"Do we really have to lie down?"
For some reason, the bed felt cramped today.
It wasn't simply because of Lennox's large build.
With Duren lying in the middle, the three of them shared the bed, but somehow, like magnets with the same pole, Lennox and Duren's distance refused to close.
To be precise, it wasn't entirely one person's fault. Both of them seemed reluctant to be too close to the other.
"…Should I bring a chair?"
"I'll do it."
Lennox got up, brought a chair, and settled down beside the bed.
"Are these the books for today?"
They had read a huge pile yesterday, yet another stack had risen like a tower for today.
Lennox casually opened the one on top.
"Dudu prefers it when Mom reads…"
"Whoever reads it, the story doesn't change."
Duren stuck out his lower lip.
Ignoring the distrust in Duren's eyes, Lennox began to read in his steady, even-toned voice.
"Once upon a time, there lived a princess."
Though his voice carried little emotion, his characteristic low timbre was strangely captivating.
Even Duren, who had bristled with thorns against him, quickly became absorbed in the story.
"The princess had the lower body of a fish and the upper body of a human. So she could only live in the sea."
"What's the sea?"
Without realizing it, Duren leaned toward Lennox as he asked the question.
Lennox, whom Duren had expected to answer half-heartedly, instead explained within the child's grasp of understanding.
"A vast, deep body of water. Blue like this picture, and it tastes salty."
"Salty?"
"Do you remember the small white grains in the bottle on today's table? The taste you felt when you ate those grains—that is the salty taste."
"The sea tastes salty? Why?"
"Because the sea is water mixed with salt."
"Why?"
Chattering, murmuring.
Their voices carried on without end.
Continuously…
"Duke."
"Duke!"
Estelle whispered softly.
Hearing her voice, Lennox opened his eyes.
Wait… he opened his eyes?
He vaguely remembered drowsy Duren blinking slowly.
It seemed that he, too, had dozed off for a moment after letting his guard down.
As Lennox looked flustered, Estelle pointed a finger toward the door.
She meant that they should leave now.
Quietly, quietly.
They hushed their presence and slipped out of the room.
Lennox had thought Estelle would head straight back to her own chambers, but instead, she stopped right in front of the door, standing guard.
"In case Duren wakes up in the middle of the night. If I'm nearby then, he'll feel reassured."
Sensing Lennox's gaze, Estelle explained.
"This thing called separate sleeping—does it really have to be taken this far?"
"If we want to avoid hurting the child as much as possible, then the adults have to put up with some inconvenience. What else can we do?"
Estelle gave a faint smile.
She didn't seem to think of it as any particular trouble.
"If you're tired, please go in first."
She hadn't expected him to stay with her anyway.
Estelle rubbed her bare arm.
Since she had left the shawl she usually wore draped over Duren's bed, her arms felt exposed.
Lennox, silently watching her, took off his outer coat. Then he placed it over Estelle's shoulders.
Startled by the sudden weight of his coat, still carrying his warmth, Estelle lifted her head.
"Are you… warm, by any chance?"
"What?"
Lennox was a beat slow in understanding the question.
Surely not…
Did she think I gave her my coat because I was too hot?
Even under Duren's relentless "why?" attacks, he had always answered calmly.
But faced with Estelle's completely unexpected question, Lennox couldn't respond right away.
"Not… really…"
Dragging out his words, Lennox parted his lips before finally managing to speak.
"No."
This "no" meant that he wasn't cold.
Then Estelle looked at him with clear eyes that seemed to ask, "Then why did you give me your coat?"
It was an attitude that couldn't simply accept it as pure kindness.
Naturally so. After all, on their wedding night, when she had shivered openly, he hadn't bothered to offer her even a scrap of cloth.
Lennox opened his mouth at last, intending to explain.
At that moment—
"Mama…"
Duren's voice came from beyond the door.
He had woken up.
The child had quickly sensed his mother's absence.
"Mama… where are you…"
Finding no one nearby, Duren's voice trembled as he grew anxious.
Instinctively, Estelle's hand closed around the doorknob.
"Duren. Mama is right outside the door."
But she did not open it.
She simply stood there, answering him gently.
Despite her calm tone, her expression was filled with worry.
Her hand on the doorknob shook, as if she might run to him at any moment.
"I'm right here, so don't worry and go back to sleep."
"Mama's not here…"
"If anything happens to you, I'll be right here to run to you."
"..."
"Duren. Remember what Mama said? A fine grown-up should be able to sleep alone."
"Mm…."
A fine grown-up…
Duren was going to be a fine grown-up.
Muttering that to himself, he squirmed on the bed and caught a familiar scent.
It was Estelle's shawl.
Hugging it tightly made him feel as if Mama were right beside him.
His anxiety eased, and he was able to drift back to sleep.
Hoooh—
Even after a long while, it stayed quiet beyond the door.
Sensing that Duren had fallen into a deep sleep, Estelle finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Are you going to stay here the whole time?"
Unlike Duren, Lennox had been right beside her, watching her shifting emotions.
Perhaps that was why his question carried a note of concern.
"Yes. I'll stay a little longer, just in case he wakes up again."
"Mandrake isn't a drug that turns the one who takes it into a superhuman. You haven't forgotten that just the other day you were lying in bed ill, have you?"
Estelle, who had been fiddling with Lennox's coat, nodded.
"I understand."
In the end, as Estelle headed toward the newly assigned chamber of the main residence, Lennox followed after her.
Is he worried because he once saw me collapse right before his eyes?
It seemed he was at least willing to extend the courtesy of escorting her to her chambers.
"From now on, if there are no special matters in the evening, I'll read to Duren myself."
It was likely because he had realized that there was no surer way to draw closer to Duren.
Estelle smiled at Lennox's behavior, which was more earnest than she had expected.
"Duren will be glad. But you also looked very tired, Your Grace, so you should rest."
"Well, I plan to wash and then sleep."
"I should do the same. Thank you for your effort today."
For Lennox, who was known for his fastidiousness, it was not the least bit strange to say he would wash first.
Estelle took it lightly and stepped into the bath connected to the bedchamber.
Since it was very late, she washed quickly and then came out into the chamber in a bathrobe.
The warm water had eased her tension, leaving both body and mind pleasantly weary.
I should just change clothes and go to sleep right away.
If she went to bed early, she would be able to wake up early as well.
The moment she was about to take off her bathrobe, Estelle felt a presence.
A maid?
Turning her head absentmindedly, she nearly screamed.
The figure standing there was far too large and imposing to be a maid.
Instead of screaming, Estelle reflexively stepped back—only for her foot to slip.
Her balance gave way, and her body tilted backward.
Something—something to grab onto…!
There was nothing.
Her hand reached out, but it sliced only through empty air.
At this rate, the back of her head would strike the floor.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Estelle suddenly felt someone's arm wrap around her waist, pulling her back.
"…Be more careful."
Opening her eyes slowly, she found her own face reflected in crimson eyes.
"Thank you."
It was Lennox.
Estelle held her breath.
The distance between them was far too close.
If she leaned forward just a little more, their foreheads would collide.
"Now… would you let go of me?"
"Ah."
Lennox, too, seemed quite startled.
Ordinarily, given his personality, he would have recoiled the instant their bodies touched.
No… ever since the day I collapsed, he hasn't seemed as reluctant to touch me.
He had even volunteered to act as a wet towel for her.
Sensing the subtle change in Lennox's behavior toward her, Estelle straightened herself.
Then, looking at him as he stepped back a pace, she asked,
"What's going on all of a sudden?"
"I came here to sleep."
"…Pardon? Then you should go to the bedchamber you've been using."
"This is my bedchamber."
"'My bedchamber'? This is my bedchamber…"
By this point, both Estelle and Lennox began to realize something was wrong.
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