Why the Northern Duke Wanders the Snowfields - Chapter 12

He was curious. Whether she had truly loved that man, or if she gave birth to the baby out of lingering attachment.

Aware of the subtle jealousy stirring beneath his curiosity, the man asked.

“It’s fading.”

The woman, who gave that ambiguous answer, blinked her hazy eyes. A hint of irritation crept onto Kay’s face.

“He said he’d leave you and marry another woman.”

“To be precise, he didn’t abandon me.”

Didn’t abandon her?

“Then are you going back?”

“I don’t know.”

From the woman’s vague answer and her wavering eyes, Kay sensed lingering attachment, and it twisted something inside him.

“What kind of answer is that….”

His voice was about to rise, but as if there was no need to say more, the woman suddenly pulled the blanket over herself and closed her eyes with a tired expression.

“I’m going to sleep.”

At some point, the firelight in the hearth had died down, and the cabin was slowly being swallowed by darkness.

Staring at the woman who had shut her eyes with a displeased look, Kay abruptly got up.

‘No, he’s marrying another woman while leaving behind the one who bore his child. If that’s not abandonment, then what is it?’

Grumbling to himself, he tossed a couple of logs into the fireplace and poked around inside the stove with the fire poker.

At his irritable movements, the charcoal that had been holding its shape crumbled with a soft rustle and gave off its last sparks.

Perhaps because she had been pushed too hard since yesterday, the woman’s steady breathing soon filled the air.

Watching the sparks scatter, the man’s expression grew serious.

The winter snowfields were long, but they would end eventually. Once spring came and people could travel again, this cabin would quickly be discovered. Or perhaps the owner of the cabin might return.

‘What happens then?’

He had only learned of the woman’s existence two weeks ago, yet he already wanted to have that sweet body forever.

He wanted her captivating red eyes to hold only him.

Rising from his seat, the man headed not to the bed, but to the cradle.

Perhaps because he resembled his mother, the baby boy had pale skin for a child, with sparse dark blond hair covering his forehead. Maybe because he had been well-fed on his mother’s milk, his cheeks were plump.

‘Wouldn’t it be fine to take them somewhere else and live there?’

During winter, he could hunt many beasts, skin them, and dry the hides. The north was so cold that fur pelts always sold for a good price.

He could prepare as many pelts as possible, then go to a village and sell them as soon as spring came.

Earn money, take the woman and the child, and find a place suitable to raise the baby….

‘First, I should go to the forest.’

Since he didn’t know his own identity, it would be advantageous to live as a hunter for now.

‘But it can’t be too remote either.’

While he was out hunting, the woman and the baby left at home could be in danger. There were many vicious wild animals deep in the forest.

Thinking that far, Kay rubbed his face as if in disbelief.

‘What am I even doing, thinking all this on my own….’

It felt pathetic that he was making all these plans alone without even considering the woman’s opinion.

Rustle.

Perhaps sensing someone’s presence, the baby squirmed and the blanket slipped down. Kay quietly pulled it back up and let out a small sigh.

‘Or should I figure out who I am first?’

He knew. The clothes he had been wearing were made of fabric just as fine as the woman’s dress.

‘If I’m a noble of higher status than I thought, then taking care of that woman and the baby would be nothing.’

He wanted to give them a life of abundance.

But it was all just speculation. If, as he had first assumed, he was a soldier or an assassin, the situation would become complicated again.

And what if he already had another wife and child?

At that thought, Kay’s face turned pale in an instant. He turned around and glared at the woman still sleeping soundly on the bed.

All this time, whenever they had sex, he had been busy finishing inside her every time.

‘Why did I make such a mistake….’

Kay covered his mouth and chin with one hand and squeezed his eyes shut.

‘…There’s no helping it. Rather than digging into my past, it’s better to take the woman and the baby and leave.’

In the end, his conclusion was the same. No matter what, he would be with that woman.

On the deepening winter night in the snowfields, the man continued to harden his thoughts and resolve alone.

***

Morning dawned again. Aubriena, having woken up late, stared blankly out the window where the snow had stopped, just as she had yesterday.

It had been over a week since the snow stopped.

‘Winter is passing.’

From now on, snowy days would grow fewer, and clear days would continue. Then the piled snow would melt, and the path to the village would open.

‘What will happen to us after that?’

The man couldn’t keep living as the hunter Kay. The same was true for her.

Soon, the two of them would have to return to their proper places. But she wanted to stand somewhere different from before.

The place she had never dared to desire. At the side of Duke Kaeloc.

‘If I’m satisfied, like before, as a mistress who bore an illegitimate child, I’ll just be killed by someone again.’

Not just her, the baby would be in danger too.

How much had she suffered after losing her baby in her previous life?

As those memories came flooding back, Aubrianna squeezed her eyes shut and, out of habit, gripped the necklace around her neck.

“Kyaa. Pupu.”

At the sudden sound of the baby’s voice, Aubrianna sat up and called him.

“Theo.”

As if he recognized his name, the baby turned toward her. Clear sky-blue eyes met hers, and he broke into a bright smile.

“My baby. You were playing by yourself.”

She pulled the baby into her arms and bared her breast, swollen with milk. Perhaps he was hungry, because the baby immediately began to suck eagerly.

Seeing that plenty of firewood had been put into the fireplace, it seemed Kay had gone out again since dawn.

The faint fire in the brazier was likely because he had boiled soup before leaving.

“Pfft.”

It wasn’t completely inedible, but the man’s soup really didn’t taste good. He just dumped flour and butter in and poured water over it to boil, so it had no real flavor. Even so, he stubbornly made soup every morning before going out to work.

So she could eat right after getting up.

“If you slice mushrooms, add some spices, and put in salt, it’ll taste decent.”

When she spoke with a smile, the baby seemed to understand and grinned with the nipple still in his mouth. Because of that, milk dribbled down the corner of his lips.

“Oh my, our little lord is so messy.”

Aubrianna smiled with her eyes and carefully wiped the baby’s mouth with a handkerchief.

“You have to become a young lord.”

Holding the baby upright after he finished feeding, Aubrianna said, “Theo. Do you understand? That’s the only way you won’t suffer anymore.”

As if he understood her, the baby burst into laughter.

She patted his back to make him burp and skillfully changed his diaper.

The baby ate well and played well without any fuss. After playing with him a little more, she laid him down and began tidying and cleaning the small cabin.

She scooped snow from outside into a bucket, brought it in, set it over the brazier to melt, and did the laundry.

Before she knew it, it was lunchtime.

Aubrianna added more butter to thicken the soup, then sprinkled in finely chopped mushrooms and dried spices.

A rich, savory, delicious aroma rose.

Stirring the soup so it wouldn’t stick, Aubrianna wondered whether the man would come in for lunch today.

Recently, the man went out hunting as soon as he woke at dawn. He said it was easier to hunt now that it wasn’t snowing.

And instead of small rabbits, he started bringing back large animals.

One day, he even dragged back a huge bear, making Aubrianna gasp in shock. Even so, his body without a single wound was almost astonishing.

Like that, Kay returned around sunset after finishing his hunt, ate the soup and meat pie she prepared for dinner, and once the baby fell asleep, he spent the late hours desiring Aubrianna.

It was a regular and peaceful life. And before she knew it, Aubrianna was growing accustomed to it.

For no reason, she became aware of any sound from outside the door as she began kneading flour.

It would be nice to have bread to go with the soup.

When she was at the orphanage, just because she could read, she helped with the director’s work and had never done kitchen work or cleaning.

‘Working as a maid at the castle is helping at times like this.’

She quickly finished kneading the dough, covered it with a damp cloth, and set it aside.

If she left it like this, it would rise just right by the time the man returned and could be baked in the oven right away.

The baby fell asleep while playing alone, and aside from the crackling of the fire, the cabin was quiet.

Looking out the window, warm sunlight was shining over the whole world.

On a sudden impulse, she put on her cloak and headed outside.

Carefully closing the door, the moment she turned her head, the brightness stung her eyes and Aubrianna shut them.

“You shouldn’t look directly at sunlight reflected on the snowfields.”

Startled by the sudden voice, Aubrianna jumped and noticed Kay, who had come up beside her and was smiling mischievously.

“You startled me.”

There was a lot of red blood smeared on the man’s hand.

“That reflected light can make you lose your sight. Especially for someone with light-colored eyes like you.”

At the unfamiliar explanation, her pale irises widened, and her pupils, mixed with deep ruby and black, contracted.

“They’re beautiful eyes. It’d be a shame if they were ruined.”