Luckily my worries were for naught, as the man hadn’t followed me. I arrived safely at the apothecary and managed to get a discount for Luca’s medicine with the herbs I gathered.

“Huh? For Luca?” the herbalist questioned, eyeing me with a strange look on his face.

I smiled awkwardly at his incredulous stare. I was starting to get used to everyone’s disbelief. I shamelessly stuck out my chin. “I’m going to buy some sausage to keep his strength up too, so I need a good deal on the medicine. I know you’re low on herbs because everyone’s too busy with the May Festival,” I said.

“Well, I’ll be damned... All right then, fine,” the herbalist said with a smirk like he didn’t know what to make of it.

I brushed him off and giggled to myself as I counted up the few extra coins I’d managed to squeeze from him. I took the money to the butcher and bought some sausage.

I’ll whip up a pot-au-feu with this and the carrots, turnips, and bouquet garni I’ve got at home. Pleased with my haul of medicine and meat, I shuffled home cheerfully. Suddenly, I ran into a group of young women, of about my age, gathered in one corner of the village. As I approached, they called out my name.

“Oh look, it’s Judith.”

“Where’d you come from?”

“What?” I was caught off guard. I peered around at them, not sure what they were getting at.

The pluckiest member of the group shot me a frigid, jealous glance. It was Leah, the one Thomas mentioned. What’s she doing here? I thought she was busy flirting with some noble gentleman.

She must’ve caught something from my look because her face contorted like her pride was wounded. She immediately hid her true feelings and acted casual. “I made a pass at a young nobleman earlier, but he only wanted to know where your house was. I figured you’d be at home, working your wiles on him, but I guess not?” she said.

“I— What? A nobleman?” I said.

“Yeah. Dressed like a general, with a nice body. A little bit blunt and intimidating, but it doesn’t matter. You don’t know him?” she said.

Why would a man in military uniform be looking for the Maibaum house?

“Wait,” I said as a thought suddenly dawned on me—the next thing I felt was the blood draining from my face. Surely this wasn’t the year that Ruediger was coming for Luca. In the novel, Luca had definitely been ten years old when we left for Winterwald. It was then that I realized my error.

Judith Maibaum! Are you stupid? How could you not know your own nephew’s age? My calculation that I still had a year left was thrown off by Judith’s bad memory. She really thought her nephew was still nine years old.

He was still so small that I assumed she must be right—though of course, he was small, he’d never eaten properly. I knew it. I knew something was off when he got sick just in time for the May Festival. Two years in a row, what are the chances?

I wanted to pull my hair out at the sudden turn of events. What could I do? There were still so many things I wanted to do to help take care of him. I wasn’t ready. Leah didn’t have the slightest inkling of my inner panic. She was just curious how I’d seduced her man.

She slyly prodded for answers. “So, how’d you do it? Honestly, it didn’t seem like just a pretty face would do. He looked very particular,” she said.

I wasn’t in the mood to go back and forth with her. The thought that Ruediger Winterwald might be standing in front of my house made my mouth go dry. “Um, sorry Leah. Let’s talk some other time. I’ve gotta go,” I said.

“Huh? Hey, Judith!” she called after me as I stammered out an end to the conversation and ran toward my house, clutching my things to my chest.

Leah’s shouts followed behind me. “Come on, Judith! Really? Ditching your friend for some guy?”

* * *

I paid no attention to Leah’s shouts and rushed home in a tizzy, as fast as I could. How could it be so far? I ran and ran, but it felt like I’d never get there. I prayed it was all some big misunderstanding on Leah’s part. Maybe the man she talked to was looking for someone else.

My prayers were for nothing. When I got close to home, I saw a well-built man already standing right there on my doorstep. At least Luca hadn’t dragged himself out of bed to open the door for him.

I slowed my sprint to a walk and tried my best to catch my erratic breaths. The man knocked on the front door a few more times. Assuming no one was there, he sighed and turned around. At that moment, our eyes met.

My breath caught in my throat. No way! The author never mentioned he was this good-looking. His black hair, deftly slicked-back under his army cap, had a faint blue sheen like the feathers of a kingfisher. As dark and distinct as his hair, were his strong eyebrows and eyelashes.

Looking out at me from beneath his brow, his gray-blue eyes had an entrancing pull like a rainy sky. The sharp bridge of his nose, his tightly closed lips, and his firm jaw made him look stubborn and inflexible. Still, he had undeniable appeal, especially when considering his straight, elegant neck surging from his raised collar or his broad shoulders filling out his uniform. That’s not even to mention his long arms and legs, which were wound tightly with muscle like a stallion.

I gulped. I’d stopped in my tracks without realizing it. Get a hold of yourself! If he hadn’t been looking, I’d have smacked myself to come to my senses. I was surprised when I first laid eyes on Luca’s angelic face but in a man my age—a man who might inspire romantic feelings—such overwhelming good looks struck me as altogether violent. My heart thumped wildly in my chest.

Of course, after getting used to the potatoes rolling around in the village, I was bound to be excited by a handsome apple plopping down right in front of me. How could Leah have described such a man as “blunt” and “intimidating”?

Was he too tall for her to get a good look at his face? Maybe. Leah was a hair shorter than me, after all. Unable to comprehend her, I stood there at a loss for words. In the meantime, the man who very well might have been Ruediger stepped toward me.

His height was imposing even from a distance, but when he stepped closer...

Hold on, wait.

His size startled me and I took a step back without thinking. Judith was not a particularly short woman, but my eyes were right at his chest. I was just a bit flustered, but he seemed to think I was outright frightened.

He stopped and didn’t come any closer, but was looking directly at me. His powerful gaze conveyed the ease and grace of someone who’d always been in a position of strength. It was all a bit overwhelming. My mouth felt dry as I tried to swallow.

“So, we meet again,” he said.

Tall, handsome, and the most perfect voice. God did not make all men equal. Lost in my appreciation of the gifts bestowed upon this man, I didn’t actually understand his words until a moment later.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

Meet again? There’s no way I could’ve forgotten meeting him. At my puzzled look, he responded calmly.

“Earlier, in the street,” he said.

“Oh! Oh, right,” I said, realizing only then where I’d encountered him. His voice was familiar. The voice of the man I bumped into in the village square. The low vibration that sent a tingle down my back. Right. There couldn’t be two people with a voice like that.

I felt my eyelids flutter as I looked up at him. How were we already so tangled up in each other’s business? Whatever will be will be.

He held out his hand to me. Earlier, it was to help me up, but this time it was to shake hands.

“Let me introduce myself. My name is Ruediger Winterwald, Viscount Jaxen, Colonel in the Romgath Royal Army Central Command. Are you the mistress of this house?”

“Yes. What brings a noble of the House of Winterwald to our humble home?” I asked innocently, even though I knew the whole story. I reached out and shook his large, gloved hand.

“Do you know of Jonas Winterwald?” he asked.

“Jonas?” I repeated.

Of course, I knew, but Judith didn’t know yet. I feigned ignorance and overreacted. Pretending as though it was the first time I was hearing the name. “Oh, I don’t know any Jonas. Maybe you have the wrong house?” I said.

“No. If this is the Maibaum house, I’ve come to the right place,” he said firmly. His absolute confidence in his assessment was like a judge handing down a verdict.

I shrugged and responded casually. “Well, if you insist. Why don’t you come inside? My weary legs would prefer to sit for your story.”