* * *

Hernan wasn’t alone.

The tiniest, fluffiest little companion in the castle, who likely had the least to do, still managed to spend its days bustling about, chirping with ceaseless energy.

“Chirp, chirp, chirp!”

“I couldn’t agree more with Pori.”

Whether I truly understood the little creature or not was beyond me, but I didn’t have the energy to retort.

Suppressing a sigh, I shut the bag’s clasp.

“It won’t take long. The hotel is nearly complete, so I’ll have to come back soon to finalize the interior materials and move in the furniture. Even before the agreed timeline is up, if Father recovers enough to receive visitors, I’ll return immediately.”

Though he pretended to be composed and agreeable, it was obvious he didn’t want me to leave.

His childlike stubbornness, far from irritating, struck a chord within me.

Maybe I’d lost all sense by now.

“If I can, I’ll bring back fresh fruit that hasn’t been sugared or preserved. So, don’t be too hard on me, alright?”

As I scratched Pori’s soft little cheek with a fingertip, the creature turned its head with a huff, as if saying that wouldn’t suffice, and climbed up Hernan’s arm to perch on his shoulder.

The situation felt increasingly tangled.

If I had to weigh the interests of the Everdeen family and its dependents against Hernan, I’d have no choice but to prioritize the former.

It was a responsibility owed to those who had trusted and supported me.

Not because it was the “right” thing to do, but because I knew myself too well.

I couldn’t shamelessly turn my back on the people who had stood by me just for the sake of my personal desires.

“…”

My heart felt lighter than it had when I first arrived at the castle, yet my thoughts were more entangled than ever.

Just as when Berta fled with the dowry, I found myself unwilling to relinquish anything.

Back then, I’d stubbornly refused to sell even a minor share of the hotel, despite knowing it could have immediately resolved the debt, just to protect my managerial rights.

I didn’t want to let go of Hernan.

Nor did I wish to abandon my responsibilities as Nirvan’s heir.

If this were modern times, one might say, “Why not just date without overthinking it?”

But both Hernan and I were people bound by societal roles, expected to marry.

Keeping him tied to me out of selfishness, knowing he would need a partner, would be seen as arrogant even today.

“Take care.”

For now, as long as I had a clear destination to return to, I wasn’t ready to definitively choose or abandon anything.

I needed to find a way to marry into a family of higher status while maintaining my position as heir.

Perhaps exploiting loopholes in imperial law or initiating a legal appeal…

My thoughts spiraled as I locked eyes with Hernan, who had followed me out to see me off.

“…Lighten up, will you?”

Anyone would think I was marching to the battlefield.

Granted, my job did feel like a battlefield for an administrative manager, but with three guards accompanying me and Nirvan being a quiet, backwater place, there was little cause for concern.

I offered Hernan a reassuring yet half-baked excuse with a smile.

“I’ll contact you through the communicator every evening.”

“…”

Hernan looked dissatisfied and turned his gaze away without a word.

“At nine, as usual, right before bed, I’ll call you to talk about your day, any challenges, and anything else of note—down to the smallest detail. I promise.”

Rambling on like this made it feel oddly like a modern long-distance relationship, no different from anyone else’s mundane situation.

“Does that still not sit well with you?”

As the time to leave finally arrived, I took a step forward, only to feel Hernan pull me into a reluctant embrace.

His sulky expression stirred a strange mix of worry and satisfaction in me.

Moments like these reminded me that I was likely the only one who truly saw this childish side of him.

“I know you’ll push yourself too hard if I’m not there to keep an eye on you.”

His begrudging remark drew an involuntary smile from me.

Despite his frown and averted gaze, his wavering eyes betrayed him, so endearingly that I had to steel myself to suppress a laugh.

“Don’t worry. I won’t push myself to the point of harming my health.”

Hernan insisted on riding the same carriage as me all the way to the train station, maintaining a sulky silence throughout.

His pouting demeanor was unmistakable, though his lips remained stubbornly sealed.

It felt wrong to pile on more excuses, so I chose to stay quiet as well.

As the silhouette of Bailon Castle receded into the distance, a heavy weight settled on my chest.

This place was never meant to be my home—merely a temporary refuge born of necessity.

Yet, leaving it felt as bittersweet as departing from a long-cherished residence.

“We’ll see each other again soon.”

After bidding Hernan a brief farewell, I stepped onto the platform.

A fierce gust of wind whipped through, sending my coat tails flying and snatching my glasses from my face.

The world turned blurry as Hernan’s distant figure called out, his words lost in the cacophony.

How long could I delay giving an answer?

The train’s whistle blew, and smoke billowed as it began to move.

After pacifying Hernan, I made my way back to Nirvan…

“Why did you change the salt supplier? The scent is completely different from the one we used before. Even though the herbs look similar, the difference will stand out more in the final product. What were you thinking…?”

Naturally, I couldn’t help but overextend myself.

My carefully laid systems remained intact, but Father, now eager to flaunt his authority as an overzealous viscount, had approved countless changes on a whim.

Fixing all the disruptions was a never-ending chore.

“Baron Andrea offered a deal on salt from his domain. He said he’d supply it at a bargain price…”

Father’s feeble excuse from his sickbed made me raise my voice in frustration.

“I’ve told you countless times it’s not about the price! I’ll return it immediately.”

When I threatened action, the Viscount squirmed on his bed, desperately trying to dissuade me.

“No, no, even if we revert to the original supplier, we’ve already paid for it. Have some consideration for my dignity as a noble…!”

Dignity? Nonsense.

Better to bruise that so-called dignity a hundred times over than to risk rumors of our spa quality deteriorating.

“It’s out of the question. What else are we supposed to do with all this useless salt…?”

This wasn’t food-grade salt; it couldn’t even be used for consumption.

It was enough to last years in a professional kitchen, but it wasn’t suitable for culinary use either.

“Even so, we can’t return it!”

Father’s obstinacy meant I now had to devise a way to handle this surplus of awkwardly categorized salt.

It wasn’t entirely unusable, but discarding it felt wasteful… adding yet another task to my already brimming plate.

‘I need to either convince the Viscount to step down sooner or appoint a manager capable of reigning in his whims…’

Whether the former or the latter, there was no one but me who could take on the task.

Either I would become the Viscount instead of just the heir, or I would maintain a firm grip on management to prevent my father from doing anything reckless.

To achieve either outcome, I had to leave Hernan behind in the frozen, faraway northern lands.

‘…Let’s stop thinking about this for now.’

Rather than worrying about problems that couldn’t be solved immediately, it was more productive to focus on tasks I could handle now.

Checking the yield and processes of the bath bomb factory and attending to visiting dignitaries to prove that Nirvan’s heir was alive and well took up my entire day.

“Today, we experimented with adding lavender scent to salt.”

– I see.

“The lavender came out stronger than expected, so I think it’s better to use it on its own rather than mixing it with other herbs. But I’m not entirely sure if customers will feel the same way.”

I had called Hernan to chat about the day’s happenings, but unintentionally, the conversation turned into a business discussion again.

– As if your judgment could ever be wrong. There’s probably no one in the entire Empire who knows as much as you do, Baron.

“It’s not that impressive.”

– Nonsense. You must be exhausted after another long day. Don’t push yourself too hard. Or are you overworking yourself again, despite claiming you always go to bed right after our calls?

His almost eerie accuracy in guessing my habits was uncanny.

But what could I do?

With only 24 hours in a day, it was inevitable.

Our nightly calls lasted an hour, from around 9 to 10 PM, and in Nirvan, only children who hadn’t started school went to bed that early.

For adults, the night was often busier than the day, and most shops didn’t close until midnight or 1 AM.

This meant my duties as a lord followed the same schedule, naturally pushing my bedtime later.

‘Still, it’s not like I’m overdoing it.’

Ever since returning to Nirvan, I’d been feeling more fatigued, perhaps because of the unexpectedly mild weather.

I’d thought coming home would rejuvenate me, but my body felt heavier, making the excuses I’d used back in Bailon about the harsh climate seem laughable.

“I couldn’t overwork even if I wanted to. These days, I start feeling drowsy the moment it gets late… haahhh.”

As if on cue, I yawned. It was already nearing 10 PM.

– Rest up. We can continue this tomorrow.

Hernan’s farewell, tinged with reluctance, brought our call to an end.

With that, all the energy drained from my body.

* * *