News that the Duchess of Lysenford fainted and was carried out of her carriage must have reached the Emperor. The Emperor, who had preemptively suppressed and checked the Lysenford ducal couple knowing they would draw much attention due to this Crown Prince’s engagement, must have been satisfied.

He seems to greatly enjoy manipulating and intimidating people like this. Forcibly marrying off Peon, who brought the murder weapon after killing the Duke of Austein, to Kaella was in the same vein.

Without much effort, Kaella’s mind deduced this far. In high society, figuring out this much was the bare minimum. That’s how one survived.

But she didn’t want to know such things. Kaella closed her eyes. She didn’t want to know any circumstantial evidence that might give Peon even a slight excuse.

“It’s unfair.”

Peon readily admitted it. She had no power and her family was ruined, and she was even a woman. Peon was a dragon who had awakened through countless sacrifices, so it was truly unfair in every way.

“…If you had hated me enough to have even the slightest will to live, I would have kept you ignorant.”

He would have become the most powerful and undefeatable enemy, enduring until Kaella’s last breath. The purpose of everything Peon did was ultimately just to make Kaella live on even a little longer.

It wasn’t that he wanted her to understand out of a sense of injustice. That didn’t matter. He was already a great sinner who had committed grave sins.

“But hatred is not your source of life.”

It’s only a poison that eats away at this fragile body. Even if she gave her whole body over to anger and burned herself while setting fire to Lysenford and the Crania Empire, Kaella was already too exhausted and worn out.

She knew well herself that she would burn up and disappear before the fire could even grow. So she only longed quietly for death, only for the death that Peon gritted his teeth and hated.

“You tell me to live, but you think it’ll all be over if you die?”

The woman who ordered him to live had never once said she herself would live. She only trembled her shoulders, squeezed her eyes shut once before opening them, and silently accepted the approaching death.

So you walked through the monster’s garden without even screaming. I know everything. Knowing everything, Peon could only laugh nervously.

Kind, good, wise and innocent Kaella. Kaella who couldn’t even hate blindly and unconditionally. She had comfortably hated her husband as an accomplice in her father’s murder, but now she knew that wasn’t the case.

He could have kept her from knowing, from ever realizing, but Peon left it be. He let his wife walk the same monster’s garden he had once walked carrying a box with a pistol, let her walk and finally discover him with his neck caught before the Emperor.

He would never give her over to death.

“You live too, Kaella. While pondering how to newly define me and how to resent me.”

After cleaning up Lysenford, now it’s Crain full of all kinds of poisons. It was obvious Kaella would not miss the opportunities to die scattered all around, or even throw her whole body into them.

So it was better for her to be confused for a while and ponder how to deal with Peon.

“Think about me instead of death, Kaella.”

Death was Peon’s rival. Like an idiot, he had once handed his wife over wholly to that rival who could not be satisfied even by devouring her.

He had nearly lost her twice more. He didn’t know how much he had trembled like a coward inside while watching his wife who had collapsed from exhaustion after crying today.

Fearing she might never wake up again, that her small and helplessly fragile body might not withstand the dehydration and collapse, he had been gripped by terror, counting Kaella’s heartbeats and breaths and constantly checking her temperature while imagining all sorts of unhappy scenarios.

Even if she found him detestable now, even if this woman and no other begged to be let go while cursing him, he couldn’t do it.

He couldn’t lose to death the woman who had shared all of that time he didn’t even want to go back to, the woman who had been broken because of none other than Peon himself.

Hadn’t he already lost the child? No, he had given it up wholly.

He was already blinded by the fact that Kaella, who was much more fragile and whose life he was barely maintaining now through all sorts of methods, had died alone carrying the child, shivering from cold and hunger.

Even if he was pointed at as unqualified, he would shamelessly hold onto her, embracing her and not letting go. He was already gripping her tightly.

“You’ve been putting me off all this time. You shouldn’t put off homework.”

She tried to say something more, but Peon kissed her first, murmuring. Being briefly awake was only temporary.

“Sleep more, Kaella.”

Kaella tried to think more in confusion but couldn’t withstand the weight of her eyelids coming down again. It was fortunate at least that he had made her drink a full glass of water.

“Think after you sleep.”

The most dangerous being on earth whispered sweetly while holding and patting her.

“You’re tired now.”

As if agreeing to the questioning words, her long eyelashes fluttered down then up again. Eyes holding a clear sky without a single blemish. Peon carefully stroked those eyes closed.

“You should sleep.”

You should close your eyes and sleep deeply. Recalling the time when he had closed his wife’s eyes, which had been colder than any cold, with hands numbed by the cold, he repeated the same motion over and over. Kaella is warm.

“Sleep well.”

He would take the nightmares instead, so may she only have good dreams.

Praying earnestly and waiting for Kaella to fall into a deep sleep, Peon looked at her for a long time before closing his eyes. He had to stay by his wife’s side, but he had no right to watch her sleep.

As he had done countless nights, he was quietly locked again in the familiar northern tower of Lysenford with only flesh-biting cold, hunger, and terrible pain.

*

Kaella sat quietly and thought. Though she already knew it, she realized again. You need strength even to hate someone, get angry, and take revenge. Those noble ladies who scratched their cheating husbands’ faces and threw fits must have had amazing stamina.

“There’s no other way but to eat well and build up your strength.”

Darinka, who had come this far together, said decisively. Since that was the case, she had to eat one more spoonful even if she didn’t want to, and force her body to move even if she didn’t want to budge an inch.

It was natural to be exhausted after crying for a long time with a body fatigued from travel. Crying was really a useless act. Kaella, who vowed never to cry again, had to avoid Peon first, who was the cause of her tears.

“You must avoid anything that strains your body, and there should be nothing to upset you emotionally either.”

“That’s right.”

But it was physically impossible to avoid Peon, who stuck close by and listened to all the doctor’s diagnoses and prescriptions as a guardian, nodding his head.

Today too, he volunteered to hold her in his arms and feed her each morsel of food. Not only that, he naturally took on the task of bathing her as well. It was difficult to drive him away when she had no strength to begin with.

He just doesn’t listen. Before the regression, it was hard to even see his face once, and he wouldn’t listen, but now he’s stuck close, yet still doesn’t listen to what she says.

“Aren’t you busy?”

“Except for that.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll listen to everything except telling me to go away.”

Saying that one thing while staring blankly, he then starts kissing her cheeks again and again. Do I have to cry again to get rid of this annoying husband? When she cried loudly, he turned pale and desperately begged her ‘please’ not to cry.

Honestly, that expression was quite satisfying. So Peon was capable of making such an expression too.

“I didn’t tell you to go away…”

“Asking if I’m not busy is telling me to go away.”

“No, it’s different…”

“If not, then what is it? Why do you keep asking if I’m not busy?”

Darinka wisely packed up her bag and quickly disappeared, leaving just the ducal couple. She’s sharp as always. Today too, he tried to make eye contact with his wife who started with the reproachful words ‘Aren’t you busy?’ But his wife kept avoiding his gaze.

“At times like this, you should go and work diligently, right?”

And she stubbornly raised her words again while drawing a line. There was no strength at all in the hands pushing Peon away, but he quickly grabbed those hands to stop them. He didn’t want to be pushed away anymore.

“That’s how it used to be.”

Since the Emperor was watching, he had to be more diligent, prostrate himself more flatly, and crawl like a bug without refusing even dirty work.

“Not now. Why would I regress just to repeat that again?”

Muttering slowly, he was like a predator that had eaten its fill and was lazily sprawled out in satisfaction. Holding his wife tightly with one arm and kissing the back of her small hand, Peon raised his purple eyes to stare intently at her.

“You know, so why are you asking?”

How could his clever wife, who had figured everything out after running one errand on the Emperor’s orders in the monster’s garden, not know that the situation had changed?

She would know that Peon wasn’t acting clumsily according to principles like before the regression, but was behaving appropriately, bowing just enough before the Emperor, and that even the Emperor was no longer the same Emperor from before, shocked by the Empress’s collapse.

“Today, just stay like this. Since the Duchess of Lysenford collapsed in shock, the Duke should naturally attend to his wife.”

He closed his eyes, embracing Kaella’s waist. His face looked terrible, as if he hadn’t slept. Kaella awkwardly looked at her husband before asking in a small voice.

“Your body?”

One eye opened slightly and a purple eye looked at her.

“No, since you drank poison… are you really okay now…?”

“It seems I have quite little credit with you.”

He raised his body.

“Seeing as you ask again even though I said I’m fine. I’m okay. That level of poison evaporates right away even if I drink it. I forcibly made the blood and vomited it out.”

Ah, I see. Kaella quickly nodded. But Peon didn’t just let it go. He looked at her with complicated eyes.

“Do you think I’d be done in by the Emperor?”

This time she shook her head vigorously. Then, then perhaps Kaella was worried about him? At times like this, his head spins just as he pleases. Words that shouldn’t even dare leave his mouth swirled in Peon’s mouth before being forcibly swallowed. How could that be?

“Or are you anxious that I might repeat that kind of shitty thing I did to you?”

So you must be uneasy. Peon was convinced this time, looking at the delicate face that didn’t move. See? I’m right.

“I’m sorry. I asked something obvious.”

He knows how to frighten people, but doesn’t know how to erase learned fear. No matter how much he lowered himself, endlessly treated her well, and did his utmost to be gentle, there was no way the fear ingrained in her marrow would disappear. The unclear feeling of fear or disgust would probably never be erased for life.

“Isn’t it hot? Shall we go out? Yes, let’s go out.”

Go out? The moment Kaella opened her eyes wide, her surroundings changed in an instant. She had been sitting on the bed in the master bedroom of the townhouse, but suddenly found herself sitting by the Ener River that flowed alongside Crain.

Nobles were out in small groups avoiding the heat in the shade created by large trees between the grass, and Kaella was sitting conspicuously in the best spot. Peon unfolded a white parasol and handed it to the startled Kaella.

“Wait a moment. I’ll go buy some cool drinks.”

Just as she was about to say what is this, we didn’t even change into outdoor clothes, Kaella realized she was wearing a snow-white outdoor dress. Moreover, on her left hand she was properly wearing her wedding ring, engagement ring, and even a guard ring.

Of course, the engagement ring was not just any ring the Emperor had picked out from the Empress’s, but the huge Kerban diamond Peon had given her separately.

Dressed in a spotless white shirt as dazzling as hers and wearing light, cool outerwear, he quickly moved away. The sunlight poured mercilessly onto Peon’s black hair as he left the shade.

“Wow…”

Kaella’s mouth fell open as she looked at the scenery across the river.

The majestic imperial palace visible in the distance and the densely built buildings below it, the boats floating on the river reflecting the blue sky, the carriages slowly lining up to cross the bridge visible in the distance, and the colorful summer outdoor wear worn by nobles lying or sitting leisurely on the grass delighted the eyes.

The ladies usually wore parasols, while the gentlemen wore hats. Kaella looked at the parasol Peon had given her, then marveled at the delicate embroidery on her dress. Magic that even changes clothes, how convenient!

“Oh my, isn’t it Lady Austein?”

Kaella raised her head and came face to face with a faint face buried in the back of her memories. Ah. A noble youth with a title and enough free time to come out and play leisurely on a day like this.

“Yes, hello.”

“I heard you had come to Crain.”

“Yes, the weather is nice.”

“Did you come alone? It seems you need an escort, I could…”

“I came with my husband.”

“He’s not by your side, isn’t it dangerous? I could at least keep you company for a while…”

No sooner had the words “keep you company” left his mouth than Kaella cut him off sharply.

“I’m fine.”

Of course, it was a refusal with a smiling face, so the man persisted.

“But isn’t it dangerous for a lady to be alone?”

“It’s not dangerous at all.”

“There have been some unpleasant incidents in this area. I could stay by your side for a moment…”

“Our Viscount says it’s fine.”

A clear, low voice was heard behind Kaella’s words as she responded while enduring her fatigue. Even without turning around, she knew who it was. The man mumbled an apology to the Duke, who was a head taller than him, and quickly fled.

“Do you know him?”

Peon, who had returned immediately after thinking of buying something, asked.

“I only know his face. I can’t remember his name. Ah, is it Baron Rodinal? It’s probably that, I think.”

“…You know him well?”

“I don’t really know him.”

She shook her head and then looked at Peon.

“Did you just come back empty-handed?”

She looked at his empty hands with slightly disappointed eyes in particular.

“…No. I’ll go buy something.”

He smiled faintly and turned around immediately. He should hurry back. Very quickly.