Olentia put on a modest-style negligee that tightly wrapped her whole body and wore a robe over it. Somehow, she felt like she couldn’t face Dimidius Belial in just a negligee. The consummation location was her room. She thought he was being considerate so that she could sleep as comfortably as possible.

Unlike usual, there were dimly glowing candles lit all around Olentia’s room. The flickering candlelight in the dark room was quite romantic. The maids had clearly put in extra effort. Plus, there was an air freshener placed near the bedroom, making it more fragrant than usual.

Were they all hoping for the Duke’s second child?

Thinking about that made Olentia grip her robe tighter. She naturally became tense and worried if she could sleep properly.

That’s when it happened.

With a knock on the door, Dimidius Belial entered. He was wearing a black silk loungewear. Seeing him in slightly loose clothing after always seeing him in a suit felt refreshing.

Olentia greeted him with the most nonchalant face possible, not wanting to make things awkward.

“You’re here? Are you done with work?”

Then Dimidius sat on the sofa instead of coming to the bed and said,

“I finished all the work for today. You must have had a hard time matching the timing.”

“I see. But why are you sitting on the sofa?”

If there was no work left, she thought there was no need to sit on the sofa. But Dimidius gazed at Olentia with a strange atmosphere. That gaze made her whole body freeze up.

“Wh-why?”

“Are you going to sleep with your robe on? If you’re really uncomfortable with me here, I can sleep on the sofa.”

For a brief moment, Olentia pondered intensely. Leave the person who said he’ll sleep on the sofa alone or try to persuade him? Honestly, sleeping on the sofa would definitely be uncomfortable, so persuading seemed right, but just the thought of lying down next to each other made her dizzy.

Olentia tightly shut her eyes and shouted,

“I’ll sleep on the sofa instead!”

In the end, this was the answer she came up with. Even though she knew Dimidius wouldn’t allow that.

Dimidius spoke to Olentia with his arms firmly crossed on the sofa.

“That won’t do. I’ve done a lot of fieldwork, so sleeping on the sofa is nothing.”

‘I’d be grateful if you say that, but…’

It still bothered her. She felt like she wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly tonight.

But then Dimidius leaned back on the sofa and spoke.

“Is there nothing you want to say to me?”

Olentia bit her oiled lips and tilted her head. She was only puzzled by what intention he had for saying this.

‘Something I want to say? What? Does he want me to tell him not to sleep on the sofa?’

Unable to easily open her mouth, she just stared intently at the white bauta mask. In the dark room, the mask felt even more eerie.

She thought that as long as Dimidius wore the mask, she couldn’t fully face him. It was quite a sad thing.

After a long while, Olentia finally spoke.

“I have nothing to say. If there’s something you’re curious about, just ask me.”

She didn’t like the act of provocation for no reason. She wished Dimidius would just honestly say if there was something he was curious about or wanted from her. That would be the start of a conversation.

Silence flowed for a moment.

The atmosphere sank to the point she wanted to run away from suffocation. It felt like swimming in the depths of the sea.

That’s when Dimidius finally opened his mouth.

“Are you close with the crown prince? I heard reports that you two met alone.”

Olentia was startled and shuddered. Because she momentarily felt Dimidius’s overwhelming force strongly.

She was anxious even when she met Legalis in the indoor garden and greenhouse. As expected, it seemed she couldn’t escape Dimidius’s eyes in the Duke’s castle. Dimidius hated Legalis, so he might have kept a closer watch.

Olentia rapidly blinked and said to him,

“It may sound like an excuse, but nothing happened. We just met by chance.”

She absolutely couldn’t tell him about Legalis’s confession, no matter what. With Dimidius’s current mood, it seemed like he would kill the crown prince as soon as he heard. Honestly, they were just in a contract relationship, so she wondered if she had to be so mindful.

Olentia gripped her robe and said to the silent Dimidius,

“And it’s my personal life. Let’s respect each other’s privacy. As long as it doesn’t violate the contract. I didn’t do anything shameful.”

Since she clearly rejected Legalis’s confession, she thought she had done her part.

After a long while, Dimidius got up from the sofa and slowly approached her. The closer he got, the more Olentia swallowed and shrank. She had no idea why she was so nervous and her heart was pounding.

Dimidius, who came close, uttered in a low voice,

“Look at me straight and tell me. What is the reason the crown prince approached you, Lady?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“Then finding out is my job.”

Find out? How on earth was he going to find out?

At this rate, it seemed like Dimidius would find out everything and their relationship would become irreversible. They had a contract marriage and would divorce after 4 months, but she didn’t want that to happen. She didn’t want to grow distant from Dimidius.

Olentia eventually clutched the blanket and shouted,

“Actually, His Highness the crown prince is showing interest in me!”

Olentia’s heart clenched thinking about how rough things might get from now on.

But she had no choice but to say it because Dimidius kept pressuring her.

Dimidius put his hands on his waist and gnashed his teeth. She had never heard this gnashing sound so terrifyingly before.

Olentia grabbed his loungewear and earnestly said,

“But don’t worry, I clearly rejected him. His Highness the crown prince must have understood well too.”

“The crown prince isn’t someone who listens. He’s a person who lives thinking he’s all that, so would he accept rejection as rejection?”

“Then what are you going to do? There’s no way.”

“I’m going to strangle that bastard right now!”

As Dimidius tried to leave the room in agitation, Olentia quickly got up and hugged his waist. She buried her face in his broad back and let out a faint breath. She only hugged him briefly, but she felt his firm body. Dimidius was muscular all over, to the point where she thought hugging him was overwhelming.

Olentia said with a flushed face,

“Once a strange rumor starts, it’ll spread uncontrollably. Even things that aren’t true will be accepted as fact.”

Olentia knew very well that the Bonus Empire was much harsher on women. If a strange rumor started about her and Legalis, it was clear that she, not him, would be criticized. She could picture people pointing fingers and stigmatizing it as an extramarital affair even though it wasn’t.

Dimidius’s chest rose and fell greatly. He seemed to be trying to suppress his energy.

After a long while, Dimidius turned around and said to her,

“You are right, Lady. I cannot bear to see you be pointed at.”

Olentia stepped slightly away from him and swallowed. Although it was to dissuade Dimidius, she felt a bit embarrassed that she had suddenly embraced him.

But she had to come to her senses and speak clearly.

Olentia urged him once more,

“No unfortunate incidents will occur during the contract marriage period. Trust me.”

Only about 4 months were left anyway. In the meantime, she just had to give Dimidius enough divine power and wait until he found someone else. It was not difficult at all.

Dimidius, who seemed to have finally calmed down, pointed to the bed and said,

“It’s late at night. Go to sleep soon.”

Olentia let out a sigh of relief and got back on the bed. She was glad Dimidius seemed to have understood.

She lay on the bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin. But she kept fidgeting because she kept thinking about when she hugged Dimidius’s waist. She could have just blocked him from the front, so why did she hug him? No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t understand her own actions.

Olentia ruminated on the same scene for a long time and slowly fell asleep.

Dimidius had been waiting for Olentia to tell him first, but when he heard the report that she had met Legalis in the greenhouse garden, he was so enraged that he suggested consummating the marriage. It was a very impulsive decision.

In the end, he found out why Legalis had approached Olentia, but it hurt that she had initially tried to hide it. Was it really because she felt her privacy was invaded? His heart felt empty and his mood sank.

Dimidius couldn’t sleep at all even when dawn came. His mind was only filled with thoughts of wanting to execute Crown Prince Legalis. If it weren’t for the situation where Olentia would receive more criticism, he might have entered his room right away and swung his sword.

Until he heard the report, he hadn’t expected Legalis’s target to be Olentia. He had wondered why Legalis came all the way to the Belial territory for a new hunt, but there was such a vulgar reason hidden. Legalis might have approached Olentia with the light-hearted intention of wanting to steal his wife. Of course, it could be sincere, but that made him feel bad in its own way.

Dimidius wasn’t lovers with Olentia, but he wondered if he was thinking of her almost like a lover now.

That’s when it happened.

He heard the sound of kicking the blanket with her foot, so he got up from the sofa and saw Olentia sleeping sprawled without the blanket.

He had been a little disappointed in her, but seeing her like this made him smile again. He liked Olentia’s free-spirited side.

But it seemed he should cover her with the blanket again.

Dimidius placed the fluffy blanket back over her sleeping body. Even though she was in the same room as him, she was sleeping so peacefully. She didn’t seem to be conscious of it or uncomfortable at all.

“Should I be happy about this or sad?”

Dimidius’s mind was complicated.