Winter looked at her blankly, then leaned back and said.
"I won't say anything you won't like. Do not do that."
"Six years old, twelve years old, heart blah blah blah. I won't talk about it then."
"..."
Violet's shoulders trembled at his words. Winter glanced at her and continued speaking.
"So stop avoiding me. I already died and came back to life, but I feel like my blood is drying up."
"I never avoided you."
"You haven't even looked at me for a whole month, and I've never avoided anything. You still can't see me."
Winter scoffed and took the book from Violet's hand. Only then did Violet look towards Winter in confusion.
Then Winter narrowed his brows and pressed his face towards Violet until she could barely breathe.
"I saved you. You can't even say thank you, but you run away?"
"That is truly ungentlemanly."
"Why can't a gentleman show any condescension?"
"I don't pay."
"For some reason, I didn't want to be a gentleman."
Winter grumbled. Then he pulled Violet's hand and tickled her palm with his own.
"Just smile because I'm anxious."
"Don't give orders."
"Smile, Princess..."
"..."
"Please smile because I will never jump at a gun again and I will never ask questions about things you don't like. Don't keep looking like you're going to cry. It hurts more than the gunshot wound."
When she saw Winter tickling her fingers to make her laugh, she felt like crying again. Violet thought that she was going to cry for the rest of her life and that she was crying right now, so she pulled out the itchy hand that Winter was holding.
And this time, she looked at Winter, who was avoiding her gaze and spoke.
"I love you."
"..."
At those words, Winter looked at Violet.
"No matter what else you put in front of me, I will choose you. What matters to me is you. Your life is more important than mine."
"..."
"That's why I said I love you. I said I love you because I love you. I'm not thankful at all for getting shot instead of me. I'm really not grateful at all and I'm just angry."
Winter unconsciously laughed at her words.
Then he took a deep breath, gently pressed his lips to Violet's, and spoke without leaving his lips.
"I'm not really dead, am I?"
"No. Why do you sound so anxious?"
"No, it's too heavenly. You said you love me. If this isn't heaven, then where is heaven?"
Winter said that, shook his shoulders, laughed, pressed his lips once more, then released them and stood up. Seeing him happy made Violet, slightly angry, make a blank face, then smile very faintly.
Winter said teasingly without missing that smile.
"You laughed."
"I didn't laugh."
"Did you laugh?"
He said mischievously, then took Violet's hand and lifted her up.
"Let's go home."
"... go home."
In response to her small response, Winter burst out laughing really cheerfully this time.
***
Before they loaded all their belongings onto the wagon and set off, Giannis came out to see them off at the hospital with a worried Iook on his face, Violet wasn't ready yet, so Giannis, who found Winter standing alone in front of the carriage, greeted him and asked.
"Are you sure you're okay? I heard you were seriously injured."
"I'm fine. You'll know it when you see it."
"So how are you okay?"
Giannis gave an expression of incomprehension. Then Winter frowned at him and responded.
"You look like you should have done something."
"It's not that much, but..."
When Giannis looked like he wanted to say something, Winter smiled.
"What? If you have something to say, say it quickly. Don't be frustrated."
"After the Lord left, your secretary Immediately came running and cleaned up the area where the shooting occurred at his request. The blood that flowed there..."
"What the heck?"
Winter frowned and urged. Then Giannis spoke with a cautious face.
"I can't say that because it is discriminatory."
"Because I will not accept it as discrimination."
"It was so much blood that felt like you wouldn't be able to survive without using some kind of magic."
Winter made a troubled expression. Then he rubbed the back of his neck and responded.
"Keep it a secret."
"I already decided to do that."
Winter thought of the doctors and nurses who were surprised when they saw him alive and well as if they had seen a ghost. If his survival was some kind of witchcraft, as far as he knew, there was only one person who could make it happen.
He had just sent a Kanik employee to bring Harlin back to confirm the facts. His bloodline, which he had cursed for his entire life as a trash bloodline, slowly began to feel grateful that it had saved him and Violet time and time again.
However, if, as Violet said, his wife took the weakness of his heart with her. If he handed over his burden to a six-year-old little girl, how could he live in peace?
Giannis spoke to Winter, who was deep in thought.
"First of all. Instead of my subordinates, I covered the area with dirt to erase the traces of the Lord's fall, but I had a lot of worries while cleaning it up. But since you were so fine, I had doubts."
"..."
Do you have something to point out?"
When Giannis asked, Winter clicked his tongue with a hard look on his face. Then he glanced at Giannis and said.
"Young master, things keep getting tangled up with your ruined family. Even though I don't want to see it."
Then Giannis, who got angry for a moment, spoke.
"No, what did you just hear me say? I said I erased all traces. Do you start by saying that if there is favor going, there must be favor coming back and that you don't want to see it? Amazingly, you have such a great wife who accepts your personality."
"My wife is amazing, and I will return the favor in return for the favor I received, so stop whining."
"When did I... I didn't ask for a favor."
"Then I'll pay you for silence."
Winter shrugged his shoulders and said with a dissatisfied expression.
"The position given at the succession ceremony was also excellent. After seeing that bastard's decaying expression, all my pain went away."
"That's a good thing."
When Winter offered to shake his hand, Giannis accepted it without hesitation and said.
"I think we could be friends."
"I'm not friends with kids, go away."
"It's exactly the reaction I expected."
Giannis clicked his tongue and responded. At that time, Violet approached the carriage, talking with the workers. She was saying hello to Giannnis as he came out to see her off.
"Thank you for coming out here, Sir Giannnis."
"It's natural. Safety should have been guaranteed to the guests, but the Heston family failed to do so. I sincerely apologize."
Giannis apologized to Violet, but it was also to Winter. He spoke as if he was annoyed by Winter.
"Okay, get out of there."
Violet sighed lightly at his words and then spoke to Giannis.
"I apologize on behalf of my husband."
"You don't have to do that. I adapted too."
Giannis answered politely, smiled, and left. The couple, who had stayed in the North longer than expected, finally boarded a carriage back to the capital.
As soon as she sat down in the carriage, Winter pulled Violet close to him and said,
"Ash... You said you found evidence that that damn scum received rent money from Carlson?"
"They said so."
"Did you hand it over to the newspaper?"
"Not yet. There are times when I want an article to come out."
"When is it?"
"Hmm... well."
Since Violet didn't say anything teasingly, the impatient Winter looked frustrated.
"You're learning more and more how to tease me, Princess."
"But..."
"But?"
When Winter narrowed his brows and asked again, Violet hesitated for a moment and then spoke with a dazzling smile that Winter had longed for so much that she couldn't even die.
"No matter how much I torment you, you will still like me, right?"
"..."
Winter, who took back exactly what she said looked blank. Then he exclaimed. "Huh." as If he was astonished, and then he started shaking his shoulders and laughing, and soon burst into laughter that made the carriage shake.
***
When the couple arrived in the capital a month later, Lulu, the butler who had been lonely guarding the mansion, and Turin. the chef rushed out frantically.
"Oh my, little madam! I heard you had an accident. Are you okay?"
"Why are you so thin! I'll prepare the food right away, so get ready to eat!"
Then, Jen next to her started telling her as if she had been waiting for her
"You barely ate anything for a whole month, look at our little lady's wrist. My heart aches to death."
Although there were other people injured, everyone was busy worrying about Violet, who had become thinner. Violet was embarrassed to see a real patient so she pushed the employees away.
"I've come a long way. so I'll take a bath first and then eat. Please prepare something."
"Oh, I'll prepare the bath water!"
Turin spoke excitedly next to Jen's words.
"I'll prepare dinner right away! You must have had to eat substandard food that wasn't mine for a month, so I'm making a nutritious soup to soothe your stomach!"
The two ran excitedly, and Lulu was about to go check on the couple's pajamas and the condition of the bed, but Violet caught her.
"And Lulu, it looks like we'll be holding a Lawrence family meeting soon. The location will be our family's garden, so let's discuss it together."
"Oh, just tell me anytime."
"I feel reassured because you are here."
When Violet smiled, Lulu looked at her like she was looking at her favorite grandchild and then left to go about her business.
Winter said, holding Violet's hand.
"I guess everyone was sad that our precious little lady wasn't there."
"You too, go wash up and come out and eat. Hearing about soup makes me very hungry."
"I'm busy. Should we wash together?"
"Is there a joke now? I'm not angry yet, and you can't even get in the bathtub yet."
Violet, who was talking about Winter, was half a beat late and remembered the difficulties of pregnancy.
She didn't think she had any special expectations, but when her period started this time, she felt somewhat disappointed. And she felt fortunate that she didn't tell Winter and had to endure this disappointment alone.
Violet liked kids who looked like her, and she also liked kids who looked like Winter. She thought a child who looked like half and half would be best.
Violet knew better than anyone that Winter and she needed more family.
Violet thought for a moment, then looked at Winter and opened her mouth.
"And it's not fair."
"What?"
"You decided to sleep when you were angry, and to kneel when I was angry."
"It did."
"I am not at all happy when you kneel."
"Surprising. You looked happy."
"Why did you think that?"
"That was the look on your face. Anyway, are you asking me to apologize differently?"
"For some reason, you understood it right away."
"What should I do?"
"We share a bedroom."
"What?"
"I shared a bedroom with you at the lake house for a while... Sometimes it wouldn't be a bad idea to wake up in your arms. So, when I get angry, come next to me, put me to sleep, and wake me up. Then let's vent our anger."
"Wait for a second. You want to do that when you're angry, not me?"
Violet nodded and turned around to enter the mansion. Winter, who had a blank expression for a moment, patted his cheek with his hand and frowned.
"... I'm not dead, right? I only hear what I want to hear?"
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