Chapter 05
Fortunately, it seemed my worries had been unfounded—the man did not follow me.
I safely stopped by the herbalist, settled the account for the herbs I’d gathered, and managed to get a discount on Luca’s medicine.
“What? Luca’s medicine?”
The herbalist looked me up and down with a peculiar expression. Faced with his sharp, disbelieving stare—as if asking what nonsense I was spouting—I smiled awkwardly.
By now, I was used to reactions like this. I shamelessly lifted my chin and said,
“Luca’s sick, so I’m going to buy him some sausage to help him recover. Give me a better price on the herbs. You know everyone’s busy preparing for the May Festival and hasn’t been going into the forest, so herbs are in short supply.”
“Tch… fine, fine.”
The herbalist let out a hollow laugh, clearly dumbfounded.
Ignoring him, I cheerfully counted the extra coins I’d gotten. With that money, I stopped by the butcher and bought some sausage. We had carrots, turnips, and bouquet garni at home—perfect. I’d make pot-au-feu.
With my arms full of medicine and meat, I walked along in high spirits.
That was when a group of girls my age, clustered in one corner of the village, spotted me and called out.
“Huh? Judith?”
“Why are you here?”
“What do you mean?”
Caught off guard, I asked back in confusion.
Among them, the most assertive-looking girl shot me a sharp, jealous glare.
That was Leah—the one Thomas had mentioned.
Why was she acting like this here, when she was supposedly busy setting her sights on some nobleman?
Whatever she thought my look meant, Leah’s face twisted as if her pride had been wounded. But it didn’t last long. Hastily hiding her true feelings, she continued in a casual tone.
“There was a young nobleman earlier, so I tried to flirt with him, but he only asked about your house and then just walked off. I thought you’d lured him in and invited him over. Guess I was wrong?”
“What? A nobleman?”
“Yeah. A well-built guy in an officer’s uniform. Kind of stoic and scary-looking, though… Don’t you know?”
There was no reason a man in uniform would come looking for our house…
“Wait.”
At that moment, something flashed through my mind.
Could it be that Rüdiger was coming this May Festival? But I was sure that in the story, Luca went to Winterwald when he was ten…
Only then did I realize it.
Ah, damn it, Judith Maybaum! How could you not even know your own nephew’s age properly?!
My assumption that there was still a year left was entirely due to Judith’s distorted memories.
Judith truly believed Luca was nine.
He’s small for his age, so I thought he was nine too…
Well, considering he never ate properly, it would’ve been stranger if he were bigger.
Now that I think about it, it was weird that Luca always got sick right around the May Festival. This year, next year…
The urge to clutch my head in frustration welled up at this unexpected development.
What should I do? There were still so many things I wanted to do for Luca, and I wasn’t mentally prepared at all yet…
Leah, completely oblivious to my turmoil, seemed only curious about how I’d supposedly ensnared the man. She probed subtly.
“So? How did you seduce him? Honestly, he didn’t look like someone easy to charm just by his face. He seemed really picky.”
But I had no intention of playing along with her. Just imagining that Rüdiger Winterwald standing in front of our house made my blood run cold.
“Uh… sorry, Leah. Let’s talk later. I’ve got to go.”
“What? Hey—Ju, Judith!”
I hastily brushed off the conversation, hugged my bundles tightly, and ran straight toward home.
Behind me, Leah’s voice rang out loudly.
“Hey! Is a man more important than your friends? You’re unbelievable, Judith!”
Whether Leah shouted or not, I paid no mind and ran frantically. The road felt absurdly long—no matter how much I ran, it seemed never-ending.
As I ran, I prayed this was all just Leah’s misunderstanding. That the man had been looking for someone else, not me…
Those hopes were in vain. When I arrived home, a large man—almost certainly Rüdiger—was already standing firmly in front of our house.
At least it seemed Luca hadn’t dragged his sick body down to open the door.
I slowed my steps, forcing myself to steady my ragged breathing. The man had knocked several times, then, apparently thinking no one was home, turned around with a small sigh.
That was when our eyes met. I sucked in a breath.
No, author—no one said he was this handsome…!
Under his military cap, his black hair was slicked back neatly, tinged with blue like the feathers of a kingfisher wet with water. His straight eyebrows and thick lashes were just as dark and well-defined. Beneath them, his blue-gray eyes gazed clearly at me, holding a dreamy allure like the sky after rain.
His sharp nose led down to tightly closed lips and a firm jaw—he looked rigid and stubborn, yet undeniably attractive.
And that wasn’t all. His long, straight neck rose elegantly from a high-collared uniform, broad shoulders filling it with disciplined ease. His long limbs were densely packed with muscle, like a thoroughbred.
I swallowed hard. Without realizing it, I’d stopped walking.
Get a grip.
If no one had been watching, I might’ve slapped my own cheek. I’d lost my senses completely.
When I first saw Luca’s angelic face, I’d only felt admiration… but this was different.
Since he was someone I could perceive as a potential romantic interest, his good looks felt almost violently overwhelming.
My heart was already racing. Well, after only ever seeing village men who looked like potatoes rolling around in a field, it was only natural my heart would flutter at a man as handsome as an apple.
How on earth did Leah describe someone like this as just “stoic and scary”?
Was he too tall for her to see his face properly?
That might be it. Leah was a whole head shorter than me. Even so, I couldn’t understand her at all.
While I was thinking this, the man presumed to be Rüdiger approached me.
I’d thought he was big from afar, but the closer he got…
Wait—this is too big. This is overwhelming.
I instinctively stepped back. Judith wasn’t particularly short, yet my line of sight landed squarely on his chest.
I was merely flustered, but the man seemed to mistake it for fear. He stopped, keeping a respectful distance.
He stared straight at me. In that intense gaze was the calm confidence of someone who had always lived as the stronger party.
Th-this is pressure…
As I could only move my dry lips without speaking, he finally opened his mouth.
“So we meet again.”
How is it fair for someone to be handsome, tall, and have such a good voice?
Distracted by awe at this embodiment of God’s uneven affection, I took a moment to process his words.
“…Pardon?”
Meet again? There was no way I’d forget seeing a man like this even once.
Seeing my confusion, Rüdiger continued evenly.
“Earlier, on the road.”
“Ah… ahh…”
Only then did I realize where I’d encountered him before. He was the man I’d bumped into in the village square—the one with the pleasant voice. That low, resonant tone that made goosebumps rise was unmistakable.
Right. There couldn’t possibly be two people with a voice like that.
I looked at him, dazed.
Of all the ways things could tangle, they tangled like this. Talk about falling down and breaking your nose—this was exactly that kind of luck.
Rüdiger extended his hand toward me. Earlier, it had been to steady me; this time, it was for a handshake.
“I am Rüdiger Winterwald—Colonel of the Royal Army’s Central Command of the Kingdom of Rumgart, and Viscount of Saxony. Are you the owner of this house?”
“Yes. And for what reason has a distinguished member of the Winterwald ducal family come to our home?”
Though I knew the situation perfectly well, I asked calmly as I took his large, gloved hand.
“Are you familiar with Jonas Winterwald?”
“Jonas?”
Of course I knew. But that wasn’t something Judith was supposed to know.
I feigned ignorance, putting on an exaggerated expression as though hearing the name for the first time.
“I’m afraid I don’t know who that is… Perhaps you’ve come to the wrong house?”
“No. If this is indeed the Maybaum residence, then I am at the right place.”
Rüdiger was firm. His certainty left no room for doubt—like a judge delivering a verdict.
I shrugged lightly and replied,
“Well… if you’re sure this is the Maybaum house… then please, come inside first. I have a feeling this will be a long conversation, and it’s not suited for standing out here.”
