Chapter 7
On top of that, his hair was still slightly damp, probably from just having showered.
‘Doesn’t he know how dangerous he looks like that? Why is he so careless?’
“I-I didn’t come here on my own. The maids brought me here, so—”
“I know that much.”
Cassel’s gaze moved slowly, then settled on Blair’s hand—where she was clutching a wine bottle that was already half empty.
“Oh, um… I just felt a little thirsty. It was right there, so…”
Feeling embarrassed, Blair hastily set the wine bottle back on the table. For some reason, it felt like she’d been caught doing something bad.
“I thought you’d already be asleep.”
Cassel looked at Blair with an indifferent expression.
“I tried, but I couldn’t fall asleep. Probably because it’s not my room.”
Maybe it was the wine, but Blair rubbed her warm cheeks and avoided his eyes.
“….”
Cassel didn’t reply. Instead, he took slow steps toward her. When his collarbones, barely visible through his slightly open robe, came closer, Blair quickly lowered her head.
Then she felt a subtle heat radiating from his body right in front of her—her heart began to pound so hard it felt like a drumbeat. It was loud enough that he might hear it.
“M-my lord— I mean, Marquis—”
“Cassel.”
Cassel leaned in. Am I losing my mind?! Blair squeezed her eyes shut—
But the faint scent that had come so close suddenly pulled back.
Peeking through half-open eyes, she saw Cassel just studying the wine bottle, reading the label.
‘He was just reaching for the wine bottle… And I panicked for nothing.’
“You can just call me Cassel.”
He said it flatly as he raised his head.
“Do you like drinking?”
“Drinking? I don’t mind it… Why?”
The unexpected question made Blair flinch slightly.
The way he asked, with those sleepy eyes, kept dragging her thoughts somewhere they shouldn’t go—just when she’d barely calmed herself.
“You said you couldn’t sleep. We have to spend the night in this room together anyway—so wouldn’t it be better to have a drink than just sit here staring at each other?”
Cassel poured wine into a glass as he spoke. Unlike Blair, his face was blank and unaffected.
“I’d prefer not to repeat what happened tonight—hearing a story about our marriage for the first time from someone else. We should talk things through properly.”
‘I really worried for nothing.’
All the tension drained out of her like air from a popped balloon. The sense of strange responsibility that had stirred in her head vanished, and she focused back on the wine bottle.
“If you’re worried I’ll get drunk and do something to you, don’t be. This wine isn’t very strong. And I’ll be sleeping over there.”
Cassel pointed to a sofa on the far side of the bed. Clearly, he thought Blair was concerned about her dignity as a lady.
But that was just Cassel’s misunderstanding—he hadn’t caught the spark in Blair’s eyes.
‘Wait a minute—wine? When’s the last time I had a proper drink? It’s already been a week since I had a quiet glass alone.’
The truth was, Blair was a secret drink-lover.
Six years ago, when men in black cloaks destroyed her entire village and nearly killed her teacher, Aron, Blair had been left with insomnia.
At first, she only drank a glass at night to help her sleep. But one glass turned into two, and drinking alone at night became her small comfort. By now, it took a lot to get her drunk.
‘But there’s only half a bottle left. Who’s that supposed to satisfy? Maybe I should ask for more…’
“If you’d rather not, you don’t have to—”
As she was busy calculating whether she should request more wine, Cassel misunderstood her silence and moved to take the bottle away—
“No! I’d love to. Let’s drink together.”
Not wanting to miss her chance, Blair quickly reached out and grabbed the bottle from his hand.
And so the two of them ended up drinking together in the middle of the night.
“Anyway, I was just a war orphan—meeting my teacher was pure luck. Thanks to him, I learned all about herbs and ended up running my own pharmacy. Being able to earn my own living gives me more strength than I realized.”
Blair downed the rest of her wine in one go as she finished her story about her past.
“Isn’t it hard to run the pharmacy alone?”
“It’s doable. As long as weird men don’t show up trying to kidnap me, like last time. I’ve dealt with all kinds of troublesome customers since I was young. Actually, the scariest thing isn’t people—it’s the monthly rent.”
She chuckled, and Cassel let out a small amused breath.
“And you? I heard you don’t have any family ties left except for your younger brother. Is that true?”
“It is. I lost my parents in the war too.”
“You lost your family in the war and then went to the front lines yourself to reach this high rank—that’s impressive.”
“I just thought that was the only way to keep my brother safe during a brutal war.”
“So, where is your brother now? He’s not here at the manor.”
“He lives far away and focuses on his studies.”
“You must miss him a lot. Does he visit you sometimes?”
“…You probably won’t see him.”
Cassel’s eyes darkened for a moment as he drank his wine. He looked lost in thought, but Blair understood easily.
Running her own pharmacy had taught her that everyone in the world has complicated stories and burdens.
‘It’s dangerous to know a client’s secrets too deeply.’
It wasn’t any different for a marquis. For Blair, the delicious wine in front of her was far more important.
‘Noble wine really is different. Everything I’ve had until now was garbage compared to this.’
“I see. Well, we’ve covered family—what should we talk about next? Likes?”
Now tipsy and fully absorbed in the wine, Blair topped off her empty glass without hesitation.
“What do you like?”
“I’m not sure. That’s too broad.”
“Like favorite foods? Or places? Or even a hobby?”
“None.”
“Seriously, that’s so dull! I like gardening. Ever since I started working with herbs, I got interested in flowers too. Every plant has its own personality—it’s fun to grow them.”
Cassel raised an eyebrow as he reached for the bottle to refill her glass.
He had noticed her drinking fast, but at this point, she’d dragged the bottle next to her and was pouring freely for herself.
Her cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, but she looked absolutely delighted.
“By the way, could I make my own little garden in the manor? Like a private herb garden.”
“A herb garden?”
“Yes. I’ll make it look like a nice garden on the outside, but inside I’ll grow the herbs for your medicine. I can keep secrets and enjoy my hobby at the same time. Two birds with one stone, right?”
“Do as you like. I’ll tell Emma.”
“Thank you! You really are an employer who listens to his staff.”
“Consider it a reward for handling tonight so well.”
Blair grinned and shot him a cheeky smile.
Just then, dong, dong—the grandfather clock chimed. It was already 2 a.m.
‘It’s pretty late now.’
Cassel glanced back at the table. One, two, three, four, five bottles… there were five empty wine bottles now.
Blair seemed to have finished three of them by herself. Interesting. Cassel tilted his head.
“Oh, look at the time. We really talked a lot.”
‘She must be ready to sleep now.’
Judging by how much wine she’d had, she should be ready to pass out any moment now—at least, that’s how other women he’d dined with usually were. But then Blair suddenly sprang up and said,
“But this is just the beginning! We’re out of wine, though. Instead of fetching another bottle one by one, can’t we just bring a whole cask next time?”
“…Ha.”
“Why? Are you tired?”
A woman who could drink nearly as much as the knight commander and then ask if he was tired—while looking so bright-eyed and excited. The more he learned about her, the more unusual she was.
“Is plants the only thing you love? Somehow, I feel like there’s more.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Cassel gestured at the bottles with his chin.
“Oh, that… you caught me.”
Blair’s face immediately turned sheepish as she broke into a sheepish smile.
