Chapter 29
And so, this morning—
I greeted the rising sun with swollen eyes. The world looked smaller than yesterday… though that was just my puffed-up vision.
Arne didn’t look much better. Since he had cried with me, his eyes were swollen too.
He rubbed at them and asked,
“Mom, my eyes won’t open properly. What’s wrong?”
“That’s because the tear fairies came last night. They sat on your eyelids and patted you to comfort you, and that makes them swell.”
Then I sent him back to his own room. The servants were probably panicking, wondering where he had gone. They could handle his swollen eyes.
I reminded him,
“Stay in your room, okay? Mom and Dad will come get you when we’re ready.”
“Okay~!”
Adorable. He smiled, waved, and left.
I turned on the bed—only to meet the eyes of the other man still in the room. Owen.
He had woken much earlier. When I first opened my eyes, he was already awake. He was probably the earliest riser of the three of us.
“Is it morning already?”
That was the brilliant “good morning” I had managed when I first saw him staring at me. I’ve lived for decades, counting my past life, and yet that was all I could come up with.
But to be fair—it was my first time waking up after sharing a bed with this man. I honestly didn’t know what kind of morning greeting was appropriate.
Still, Owen accepted it naturally.
“Yes. Time passes quickly, doesn’t it?”
Huh? That’s not usually what people say after waking up.
He was lying at the far edge of the bed, propped on one elbow, watching me. How long had he been like that?
“Would you like to sleep a little longer? You can, if you want.”
His expression was calm—so calm it startled me. Where had the nervous man gone, the one who had asked last night if he could hold my hand?
Then he casually pulled the blanket up to cover me to the chin. The soft, fragrant quilt almost begged me to go back to sleep.
But I wasn’t planning to.
“No, I’m hungry.”
And that was all it took for the morning to begin. At my single word, Owen rang the bell for the servants. The sound woke Arne, too.
Even after sending Arne back, Owen half-lounged on the bed, still watching me.
Look at him—so casual, as always. It almost made last night feel like a dream.
But maybe that was a good thing. If he carried the same heavy emotions during the day as he had last night, I wouldn’t know how to handle it.
As I tied my hair, I felt his eyes on me. Unlike the burning gaze in the dark, this one was simple, almost plain. So I could throw out a casual comment.
“What?”
“Sophia, you really do know a lot of fairies.”
I yawned as I answered,
“I used to be a fairy, you know.”
“Don’t joke.”
What!
“If you were a fairy, you’d have to go back to the fairy realm one day.”
Oh my goodness. A fairy realm? Did this man just say something that cute?
I nearly burst out laughing, but kept it in, answering instead with mock seriousness,
“I don’t think I’ll be going back for a while.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because the food in the human world is too delicious.”
I saw him bite his lip at that.
“…That’s good to hear. Is there something in particular you enjoy most?”
“Hmm, probably meat.”
Just then—knock knock. The maids arrived to help me get ready for the day.
Owen, as relaxed as ever, adjusted his nightgown and even ran his fingers gently through my hair, ignoring whoever was waiting outside.
“You haven’t chosen a personal maid yet. I thought you might want to bring someone from your family.”
My eyes lit up. That was exactly what I wanted to hear. Even if most of my maids were on leave right now, there were still some loyal ones who would gladly follow me.
“Yes, I probably will.”
“Alright. Still, if you happen to like any of the maids here at the ducal estate, tell me.”
“Okay.”
He leaned in and brushed a kiss on the tip of my nose. I was startled again, but not nearly as flustered as the first time. Maybe I was already getting used to it.
And honestly—I didn’t dislike it. Every little touch from him… maybe I wanted more.
He smiled softly, that face of his so dazzling it made my eyesight sharper.
“If you just sit there like that, what am I supposed to do?”
“…What? What did I do?”
I’d been staring at his face too long, so my reply came late.
“It makes me want to keep the maids waiting.”
He tucked my hair behind my ear, gathered the ponytail I’d tied, and held it gently.
If this kept up, my morning preparations would never end. And it was broad daylight now—he could see my face clearly, which made me self-conscious.
Plus, I was hungry.
“Hurry up and get ready. We need to have breakfast.”
“As you wish.”
He said it—but didn’t move.
“Owen, aren’t we leaving to see the Grand Duchess today? You need to prepare too.”
At my stern expression, he finally stepped back.
I sat with my hands on my hips, while he retreated, grinning mischievously, even walking backwards toward the door that led to his own room.
Every time I softened my face, he almost marched forward again, so I kept my expression strict until he disappeared.
Only after the door closed did I sigh and call for the servants waiting outside. Truth be told, it wasn’t only Owen who wanted to keep the maids waiting.
The meals here at the ducal estate were excellent. How had I ever survived in my past life on nothing but thin porridge at the end?
“Arne, are you enjoying your food?”
“Yes, it’s so good!”
“Sophia, I’m enjoying mine too.”
“Yes, I can tell.”
I cut my meat happily while glancing at the two males across from me.
I had eaten with Owen before. His behavior was always the same: casual and laid-back when talking, but his table manners were impeccable. The way he used utensils was practically textbook-perfect.
Arne wasn’t bad either—for a child, he was quite good. Better than I’d expected. He had once said he’d lived with grandparents before. Maybe they were poor nobles with a minor title?
Though curiously, he was using his fish fork to eat salad. He followed every other rule correctly, but that one was odd.
As we ate, Owen explained the travel plans.
“If we rode nonstop, it would take two days. But since we’ll be traveling by carriage, staying overnight along the way, it should take about five days.”
He added with a smile,
“Perfect for a first family trip.”
Five days. Longer than I thought.
“Where exactly does the Grand Duchess live?” I asked.
“In the north of the empire. Have you heard of the House of Count Verdi? Harshly cold, vast lands, but sparsely populated—just the kind of place my mother likes.”
“Ah, yes. I know of it.”
“Who is the head of House Verdi, then?”
Her younger brother, perhaps?
Owen shook his head.
“My mother herself. Even when she lived in the capital, she preferred being called Count Verdi rather than Duchess Glentino.”
“I see.”
I tried to look calm, but I was surprised.
By law, women could inherit titles in the empire. But socially, it was rare and frowned upon. Most houses passed titles to sons, and if none existed, they adopted.
So for Owen’s mother to become head of her house… she was remarkable.
I pictured her. The former duchess, now Count Verdi, who had left the capital as soon as the duke died, returning to her northern lands.
I vaguely remembered hearing of Count Verdi in my past life—maybe in a newspaper article. But the details slipped my memory.
Apparently, she disliked society events and rarely left her domain.
Someone like that probably wouldn’t appreciate surprise visits from outsiders…
I hesitated, then said,
“Owen, I need to stop by the marquis’s estate.”
Owen’s face instantly fell into despair.
“So it’s true—you don’t really want to meet my mother after all…”
“No! I just want to fetch some things.”
He asked if his servants could go on my behalf. He didn’t like the idea of me going myself.
I had no reason to refuse. Gladly, I accepted.
After breakfast, I carefully described the things I wanted brought from the marquis’s estate and where they could be found.
