Raven Nox Margrave, head of a vampire margrave house, has spent eight years burying every emotion behind a mask of ice. To him, a fiancée is nothing more than a contract—a blood-sealed arrangement for the sake of the house, renewable every three years, dissolvable only by the council of the Seven Blood Covenant families. Love has no place in it.
But on the night he rides out to receive his bride-to-be, an ancient contract vanishes from the archive without a trace of tampering. A wolf howls from
Fiancé Before Dawn - A Back That Steps Away — An Unreachable Distance and a Trembling Left Hand
A single thread of morning light slipped through a gap in the heavy curtains.
Yuu lay on the bed, gazing at it absently. Last night wouldn't leave his head. That back, standing at the moonlit window outside Raven's room. That figure, not having touched a single sip of the blood-dew cup.
(Why didn't he drink?)
Vampires lived on blood. Even if blood-dew refined from blood crystals could serve as a substitute, going days without it should weaken the body. And yet, that person had just stood there holding the cup, staring out the window.
(Is there some reason?)
Yuu clutched the blanket to his chest. The thick blanket Raven had silently added last night. Its warmth still lingered.
(I really can't tell what that person is thinking.)
But precisely because he couldn't tell, he wanted to know.
Yuu slowly sat up.
(Today, I'll talk to him properly.)
He decided that, in his heart.
Breakfast was quiet.
A long table in the spacious dining hall. The two of them sat at opposite ends. Raven at the head, Yuu at the foot. The distance was a good three meters at least.
Yuu, silver fork still in hand, stole a glance at Raven across the way.
A black stand-collar shirt under a dark gray vest. He'd removed last night's coat, but even so, his frame conveyed thickness through the fabric. A broad chest, solid shoulders. The collar buttoned to the neck only emphasized the muscular body beneath.
(He really is big.)
Yuu furtively compared his own thin arms to Raven's thick ones.
(Those arms protected me.)
He remembered the mist-wolf attack. Raven had shielded Yuu behind him and taken on five beasts alone. With bloodline arts, manipulating chains of blood.
(It was cool.)
The feeling welled up slowly from deep in his chest.
Yuu steeled himself and opened his mouth.
"Um, Raven!"
His voice rang out louder than he'd expected.
Raven didn't stop moving his fork. His reddish eyes flicked toward Yuu for just a moment.
"What."
A low, short voice.
Yuu swallowed hard.
"Um, well, I've been thinking about yesterday, and—"
Raven silently carried the next bite to his mouth.
"When the mist-wolves attacked, you protected me, didn't you? That was really, really cool."
He said it straight.
The moment the words left his mouth, his face flushed hot.
(Ah, I actually said it.)
But he didn't regret it. This was his honest feeling, right now.
Raven didn't stop his fork.
Not a single eyebrow moved. Expressionless, he chewed slowly and swallowed.
Then he said, quietly:
"Don't do anything beyond the contract."
That was all.
For a moment, Yuu didn't understand what he'd been told.
(Beyond the contract...)
He repeated the words in his head.
(Ah. So that's how it is.)
Raven had rejected Yuu's feelings. No—more than rejection, he'd treated them as that from the very start. A contract partner. A blood medium. Nothing more, nothing less.
(And yet, why is it...)
Yuu pressed a hand to his chest.
(I feel happy.)
Even though he'd been rejected.
Even though he'd been dismissed, businesslike.
And yet, something deep in his chest was gently warm.
(This person really does see me as his contract partner.)
(He's facing me seriously.)
That, strangely, made him happy.
(Weird, aren't I.)
Yuu gave a small laugh.
"Yes. I understand."
He answered honestly.
Raven was no longer looking at him. He just kept eating his breakfast in silence.
But Yuu, watching that profile, thought:
(But I won't give up.)
(I'll make him do things beyond the contract.)
(Absolutely.)
He swore it in his heart.
After breakfast, Yuu wandered through the mansion.
Yesterday he'd arrived at night and hadn't been able to look around much. The mansion by day showed a different face than at night.
Gas lamps lined the stone walls at regular intervals. They were out during the day, but their glass shades had been polished to a shine, faintly reflecting the light. Through the corridor windows, a well-tended garden was visible. Lush green lawn, trimmed hedges, and in the distance, a heavy iron gate.
(That's the Gate of Dawn...)
Yuu approached the window.
The Gate of Dawn. The fiancé's departure was to take place before dawn, they said. The sound of the gate closing was the signal that the contract had ended. He'd read about that custom in a book once.
(It's open now.)
The gate stood quietly open in the daylight.
(But before dawn, it always closes.)
Yuu stared at the gate for a while.
(Will I leave through that gate someday too?)
The contract period was three years. When it ended, Yuu would leave this mansion.
(Three years from now, huh.)
Still a long way off.
But when that time came, how would he feel, passing through that gate?
(I can't figure it out even if I think about it.)
Yuu stepped away from the window.
As he walked down the corridor, he saw a figure approaching from ahead.
Black shirt, dark gray vest. Tall, broad-shouldered.
(It's Raven.)
Yuu's heart gave a thump.
Raven walked straight toward him, a bundle of documents in hand. His stride was swift and unhesitating. He had the air of someone calmly going about his duties as head of the house.
Yuu hesitated.
(Should I say hello?)
(Or is it better not to bother him?)
While he wavered, the distance shrank.
Five meters. Three meters. Two meters.
Yuu made up his mind and shifted half a step to the left.
(Today, at this distance...)
Close enough that their shoulders might or might not brush as they passed.
That kind of distance.
But.
Before Yuu could move, Raven stepped a pace to the right.
No—rather than avoiding him, he yielded the way.
He drew his own body toward the wall so that Yuu could pass.
(Ah...)
Yuu stopped in his tracks.
Raven didn't meet his eyes.
Expressionless, he walked past Yuu's side.
A black shadow slipped smoothly by.
"...Raven."
He called out.
Raven didn't stop.
He didn't even look back.
Only his back grew steadily more distant.
(He pulled away a step.)
Yuu stared at that back.
(When I tried to get close, he moved away.)
A small ache pricked deep in his chest.
But stronger than that, a fiercer feeling surged up.
(Next time, I'll get closer.)
(I'll stand right beside him, no matter what.)
Yuu clenched his fist.
In the afternoon, Yuu pretended to be carrying a tray of night-meal and passed by Raven's study.
(So this is the study...)
The door was made of heavy oak. It was shut, and he couldn't tell what was inside.
But now and then, the faint sound of turning pages reached him.
(He's in there.)
Yuu quieted his footsteps and passed before the door.
On the tray sat a small bottle of blood-dew and thinly sliced bread. He'd asked Seraphy to prepare it.
(Normally Seraphy is the one who brings it.)
(But I asked if I could do it.)
Seraphy had smiled brightly and gladly handed the task over.
"Oh my, you'll be carrying it, Master Yuu? Lord Raven will be so pleased."
She'd said that and placed the tray in his hands.
(Will he be pleased, I wonder.)
Yuu took a deep breath in front of the door.
And just as he was about to knock—
The door opened from the inside.
"...What are you doing?"
A low voice descended from above.
Yuu looked up.
Raven was looking down at him, expressionless.
"Ah—um, well, I brought your night-meal."
His voice cracked.
Raven glanced briefly at the blood-dew and bread on the tray.
"The night-meal is Seraphy's duty."
"I—I know that, but, um, I wanted to help with something too!"
Yuu spoke quickly.
Raven stood there in silence for a while, watching him.
Those reddish eyes were cold and quiet—impossible to read.
"...Leave it and go."
Eventually, Raven said that.
"Yes!"
Yuu carried the tray into the study.
The room was orderly. One large desk, document shelves lining the walls. The windows were covered by thick curtains, and though it was daytime, the room was dim.
(So this person works in a dark room like this even during the day.)
Yuu set the tray at the edge of the desk.
"Um, shall I warm the blood-dew? Or do you prefer it cold?"
"As it is is fine."
Raven sat in the chair behind the desk and lowered his eyes to his documents.
"The bread is freshly baked. Seraphy baked it in the kitchen."
"Mm."
Raven didn't look up from his papers.
Yuu searched for words to somehow keep the conversation going.
"Um, did you eat lunch, Raven?"
"...I did."
"What did you eat?"
"...Bread."
"Bread! What kind? Did Seraphy bake it, after all?"
"...She did."
The conversation wouldn't continue.
But Yuu didn't give up.
"I really love Seraphy's bread. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Don't you think so too, Raven?"
"...Not particularly."
Raven turned a page.
"Not particularly. Then what kind of bread do you like, Raven?"
"...I don't have a preference."
"No preference! Then what about sweets? Do you eat things like pastries?"
"...I don't."
"Wha—then what do you like? Blood-dew, after all?"
Raven's hand stopped for an instant.
(Ah.)
Yuu realized his mistake.
(Maybe I shouldn't have brought up blood-dew just now.)
He remembered how Raven hadn't touched the cup last night.
Raven immediately returned his gaze to the documents.
"...You're in the way of my work. Leave."
It was a cold voice.
Yuu felt his chest tighten.
"...Yes. Excuse me."
He bowed his head slightly and left the study.
Once the door was closed, a deep sigh escaped him.
(It really is hard.)
But strangely, he didn't feel discouraged.
(That person isn't angry.)
(He just genuinely wants to focus on his work.)
He could think that.
Raven's voice had been cold, but it hadn't felt like a harsh, dismissive rejection.
(If anything, maybe he actually dealt with me properly.)
Yuu gave a small laugh.
(All right, next time I'll do better.)
In the evening, Yuu ran into Seraphy in the corridor.
Seraphy was walking with a large basket of laundry in her arms. Her pale lilac-silver hair, translucent in the twilight, glowed faintly gold.
"Oh my, Master Yuu. Is something the matter? Your face looks a little downcast."
Seraphy tilted her head and peered at Yuu's face.
"Huh, not at all! I'm fine!"
Yuu shook his head in a hurry.
"Is that so? But if anything is troubling you, please tell me anytime."
Seraphy smiled warmly.
That smile carried a strange reassurance, like sitting beside a hearth.
Yuu hesitated a little, then spoke.
"Um, Seraphy. There's something I'd like to ask."
"Yes, what is it?"
"Has Raven... not been drinking blood-dew lately?"
At Yuu's words, Seraphy's smile vanished for an instant.
"...Why do you ask?"
Her voice dropped just slightly.
"Ah, no, well, I happened to see last night. When I passed by Raven's room, I saw him holding the cup, staring out the window."
Yuu fumbled his way through an honest explanation.
Seraphy was silent for a while.
Then she let out a small breath and said quietly:
"...Lord Raven hasn't touched his blood-dew cup for the past several days."
"I knew it... Why?"
"I don't know either. But even when I prepare his meals, they're often taken away barely touched."
Seraphy's green eyes wavered sadly.
"Lord Raven says nothing. But I'm certain there's something weighing on his heart."
Yuu felt a sharp ache in his chest.
(So there really is a reason.)
(He's carrying something alone.)
"I've seen Lord Raven standing alone at the window late at night many times. In the moonlight, as if deep in thought."
Seraphy's gaze grew distant.
"But, Master Yuu. Lord Raven may not say it in words, but he cares for his guest very much."
Seraphy looked straight into Yuu's eyes.
"Adding a blanket to your room last night, moving the bed away from the window—all of it was Lord Raven's own doing, his own decision."
"...You knew?"
"Fufu, I know everything about this mansion. I am the night-watcher, after all."
Seraphy smiled mischievously.
"Lord Raven is a clumsy person. He's very poor at putting his feelings into words. But he shows them properly through his actions."
Yuu repeated Seraphy's words
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