Escalion passed by the bed where Belladonna was sitting and opened the wardrobe door.

He flipped through the clothes one by one with an expressionless face before speaking.

“This time, it’s lasting quite long.”

“…”

“At this rate, I might truly forget my wife’s voice.”

After rummaging through the wardrobe, he found a pair of soft pants, took off the robe he was wearing, and put them on.

Belladonna sat stiffly, unable to even turn her head towards Escalion as he changed his clothes.

“Cardinal Nicholas, he’s more cheerful than I expected.”

Now dressed only in bottoms, he approached Belladonna while drying his hair with a towel.

“After pouring him a few glasses of wine and giving appropriate responses to everything he said, he got excited and started talking freely about the Pope.”

“…”

“Thanks to that, I learned how much the Vatican was planning to make through this birthday celebration. Did you know they were taking bribes from nobles in exchange for you showing your divine power?”

Belladonna frowned as she listened to Escalion’s words.

Even at the annual national events, was the Pope using the Saint to make money?

“Apparently, every time there’s a national event, which happens only a few times a year, the people the Saint specially heals aren’t just ordinary, disabled commoners, but those chosen by the nobles themselves. The nobles receive money or equivalent compensation from those desperate commoners.”

“…”

“If I had known earlier that the Pope was so blinded by money, I should have made a hefty donation instead of taking a wife.”

Escalion’s words made Belladonna’s heart ache.

The thought that he regretted marrying her was growing stronger.

“What do you think? Do you feel like opening that tightly sealed mouth now? You need to tell me how much alimony you’re thinking of so I can match it, don’t you think?”

Instead of answering, Belladonna bit her lower lip.

Whether it was because he was drunk or if this was truly his honest feelings, Escalion was speaking more sharply than usual.

“Ah, do you think you’re the first to make such a request to me? Don’t worry about that. Since receiving my title and territory from the Emperor, quite a few people have directly asked me for money.”

“…”

Belladonna remained silent, sitting still.

Finally, Escalion, who had been examining her face, spoke with a slightly irritated expression.

“It seems you have no intention of speaking. If you’re going to keep up appearances like this, then leave.”

After saying this, he turned and walked steadily towards the table.

Escalion opened a wine bottle that had been placed there at some point and poured it into an empty glass, drinking it without hesitation.

Belladonna watched him with worried eyes.

He said he had already drunk a lot earlier, is it okay for him to drink more…?

After placing the now empty glass back on the table, a low voice flowed from him.

“Everyone wants to speak to me, but in the end, the one I most want to hear from doesn’t open her mouth.”

“…”

“My wife always just sits quietly.”

Escalion moved with heavy steps towards Belladonna, who was sitting quietly on the bed.

He grabbed her chin, forcing her to raise her head as she lowered her eyes.

“At this point, I’m starting to miss it a bit. What should I do to make you let me hear your voice? If I make this long night enjoyable… will you once again let out moans of pleasure?”

“…”

Belladonna looked up at him silently, without opening her mouth.

It was unfamiliar and frightening.

The man speaking to her with such eyes and tone was not the husband she knew.

She remembered how he had forcibly kissed her and pressed down on her body a few days ago.

There was no longer any gentleness in those beautiful golden eyes.

Escalion’s expression contorted as he looked at the blue eyes that were trembling aimlessly.

He clicked his tongue and released the hand that was holding Belladonna’s chin, then turned his body abruptly.

As if he was about to leave the room, he picked up the robe that had fallen carelessly on the floor and put it on. His massive back muscles filled Belladonna’s view.

“…Hic.”

At that moment, a small sound that didn’t fit the situation echoed between them.

Ah, no… Belladonna closed her eyes tightly with a miserable feeling.

Whether it was due to the small amount of wine she had drunk earlier with Cindy, an untimely hiccup had risen.

Ugh, please don’t let him have heard it…

“Hiccup?”

He stopped in his tracks.

He heard it. It’s over.

Then just go… Please just go…

Escalion slowly turned his head. His darkly shining eyes fixed on Belladonna.

“Did you just make a sound?”

The corners of his mouth dangerously turned upwards.

Belladonna looked up at him with a tense expression.

Soon, he who had been standing still, making eye contact with her, suddenly burst into laughter.

“Ha, to think I’m being played by the Saint. How ridiculous my situation is.”

Escalion lowered his head and touched his forehead.

After catching his breath for a moment, he opened his mouth in a very low voice.

“Get out.”

“…”

“As you know, I’ve had quite a bit to drink, so it’s not easy to restrain myself any further.”

Although his voice was very different from usual, Belladonna didn’t move at all.

She had a feeling that if she left the room now, she would never be able to meet Escalion again.

From now on, he would ignore her, and if he left for Nicholas and Astagna like that, if that happened…

Eventually, Escalion, who had raised his head, turned and opened the door wide.

“Do I need to open the door for you myself before you’ll leave?”

Belladonna swallowed hard.

She slowly shook her head at Escalion, who was gesturing towards the corridor.

Escalion immediately frowned when he confirmed her refusal.

“…Are you playing with me right now?”

“…”

“I’m saying I’ll do what you want. That Gribblata life you found so unbearable, I’ll end it with my own hands. I’ll take all the blame, and even give you the alimony you wanted so much.”

His voice grew louder and louder. Along with it, his breathing became more rapid.

“Isn’t that enough? Damn it, go to your room right now and pack your bags to prepare to leave for Astagna!! Why do you keep looking at me with those eyes?!”

“…”

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

Escalion paused for a moment to catch his breath.

An uncomfortable silence settled in the room.

He, who had been breathing heavily, lowered his head and raised one hand to cover his eyes.

After a while, a much lower voice was heard.

“If you don’t leave now, I’ll force you to make a sound. Whether by squeezing your neck hard, or by marking your fragile body, I’ll make you voice out somehow.”

“…”

“So choose.”

But Belladonna didn’t move.

It wasn’t because she was afraid of him shouting and pushing her, but because he looked so pained that she couldn’t.

Eventually, he lowered the hand that had been covering his face and slammed the door he had left open with a loud bang.

Escalion approached her, who was sitting on the bed, with hasty steps.

“You brought this upon yourself.”

He pinned down Belladonna’s shoulders with both hands and simultaneously bit into her nape.

Belladonna, who had been pinned under him in an instant, frowned.

The unfamiliar pain hurt, but at the same time, her body was quickly heating up.

Belladonna was pulled up towards the top of the bed by his touch.

She heard the sound of clothes falling to the floor, torn as Escalion roughly stripped them off.

Belladonna tightly gripped his firm shoulders and buried her face in the pillow.

The next dawn, Escalion woke up feeling a burning thirst.

With his eyes still closed, he reached out to the small table to find a water bottle, but was startled by an unfamiliar sensation right next to him and opened his eyes wide.

Next to him, a small naked woman was lying with her back turned.

What is this…

Escalion’s face gradually hardened as he frowned, trying to remember what had happened.

Last evening, it seemed he had drunk quite a bit with that damned Cardinal Nicholas, and fragmented memories were sporadically coming back to him.

As he recalled what he had said to Belladonna on the bed last night, he let out a small groan and raised one hand to rub his forehead.

All sorts of curses directed at himself rushed into his mind.

What a bastard…

After being immersed in self-loathing for a moment, Escalion slowly raised his gaze.

Damn, did I do this?

Belladonna’s white back and slender arms were covered in blatant red marks.

He couldn’t remember everything clearly, but he was certain that he had pushed and tormented her quite a bit.

Whether it was simply due to the effects of alcohol or emotions that had welled up without him realizing, he clearly hadn’t been in his right mind last night.

‘…So did she finally make a sound?’

Escalion asked himself.

He knew the answer.

Belladonna, helplessly shaking beneath him, had opened her mouth to breathe heavily and shed tears, but until the end, she did not make a sound.

Soon, he recalled her looking very aggrieved, insisting that her voice wouldn’t come out.

‘Sud. Den. Ly. My. Voice.’

Surely, Belladonna had conversed with him normally before. So there was no way that her voice, which had been coming out fine, would suddenly stop working.

But if she wanted to hide it this desperately…

Escalion’s blurred gaze stopped on Belladonna’s ravaged body.

“…”

It’s red.

Without realizing it, he reached out and stroked her body.

He felt Belladonna flinch in her sleep.

‘Damn it…’

The frustration that had built up to his chin was choking him.

He wasn’t an animal, what was this…

Thinking that last night might have been terribly horrific for her, a wave of pain washed over him.

At that moment, Belladonna, who had been sleeping with her back to him, stirred and turned her body.

Escalion, startled, removed his hand from her body.

Staring blankly at Belladonna who had turned towards him, Escalion opened his mouth and muttered.

“…Crazy bastard.”

The situation revealed as she changed position was much worse.

There was hardly any spot left unscathed.

Escalion thought he wanted to raise his fist and hit his own cheek very hard as he got up from the bed.