Chapter 62
***
Since Yulias left the Grand Duke’s castle, Harvich had become even busier.
He had always been a busy man, but now, with the emperor’s long stay and the heavy snowstorm, his workload had doubled.
They said it was the biggest snowfall in a hundred years.
No matter how much they cleared the roads every day, by the next morning, the snow would fall again and bury everything, causing serious damage to the people.
Even in such times, Harvich tried to sleep in his bedroom, but recently, even that had become rare, as Lincia would come to see him just before bed.
They would talk about what they each did that day, having conversations like an ordinary couple, and when Lincia fell asleep, Harvich would quietly leave the room.
Lincia often stayed up just to see his face a little longer, but she worried that her longing would tire him, so she forced herself to sleep early.
Originally, she planned to take a short walk outside once Yulias left, but the heavy snow kept her trapped indoors.
When she looked outside through the window, the sky was covered with white snowflakes, making everything look like a sheet of white velvet.
Seeing that, Lincia couldn’t bring herself to step outside.
And she didn’t want to wander around the castle without Harvich by her side.
Perhaps noticing that Lincia stayed in her room all day, Harvich told her she was welcome to walk around the castle.
Still, she was too uneasy to explore it alone.
So, time passed quietly again.
“I’ll need to leave the castle for a while,” Harvich said.
He had just come in from outside, his hair wet from melted snow.
“…Did something happen?” Lincia asked.
Harvich hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“The mine in Hesta territory has collapsed. Fortunately, it was an abandoned one, so there were no casualties.”
Lincia glanced out the window, her eyes full of concern.
Noticing her worry, Harvich knelt down on one knee and took her hand.
“Because of the heavy snow, there are secret tunnels under the castle that connect to each territory,” he said softly. “They’re only used by the family head.”
He spoke in a gentle tone, as if trying to ease her mind.
“I’ve never heard of that before,” she said.
“It’s because only the family head uses them,” he explained. “So, there’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“Is it okay for you to tell me something like that?”
“Yes,” he said with a faint smile. “If you wish it, there’s no place in the castle you can’t go. That includes the secret passageways.”
Lincia’s heart fluttered at his tender words.
Her heart pounded. In the past, she was never allowed to do anything, but now, the more he granted her, the more her hopes grew.
“Please come back safely,” she said.
“I love you, Lincia.”
Harvich kissed her gently on the cheek.
Lincia, not wanting it to end there, tugged at his collar.
His lips that had brushed her cheek now met her lips.
She lowered her hand from his collar and placed it on the back of his hand.
Their fingers intertwined, and the longer the kiss lasted, the stronger the longing became.
When the kiss finally ended, their hands slowly parted.
“I’ll be back soon,” Harvich said.
Lincia felt a pang of longing.
She brushed her fingers over her lips where his kiss still lingered like a warm scar.
***
But the man who said he would return soon hadn’t come back for three days.
The snow kept falling heavily, piling up to a grown man’s thighs if left untouched for a few hours.
It was already the third winter since the first snow, but she had never seen snow like this before.
“I miss him,” she whispered.
It had only been three days, but she missed him terribly.
Without Harvich, even the castle felt unfamiliar.
She went to the art room and looked at the portrait she had painted of Harvich.
The man in the painting had a gentle expression drawn with affectionate brushstrokes.
Lincia lightly traced the painting, then suddenly remembered their wedding portrait.
“Anna,” she called.
“Yes, Your Highness?” Anna replied.
“I want to go see our wedding portrait.”
Despite her usual fear of walking alone in the castle, Lincia finally found the courage to leave her room—just to see their wedding portrait again.
Because she missed Harvich.
It was a shy and simple reason, but it was enough.
Anna helped her dress carefully, understanding her mistress’s rare decision to go out.
The corridors of the castle were quiet, and the few servants they passed didn’t look at her with any hostility.
That alone eased her heart.
When they reached the room where the portraits were kept, Lincia immediately noticed the large painting hanging in the most prominent spot.
“It’s still beautiful, even now,” she murmured.
Then she suddenly wondered about the sketches that must have been made before the portrait was completed.
Large portraits like this required many preliminary sketches before the final version.
The artist would usually show several drafts to the clients before completing the final version.
“They must be somewhere around here…” she said.
“What are you looking for, Your Highness?” Anna asked.
“Ah, here it is.”
Inside a drawer were several sheets of paper, each about the size of two adult palms.
Lincia took them out with slightly trembling hands.
Usually, final portraits reflected the client’s preferences after several corrections, but Harvich’s wedding portrait had been flawless from the start, so she doubted he asked for any changes.
Still, she was curious to see how the artist had first drawn him—before any adjustments.
Lincia carefully unfolded the sketch.
“What is that… Oh my goodness,” Anna gasped.
The man drawn with rough lines was smiling brightly, unable to hide his joy even through the sketch.
Lincia flipped through the pile with shaking hands.
There were many sheets, layered thickly, showing that the artist had redrawn him several times.
Yet in every version, Harvich’s smile remained warm and unmistakable.
The difference between the sketch and the finished portrait was striking.
No matter how many she checked, his tender gaze toward her never disappeared.
Anna, looking beside her, whispered softly, “It seems the Grand Duke truly loves you, Your Highness.”
There were ten sketches in total before the final portrait was completed.
As the details of the jewelry and dress became more refined, the artist’s revisions focused only on Harvich’s expression.
It was as if someone had requested the smile to be gradually erased.
By the final version, his face had grown stiff, but in the earlier sketches, he looked like a man deeply in love with his wife.
A painter hired for a noble portrait would never invent such emotion unless they saw it.
Lincia knew that well, having painted portraits herself.
When painting nobles, personal feelings should never influence the work, especially the first sketch—it had to be drawn as seen.
Maybe Harvich… had harbored feelings for her for a very long time.
But for someone in his position, revealing emotions could easily become a sin.
And at the time of their marriage, relations between the Durand and Cassius families were at their worst.
Knowing that, Lincia had also kept her feelings hidden.
Feeling a little bittersweet, she organized the sketches neatly and placed them back in the box.
“You’re not taking them with you, Your Highness?” Anna asked.
“No,” she said softly. “I’ll ask Harvich first if I can.”
Anna pouted a little, mumbling that it was just a few sheets of paper, but Lincia smiled faintly at her.
The portrait room was close to where the official documents were kept, and Lincia didn’t want to do anything that could cause misunderstanding.
