chapter 04

“Ma’am. You really are a blessing to our family. I walk around staring at the ground all the time and never find even a single coin, but you picked up a jewel the very first day you arrived.”

Bella chattered beside me.

Every time she spoke, white puffs of breath escaped her lips.

Once I make money, the very first thing I’ll do is heat this place until it’s unbearably warm.

“So, Ma’am… do you perhaps have any plans to pick up more jewels?”

“Bella. That was just luck.”

I answered calmly and asked,

“Don’t you have work to do?”

“My job is to follow you around, Ma’am.”

“I mean besides that.”

There was no way a poor ducal family would assign a maid solely to assist me.

“That is my job. I take care of meals for the Duke and you, clean the rooms, and do the laundry. I used to have more duties, but the maid who served the Duke ran away.”

So she had been reassigned from being a nanny for children.

Pretending not to notice Bella’s sparkling eyes—clearly hoping I’d find another jewel—I changed the subject.

“Hmm. Come to think of it, isn’t it almost lunchtime?”

“Huh? Oh my! It’s already that late! Ma’am, is there anything you’d like to eat?”

“I’m fine. More importantly, there’s still some meat left from before, right? Please make something really nourishing with that.”

I still hadn’t recovered from the shock of malnutrition.

I may have grown up without much, but I’d never suffered from malnutrition before…

“You always take care of the Duke first, Ma’am. Don’t worry! I’ll cook something with all my heart!”

After sending Bella away, I was finally able to think in peace.

First, I need to retrieve what Frug embezzled… but I don’t know when to bring it up to Lus.

I should probably first see how much Lus trusts Frug before saying anything.

Just then, I spotted Lus walking in the distance.

“Lus!”

I waved my hand energetically.

His cold eyes—like stars in a winter sky—softened like a spring breeze when he saw me.

Oh my, how adorable.

The resolve I had when signing the marriage papers—to keep my distance from the male lead—was thrown far away as I waved even more enthusiastically.

But how could I keep my distance when he’s this cute?

Anyone who could ignore a child like this could probably ignore a kitten too.

Perhaps because I had taken care of him while he was sick, Lus had grown quite attached to me since then.

He ran over quickly, stopped just a step away, spread his arms, and asked,

“Can I hug you?”

“Of course!”

I stretched out my arms first and hugged him tightly.

The warm body heat unique to children felt comforting.

“You don’t have to ask—you can just hug me.”

“But if I run up and hug you suddenly, it might hurt you.”

“Huh?”

Oh my… he was being considerate because he thought I might get hurt?

How is he this cute and kind?

And yet this child will grow up into a cold-blooded duke who says, “Hmph, how boring,” and hardly ever smiles until he meets the female lead…

Is puberty really that terrifying?

I felt a little gloomy.

“Noona… are you sad?”

“No… it’s nothing.”

I quickly shook off the thought.

Thinking like this leads to obsession—and that’s basically a death flag!

Someday he’ll marry the female lead, but at least she’ll never see this adorable side of him… That gave me a bit of comfort.

“Lus. Is there anything you want?”

“Something I want?”

“Yeah! Just tell me anything!”

Kids his age usually want all sorts of things.

I also needed to raise his affection, and I still had money left from selling the jewel.

Though honestly, I just wanted to buy him something.

After thinking for a moment, Lus leaned close and whispered into my ear,

“Then… can you buy you for me?”

“What? Me?”

Don’t laugh.

If I laugh, I might hurt his feelings.

I forced myself to stay serious.

“People can’t be bought or sold… so what should we do? Is there something else you want?”

“Mm…”

Lus shook his head, looking downcast.

“Why do you want to buy me?”

“Then I could stay with you all the time.”

“But we already spend time together all day.”

I’d been with him almost constantly while nursing him.

But Lus stubbornly shook his head.

“Lately… we’re apart.”

What do I do—he’s too cute.

I had to bite my lip to keep from squeezing him too tightly.

Otherwise, I might crush him in my arms.

With no friends his age and only busy adults around, he must have been very lonely in this castle.

As I held him close, someone I didn’t want to see appeared in the distance.

It was Frug.

With a crooked smile, he approached us.

“It seems you’ve fully recovered. As I said, there was no need to waste money calling a doctor.”

Wow. The man who never showed his face while Lus was sick had the nerve to say that.

It seemed Frug still hadn’t realized I secretly hired a doctor using his money.

I stepped in front of Lus, shielding him.

Frug sneered at us as if we were hissing kittens, then left.

After confirming he was gone, I checked Lus’s expression.

“Are you okay, Lus?”

“Yeah.”

From his reaction, it didn’t seem like Lus had a good relationship with Frug.

Good. Then I can go ahead with my plan.

“Lus. Are you close with that man?”

“…Not really. Father seemed to like him, but I don’t.”

His sharp tone made it clear.

Perfect.

“Then Lus… can I drive him out?”

Before I could explain further, Lus nodded.

“Yeah. If you want to.”

His gaze toward me was gentle—full of trust.

Seeing how completely he relied on me, I couldn’t help but hug him tightly.

And I decided to give this adorable child a gift.

* * *

After Lus recovered, we couldn’t spend all day together like before.

I was busy rereading the original story and studying books to adapt to this world.

But today, I decided to dedicate the entire day to Lus.

“Really? Really?”

Lus asked repeatedly, unable to hide his excitement.

His cheeks, now fuller than before, made him even cuter.

“Really, really.”

Watching him bounce with excitement, I thought,

What do you even do to play with kids?

The blizzard had stopped—maybe we should play outside.

Just in case, I bundled him up in a thick coat, gloves, a scarf, and even a fur hat before heading out together.

With his previously frail frame, Lus now looked like a little round ball.

Holding his hand, we stepped outside.

The poorly maintained garden usually looked bleak, but covered in white snow, it was rather picturesque.

The snow crunched under our feet.

On a day like this, sledding is a must!

I found a wooden board to use as a sled and took Lus up a slope.

I sat first, then placed him in front of me.

His small body fit perfectly in my arms.

“Alright, Lus. Hold onto this rope tightly. Lift your legs—otherwise we won’t go fast.”

After positioning him properly, I asked,

“Ready?”

“Yeah…!”

“I’ll count to three. Three, two…”

I stretched out the words, then grinned mischievously at him.

“One!”

The sled shot forward like an arrow.

“Aaaah!”

“Waaah!”

We screamed in delight together.

But one thing I hadn’t expected—

‘This is way too fast!’

At this rate, we’d crash into the tree ahead.

I desperately dug my feet into the ground to slow us down.

Thankfully, the speed began to decrease…

But we still tumbled forward from the momentum.

“Ow… Lus!”

My nose hurt from smashing into his back, but I checked him first.

Lus lifted his face from the snow with a “Pwah!”

Snow clung to his nose and bangs, but his eyes sparkled.

“Lus! Are you hurt? Are you okay?”

“Yeah!”

Thanks to the thick clothes, he didn’t have a single scratch.

He grabbed my hand, eager to go again.

He was rarely this proactive, so seeing him enjoy himself made me proud.

We moved to a lower hill and sledded more safely.

After a few rounds, Lus began to tire.

He had only just recovered, after all.

“Let’s play again next time, okay?”

As I tried to lead him back inside, he held onto my fingertips.

“…Will you be with me then too?”

“Of course.”

At my answer, Lus smiled brightly.

It was like a flower blooming on white snow.

* * *

“Oh my.”

It seemed the Madam had finally given in to the Duke’s insistence last night.

Bella, who came to wake Lus early in the morning, smiled at the sight before her.

On the wide bed lay Phelia, sprawled out—

And beside her, Lus, curled up like a puppy and clinging tightly to her.

It was an adorable scene.

Bella reached out to wake Phelia.

“Ma—”

Suddenly, Lus’s eyes snapped open, and he grabbed her hand.

“…!”

His red eyes staring directly at her were chilling.

She had forgotten over the past few days.

Though he was her master, Lus was still someone difficult for her.

The massive, cold Valfruga Castle.

And Lus, like the last ghost lingering within it—a pale, expressionless child.

When he stared with those red eyes, it felt—ridiculous as it sounded—like he wasn’t entirely human.

But ever since Phelia arrived, things had changed.

In front of her, Lus was gentle—like a well-trained puppy.

Before, he had been impossible to approach, but now he seemed like a child his age.

‘It’s thanks to Madam… I forgot.’

Bella looked at him nervously.

Lus released her hand and whispered,

“She slept late. Let her sleep a bit more.”

Then he settled back beside Phelia.

Like a loyal beast guarding its sleeping master.

‘Thank goodness Madam came.’

Because Lus alone was frightening—

But Lus beside Phelia was not.