# 40
“Your Highness, what did you do...?”
“Those whom God has blessed with miracles must drink holy water regularly to maintain their lives.”
Helen almost lost her balance at Aachen's unexpected words.
If no one here had known the secret of holy water, Shevlin's life would have been...
“That would have been dangerous...”
“...Your Highness. Thank you.”
Helen was truly grateful to Aachen for his quick action at that critical moment.
Aachen shook his head.
“I'm glad the princess is okay.”
Shevlyn was fine. Now they know how to deal with similar situations in the future.
But why did I feel like crying?
“Your Highness, is she really okay now?”
"…Yes."
“I was so afraid of losing her, it felt like she was being taken away as if someone was waiting for this to happen...”
Helen turned her gaze to Shevlin.
“What if I lose sight of her for a moment and she gets in danger again?”
She was asleep as usual.
But the fear of her fever again, as it had done before, weighed her down with anxiety.
"Hale, it's okay. Don't worry. I won't stand by and let anything bad happen to the princess."
“…….”
"I promise to protect the princess, just as I did today. So don't cry."
Aachen embraced Helen as she cried, and patted her on the back.
The next day, Shevlin was running here and there as if she had never been sick.
“If it weren’t for Your Majesty, I wouldn’t have seen this.”
As Helen watched her, she thought of Aachen.
He returned her necklace to her without a word, a gentle gesture that surprised her all over again.
Aachen didn't seem to care at all about what happened to his twin brother.
‘How can His Highness be satisfied with everything?’
While she was lost in thought, Garen came to inform her of Winter's arrival.
“I will accompany him to the reception room, Your Highness.”
“Please let him know I will be there shortly.”
“Okay, understood.”
After Garen left, Helen turned to Shivalin.
“Shivlin, today… well, you’ll meet your mother’s friend.”
Selective in her choice of words, Helen found the right way to explain Winter to Shevlin.
"friend?"
"Yes."
“Cherry wants to meet my mom's boyfriend right away!”
Shevlyn was very excited. She looked much better than yesterday, which relieved her.
Helen took Shivalin to the drawing room on the first floor.
“Lord Rendell.”
“Her Highness.”
It was nice for her to see someone she thought was dead after all this time.
"How are you?"
“I should have informed Her Highness and left Betstein, but I was in a hurry.”
Winter bowed deeply and kissed the back of Helen's hand.
At that moment, the ribbon holding Winter's red hair loosened.
“I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to meet Her Highness again in this way.”
Winter grabbed the tape and smiled sheepishly.
"certainly."
“Meeting you, Lady Hestor Castle, now Duchess of Belzeit, is very touching.”
Shivalin, who was hiding behind Helen, peered out from behind her.
“Ah. You must be Her Highness’s daughter. Princess, I look forward to getting to know you.”
Winter knelt down to look into Shivalin's eyes, and she blushed.
..”!”
“Shivlin!”
Her ears perked up, and Shivalin ran out of the drawing room.
“Please wait a moment, Lord Rendell. I will return it immediately.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Helen apologized to Winter, then followed Shevlin.
Shivalin ran towards Aachen, who had just come out of his office.
“Good morning, princess.”
[Your Highness. My mom's friend is here!]
“Friend?”
[Cherry is happy to meet my mom's friend!]
Aachen looked at Shivalin tenderly.
Helen, who had rushed out of the drawing room to catch up with Shevlin, smiled softly as she saw the harmony between them.
'When did they become so close?'
Helen approached Shevelin, who was clinging to Aachen's leg, and asked her:
“Shivlin, didn’t you want to stay in the drawing room?”
[No, I went out because I heard His Majesty coming!]
After hearing Schevelin's explanation, Aachen patted her on the head.
“By ‘friend’… do you mean you were talking to the doctor?”
“Oh, yes. That's right.”
Shivalin looked between Helen and Aachen. Then suddenly, she grabbed Aachen's hand and pulled him towards the drawing room.
"princess?"
[If he is my mother's friend, then he is your Majesty's friend as well. Your Majesty, you should greet him as well. Friends should get along!]
Shivalin's chatter showed how happy she was.
“Shivlin.”
Helen tried to stop Shevelin with a hesitant voice.
"It's all right, Hale. I'm not too busy right now. And... the princess isn't wrong, you know."
Aachen shook his head, smiling.
“Your Highness...”
As Aachen stood beside her, Shevelin had a look of victory on her face.
Helen laughed, as if to say that nothing could stop her.
“Your Highness?”
Meanwhile, Aachen's face frowned when he noticed Winter coming out of the drawing room.
“Your Highness?”
As if nothing had happened, Aachen quickly smiled again.
' Was I wrong? No, it's not as if the Duke holds any grudge against Lord Rendell. 'I must have misunderstood.'
Helen was relieved, and quickly brought Winter to Aachen.
“Your Highness, this is Winter, who will take care of Shivalin.”
Since the title of Lord Rendell no longer existed, she referred to him by his name for short.
Telling him everything would have meant explaining the nature of her relationship with Winter.
'This may complicate matters unnecessarily.'
‘It is a pleasure to meet you, Duke Belzeit. My name is Winter.
Winter smiled politely and greeted him.
“...I hand over the princess to you.”
Aachen extended his hand first after taking off his gloves, and Winter shook it with an innocent look.
[Mom, Cherry wants to play outside].
“Outside? Now?”
Shevlin caught Helen's attention just in time. Aachen tightened his fist.
Winter's inner thoughts, which Aachen could read, suggested that he was pretending to be fine when in fact he was in pain.
His anger flared at the thought that Winter might try to deceive Helen.
“…Your Highness?”
“Just focus on the treatment.”
“I will do my best...”
Winter's face paled as his hand went numb due to the lack of blood circulation.
“Okay, I'll go now, Hale.”
Aachen muttered quietly as he left, a frown on his face.
“What a red hair!”
The treatment took a long time.
Winter's face looked serious as he carefully watched the movements of Shivalin's mouth.
Helen was worried that there might be a bigger problem than she expected.
“Your Highness, I want to speak with you alone for a moment.”
"Good."
After Helen asked Elisha to take Shivalin upstairs, she clasped her hands together nervously.
Winter was reading Schieffelin's psychological evaluation report.
When Helen saw the look of worry on his face, she asked him carefully:
“Is there a problem?”
“The princess… is very sensitive to other people’s feelings. The closer a person is to her, and the more attached she is to them, the stronger her reaction seems.”
“You mean she feels my presence so keenly?”
Winter understood Helen's question immediately, so he nodded calmly.
“I noticed that the princess seemed very afraid of being separated from Her Highness.”
“Afraid of breaking up...?”
“Recent changes in her environment seem to have ingrained some sort of trauma in her.”
Winter Helen's words brought her memory back to the time before her wedding.
When Shevlin was told that a new family member would be joining them, she could not forget how the child asked her if she would be abandoned.
“I was hoping you wouldn't think like that...I didn't realize it would be this shocking.”
Helen sighed repeatedly, realizing that Shevelin's condition was more severe than she thought.
“Children with this sensitivity usually show anxiety, and the princess seems to be no exception.”
“...I see. I'll need to pay more attention.”
“And...maybe...um...” Winter hesitated, opening and closing his mouth several times.
“When Her Highness smiles, doesn’t the princess smile too? Or has she never said: ‘If my mother is happy, then I am happy too’?”
Winter's question suddenly triggered flashbacks in Helen.
“She definitely said, ‘If I’m happy, she’s happy… then.’”
“…When I told her I was marrying the Duke again, she said something similar.”
"Her Highness's concern seems to have passed on to the Princess. Perhaps this is her way of trying to reassure you."
“……”
Helen pressed her fingers to her forehead.
She felt guilty for not realizing it sooner.
“I ask you to continue to show the Princess that you have a good relationship with Duke Belzeit, and that this place is safe for you, Your Highness.”
“My relationship with the Duke…?”
Helen answered with a puzzled expression.
“The Princess is emotionally affected by Her Highness.”
Winter spoke firmly.
“This is innate nature that cannot be changed.”
“Nature…”
“It may take a long time before you start talking to others again.”