Cabelenus’s eyes narrowed the moment he stepped into the room.
Alicia wasn’t the only one in the room.
"You’re still here.”
“You’ve finally arrived.”
Madame Morco, who had been seated in the chair beside the bed, rose and gave a brief, respectful bow to Cabelenus. He gave her a perfunctory nod in return and walked over to the bed.
He wanted to check Alicia’s face first.
“You may leave now.”
“If you don’t mind, may I have a brief word with you?”
“If it’s not urgent, let’s talk later.”
“It is urgent.”
Madame Morco said firmly.
Cabelenus looked at her for a moment in silence, then let out a short sigh.
“It concerns my lady as well.”
"…Let’s talk outside. We shouldn’t risk waking her."
“Of course.”
As if she had been waiting for this moment, Madame Morco left the room ahead of him.
Cabelenus glanced once more at the bed before following after her.
“Don’t drag it out. Get to the point.”
The moment they stepped into the hallway, Cabelenus pressed her impatiently.
“I have no intention of making it long either.”
Madame Morco calmly looked up at him.
“My lady cried a lot.”
'Because of you, Your Highness.'
Instead of reproaching him, Madame Morco simply stared at Cabelenus.
The corners of Cabelenus’s mouth twitched faintly.
“…She cried?”
“My lady sees herself as a flower.”
“A flower?”
“A mistress, I mean.”
“Who dared to speak so carelessly?”
Cabelenus growled in a low voice.
“My lady is not a fool.”
Madame Morco shook her head calmly.
It was James who had said the words — but what truly shook Alicia was that part of her believed them, too.
“She’s thoughtful — and overly aware of how others see her.”
“She’s always been timid.”
“No — it’s not fear. It’s anxiety. And in her situation, that’s only natural.”
Madame Morco firmly shook her head.
It was clear that Cabelenus treated Alicia differently — almost tenderly.
But what Alicia truly needed, he had yet to give her.
“I once saw a dog kept in a cage. The space was so cramped that it could barely move, and it was filthy — no one cleaned up the waste. But the dog never resisted. It just curled up there, quietly passing the time, nibbling at whatever scraps its owner tossed in.”
“...”
“I pitied it, so I bought it. I opened the cage right away. But the dog wouldn’t come out. That narrow, filthy cage — it was all the world it knew. It didn’t even realise there was a way out.”
Cabelenus’s gaze turned cold.
It was obvious who the dog was meant to symbolise.
“It took nearly a month just to coax the dog out. And even then, it couldn’t walk. An old hunter told me its muscles had wasted away from disuse.”
“...”
“They said it might never walk again. But it took its first step about a year after I took it in. It took another two years before it could walk like any normal dog.”
“…So what exactly are you trying to say? Are you comparing the future Grand Duchess to a dog?”
Cabelenus’s golden eyes darkened menacingly.
“Even an animal that can’t speak needs time, patience, and love to stand again. So imagine what it takes for a human being.”
Madame Morco stood firm, unwavering in front of him.
Alicia was her master now.
And protecting her master was her foremost duty.
“Are you trying to lecture me?”
“You, Your Highness, chose my master. I’m simply abiding by that choice.”
“…I can’t win against you, can I?”
Cabelenus clicked his tongue and let the sharpness fade from his gaze.
“I have, after all, lived more than twice Your Highness’s years.”
A seasoned smile played at the corners of the old woman’s lips.
“So, what is it you want me to do?”
“I want you to give my lady certainty.”
“Certainty?”
Cabelenus’s lips twisted into a crooked smile.
“My lady is neither weak nor cowardly; she is merely feeling anxious and afraid.”
“And?”
“She’s afraid and anxious because she’s completely in the dark.”
“Even if she knew, nothing would change.”
“It will change.”
Madame Morco’s voice was firmer than ever.
She was certain.
“…Now isn’t the time.”
Cabelenus lowered his gaze slightly.
He wanted to see Alicia become the perfect Grand Duchess someday — but that was a distant dream. The Alicia of now was not strong.
Far from strong, she was delicate and fragile.
Revealing everything to her now would just weigh her down with needless thoughts.
“She’s too weak.”
“A flower raised in a warm greenhouse cannot survive the harsh frost.”
“There’s no need for her to face the frost just yet.”
“But she also can’t live her whole life sheltered forever.”
“...”
“Throughout our lessons, my lady never left anything unknown. She made an effort to understand, judge for herself, and make the knowledge her own. She is more than capable of moving forward.”
With her hands neatly folded, Madame Morco smiled with the quiet grace of age.
“Don’t try to hide everything from her. Talk with her. Tell her what Your Highness is thinking — and listen to what she’s thinking. Trust begins with how well you know each other.”
“You think she can handle it?”
With that fragile, thin body that looked as though it might shatter at any moment?
Cabelenus gave a low growl.
The tension in his jaw was clearly visible.
“The story I told you was about Janet, the mother of Rex — Your Highness’s dog. She was the top hunting dog in Schwarhan until she retired with age.”
Madame Morco still faced him with a calm expression.
Cabelenus, who was said to be the Wolf of Schwarhan that everyone feared, was still just a young boy in her eyes.
The boy who arrived in Schwarhan wearing war medals that didn’t suit his youthful face wasn’t always known as the Wolf.
“When I first bought her, no one expected that scruffy dog to become a fierce hunter. But I believed in Janet, and she shattered everyone’s expectations to become my pride. Even Rex, now the best hunting dog in Schwarhan, cannot match Janet at her prime.”
With a soft smile, Madame Morco looked up at Cabelenus.
He said nothing, but that silence was enough.
The Grand Duke of Schwarhan never repeated the same mistake.
・・・・・
In the darkness, Cabelenus’s fingers slowly brushed over Alicia’s face.
Alicia used to be a light sleeper, waking at the slightest movement, but lately, she no longer stirred so easily.
Still, Cabelenus lay beside her cautiously, worried she might wake.
Whether it was fortunate or not, Alicia slept on, breathing softly, unaware that Cabelenus was even there.
He gently tucked away the strands of hair stuck to her cheek.
“…Can you truly bear it all?”
Cabelenus’s gaze narrowed.
Bathed faintly in the moonlight slipping through the window, the woman still looked fragile, so much so that it seemed better for her to keep her eyes and ears closed, just as she was now.
His hand came to rest lightly on Alicia’s cheek.
He had never known fragility — sometimes, he didn’t even know how to handle it.
At that moment, Alicia’s eyelids fluttered slightly.
“...Your Highness?”
She murmured in a husky, sleep-laced voice.
It seemed she’d woken, but her dreamy eyes were still lost in slumber.
Cabelenus gave no reply — he simply looked at her.
A faint scent of roses lingered from her.
“I missed you…”
With a soft smile, Alicia wrapped her hand around his, as if cradling the palm resting on her cheek.
She didn’t seem to realise the man before her was real.
Cabelenus stayed silent, letting her hold his hand as she wished.
“You should come more often.”
“…I came every day.”
His throat tightened as he spoke.
Each time Alicia’s lips moved, her warm breath grazed his calloused palm and brushed against the inside of his wrist.
“Well, this is my dream, after all.”
“It’d be nice if I could see you every day in real life, too.”
Alicia whispered softly and let her half-open eyes fall shut again.
She wanted to keep looking at him, but her eyelids were too heavy.
“…Did you miss me that much?”
“Enough to dream of you.”
Still murmuring, Alicia nuzzled her cheek against his hand like a kitten seeking affection.
Unlike Cabelenus, who didn’t dare move for fear of his rough hand grazing her delicate skin, Alicia wore a satisfied smile.
“I like this. Really.”
Her soft lips brushed briefly against his palm.
Again, his throat tightened.
The woman who smiled so innocently, unaware of the beast-like gaze fixed upon her, was pure beyond compare.
“I was scared…”
“...”
At the soft voice, the gaze of the man, once like that of a starving beast, wavered.
“Still, I’m glad that even if it’s like this, I can see you.”
Her drowsy voice sounded like a child’s whine.
Cabelenus, careful not to grip her hand too tightly, leaned in a bit closer.
The faint scent of roses grew stronger at the shortened distance.
He had never liked floral scents, but the fragrance from Alicia wasn’t unpleasant.
Perhaps it was because he remembered how she’d chatted excitedly about skincare made from rose oil and hot spring water.
“I just didn’t want to make you wait. But in the end, I only made you anxious.”
“How could I not wait? Your Highness is my everything.”
“…I don’t think you’ve ever said that to me before.”
"How could I say something like that?"
Alicia murmured faintly as she laced her fingers over the back of his hand.
Her smile had faded from her face.
“If you had something to say, I would’ve told you to just say it.”
"Even so, I cannot say that."
"Why not?"
"Because Your Highness is always so busy. And..."
"And? What comes after that?"
Cabelenus gently stroked her cheek, coaxing her.
Alicia quietly took in his touch, then smiled faintly.
"What if Your Highness gets tired of me?"
Cabelenus clenched his teeth.
Up close, he could see her eyes were puffy.
"…That would never happen."
He let out a bitter laugh.
“I’m still afraid you’ll disappear just like this.”
A breath escaped through his clenched teeth.
He couldn’t be sure either.
While he imagined a future together, Alicia always seemed to be preparing for the end.
She stepped back like someone ready to run at any moment, her face filled with fear.
"Do you think about that too, Your Highness?"
"I do. Very much so."
His golden eyes briefly disappeared beneath lowered lids before returning to light.
But the glow was fainter than usual.
"You're lying."
"Why do you think it’s a lie?"
"Because Your Highness is strong."
"…Even I can be afraid of things."
It was said that a bird newly hatched from its egg imprinted the first being it saw as its parent, but that lasted only for a short time. Though it might have been a brief mistake, the chick soon realised who it should truly follow. Cabelenus was afraid of this.
He feared that Alicia’s gaze, which had followed him everywhere, was nothing more than an illusion.
He feared the moment when he would see Alicia looking at someone else.
And when that moment came, what would become of him then?
Cabelenus suppressed his emotions and gently caressed the skin around Alicia’s eyes with his thumb.
Alicia, feeling the touch, giggled lightly before burying her face in his chest.
“...It’s true that I did lie. Honestly, I chose not to tell you.”
"What do you mean?"
"I was going to make sure you couldn’t refuse before telling you. It’s funny, really — I was just afraid of being rejected."
He couldn’t help but feel pathetic.
This woman, who didn’t react as he expected, always made him feel nervous.
"I wouldn’t have rejected you."
“How could you be sure of that?”
"Anything you say is fine."
"...What if I told you I wanted to make you my wife?"
Cabelenus’s hand tightened.
"Yes. Gladly."
“...”
"I wanted to hear something like this in real life, but I’m glad I can hear it even in a dream."
Alicia nestled deeper into his embrace.
She was so used to his arms around her now that it made her heart ache for no reason.
“I thought I was okay, but I guess I wasn’t. I thought I could be satisfied just by being by your side, but that wasn’t the case.”
“...”
“I guess I’m greedier than I thought. No matter how much I think about it, I don’t want to miss the opportunity I’ve been given.”
Alicia wrapped her arms tightly around Cabelenus.
This time, Cabelenus also allowed himself to be led by her.
Her hands, gripped tightly as if not wanting to lose him, were stronger than anything else.
"I want you."
“...”
"I find myself longing for Your Highness."
The words confessed under the guise of a dream held that much truth.
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