“…..”

I wanted to say, “I’m sorry for coming in without permission,” but my voice, which had been silent, wouldn’t come out.

Belladonna opened and closed her mouth uselessly, then gave up and lowered her head.

Watching her, Escalion raised one eyebrow.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“…..”

I do… but it won’t come out… Belladonna clenched her fist on her knee in frustration.

If I had known this would happen, I should have brought writing materials…

Still watching her unable to speak, Escalion sat up in bed.

As a result, the blanket covering his lower body slipped off, revealing his muscle-covered body.

Belladonna discreetly averted her gaze, clearing her throat mentally.

Rising from his seat, Escalion lightly moved his thick arms as if they were stiff, and tilted his head side to side, making cracking sounds.

He walked to the wardrobe, pulled out any clothes, and slipped his arms into them.

“Are you just going to keep staring? Why did you come here?”

Finally, dressed in a light navy tunic, he turned to look at her.

Belladonna shook her head and approached Escalion.

She intended to write on his palm, as she had done before.

“What is it?”

But before her fingers could even touch his palm, Escalion pulled his hand back and frowned.

Belladonna looked up at him, startled.

Escalion was confused in his own way.

Belladonna had not only barged into his room while he was sleeping, but she kept approaching him without saying anything.

Having just woken up and still slightly dazed, her approaching like this was dangerous.

“…..”

He avoided me…

Belladonna lowered her head, looking hurt.

Escalion frowned and brushed back the hair that had fallen over his forehead.

“…If you have something to say, say it from there.”

No, I can’t speak…

Feeling slightly indignant, Belladonna lightly grasped her throat with her hand.

“Does your throat hurt?”

She shook her head.

“Then what is it?”

Escalion asked, his tone becoming increasingly irritated.

He had no idea what this small, inscrutable woman was up to now.

Belladonna moved her hand up, gesturing as best she could that her voice wouldn’t come out.

She made motions as if chattering with her fingers gathered in front of her mouth, then crossed two fingers to form an X and moved them several times.

Escalion, who had been standing still watching her actions, soon furrowed his brow.

“You can’t speak? There’s only you and me in this room anyway. If you’re that anxious about someone hearing, just whisper quietly.”

No…! That’s not possible!

As Belladonna repeated the same gesture again, Escalion tilted his head, still frowning.

“…Your voice won’t come out?”

Nod nod! Yes! That’s it!

Watching Belladonna nod her head vigorously, Escalion sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Right, my wife can’t speak. I don’t know what whim has gotten into you now to maintain that concept, but…”

“…..”

“At least I understand that you have nothing to say to me.”

Having finished speaking, he moved past Belladonna, brushing by her.

Feeling Escalion pass by her stirring the air, just as she had last seen in his office, Belladonna quickly reached out and grabbed his wrist.

Escalion stopped in place.

Belladonna urgently grasped his hand, spread it open, and moved her finger.

‘Sud. den. ly. my. voice.’

“Yes, your voice won’t come out,” Escalion interrupted mid-sentence. Belladonna looked up at him once, then moved her finger again.

‘Do. you. know. what. hap. pened.’

“You don’t know why your voice suddenly won’t come out. I get it, alright.”

Escalion said in a tone that showed no sympathy.

His attitude, which seemed not to believe her at all, made her feel somewhat hurt, but she also thought it was understandable.

After all, they had been conversing normally when alone before, and now she was suddenly saying her voice wouldn’t come out. It would look like a lie to anyone…

Sniffling slightly, Belladonna gathered her thoughts and moved her finger.

‘I. want. to. apol. o. gize.’

Escalion, who had been standing still until she finished the sentence, raised his eyes to look at Belladonna.

After silently watching her for a moment, Escalion opened his mouth.

“For what? What do you want to apologize for?”

There was so much she wanted to say.

Belladonna hesitated with her finger, considering where to start explaining.

Meanwhile, Escalion, who had been staring down at her, took a step closer to Belladonna.

“Belladonna.”

“…..”

“Do you know what I’m thinking right now?”

Escalion asked in a cold, low voice as he drew close.

Intimidated by his seemingly threatening behavior, Belladonna took a few steps back.

“I have no idea what you’re thinking with that tiny head of yours.”

Escalion grabbed her chin and lifted it up.

Helplessly forced to face him, Belladonna’s blue eyes trembled finely.

Even then, he kept pressing his body closer to her.

Belladonna kept being pushed back.

“Something to be sorry to me about? I suppose you did. I was completely fooled for the past two months, never dreaming you had such thoughts.”

“…..”

“The back of my head was dizzy and sore from being hit by you, but I ultimately decided to do as you wished. After all, I didn’t choose to marry you with pure intentions either.”

Slowly, Belladonna’s back met the wall.

She had nowhere else to retreat.

Belladonna looked up at him helplessly, trapped between the hard wall and his massive body.

“The Pope was clever. I knew he was a greedy man, but I didn’t expect him to use his own daughter.”

“…..”

“I’ll go to the office right now and write up divorce papers. Ah, if you want, I can also make a donation to the Papal State. Is that all you want from me? If you needed money, you should have said so earlier. You had plenty of opportunities.”

Belladonna shook her head desperately at Escalion’s cold words.

That was not what she wanted.

Escalion smirked.

“But isn’t this a bit funny?”

He moved his hand holding Belladonna’s chin from side to side, as if admiring her face.

On her snow-white cheeks, small wounds that had not yet fully healed remained.

Seeing the deeply colored scars made him feel like his insides were being turned completely upside down.

Escalion clenched his jaw and forced out his voice while trying to steady his breathing.

“When cornered, you think you can hide behind the mask of a voiceless saint again? I know your voice so well. I also know how to hear that voice when I want to.”

“…..”

Belladonna desperately held back her tears.

She had never seen Escalion with such an unfamiliar, cold attitude.

Escalion, who had been making eye contact with her, raised both eyebrows and opened his mouth.

“Ah, you said you wanted to apologize to me?”

After finishing his words, Escalion lowered his head towards her.

He roughly caught her lower lip with his teeth.

Startled, Belladonna opened her mouth and grabbed his arms.

Her face was pushed back, and the back of her head hit the wall with a thud.

“…!!”

Escalion raised one hand to cradle the back of her head.

Belladonna, with her eyes tightly shut, struggled to accept his tongue forcibly parting her lips.

The quiet room was quickly filled with moist sounds.

The act of roughly stirring inside her mouth made her legs weak and feel like she would collapse at any moment, but held tightly by him, her body couldn’t move.

Smack.

After tormenting her for a long time, Escalion separated his lips with an embarrassing sound.

Belladonna looked up at him with powerlessly relaxed eyes.

Both he and she were breathing heavily.

Soon, Escalion raised his thumb and very slowly rubbed Belladonna’s glistening lips.

Under his hot finger, her soft lips were helplessly crushed.

Escalion, who had been staring down at that sight as if entranced, soon seemed to come to his senses and raised the back of his hand to roughly wipe his own lips as well.

He pulled up the corners of his mouth and said in a cold voice:

“I made it a bit intense. It might be the last time.”

After finishing his words, Escalion turned away without hesitation.

Belladonna, who had been trapped between him and the wall, slid down and collapsed with a thud.

The sound of the door opening was heard.

Belladonna watched Escalion’s retreating back disappearing out the door with disbelieving eyes.

“My Lord…”

Wolf, who had entered the office, looked cautiously at Escalion.

He was glaring at Wolf with sharp eyes, his chin resting on his palm.

“I told you not to let anyone in.”

“I’m sorry. We didn’t expect the Madam to go all the way to where you were sleeping…”

“Check if she’s properly back in her room.”

At his words, Wolf quickly spoke up.

“I’m on my way back from confirming. I saw the Madam finish her dinner and lie down in bed.”

At Wolf’s words, Escalion’s tense expression relaxed slightly.

Perhaps affected by drowsiness, when he saw that pale face that had been tormenting him for days, he ended up bullying her for some unknown reason.

He seemed to have resented her for calmly saying her voice wouldn’t come out, not knowing how much his heart had been burning black.

He shook his head vigorously and sighed.

“Make sure she doesn’t appear before my eyes again.”

Seeing her made him feel like the feelings he had forcibly held back would helplessly waver.

Even as he vowed to send Belladonna back to the Papal State in Astania as she so desired, when he actually faced her, such thoughts disappeared without a trace, leaving only greed lingering.

Just earlier, when he was looking at those red lips crumbling under his finger, his whole body had stiffened.

‘Just one more month…’

Wasn’t the original promised period three months?

He had thought it was nothing, had decided to send her back as soon as they returned to the castle, but he needed one more month to sort out his heart that was swaying more than expected.

So for now, he couldn’t send her to Astania.

“Damn it…”

A curse involuntarily spilled out towards his foolish self.