Chapter 8

The Northern Grand Duke 

Of course, whatever reason Selen had for smiling had nothing to do with him.

Varas gathered his wandering thoughts.

His goal was to possess her, not to make her smile.

After hearing about her personal allowance from Anna, Selen immediately withdrew some money and headed to the market.

The sightseeing, the snacks, the fountain, even the breeze—everything was perfect.

While enjoying it all, she kept remembering the feeling of the robe Varas had draped over her shoulders yesterday.

She remembered standing on tiptoe and holding his arm.

Even with her weight resting on it, his arm had felt so solid, as though he didn’t notice it at all.

The memory kept making her smile.

She had been lonely too.

As Yumi, she had spent most of her life acting as her own guardian from a very young age.

Whenever she felt disconnected from the world, she sometimes wondered:

Am I destined to be lonely forever because I have to live all alone?

But in this world, Varas’s loneliness was predetermined.

Perhaps that was why she had been brought to his side.

People always said that everything happened for a reason.

Then wasn’t there a reason she had come to this world and become his wife?

For some reason, she felt as though they could get along.

More than that, she wanted to get along with him.

On the way back, Selen stopped at a corner of the market to look at bags woven from dried grass-like fibers.

When Varas saw that, he thought she had finally begun preparing to escape.

It puzzled him a little that she spent so much time examining bags.

Wouldn’t any sturdy shoulder bag with enough space do?

After spending ages looking, she ended up buying a small handbag that hung from her arm.

Is this woman an idiot?

Then she wandered over to a stall selling leather shoes.

Right. She’ll need good shoes for running away.

Low heels. Durable.

But after only a brief glance, she headed back to the castle.

Perhaps she was conscious of Anna’s presence.

Maybe she planned to sneak out later and buy practical shoes in secret.

Unfortunately, Varas had no intention of allowing her outside without Anna accompanying her.

He questioned every one of Selen’s actions and attached his own explanations to them.

*

After returning to the castle, Varas waited until roughly the same time as the previous evening before heading toward Selen’s room.

What if she’s just finished bathing again?

The thought seemed troublesome.

Yet part of him secretly hoped for it.

He absentmindedly played with the gift he had prepared.

As he reached her door and was about to knock, it opened with a soft creak.

Escaping?

Instinctively, Varas hid behind the wall.

Selen stepped out without even looking around.

Holding up her skirt with both hands, she hurried down the hallway.

He almost laughed.

What kind of ridiculous sight was that?

She was used to dresses that reached only her ankles.

It was understandable that a floor-length gown would be difficult for her.

Varas watched her for quite some time before quietly following from a distance.

Struggling with every step, Selen descended one floor and stopped in front of a particular room.

Watching from behind a pillar near the stone staircase, Varas narrowed his eyes.

She lowered her skirt and straightened her appearance.

Then he suddenly realized whose room she was standing in front of.

“Damn it. That’s my room.”

Varas immediately retraced his steps as quietly as possible and rushed upstairs.

He was about to enter his room through Selen’s bedroom—

Then paused.

“No. Even so, barging into her room feels wrong.”

Managing to preserve a shred of reason, he entered the room next to hers instead.

Throwing open the window, he leaped diagonally through the air and landed neatly on the terrace attached to his own bedroom.

It was an incredibly agile movement for such a large man.

He tossed off his cloak as he entered.

The gift, however, he carefully placed on a nearby table.

Then he opened the door leading toward the sitting room.

Bang.

Selen had just raised her hand.

She had been about to knock.

Or rather—

She had been hesitating.

*

Looking into the handbag she had bought earlier that day, Selen saw the two red apples inside.

They had looked so delicious at the market that she had bought them without thinking.

She had considered waiting for Varas in her own room.

But it felt better to go to him directly.

So she had asked Anna where his room was beforehand.

Since Varas had visited her room around this time yesterday, she thought perhaps it wouldn’t be rude.

Still, now that it was dark outside, she worried it might be too late.

What if he thought she was trying to seduce him?

What if he thought she was being shamelessly forward?

The moment those worries surfaced, the door suddenly opened.

Startled, she hiccupped like a thief caught in the act.

“Hic!”

Meeting his searching gaze made her realize that perhaps showing up after sunset had indeed been a little too bold.

Without saying a word, Varas stepped aside while keeping the door open.

As though inviting her inside.

Still hiccupping, Selen entered and sat by the fireplace, positioned similarly to the one in her own room.

Varas remained standing by the door until she sat down.

As if wary of her sudden visit.

Their eyes met in silent confrontation.

Then Selen tapped the seat beside her.

Her eyes were wide.

Another hiccup escaped her.

It seemed something had definitely changed in her heart over the past two days.

Just seeing him slowly approach made a smile form naturally on her lips.

Selen opened her handbag and pulled out the two apples.

Then she offered one to him.

The apple had seemed enormous in her small hands.

Yet when it passed into Varas’s hand, it suddenly looked no bigger than a ping-pong ball.

For some reason, that made her laugh.

She wasn’t sure whether it was amusing or simply pleasing.

Then Varas took a bite.

Half the apple disappeared at once.

Seeing that made her burst into laughter again.

Watching Selen laugh so hard that giggles escaped her lips, Varas almost laughed too.

Perhaps his face looked ridiculous while chewing apples.

After laughing enough to wipe tears from the corners of her eyes, she finally began eating her own apple.

She scrunched up her nose as though preparing to swallow the whole thing in one bite.

Yet it seemed she had only managed to remove a little peel.

Her mouth was astonishingly small.

Everything about this woman was small.

Her height.

Her face.

The hand that had grabbed his arm.

Her waist, which seemed no thicker than a handful.

Yesterday he had briefly noticed how narrow her shoulders were.

Even from her silhouette alone, he was certain her hips were small too.

His thoughts kept drifting downward.

Then he remembered the gift he had prepared.

Slowly, he rose to his feet.

For some strange reason, he always moved more slowly around her.

If he moved too quickly or too suddenly, he felt as though Selen might be frightened.

Like the time she had opened the curtains, spotted him, and jumped in surprise.

Shaking his head at his own foolish thoughts, he retrieved the gift from the table and handed it to her.

“What is this?”

Setting aside the apple she had not even finished, she opened the box.

Inside was a pair of low-heeled leather shoes.

Selen examined them so closely she looked as though she might crawl inside them.

Apparently she liked the delicately embossed patterns.

“They’re so… so beautiful.”

Even afterward, she continued staring at the shoes.

Watching her, Varas suddenly found himself wanting to see her feet.

Are they small too?

“Try them on.”

The words left his mouth before he thought about them.

Then he realized his mistake.

She was sitting there wrapped in that enormous, heavy dress.

How was she supposed to change shoes by herself?

Not that he could exactly lift her skirts and help her put them on.

Still—

Selen nodded enthusiastically as though it were an excellent idea.

Then she began gathering up the layers of her dress.

But it was hopeless.

The mountain of fabric between her hands and feet was simply too much.

After struggling for a while, she apparently chose an easier solution.

She stood up.

Now Selen could easily change her shoes.

But Varas wouldn’t get to see her feet.

He could only watch as she wiggled around beneath her skirts while changing shoes.

Like a dog that had chased a chicken only to lose it.

After finishing, Selen generously lifted her skirt just enough to reveal the shoes.

This woman’s ankles were small too.

And pale.

If she lifted the skirt a little higher, he might even see her calves.

But the fabric promptly dropped back into place.

Instinctively, he lifted his gaze to her face.

She was already looking at him.

The moment their eyes met, she smiled beautifully.

“Thank you. I love them.”

For some reason, her voice echoed strangely in his ears.

What is wrong with this woman?

Why do I feel dazed whenever she smiles?

Barely managing to pull himself together, Varas looked away.

Right. Comfortable shoes are necessary if she’s going to run away.

Then another thought struck him.

Wait. What if she actually succeeds?

A far worse problem followed.

If a woman with no connections whatsoever fled from him in this freezing northern land—

Just how much must she hate him?

She smiled sweetly whenever she saw him.

And then one day she’d simply run away?

The mere thought made his heart sink.

Selen sat down beside him again and picked up the apple she had abandoned earlier.

From Varas’s perspective, it was already quite late.

Yet she showed no sign of wanting to leave.

Looking more carefully, he noticed she was sitting a handspan closer than before.

Close enough that if she moved, he would feel it against his leg.

At this point, Varas honestly didn’t know what to make of her.

This innocent-looking woman who seemed to carry the scent of sugar everywhere she went—

What exactly was she trying to do with him?

He wondered why she had given him an apple.

He wondered why she kept smiling at him.

Most of all, he wondered why she had come to his room after nightfall.

Could it be…

That she truly had no intention of returning to the Grand Duchess’s bedroom tonight?