Chapter 4 – A Guest of House Caspian
The woman who had so easily driven out the mighty Geoffrey placed the items she had brought on the table. Then, pulling up a chair beside the bed, she reached out and gently pulled the blanket over Mio’s frail body. Her expression softened with pity as she looked at the thin, weak girl.
“Oh my, how terribly fragile you are.”
But Mio found this woman’s kindness more unsettling than comforting.
‘A woman who subdued Geoffrey with one hand—she must be someone remarkable.’
Since Mio remained silent and wary, the woman continued speaking.
“My name is Loren. I used to serve the late Lady of the house, but now I help with the Duke’s affairs.”
“…I see.”
Though she had met Geoffrey several times and experienced many things with him, this was her first time inside his mansion—and, of course, her first time meeting Loren.
‘Actually, it’s been a while since I’ve seen another person at all.’
“Young lady, the physician will be here soon.”
“…Ah.”
Flustered and unable to respond properly, Mio just gaped. Loren smiled, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
“So it’s true, then? You followed our Duke all the way here?”
The blush on Loren’s cheeks made Mio feel sick.
‘What on earth is she thinking? It’s not romantic at all!’
Still, if she wanted to stay in this soft, warm bed a little longer, she knew better than to argue.
“…Ah, well.”
“You must have fallen head over heels for our Duke. Oh, dear.”
“Ah…”
Apparently, Loren thought she was just some girl who had run away from home, infatuated with Geoffrey. Mio felt even more humiliated than when she’d rubbed her head against his boots to act cute.
‘If only I could just faint again.’
When Mio lowered her head in embarrassment, Loren grew even more animated.
“Our Duke isn’t anything like those terrible rumors say. You should know that.”
‘Of course. Of course.’
Geoffrey was far colder than anyone imagined.
As Mio let out a small sigh, Loren’s gaze softened with concern.
“Don’t worry about anything. Just focus on recovering. The Caspian family never turns away a guest.”
“Th-thank you.”
Loren gave her a kind smile.
‘…What is this?’
It was the first warm look anyone had ever given her. Startled, Mio quickly shut her eyes and pretended to sleep.
Fuming, Geoffrey stormed down the hallway and kicked open the office door. Grabbing a shuriken that had been lying around, he hurled it at a tattered piece of paper pinned to the wall. The star-shaped blade embedded itself right where the drawing’s neck was.
“…Duke of Caspian, huh.”
A crooked smile tugged at his lips. A hollow title—better to have none at all. Just a few years ago, he had been the Crown Prince. That was before his mother, accused of being a witch, had been executed.
‘Mother, Mother. I’ll tell them the truth.’
He had done everything he could to save her from false charges. But those who had once flattered him like loyal tongues turned their backs overnight. As a child, he couldn’t understand any of it.
‘My mother isn’t a witch! The real monster is—!’
Tears streamed down his face as he screamed, and his mother had only held him close, making him promise one thing.
‘For my sake, you must never tell anyone what you saw.’
On the scaffold, she had remained proud and unflinching to the end. But Geoffrey could not. As he watched, eyes swollen with grief, a raven flew past the guillotine.
‘Poor Mother. You didn’t even get to close your eyes in peace.’
He had been dethroned soon after. The few nobles who once fawned over him quickly abandoned him.
‘And Father was no different.’
No—his father, Emperor Lucas Caspian, was the vilest of them all.
When the public clamored for Geoffrey’s exile, the Emperor made a grand declaration before all:
‘I will give you a chance to prove yourself. If, through service to the Caspian Empire, you achieve great merit, it will prove you are not cursed.’
Though his mother had taken all the blame upon herself, the Emperor still refused to let Geoffrey go free.
In truth, Geoffrey had no choice. Either he left for the borderlands, or he would rot in the dungeons—or worse, be banished forever.
“Useless thoughts.”
Memories of the past only brought him headaches. He yanked the shuriken out of the door, and suddenly, an image flashed in his mind.
“…Who exactly is she?”
Silver hair. Amber eyes. A face he’d never seen before, yet oddly familiar. Suspicious in every way, yet babbling such nonsense—
‘I’m your fan, Lord Geoffrey!’
Even now, it was absurd.
‘A fan? Who would believe something like that?’
They called him the Duke of Caspian, but to most, he was an ominous omen—a cursed man. Every battlefield he crossed was left drenched in blood. The fearful stares he received at banquets said it all.
“Incredible.”
Setting down the weapon, he gripped the whip on his desk tightly.
‘I didn’t even want to bring her here.’
He had only done it to avoid giving the Imperial Court something new to gossip about.
‘There are too many eyes watching me in the palace.’
If a woman had been found unconscious in his quarters, yet another vile rumor would have spread.
‘Still, it’s strange.’
Samuel, the guard posted at the door, had said he’d never seen a woman like her before. Geoffrey trusted Samuel completely—he wouldn’t lie.
‘Then that means she knew I’d come to that room… and was waiting there in advance?’
There were countless rooms—how could she have known which one he’d enter? And there was no way someone could have hidden nearby without him sensing it.
‘Could she be stronger than me?’
If she’d wanted to, that woman could have killed him that day.
“She clearly said she’d succeeded.”
He remembered hearing her voice just as she regained consciousness.
‘What did she mean by “succeeded”?’
He should have pressed her for answers, but Loren’s interference had ruined the chance.
“Damn it. I hate this feeling.”
He had enough problems already—this strange woman was the least of them. Grinding his teeth, he clenched the whip tighter, when Samuel entered the room.
“My lord, the physician has just finished examining her.”
“She’s not faking her illness, is she?”
Her sudden collapse the moment she saw him had seemed too convenient. Samuel, watching his master’s suspicious glare, replied carefully.
“She’s suffering from malnutrition and has several minor fractures. The doctor says she can hardly walk.”
“…Hah.”
That didn’t match his expectations at all.
‘Still, I can’t let my guard down.’
She might have inflicted those injuries herself to deceive him.
“Is she still spouting nonsense?”
At that, Samuel gulped before answering.
“She, uh… said she’s long admired you, my lord—ever since hearing about your victory on the battlefield. I didn’t hear it myself, but Loren told me.”
The short-haired Samuel blushed faintly, clearing his throat. Geoffrey, however, remained stone-faced.
“Samuel, do you actually believe that?”
“But, sir, her eyes looked… sincere—”
“Good grief.”
Despite all he’d seen on the battlefield, Samuel’s naïve nature hadn’t changed. If Geoffrey didn’t end this now, the man might start rambling about fate and true love. Grabbing his gloves, Geoffrey stood.
“Pull yourself together and get back to training.”
He was, after all, just a dog who could be sent to the front lines again at any moment.
‘And a dog should know its place.’
The veins on his forehead pulsed as he left the room.
“Young lady, isn’t it lovely?”
Loren, who had wheeled Mio out into the garden, eagerly explained the trees and flowers around them.
“That apple tree—Lady Agatha herself planted it the year our Duke was born!”
Mio stared blankly as she spoke. In truth, she couldn’t care less about trees or flowers—or whoever Agatha was.
‘Please, just take me back to bed.’
She already regretted agreeing to this little outing out of politeness. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the soft, sinking comfort of her bed.
‘I’ve never stayed at a hotel, but… it must feel like that.’
Loren, ever considerate, had fetched a wheeled chair for her and continued chattering.
“The Caspian garden may be modest, but it has its own charm, don’t you think?”
‘Grass is grass, no matter how fancy you make it sound.’
Deciding she’d seen enough greenery, Mio cautiously tried to speak.
“Maybe we should go back—”
But before she could finish, Loren fired back cheerfully,
“Staying indoors all day isn’t healthy! You need sunshine and fresh air!”
She went on to lecture about how people, like plants, needed proper light and wind to thrive.
“Ah, right.”
But Mio had already had her fill of “nature” back in the wilderness.
‘What do you know? Ever felt cold seeping between your skin and bones?’
When the dry season dragged on, she’d had to dig her snout into the dirt or scratch at trees for a drop of moisture. On days when she found none, she’d eaten ants or insects just to survive.
‘Nothing romantic about that.’
That was why she much preferred the warmth of a bed—who knew when she’d get to enjoy such luxury again?
“Here, put this over your knees.”
Loren draped a hand-stitched quilt across her lap, then suddenly slapped her own knee.
“Oh, heavens! I forgot—I left something cooking in the kitchen!”
Mio’s face brightened.
“I’ll just stay here and look at the lake.”
“I’ll bring back some snacks!”
As Loren hurried off, silence settled over the garden.
‘It’s been two days already.’
Anxiety pricked at her chest.
What if I turn into a fox again?
She hadn’t even been able to face Geoffrey properly yet. She needed to—she had to—if she wanted to fix this.
“If I tell him I like him, he should be honored, shouldn’t he?”
The thought of confessing made her cheeks burn.
Of course, she knew he wasn’t the same Geoffrey as before.
“Right. I shouldn’t judge too quickly.”
She tried to convince herself, but whenever she recalled the endless deaths, the weight in her chest grew heavier.
“So it’s only natural that I feel this way.”
As the breeze lifted her hair, she brushed a strand from her cheek—just as three ducks landed gracefully on the lake’s surface.
‘They look plump and juicy.’
Saliva pooled at the corner of her lips.
