After a sweet week of vacation, Hayel's expression brightened up like never before. Hayel reported the situation to Winter, who had just arrived in Longwood, in an enthusiastic voice.
"Of the five buildings you purchased, two are extensions to the existing buildings, so they will be able to accept students by the middle of next month, and the remaining three will be able to accept students starting next fall. We have already received over a thousand applications."
"When did you start school originally?"
"Isn't October admission typical for Rockround? It's a bit late, maybe mid-next month, but I think everyone will be grateful for that."
"I should have gone to school to know."
Children of noble families were taught various things by their tutors by the age of five or six at the latest and entered school at the age of seven. Winter was too late, and because he was much larger than his peers, it was difficult for him to study with children five or six years younger, both visually and in terms of his personality.
If that was the case, his parents should have arranged for a tutor for him, but the Duke and Duchess of Blooming were not that fond of Winter.
"So isn't it meaningful? A man who has never been to school establishes a school."
"Shut up, this is my wife setting up."
"Yes. Externally, the little lady's praise is already spreading throughout the South."
After returning from rest, Hayel had become more open-minded and was accepting Winter's wild behavior with a cheerful attitude.
The first school to be completed was an extension of the community hall in south-central Rockround, 5km from Kaftown Station. The whole Kaftown area was excited by the news that a school was being built nearby.
Hayel spoke to the children who were clinging to the fence surrounding the school and looking at the construction site with faces full of anticipation.
"Are you guys going to this school?"
Then a girl answered with sparkling eyes.
"Yes! Mom originally said that I should never go alone because the school is far away, but she said she'll let me go to school starting next month!"
Hayel smiled proudly at the child's happy expression.
Winter glanced at the child, clicked his tongue, and said.
"Little girl."
"Yes?"
"If a stranger talks to you, ignore him. You understand? That's the world."
"Yes? Yes, yes..."
The child flinched and turned back to her friends. After scaring them like that, Winter said to Hayel.
"Just give me the uniform. It's my first school."
"Yes, yes. While you're at it, why don't you give out school supplies too?"
"You can use your own discretion in that regard."
Hayel chuckled at Winter's harsh words. When Winter announced at the Northern Lodge meeting that he would build a school to move southern workers as revenge, the staff couldn't believe that the plan came from the boss's entrenched mind. On the other hand, Hayel knew that Violet's uprightness had played a big role in Winter's use of such altruistic methods.
In addition, Winter originally cared for children quite a bit. Although he spoke to children in an aggressive tone as he did to adults, he did not try to gain an advantage over them.
"You know that, Sir?"
"What."
"Little Madam, she is too much for the CEO."
"You have more energy because you rested? Why are you saying something so obvious? This is why you shouldn't give vacations."
Winter frowned as if he didn't understand.
And he asked, did he remember the story about school uniforms?
"What school did Violet go to?"
"I assume she graduated from the Royal School in the capital?"
"Ah, that school whose logo is a crown."
"It's a logo. It's a coat of arms, Sir. It's also a coat of arms that symbolizes the seven Kings of the past."
Hayel grumbled and then pretended to cover his mouth with his hand. After a while, Winter continued.
"It would have been cute."
"Of course the little lady was cute."
Winter nodded silently. He still had a desire for Violet's child. He really didn't care one bit if it wasn't his child.
Thinking about the children who resembled his wife made his breath stop. No matter how much trouble they caused, he was sure he wouldn't be able to scold them. If they resembled his wife, he would be so sure that he couldn't move as if the little ones were giants.
But this was something that had to end in imagination. His wife loved him. No matter how much she wanted children, there was no way. It was a happy thing. It was just accompanied by a little loneliness.
Winter, who had been silent for a while, opened his mouth.
"Are there any pictures or drawings of Violet in her Royal School uniform?"
"At that time, the photographs would hardly be able to distinguish laces. But the paintings would be in the Royal Museum."
"Buy it."
"... Yes?"
"Buy it."
"That, that... You should go and see it. It's not for sale, is it?"
"So?"
Hayel shrugged his shoulders as if to ask what Winter wanted him to do.
"I will buy it."
Hayel answered with resignation. It was clear that it would be easier to break Rockround's rules than to break Winter's stubbornness.
***
When Winter returned to the capital by train, it was already very late.
Je thought it would be better to go on a business trip than to go out and come back often, so he checked out Longwood and Cape Town and when he came back, a week had passed.
Normally, he would have gone to work and finished his work, but now, seeing his wife's face came first.
When he saw the children excited about the new school, he felt happy but also empty inside. He always hated school uniforms. The thing that made him the most ashamed was the uniform. It was because he felt like he was back to being that little orphan who envied the kids in uniforms.
As soon as Winter got out of the carriage, he went straight to Violet's room without stopping by his own room. It was past midnight, so his wife was probably asleep, but he still wanted to see her.
It was a humiliating experience for a man to seek out his wife whenever he was sad. But it couldn't be helped because she had trained him that way, and he also wanted to do the same.
In the meantime, he was a helpless person because he wanted to see his wife enter school. Winter carefully opened Violet's bedroom door, which did not respond to his knocks, and went in. Then, as he approached the bed, he could hear his wife's soft breathing. That alone relieved the tension in his entire body.
The capital city was already chilly after the sunset. Looking at the fireplace filled with firewood, he remembered his wife's expression as she laughed at his joke about not being able to buy firewood.
Winter knelt under the bed so as not to wake his wife, resting his chin on his arm that was propped up on the bed and looking at Violet.
"... I'm back, princess."
As he quietly greeted her, Violet's eyelids fluttered slightly and she opened her eyes. She blinked and looked at him before slowly getting up. As he was about to apologize for waking her up, Violet hugged Winter's neck. Winter, who had come in from outside, felt the cold air and Violet's warm body temperature mixed together.
"Is it cold outside?"
"Cold."
"Go wash up quickly and come back. I'll be waiting."
"Sleep more."
"I want to hear about your business trip."
Winter burst out laughing again at Violet's sleepy face as she continued to nudge him without answering. He laid Violet back down and headed to the bathroom.
***
When he came out of the bath and put on his pajamas, he saw that Violet had been quite asleep. He came back with a letter.
Winter said, sitting up on the bed.
"Your mother sent it to you. Lulu gave it to you."
"Really? What could it be?"
Violet opened the letter, puzzled. Catherine's letter was full of lines about wanting to meet soon and apologize. Winter chuckled as he read it together.
"What are you talking about? Give me the letter back. I'll throw it away."
"But if she contacted me, it would be polite to meet up..."
"Polite?"
Winter took the letter from Violet's hands and tore it up on the spot.
"You only need to be polite when you don't suffer any losses from being polite. Why would you meet someone who came to you to ask you to solve a problem because he or she Is dying? I made money because the nobles were so obsessed with being polite."
"Well, if you put it that way, I'm grateful."
Violet looked at the letter he had torn to shreds in embarrassment. Winter continued.
"I won't let anyone from the Blooming family enter my house, so they won't come to this house. You won't have to make an effort to meet them either."
"..."
"I'll take care of my parents' business. Don't call me rude until I do that."
"Then... I will. If you don't want it, I don't want it either."
Violet nodded as if she had made up her mind. Her answer made Winter happy, and at the same time, agreed several times greater than that of others that he was born with raised its head.
He wrapped his hand around Violet's chin and pulled her toward him. The sleepiness was running away from Violet's eyes, which were a mixture of colors, mixed with the fireplace light.
"Winter?"
"You will always be safe when you are in this house."
He wants people to stay out of his house so that no dangerous people can enter.
Winter had those words boiling inside him every day. He'll make the place she stays a paradise, so don't leave it.
Her gaze is so firm, so why does he still feel afraid of being abandoned?
Winter forced a smile and let her go, then said.
"Ah, school."
"School?"
"Where did you go? You. Basic training, I mean."
"I went to the Royal School."
"Of course."
"I really like the school. The building is over 300 years old, but it's still very sturdy."
"I'm curious about that. Should we go and take a look?"
When Winter asked, Violet hesitated and then shook her head firmly.
"That won't work."
"What? Why?"
When Winter looked dumbfounded, Violet said with her blue eyes filled with playfulness, as if she was joking.
"I was wondering if you might like it and want to buy it."
"Oh, you worry so much. No, is there any reason why I shouldn't buy it in the first place? It looks like you really like your school, so it would be nice if your beloved husband bought it for you."
"I don't like it. Let school be school. It feels weird to be surrounded by your buildings."
"What the..."
Winter made a resentful expression, but he couldn't hide the corners of his mouth twitching because he knew that Violet was teasing him about buying so many buildings. She would probably be surprised when she noticed that buildings were being built haphazardly in the future.
In the end, he burst into laughter, and Violet laughed along with him. While they were talking, Violet fell asleep first, and Winter stared at her for a while longer.
Then, without realizing it, he took out another letter that he had stuffed into his coat pocket and placed it on Violet's bedside table.
It was a letter from Peren Doss of the Duchy of Doss. Winter felt ashamed of himself for stealing the letter out of jealousy just because it was from an unmarried man, even though he knew full well that it was nothing special.
He couldn't help it anymore and stretched out his arm to pick up the letter again. In the past, he would have opened it without hesitation, checked the contents, and ordered his subordinates to restore it to its original state... But...
Winter looked at Violet.
"If you read this, you'll call me a rude villain?"
Winter muttered and took a long sigh before placing the letter back next to her, turning his back on Violet and pulling the covers over him so he wouldn't have to look at it again.
Suddenly, he wondered what was important about school.
Anyway, they won't be able to tame him as effectively as his wife.
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