaze slowly dropped.
“…..!”
Her face began to turn bright red. Winifred, who had been speaking, frowned.
“Do you have a fever? If so, I’ll call a doctor…”
“No!”
Irina’s eyes trembled as she raised her voice. “Duke, you can’t come out wearing something like that!”
“…It’s fine. I am inside my own mansion.”
What Winifred was wearing was a nightgown typically worn by nobles for sleep. Aside from the front of the chest being a bit loose from sleeping, he thought it was fine.
“No, that’s not possible!”
But Irina couldn’t accept it. She shook her head repeatedly, the heat rising to the back of her neck.
“You were dressed so properly yesterday! But why today, why! …Please don’t make me feel like I have no conscience.”
“….Can you stop shouting?”
“No! Not until you are dressed properly.”
Winifred pulled the loose front of his robe together and retightened the waistband. “Is this better now?”
“No.”
Irina shook her head, her face still a vibrant red. “I can still see… there.”
“Where?”
The Duke checked himself again, but he couldn’t see what Irina was talking about.
“Right here.”
She pointed while lowering her head. As they both leaned in awkwardly, their faces came closer.
“It’s still loose here.”
Despite her embarrassment, she reached out toward the Duke’s chest. Winifred stared at Irina’s face from a short distance. Her cheeks were flushed bright red as if she had been running outside, her lips were pressed tight in embarrassment, her brows were slanted as if she were in trouble, and her blue eyes were full of shy concern.
‘Her eyes are beautiful.’
Those blue eyes framed by long lashes were, as Count Leonid and his wife used to say, like the blue sea. Winifred stared blankly into Irina’s eyes, lost in that color.
“I’ll fix it for you!”
“Wait!”
The Duke nearly choked. Irina was pulling the fabric up toward his neck as if she were grabbing him by the collar.
“This spot isn’t covered yet!”
“This is how the outfit is designed!”
“Liar!”
“But it’s true!”
“What on earth is going on here?”
The two turned their heads at the same time. At the end of the hallway stood a shocked Delphia and a pale-faced Rio.
“What in the world are you two doing in the hallway?”
