Chapter 17

Maynus was the last. The others had already received their gifts. Veloce had asked Yuz and Elsa for help, and the two of them managed to deliver all the gifts in just under an hour.

‘Everyone loved them!’

‘Thanks to you, Lady Veloce, everyone was so happy today!’

Small, simple gifts, when given with sincerity, always worked wonders. Even though she had received an incentive, she was glad she had saved up her modest salary to buy those presents.

Once the rent was paid, this month’s salary would barely skim through her account… But still, she felt satisfied.

Throughout dinner, she kept glancing at Maynus. His face seemed unusually pale today. Was he feeling unwell?

“Maynus.”

“Yes, Veloce.”

The response came stiffly. Was this not the right timing?

“Are you feeling sick?”

“N-no, not at all.”

Maynus met her gaze and shook his head. The face she had thought looked pale seemed to regain its usual composure. Had he been lost in thought earlier?

“After dinner… could I ask for a moment of your time? I was hoping we could have tea together.”

“…Of course.”

Maynus nodded, his expression visibly brightening. Huh? Did people’s moods really shift that visibly, like traffic lights? How curious.

***

Yuz and Elsa giggled as they prepared the tea.

“What are you two doing?”

“Oh! Head Steward!”

“We’re setting up tea for Lady Veloce and His Grace the Duke. The lady asked us to prepare it.”

Eden looked genuinely surprised.

All day long, Maynus had been in a somber mood, and Eden had lingered around Veloce trying to pick up on any clues, but got nothing. But to ask Veloce’s maids about it? That would only make Maynus look petty.

Eden cleared his throat and smiled brightly.

“The young lady did? Did she also prepare a gift?”

“Of course! And she said she had something to say as well. It’s definitely going to be that kind of thing, right?”

“Hm?”

“Oh come on! A confession! A confession of love!”

“Reaaally?”

Eden Downis’s ears perked up.

To be honest, Maynus had often shown a strangely soft side when it came to Veloce. Wasn’t he famously known as the Duke of Winter for his cold demeanor? That nickname suited him for more than one reason.

In any case… 

Eden chuckled to himself.

“This is wonderful news. Just tea won’t do for the occasion, then. You should have prepared some wine.”

“Ah! We should’ve! Alcohol really does help set the mood, doesn’t it?”

“Exactly! There’s a wine that just came in as a gift from the South. Light-bodied and not too dry… perfect for a day like this.”

“I’ll go get it!”

Eden nodded proudly. All day, it seemed Kahir and Marten had their hands full dealing with Maynus’s temperament, while Veloce was quietly preparing this surprise.

‘As expected of Lady Veloce!’

An engagement should naturally lead to marriage!

Artemio’s reputation or Veloce’s past… none of that mattered. After all, this was the proud and elegant Jeremias Mansion. No one could question Maynus’s decision.

Besides, Veloce was a match arranged by the Emperor himself… who could oppose him? The servants’ affection for Veloce was now soaring.

***

“What is this?”

“It’s just a little something. A gift.”

Maynus brought his hand to his lips, trying to hide the twitch in the corners of his mouth. A gift? Of course Veloce hadn’t forgotten him.

The headache that had plagued him all day instantly faded. Maynus opened the box. Inside was a pair of cufflinks, glimmering with a deep crimson hue.

Veloce studied his expression carefully.

“Do you like them?”

“…Yes. You have a keen eye, Veloce.”

“I’m really glad to hear that, Maynus. Honestly, compared to everything you already have, I know this is nothing.”

“That’s not true!”

“Oh, come on. I know quality when I see it.”

Veloce gestured toward his wrist. Maynus awkwardly tried to hide the cufflinks on his sleeve, but Veloce just beamed.

“Still, I hope you accept them as a token of my feelings. I feel like I’ve never properly thanked you while I’ve been shamelessly living here. Thank you, Maynus. If not for you, Delerone and I wouldn’t be alive.”

“It was simply what I had to do.”

“There are a lot of people who don’t do what they’re supposed to. So… thank you, Maynus.”

Veloce noticed the tips of Maynus’s ears turning red and covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

“And thank you in advance, too… Because I still don’t have the strength to move out on my own.”

“If you need to stay longer, you’re welcome to.”

Even Maynus was surprised by his own words. Wasn’t he supposed to be waiting for the day she’d leave? Yet Veloce only smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Thanks for saying that, Maynus. Oh, but I’m not planning to freeload anymore.”

She winked and handed him a pouch filled with gold.

“What is this?”

“Uh, rent? I’m not sure what to call it exactly. Anyway, it’s to cover what Delerone and I have used this past month at the mansion. I know I could never repay the kindness you’ve shown us, not even in a lifetime. But this, too, is a part of my gratitude.”

Maynus received the pouch with a solemn expression.

Refusing it would have been inappropriate; Veloce’s face was sincere. She had clearly thought this through. Her sincerity couldn’t be dismissed. He accepted it with a nod.

“Veloce, I accept your gesture with gratitude.”

Veloce let out a breath of relief and smiled.

She had worried… what if Maynus refused it? Or said it was too little? Would that be insulting? She had even considered that it might come off as rude.

But thankfully, Maynus accepted it without question. Veloce smiled softly.

Between the two of them, a warmth began to spread, different from the chill outside. It felt as if winter was beginning to melt.

***

Maynus rolled the cufflinks in his palm. This feeling… so suddenly, like spring breaking the ice without warning, had quietly seeped in. Even he was taken aback by it.

It was unfamiliar to someone like Maynus, who had been frozen like ice for so long. He ran his tongue over the inside of his mouth.

‘Be happy, Maynus. Love someone.’

‘…I don’t understand, Mother.’

‘It’s a sweet and bitter feeling.’

He could almost feel the memory of the chocolate his mother used to place on his tongue. Why did this conversation come to mind now? His mother had always been so warm, perhaps in contrast to his father, who had been so cold he was known as the Ice Duke himself.

Even his father couldn’t help but smile in front of her. Lately, he had been thinking of his mother a lot.

The rustle of his disheveled bedsheets sounded under him. Unable to sleep, Maynus got up and paced around his room.

All night, he couldn’t let go of the small cufflinks in his hand. He kept rolling them in his palm. They were so ordinary. His own dressing room was full of cufflinks just like these.

Yet this pair was different.

Only these.

He could still picture Veloce sheepishly smiling as she handed him the box. Veloce probably didn’t think much of it. She had always made it clear from the beginning that she would eventually leave this mansion.

And by offering rent, she must still feel the burden of everything he’d done for her. Maynus pressed a hand against the tightness in his chest. For now, it was fine.

For now, it was just this.

It was only unfamiliar because it was his first time feeling something like this. It, too, would fade with time, worn down into nothing.

Maynus stared at the cufflinks with a quiet gaze.

Don’t think too much, Maynus. Just let things flow. Are you certain?

‘If she knew the monster you truly are, would Veloce… still be this kind to you?’

You can’t trust anything.

Maynus took a deep breath.