Chapter 86. The Seeds of Winter

The Viscount’s Bedroom, Ironwood Castle

“Mmm~”

Francesca stretched beneath the heavy bedsheets as the clouded morning sun began seeping in through the snowy windowpane. She turned her head to the left and smiled lazily at Miller, who was sitting up and leaning against the wooden bedframe, looking down at her.

“You woke up early?” she murmured, her voice still thick with sleep.

“Well, my mandatory bed rest days are officially over,” Miller replied, gently caressing her cheek. “Since my back injury is fully healed, I will be returning to my duties starting today.”

“Mhm...~” Francesca hummed softly, scooting closer to rest her head comfortably on his lap as he began playing with her long silver hair.

“What about you?” he asked.

She let out a soft yawn, nuzzling against him. “We have figured out viable solutions for most of our immediate concerns. Now, it is mostly just a matter of waiting for everything to align perfectly... so, I think I will just laze around today.”

Miller chuckled warmly. “You always say that, but you inevitably end up working on something anyway.” Leaning down, he gave her a soft kiss and started to get out of bed. “Hopefully, it truly is a fruitful, lazy day for you.”

As he turned to head for the bathroom, Francesca quickly reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

“And just where do you think you are going all alone?! Take me with you,” she pouted with an exaggerated, mocking sigh.

Miller let out a helpless laugh and scooped her up into his arms. “Alright, alright... let’s get ready together.”

Dining Room, Ironwood Castle

“You have started snoring recently,” Miller commented casually, picking up his fork and taking a bite of his breakfast.

“What?!” Francesca instantly turned bright red as quiet, muffled chuckles rippled from the maids and staff standing at the edges of the room. She hurriedly picked up her water glass to hide her face. “Do you really have to bring that up here?! The others are listening, you know...”

Miller chuckled, but as he swallowed, he suddenly gasped. “Ahem...! Ahem!”

He choked slightly, hurriedly grabbing his own water glass to wash it down. Francesca immediately reached over from the next seat to pat his back.

Letting out a harsh sigh, Miller cleared his throat. “I cannot believe I just choked on a Moringa seed.”

“This is exactly why you shouldn't tease me while eating! Hmph!” Francesca pouted, mockingly crossing her arms with a smug look that clearly said, you reap what you sow.

“Fine, fine... It is my fault,” Miller conceded with a smirk, recovering his breath. “I suppose I kept you up so much of the night that you were exhausted enough to snore.”

“Miller...!” Francesca lightly punched his shoulder, her face turning an even deeper shade of crimson this time. Attempting to regain the upper hand, she quickly composed herself and narrowed her eyes. “You have been growing awfully lively lately. You used to try to hide your bubbly side.”

“Yeah, well, that tactic won’t work on me anymore,” Miller replied, looking at her with a confident smirk, clearly seeing right through her deflection.

You thought pointing that out would make me blush and embarrass me? Hah... I have practiced my composure around you! Miller chuckled internally.

“Oh, really? Then will the truth work?” Francesca challenged.

She leaned in close, pressing a delicate finger against his chest with a wickedly smug smirk, and whispered directly into his ear.

“The truth... that I was the one who kept you awake most of the night... not the other way around.”

Miller’s face instantly flushed a brilliant, burning red as vivid scenes from the previous night flashed in the back of his mind, remembering exactly how demanding Francesca had been, taking the lead and thoroughly exhausting him until dawn.

“Ah ha... I win,” she whispered triumphantly, pulling back with a satisfied smirk as she saw the dark blush creeping all the way up his neck. Humming happily, she bit into her warm bread as the staff murmured and chuckled discreetly, moving around the dining room to clear the empty plates.

Suddenly, Francesca paused mid chew. She looked down at her plate, her brow furrowing as she inspected the roasted chicken dish.

“Wait a minute...” she murmured, picking up a small, dark seed with her fork. “Isn’t Moringa out of season during the winter freeze? How do we still have seeds to eat?”

Miller, finally recovering from his deep blush, replied nonchalantly. “What do you mean? The Moringa plant itself might be out of season, but we always preserve the leftover seeds by drying them out.” Finishing the last of his breakfast, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up from the table. “Well then, I will get going. I have a mountain of administrative work to catch up on. Enjoy lazing around today...”

Francesca was so deep in thought that his teasing words didn't even register. Snapping out of her daze, she grabbed her cane and hurriedly stood up.

“Wait! Miller!”

Miller paused, turning back around to look at her. Francesca's golden eyes were wide with sudden realization.

“I want to check on something... would you mind accompanying me to the storage room down below? It might be extremely important!” As soon as Miller and Francesca hurried out of the dining room, the serving staff immediately erupted into hushed, excited gossip.

“We will surely get a crimson haired young lady soon,” one of the maids chuckled, wiping down a porcelain plate with a cloth. The maid next to her aggressively shook her head. “No way... I am telling you, it will be a silver haired, golden eyed young lord!”

“No, no. I heard that people with Mermaid blood in their veins are far more likely to pass down their dominant traits,” the first maid countered, stacking the clean plate and picking up a dirty one.

“Say whatever you want, but the Leoncraft family is famous for passing down their silver hair and golden eyes through every single generation without fail! It will certainly be a young lord with silver hair.”

As the two maids' debate grew more heated, more of the dining staff eagerly abandoned their cleaning to join the fray.

“They should just have two children, then! That doubles the chances of having both a young lord and a young lady!”

“What are you saying? Two young ladies would be an immersive joy to have running around the castle!”

“A single young lord will be plenty. They both have heavy territorial duties to attend to, after all.”

…

“What exactly is everyone gossiping about instead of clearing the tables?”

A strict voice suddenly cut through the chatter from behind the group. The maids jumped. It was Stella, standing with her hands on her hips beside the formidable Head Maid, Mrs. Voss.

“Ah... well...” The maids shifted nervously under their gaze, but eventually decided to just confess the truth. “Her Ladyship and His Lordship just seem so very intimate nowadays... they even take much longer to get out of bed in the mornings, so we couldn't help but think...”

“So you were discussing what the little ones might look like, huh?!” Stella’s stern expression instantly vanished as she eagerly pushed into the huddle. “What do you think about a young lady with crimson hair, but maybe a young lord with silver hair?!”

Mrs. Voss just smacked her forehead with her palm, letting out a long, long suffering sigh as the staff grew even more excited, gossiping animatedly about the future heirs.

But after a moment of watching them, a slight, fond smile crept onto the strict Head Maid's face, and she quietly leaned in to join the debate herself.