Chapter 42
Or Do You Even Like Me
The gloom was short-lived.
Yuan also picked up a trowel and started helping diligently, but Oliver staggered and hid behind a tall fir tree to avoid them, panting heavily?
'That guy doesn't want me to see him die.'
'There is such a death.'
Henna quickly ran to him, worried that Oliver might run away again and she'd have to search this white forest.
Watching Oliver trying to get away somehow, Yuan admitted that Klaud's words weren't entirely wrong.
'There might be such a death. But he's leaving on a road we'll never see again, so we can at least say goodbye.'
Oliver, who no longer had the strength to run away, was embraced in a warm hug.
His unfocused eyes blinked very slowly.
Yuan forced a smile at Oliver, who was nestled in Henna's arms and looking at her, and wrapped Klaud's gown, which she had secretly taken from the laundry room, around Oliver.
"Oh, Oliver!"
Then Oliver went wild. He sniffed frantically, whimpered again, and buried his nose in it.
'Actually, he didn't want to run away. He wanted to die in His Highness's arms, looking at His Highness.'
Yuan sadly twisted her lips. Henna's eyes were already as swollen as they could be.
Yuan sensed that Oliver's death was imminent.
The 'beep' sound was gradually fading, and she could see the light fading from his dark eyes, reflecting the setting sun.
Yuan and Henna hugged him like a dog to protect him from the rain, and whispered to the dying Oliver.
"I'll make sure to clean your house again."
When your master's face is clean, and he becomes bright again like the beautiful Euphris who loved you before, then I'll scold him for doing that.
As if Oliver understood, he made a 'beep-' sound again.
Oliver seemed to try to make eye contact with Yuan, lifting his head with difficulty before finally burying his face in the gown again.
Feeling the warmth of Henna and Yuan patting him, and smelling the scent of his master that he had longed for so much, his dark eyes slowly faded.
"Your master actually wanted to come to your side too."
Yuan whispered like someone desperately shielding and protecting a dying candle with both hands.
"He loves you, Oliver.The dog made a faint 'beep-' sound and finally closed his eyes.
Henna burst into tears that she had been holding back.
Yuan also frowned and lowered her head, distorting her lips.
The dog, wrapped in a soft gown, was too small, as if the magnificent figure once called Claude Euphris's wolf was a thing of the past.
***
The butler went up with Claude's dinner, a contented smile on his face.
Thanks to Claude, who was faithfully following his and Lancelot's advice to treat her well during the day if he couldn't treat her well at night, these days were quite peaceful.
'The mistress is a blessing. His Highness should treat her better.'
Compared to the past, when he frowned even at a passing breeze, it was nothing short of a miracle.
Claude, who had finally started doing his job even a little bit by giving the incongruous instructions to bask in the warm sunlight and decorate the garden, certainly looked better than before.
Gustav could see the emotions that couldn't be hidden beneath his indifferent face.
It was a fleeting glance that moistened the heart like a passing shower, and small gestures, such as Claude gently tapping Yuan's forehead or head without hurting her and curling up the corners of his lips, as if to prove that they had become closer emotionally.
'By the way, the mistress is so kind.'
Even though she causes accidents without His Highness's permission, she always asks for His Highness's dinner.
It was hard because the butler had to use his skills, or lack thereof, because even the chef had run away, but Gustav felt indescribable gratitude whenever he saw Yuan taking care of Claude so meticulously.
'His Highness should know how to be grateful too.'
He got such a beautiful and kind bride, but he doesn't even take her out for a walk!
As an old man with no wife to hold by his side, Gustav couldn't understand it at all.
'If His Highness gets angry because of Oliver, I should take the mistress's side. What can she do if she's kind? He could have told the servants or guards to bring Oliver, but she went out herself.'
After knocking a few times, the butler was about to enter Claude's bedroom when he was startled to see Claude standing in front of the window in the same position as before.
"Your Highness?"
Butler Gustav called him several times.
Claude didn't answer.
The dim gaze looking out the window didn't show the anger at his wife for going out without permission that Gustav had expected.
"Your Highness..."
He just looked very empty and sad.
Besides, his jawbone was bulging out as if he had been clenching his teeth for a long time.
The butler knew that he should leave in this atmosphere, but for some reason, he felt that he shouldn't leave Claude alone, so he stayed behind him until the dinner he had brought up was cold.
That evening. Yuan didn't return until just before sunset, soaked in the rain and snow.
***
Snow began to fall along with the drizzling rain.
Yuan, who had been thoroughly exposed to the snow and rain on the way, paused for a moment to collect her dizzy head as soon as she entered the Black Manor.
This was partly because her head was complicated with various thoughts.
Her throbbing head and neck were starting to ache, so it seemed like she would catch a bad cold tomorrow.
It would be much better to take a warm bath right away, dry herself in front of the fireplace, and drink warm tea, but it was already dark, so she was in a hurry.
She thought she should just get rid of the moisture on her face and hair, quickly put Claude to sleep, and go back to her bedroom to wash up, so she opened the door to Claude's bedroom.
Claude was still standing in front of the window in the same position Yuan had seen him in this afternoon.
Yuan paused for a moment and stood on his long shadow that stretched out and reached his feet.
For some reason, tears welled up in her eyes.
'His Highness is also sad.'
What was flowing down Claude's broad back was definitely sadness.
There was no way he would be indifferent to Oliver's death.
Yuan took off her wet cloak and hung it on a nearby chair, then walked quietly and carefully hugged his lonely-looking back.
He didn't flinch at her touch as usual. He didn't push her away either.
"We buried Oliver well."
Yuan reported, hiding her voice trembling from the cold.
To the man who had watched her run out to find Oliver from here.
"Oliver didn't die lonely."
"......"
"Henna and I only said good things to him. That you are the kindest dog in the world."
Yuan swallowed the tears that were rising.
"That your master loved you, and will continue to love you and remember you."
"......"
"Was I wrong?"
Claude didn't answer for a long time.
Yuan thought he was grieving silently.
'Let's give him time to grieve.'
"Madam!"
The butler, who had seen her from the lobby and was horrified, finally returned with a huge pile of blankets that was bigger and thicker than himself.
"Madam! You're wet. You'll catch a cold."
"It's okay. It was cool."
"It's winter rain! The colds here are not easy to deal with."
At her words that she was wet, Claude's head finally turned to her.
Claude's sunken gaze slowly traced Yuan's pale lips.
The sound of the firewood burning in the fireplace that the butler had hurriedly lit was mixed with the sound of Yuan quietly preparing tea.
After the butler left, and the sun had completely set, so that even the sounds of the servants could not be heard.
Claude watched Yuan's busy hands from afar and opened his mouth.
"Just go today."
"Are you worried about me?"
Yuan was drying her wet hair with a towel that the butler had brought.
A look of bewilderment crossed her eyes, and his lowered eyes distorted very slightly.
"You're going to spend the night looking like that."
"Ah."
Yuan knew that he was quite picky about cleanliness.
He must feel uncomfortable with her looking like a drowned rat.
Yuan hurriedly got up and grabbed her wet wool cloak.
"I'll go wash up quickly."
"You."
Before Yuan could pack her things and leave the bedroom, Claude stepped away from the window and strode towards her.
His long, dark shadow stretched past the fireplace to the bed.
Claude Euphris is clearly not in a good mood right now.
Whether it's because Oliver died. Or because she's wet. Or something else.
"Why are you doing this to me?"
"......What?"
"You can just do it moderately. You can just do your job and be comfortable. Why-."
He stopped speaking for a moment, as if pouring it out.
The light from the burning fireplace reflected various colors in his eyes.
"Why do you go this far?"
"How many times are you going to ask? I'm Your Highness's wife. And we're family-."
"No one likes being sick."
Claude repeated with a gloomy smile.
"No one likes being sick."
Two pairs of flickering eyes collided sharply in the air.
"That's nothing to me-."
"Don't say that's okay. Stop saying that kind of bullshit, 'This is nothing.'"
Claude pointed out what she said habitually.
Eyes filled with sadness, loneliness, and confusion wavered so much that his neat eyebrows twisted in several directions.
"I know you have a strong stomach. But what's the reason for putting up with me so much at night?"
It felt like fragments of emotion that were hard to see from Claude were flying in all directions.
Yuan stared blankly up at him.
This was the first time she had seen Claude express his emotions so quietly and fiercely.
"Either your tastes are as unique as your personality."
"What does that mean......"
"Or, unbelievably."
His intense gaze, as if he was a little angry, looked down at Yuan as if to pierce her.
Yuan's eyes rippled like waves.
"Or do you even like me."
Surprisingly, his dark, sunken eyes were also shaking very slightly.
