For Romantic Superpowers - Chapter 47 - Cold Weather (3)

#47. Cold Weather (3)

Inside the reception room, Lady Ferdinand sat, chin in hand, staring at the space where Lia had been. Though not spoken aloud, the gaze directed at her didn’t seem welcoming. Perhaps it was unwitting. She believed her speculation was correct. Most of the time, her intuition proved right.

“Come in.”

When she called, the man who had been waiting entered the reception room. He was the duke’s butler. A man capable of doing anything asked of him.

“I think we need to deflate that arrogant brat’s ego a bit. Find any potential weaknesses.”

“Yes, understood.”

Abigail Ferdinand didn’t regret the Countess Penelope. It was just that she didn’t think it was fair that someone as unremarkable as Lia should be tipping the scales between her fiancé and the man of her heart, Perth, just because she was a Count’s daughter.  

She especially didn’t like the idea that she was friends with Perth, who didn’t seem to be close to anyone. Meeting her only made her dislike her more, especially with her attitude of ‘What’s left without her household?’ She was still as arrogant in front of the Duke’s family.

“It’s annoying.”

Her creed was to remove what annoyed her. She had the power to do so, and it had always been natural.

* * *

Lia returned for the meal, but of course, it was already cleared away. As she held her hungry stomach and headed for her bedroom, Perth came to find her.

“Lady Lia.”

“Mr. Perth.”

Normally, she would have greeted him with a smile, but today she didn’t feel like it. It twisted her insides to see him unaware of the insult he’d caused her. He hadn’t done anything wrong, really.

“I came to meet you for a moment. I heard you went to have tea with Lady Ferdinand.”

“Yes. I just got released.”

Her mood worsened at the sound of her name on his lips. What was somewhat relieving was that she addressed him by his name while he addressed her by her title. It seemed to prove that Lia was more approachable than she was. 

“I came back here because I was worried. What did you and the lady talk about?”

You, right in front of me! She restrained the urge to snap immediately. Lia lowered her head.

“…About getting special treatment from Prince Alfonse.”

She wasn’t lying. Although she had her agenda, it was true that she talked about Alfonse. It was an excuse, but she was somewhat hurt about Alfonse as well.

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing, Mr. Perth?”

“Ultimately, it was my fault for introducing Prince Alfonse.”

Normally, she would have just accepted the apology and left it at that. Unfortunately, Lia wasn’t in a good mood right now.

“Why did you do that? He has a fiancée.”

“But even though I introduced him, neither of them knew, and Prince Alfonse often socializes with various women, so I thought it would be fine. Normally, there was no reason for the lady to be upset with any woman meeting him…”

He wondered why his prediction went wrong. Lia felt an impulse to tell him. The variable he missed in his calculation was the young lady’s feelings.

“Perhaps it was because Lady Lia is the Countess of Penelope, unlike other women. Unlike other women, Lady Lia has a very high chance of being able to marry.”

“Me?”

“If it hadn’t been a tradition for the Ducal family to engage with the royal family for generations, Lady Lia might have been mentioned as a candidate as well. After all, you come from a family as venerable and powerful as Ferdinand’s.” 

From his perspective, Lia is as powerful as the Count in her own right. But Lia was not in a good mood. It was another reminder that her household was the issue. Lia just wished she was ‘Lia’, not ‘Lia Penelope’.

“What does the household matter?”

Her displeasure slipped out unintentionally. Perth was greatly taken aback by Lia’s irritated demeanor.

“Lady Lia…?”

“In the end, are you saying it all comes down to household, power, money, and looks, Mr. Perth?”

“Yes? No, that’s not… “

“Enough! I’m tired, so I’m going to bed now. Please leave.”

“Lady Lia!”

Before Perth could say anything else, Lia slammed the door shut and went inside. He was undoubtedly at a loss as to why she was angry. He might continue with meaningless apologies like last time. But it was awkward to ask why she was angry. 

Lia didn’t even know the right answer herself. He hadn’t done anything wrong at all. This was just venting. Venting after meeting the young lady and feeling uncomfortable. And…

“It’s because I couldn’t eat dinner…”

* * *

The group hurriedly prepared from early morning. The journey to the Hiver region area wasn’t too far, but they had a promised date to meet. The Duke of Ferdinand also spared no effort in providing food support.

“Thank you for the support.”

“It was Abigail who asked for food support. You can see how well she takes care of her fiancé, right?”

“If it’s something the prince is doing, then we should help.”

The next day, Abigail returned perfectly to her shy fiancée role. She seemed to be asking when she had ever shown an arrogant face. Because they were closer this time, her voice was clearer. Lia found herself nodding without realizing it. Such acting skills were necessary to become Prince Alfonse’s fiancée.

As Lia and Abigail’s eyes met while nodding, Abigail briefly glared at Lia. It was such a fleeting moment that no one else noticed. She quickly put on a kind smile again, but only Lia could understand her gaze. It was a remarkable acting skill.

“Please take care of yourself, Your Highness.”

“Yes, thank you for your concern, Lady Ferdinand.”

“Please take care, Mr. Perth.”

“Yes.”

It was a scene that could portray her as a kind lady, even caring about her aide. However, Lia already knew her gaze was filled with jealousy. Unfortunately, she was the only one unaware of facing that gaze head-on.

“Well then, let’s depart.”

As Alfonse boarded the carriage prepared by the Duke of Ferdinand, the group slowly set off from the front. Lia mounted her horse. Abigail’s lingering gaze, as she stared at Lia as if she would devour her, didn’t waver until the carriage left the ducal residence. Kevin couldn’t resist his curiosity and asked Lia as soon as they left.

“What did you talk about yesterday during tea time that made the lady look at you like she wanted to devour you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe she’s jealous because I’m too capable.”

Kevin’s expression turned sour at her nonchalant response.

“That’s definitely not it…”

But Lia remained consistent with her shameless expression, refusing to tell him what had happened. Bringing up the matter again would only worsen her mood. Perth also rode a horse instead of joining Alfonse in the carriage. He made excuses about letting Alfonse sleep comfortably, but in reality, he simply didn’t want to listen to Alfonse’s chatter throughout the journey. He, who valued his outward image, never extended himself to speak to Perth outside the carriage.

It was quiet, which was good for getting lost in thought. Perth couldn’t understand why Lia was angry with him yesterday. He pondered all night, but only one thing came to mind—he introduced Alfonse. But that was already in the past. Lia wasn’t the type to get upset over such things. But no matter how much he thought about it, nothing else came to mind to make her angry. Yet, he couldn’t simply apologize without reason. He knew if he apologized, it would only lead to more insincere apologies like last time.

He tried to talk to Lia whenever he had the chance. But Lia was still Lia. Whenever he appeared, she avoided him with all her might. If he asked her honestly why she was angry and why she did what she did, she had no answer other than ‘it was venting’.

“You seem quiet lately.”

“Are you implying I used to be very energetic?”

“Surely you didn’t think I didn’t notice?”

Eventually, the two of them remained awkward throughout the journey to the Hiver region. Kevin, sensing the strange atmosphere, tried to lighten Lia’s mood. But she only briefly laughed when he joked, continuing to feel uneasy.

As they approached the Hiver region, the temperature dropped. The group began to take out their winter clothes one by one. Lia also opened her bag to check her winter clothes. At first, she thought she would faint. The clothes Jacqueline had packed were high-class, befitting a wealthy daughter. 

“Why did Jacqueline give me clothes like these?”

“Why? What’s the problem?”

“No, it’s just… the clothes are too…”

Kevin glanced over Lia’s shoulder at the clothes and quickly understood the situation. Then he pulled out one of his fur coats and tossed it to Lia.

“Put this on. Don’t wear clothes like that; you never know what might happen.”

“…Thank you.”

In the clothes Kevin gave her, there was his unique scent, the characteristic smell ingrained in clothes that have been worn for a long time, even after washing. The fur coat was so large that Lia was almost buried in it. It almost looked like only her head was peeking out from among the fur.

“Adorable.”

Kevin muttered unintentionally as he looked at Lia’s cheeks, reddened by the cold wind. Moreover, it felt strange that she was wearing his clothes.

“Yes?”

Perhaps she didn’t hear his murmur due to the wind, as Lia asked in response. He wanted to touch her reddened ears and cheeks to warm them with his hands. But since they weren’t at that stage yet, he had to restrain himself.

“I can wait for that.”

“What?”

This time she heard him properly. Kevin, who was staring blankly at Lia asking back, honestly replied.

“The moment when I can touch your blushing cheeks.”

Her cheeks reddened even more at his words. She didn’t know how to respond if he said such things when she wasn’t prepared. Other employees around them couldn’t hear their conversation well due to the sound of the wind. Lia, who didn’t know what to do, looked adorable. Kevin leaned subtly toward her, thinking he might be too severe.

“My hand is warm. Want to hold it?”

As he said that, Kevin extended his hand toward Lia. Asking her to hold his hand while riding! 

“It’s dangerous!”

“Then, if it’s not dangerous, will you hold it on the ground?”

When did he become so witty? Lia narrowed her eyes and glared at Kevin. But he just kept smiling as usual. She deliberately slapped his hand away to make a sound.

“No!”

“We’ll rest here!”

At the same time as those words, a shout came from the front. Since not all the roads leading to the Hiver region were villages, camping was necessary. Still, beyond this mountain, they would soon reach the Hiver Castle.

“Lia, fetch some dry branches suitable for making a fire around here.”

As a former knight, Kevin was accustomed to camping. He skillfully prepared for camping by directing the people around him. Lia, too, couldn’t just idle around, so she went into the forest.

“Don’t go too far.”

Kevin’s worried words brushed past her. She had no intention of going far for no reason, especially since she could be a liability to the group. As she entered the forest, there was nowhere without snow except for the path deliberately cleared. Even though she wore thick shoes, her feet felt chilled. The shoes provided by the palace didn’t get dirty, but they couldn’t keep out the cold.

“This should be enough.”

Lia gathered a handful of dry branches in her arms and stood up. Despite the cold, she continued to move, causing sweat to form inside her fur coat.

“It’s a very warm coat.”

Kevin’s fur coat was warmer than she had thought. She was admiring it when suddenly—rustle.