Now fully aware of it, Seo-jun gave a small nod.
"Oh—by the way, would you mind explaining why your wounds are so deep? Are you in some kind of trouble?" he asked.
Chewie simply shook her head and offered a faint smile, as if deliberately hiding something.
Sensing that she had no intention of talking about it, Seo-jun didn't press further. Instead, he led her to a guest room located not far from his own.
"This will be your room. The servants have already prepared everything, so… get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
Chewie could only stand there, staring at his retreating back.
The man infamous for his insatiable appetite for women—the same noble who had once been dragged into scandal for taking a young woman in the middle of the city simply because her skirt had flown up when she fell—had just walked away without even a hint of flirtation.
At the same time, Seo-jun felt absurdly happy—so much so that he almost wanted to dance.
Rowan was finally on his way with the materials crucial to his business, and the woman who had made him wary earlier turned out to be genuinely human, not some astral being like Lucien had suggested.
Just as Seo-jun stepped into his room, a pigeon suddenly began pecking insistently at the glass window.
Startled, he hurried over and opened it. The bird immediately calmed down, even allowing Seo-jun to stroke its feathers, before cleverly lifting its left leg to reveal a small rolled letter tied to it.
Seo-jun froze, staring in awe. He had only ever seen things like this in historical novels and comics.
His fascination, however, seemed to irritate the bird, which promptly pecked his hand.
"Ow! Hey—easy—yeah, yeah, I'm taking it—"
Before he could finish, the bird pecked harder, drawing blood from his index finger. Annoyed, Seo-jun nearly grabbed it—until the pigeon fluttered over to the biscuit jar on the table beside his bed.
"Oh… so you want payment first before I take the letter?"
He let out a dry chuckle.
"You're surprisingly smart—for a bird."
He gave it a biscuit. Satisfied, the pigeon released the letter from its leg and busied itself devouring the treat. Once it was done, it flew back out the window—mercifully without leaving behind any unpleasant "souvenirs."
Curious, Seo-jun sat on the sofa and read the letter by candlelight. There was no sender's name—only a single initial at the bottom.
O.
The handwriting was messy, as if intentionally made difficult to read.
"C–ome to the mo–untain pe–ak tomorro—"
Seo-jun frowned.
"What is this… oh—afternoon. Come to the mountain peak tomorrow afternoon."
Finishing the note only deepened his confusion. He had no idea which mountain it was referring to.
Driven by curiosity, Seo-jun decided to ask Lucien—the first younger brother of Adrian Hanwick.
Without knocking, he swung open Lucien's bedroom door with enthusiasm.
He immediately caught Lucien completely off guard—standing there, clearly in the middle of painting Sora's face.
"Well—whose portrait was that just now?" Seo-jun asked casually as he stepped closer, while Lucien panicked and tried to cover the canvas.
"Why are you barging into someone's room in the middle of the night?! And without permission!" Lucien snapped irritably.
Seo-jun ignored Lucien's irritation and walked past him, stopping in front of the window in his brother's room.
"I wonder how Sora would react if she found out someone's quietly admiring her," Seo-jun said teasingly.
"Do you think she'd feel awkward… or laugh it off and leave town altogether?"
Lucien's face drained of color instantly.
He rushed over and grabbed Seo-jun's sleeve, pleading with absolute desperation.
"Hyung—no, Adrian, please. I'm begging you. Don't tell Sora," he said earnestly.
"I don't want her to feel uncomfortable around me. I'll do anything you ask—anything—just please keep this a secret."
Seo-jun had to fight hard to keep from laughing at his younger brother's pure, painfully obvious sincerity.
"You promise?" Seo-jun asked, just to be sure.
Lucien nodded furiously.
"Yes. I swear. Even if it costs me my life."
That was… more intense than Seo-jun had expected. Still, he was pleased.
At the very least, he now had someone who wouldn't dare defy him.
"Alright," Seo-jun said. "Then answer me this. Do you know where the mountain peak is—the one I used to visit during my free time?"
At that, Lucien looked even more bewildered.
That place was practically taboo within the estate. Adrian had always gone ballistic whenever anyone so much as mentioned it—parents included.
"Are you okay, Adrian?" Lucien frowned.
"You've been acting really strange lately."
Seo-jun fell silent for a moment—then suddenly punched the wall without warning.
The irritation on his face startled Lucien.
"You know what? I've been changing a lot lately. I've dropped plenty of my bad habits," Seo-jun snapped.
"So isn't it normal if I forget one or two old routines?!"
Lucien blinked—then let out a relieved sigh.
"Oh… so that's what it is. Maybe your brain's just… clearing things out," he said seriously.
"As for that peak—it's near the border of the neighboring city, close to Prince Julian's territory."
Seo-jun nodded.
"Oh. Is it far from here?"
Instead of answering verbally, Lucien grabbed a blank canvas and immediately began sketching a map.
He'd been there several times himself, usually to paint sunrises and sunsets.
Seo-jun watched closely as Lucien's pen moved with confident precision—no hesitation, no mistakes.
Lucien explained each possible route in detail, adding distances and estimated travel times directly onto the map as he went.
Seo-jun could only admire the result.
When Lucien finished, he handed the map over proudly.
"It's pretty clear, right? If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to come back. I'll explain it again—happily."
"Alright," Seo-jun said, turning to leave.
"Oh—and your painting is good. You should give it to Sora as a gift. Her birthday's next week."
With that, Seo-jun exited Lucien's room.
He'd barely taken a few steps when he nearly collided with Chewie, who looked so startled that she immediately burst into tears.
Guilt hit him instantly.
Seo-jun lifted her up and carried her back to her room, gently trying to calm her down.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm here," he said softly.
"Why were you wandering around in the dark like that? That's dangerous. What if you'd run into my father? You could've been thrown out."
Instead of calming down, Chewie cried even harder.
Seo-jun sighed, feeling worse by the second.
"Alright… I'm sorry," he said.
"What were you looking for, anyway?"
Chewie slowly steadied her breathing, though her sniffles hadn't fully stopped.
"I—I was thirsty," she said quietly.
"There were no servants around, so I decided to look for something to drink myself."
Seo-jun frowned.
"Water? Thirsty? Then what's this?"
He pointed to the glass of water sitting right on the bedside table.
"Oh… haha," Chewie laughed weakly.
"I didn't notice. I guess I was just too thirsty."