MDIHC 17

My heart pounded under the gaze of Lord Winchester, who was staring straight at me. Not because I was flattered—but because I was guilty. I was afraid he might see through my shallow intentions.

“I see.”

…See what?

His response was far too brief for me to understand his intention.

I was thrown back into confusion by Lord Winchester’s short, unreadable reply. What did I say just now?

“Isn’t it nice, sometimes, to do things like this?”

Right. That was it. Then did his reply mean he thought it was nice, too? That sleeping together—as three—was nice?

Or did he mean that sleeping just the two of us would also be awkward for him?

Suddenly, everything felt vague and uncertain.

Whether or not he noticed my inner turmoil, he moved toward the window, almost out of habit.

He looked down at the table.

“Ah! I prepared that,” I said quickly, noticing his gaze fall on the teapot and teacups atop the table. I got up from the bed and walked over to him.

“Drinking every night isn’t the healthiest habit, after all.”

The thickly covered teapot still radiated warmth, even after a bit of time had passed.

“It’s lavender—it helps with insomnia.”

I poured the tea into a cup, and the clear liquid trickled in with a soft sound. The color was faint, almost questionably so, but the gentle lavender scent spread delicately through the air.

“Ah, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to drink it,” I added quickly, watching Lord Winchester silently standing there. Herbal teas can be hit or miss—especially floral or mint types.

“I don’t dislike it.”

Lord Winchester pulled out a chair and sat at the table. Then he slowly sipped the lavender tea I had poured.

The starry sky beyond the window was so picturesque, it looked like a painting framed by the window itself. And Lord Winchester, calmly sipping tea in his relaxed clothing beneath it, looked like a painting even more.

I stared at him as if mesmerized, like someone admiring a masterpiece by a deceased artist. Was it the magic of the starlight? The intoxication of the lavender aroma? Or was I simply bewitched by Lord Winchester?

“Not bad.”

His low murmur jolted me back to reality.

“I—I’m glad to hear that.”

Ahhh! Why am I stuttering?

“W-well then, good night!”

Ahhh! Why did my voice crack while saying good night?

That’s it. I’m not saying another word.

I quickly turned my head and rushed back to my spot on the bed, diving under the covers and squeezing my eyes shut.

‘I’m sleepy! Incredibly sleepy right now! In fact, I was so tired today! I’ll fall asleep any second! Zzz!’

I cast a very firm spell on myself, but maybe I was too strong-willed—because the spell had no effect at all.

‘No, it’s the gaze. That’s what’s keeping me up.’

I could feel Lord Winchester’s eyes on the back of my head as I lay facing away.

Lorinus quietly watched Neary lying on the bed. Honestly, he hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.

When the marriage proposal had first arrived, he’d been surprised—and even more so when Neary claimed to have fallen for him at first sight. Of course, it probably didn’t look like that from her side.

He was curious. What did it mean to fall in love at first sight? To like someone so much that you can’t sleep or eat? What was love, this thing ordinary people seemed to feel? Lorinus wanted to understand.

So, he agreed.

Maybe—just maybe—if it was this gentle-eyed woman, he might come to love her too. He even proposed. Neary seemed quite taken aback, but he assumed that was just because she hadn’t expected him to accept.

‘It’s been three days now.’

Nothing particularly notable had happened. Despite saying she was madly in love, she seemed overly shy or maybe just nervous. Either way, he decided to wait. Being emotionally reserved himself, this wasn’t hard.

She did seem more interested in Daniel than in him, but doting on a child was a good trait—not a bad one.

Marriage hadn’t changed Lorinus’s life much. He was still busy. In fact, on the third night of their honeymoon, he came home late due to a shift change.

Still, Neary hadn’t complained. On the contrary, she had even prepared tea for him—for his health.

Sipping the lavender tea, Lorinus stared at the back of Neary’s head. Was he imagining things, or was her neck slightly flushed?

‘She’s a strange woman.’

Lorinus didn’t know much about romantic relationships, but he’d heard enough from comrades over drinks or soldiers on the battlefield.

Normally, if you liked someone, you offered them a drink. That set the mood, and the night progressed from there. Choosing work over your partner would usually make them feel slighted.

But Neary had done the opposite.

And the same went for Daniel.

‘Stepmothers don’t usually like their husband’s children from another woman.’

That was just common sense. And Lorinus had accepted it as such.

But apparently, that common sense didn’t apply to Neary.

He had held out a bit of hope. When she gave Daniel cookies, he thought maybe she didn’t dislike children. Otherwise, he never would’ve considered marrying her.

Still, he hadn’t expected her to like the boy this much.

She had furnished and decorated the child’s room before their own, read him bedtime stories until he fell asleep, and even shared a bed with him—none of which Lorinus had anticipated.

To an outsider, it would seem like Neary was in love with Daniel, not Lorinus.

‘She really is a strange woman.’

And Lorinus found himself even more intrigued by her than before the marriage.

“You have to join the moms’ circle. The amount of information they have is unbelievable!”

That was advice from my sister-in-law, Sophia.

Luckily, being the Countess of Winchester made it fairly easy to join a gathering of noble ladies.

“So, you’re saying a six-year-old typically sleeps about ten hours?”

I asked the ladies again, just to confirm. Sure enough, something did feel off about Daniel’s schedule.

“Yes, assuming they don’t nap during the day.”

“But really, every child is different. If your child wants to sleep more, let them. If they want to sleep later, that’s okay too—just not too late. Routine is important.”

Ohh? Is that so? Kids vary by case?

I nodded diligently, taking mental notes from these experienced mothers.

“Thank you so much for the advice. I’ll keep it in mind. And… would you happen to know any good nannies or tutors you could recommend?”

“Hmm… good nannies and tutors are like stars in the sky—hard to find.”

“So true. The first nanny I hired stole from us. It was awful.”

“Oh no, really? It’s not easy managing help. Especially nannies—they have to match your child’s temperament.”

Apparently, this question was trickier than the one about sleep schedules. Everyone either wore troubled expressions or began sharing personal horror stories.

They say you shouldn’t take in a “black-haired beast” so lightly—turns out, it’s not the color of the hair that matters, but the kind of person.

“Ah! Unless it’s urgent, what about Miss Reynold as a tutor?”

“Miss Reynold?”

Of course, I had never heard the name before.

“I don’t know about her skills, but I heard she’s very patient and doesn’t scold—just calmly explains everything to the children. She’s recovering from a leg injury, but once she heals, she’ll be looking for a new job.”

A leg injury? Something sparked in my mind.

“Wait—Miss Reynold. Was she the tutor at the Aitley estate?”

I cautiously brought up the name of Daniel’s infamous ex-stepfather’s family.

“Oh my, so you’ve heard of her?”

The lady who recommended her nodded.

As expected… The degenerate had already made his mark.