“Ugh. Ugh. Aah…! Ugh!”

Yuriella’s warning was wrong.

Frost groaned, biting his lips each time the silver needles were mercilessly inserted around the wounds from his shoulders to chest and abdomen.

It hurt.

Not just a sharp sting, but a pain that took his breath away.

He had experienced being bitten on the shoulder by monster teeth and stabbed in the stomach by barbarians’ curved swords.

But the pain felt when these thin needles pierced was on a different level.

As if the needles placed so far were just a joke, his whole body screamed each time Yuriella inserted a needle into the affected area.

“Breathe! Breathe!”

“I am breathing…”

“No, you’re not.”

How sharp. Instead of breathing as told, he had been busy cursing the Mage Tower Master in his mind.

“(Wow!) Look at this, Your Grace. The healing energy has become even more intense, hasn’t it?”

Again. Every time she took out a new needle and infused it with healing energy, Yuriella exclaimed in admiration. Frost’s mood soured in anticipation of what would follow, chewing on curses.

“I’m already so grateful that you woke me up. And it seems my healing ability has improved too! Can you feel it, Your Grace?”

A warm energy spread through the affected area, bringing a refreshing sensation, but…

“Ugh. Urgh!”

Frost forgot to breathe again, his mood twisted by his wife’s repeated praise and gratitude for the Mage Tower Master.

“Exhale deeply when the needle goes in. Hoo~ Hoo~.”

“Hoo~ Hoo~. Hoo, hoo, ugh!”

He kept losing focus on his breathing, preoccupied with thoughts of how the Mage Tower Master had saved his wife three times, wondering about their first encounter and how they met the second time. Each time he lost focus, a piercing and intense pain that threatened to overwhelm him struck.

Frost gripped the sheets tightly and groaned.

“Ngh… Nngh…”

“It’s okay. We’re almost done. Just bear with it a little longer.”

The goal is right there, the hard part is over. But things that are said to end quickly rarely do.

“Urgh… Ngh…”

He wished this pain would end soon.

Yet he also wished it would continue a little longer.

Because those clear, red eyes he had feared never seeing again were looking down at him.

Because it pleased him immensely that the soft, white hands that never responded no matter how tightly he held them were now busily touching his body as if swimming.

Because only he could see that lovely expression as she bit her small lips and furrowed her brow while inserting the needles.

Even as he groaned, Frost took in every small expression, every subtle movement of Yuriella’s, not missing a single detail.

Looking at the woman before him, again and again, only intensified a thirst like drinking in the North Sea.

It was a thirst he had never felt before in his life.

“Yuriella.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Frost.”

“Pardon?”

“I am not Yuriella’s superior. What I have with you is a marital contract, not a master-servant relationship.”

Even as he said this, Frost wondered if there was really a need to make this political marriage a contract marriage.

It also bothered him that she had said she would leave far away when the contract period ended.

Even the imperial capital Yurahil was dangerous for a woman to live alone.

Airy, whom Yuriella trusted as her partner, seemed like she would only be a burden to Yuriella based on his direct observation – worse tempered and more childish than the rumors suggested.

‘She can’t even summon the sword’s true form, so she seems quite useless.’

Frost had conveniently erased from his mind all the many things Airy could do even in her current state.

“Frost.”

As his name flowed from Yuriella’s lips after a moment’s hesitation, the thirst scorching his throat was quenched by a sip of water.

Frost’s blue eyes curved slowly.

How strange.

It was the name he had since birth. He had regarded it indifferently, as merely a label to distinguish himself from others.

“Once more.”

“…? Frost.”

When she called that name, he finally felt like he had become the true Frost.

“Yuriella.”

Do you feel the same when I call your name?

“Yes. Frost.”

I don’t know. I want to know. Should I ask?

“Yuriella.”

“…? Yes, Frost.”

“Shall we go on a honeymoon?”

Though he never postponed questions he was curious about,
Frost voiced one of the things he had regretted while watching over the sleeping Yuriella, instead of asking the question he feared the answer to.

The honeymoon was the first item he had excluded from the list of superficial contract marriage events.

The once-in-a-lifetime outing that the bride looks forward to most. The dreamy, sweet time for just the newlyweds.

“Huh? Do we really need to go on a honeymoon for a marriage that’s not even real?”

“If it’s bothersome, we don’t have to go. I’ll just face some criticism and take a small loss.”

“What? Why should Frost be criticized and take a loss?”

Frost deliberately let out a big sigh and furrowed his brow.

“People will say I’m crazy about my mistress and neglecting my wife. Is that such a big deal?”

“Ah.”

Yuriella nodded and narrowed her eyes.

It’s true that Your Grace is crazy about Shavell, but it would be troublesome to let Your Grace be criticized because of her.

“Duke Grande would also be reluctant to support an inconsiderate son-in-law who doesn’t even take his precious daughter on a honeymoon.”

“The precious daughter… And no one in the North would dare to cling to Frost. They’d have to have a death wish.”

Yuriella smiled as she refuted the Grand Duke’s words, but her hands never stopped the treatment of inserting needles into the wounds and pushing green healing energy deep into the skin.

Enduring both the intense pain and the ticklish sensation of her fingers, Frost shifted his thoughts to another topic to distract from the pain instead of focusing on his breathing.

“Who do you think turned Commander Solas Moretti’s holy sword into a demon sword?”

Yuriella’s busy hands stopped abruptly at the unexpected question.

She already knew the answer to that question.

The Empress Dowager and Carina, and that bastard Emperor…

“The Emperor and his closest aides. Probably the Empress Dowager and someone skilled in black magic? That someone would have to be extremely capable to turn a holy sword into a demon sword. With the suspicious movements detected around the Great Temple lately, it’s likely someone from there.”

Yuriella’s lips parted in a “heh”.

“Did you already hear from Cassandra?”

“No. Did Cassandra tell you such things? That’s unexpected. I heard she didn’t open her mouth even when Commander Leo tortured her quite severely.”

“Then how did you know?”

“It’s not difficult to guess that. What’s difficult is…”

Frost let out a shallow sigh and gave a faint smile.

“Not knowing who their hands and feet are.”

“Hands and feet…?”

“The one who tampered with the Flame Sword Flama was likely one of the very insignificant people around Commander Solas. They might target us next. After all, I’m also standing opposite the Emperor.”

“Very insignificant people…?”

“Yes. So faint and indistinct that you wouldn’t even think to be wary of them.”

For instance, a young boy. Or a kind-hearted middle-aged woman. Or an elderly person who can barely support themselves with a cane.

As Frost’s words continued, faces came to Yuriella’s mind.

People she hadn’t been wary of even when she was a knight hiding her face.

The young stable boy Sebastian. Mrs. Sharona who would come early in the morning to cook meals. The limping homeless old man Antonio whom they had taken in for a few days before the Northern subjugation…

‘Was it one of them? Or all of them?’

She had only thought of the Emperor, Empress Dowager, and the Holy Maiden candidate.

While she had been fixated on the visible heads, the Grand Duke had been gauging the hands and feet moving busily beneath the surface.

Would they only be in the capital? They would likely be spread throughout the empire, even to the capillaries of this northern region.

“Frost’s words make sense.”

If we don’t go on a honeymoon, suspicious eyes will arise regarding our marriage.

Moreover, Duke Grande’s mood is already soured after the Grand Duke cracked his eldest son’s skull. So we shouldn’t give him reason to harbor resentment over something as trivial as a honeymoon. Let alone allow him to spread that resentment to others.

“Let’s go on the honeymoon.”

When the awaited answer flowed from those pretty lips, a satisfied curve appeared on the Grand Duke’s refined and proper lips.

A movement so subtle that even the perceptive Yuriella couldn’t notice.

It was also the moment when a rather persistent and intelligent schemer’s aspect, which even Frost himself was unaware of, first revealed itself.

“By the way, Yuriella.”

“Yes, Frost.”

The Grand Duke’s eyes curved gently at the sweet voice calling his name.

Yuriella unconsciously gulped.

Not missing her reaction and keeping his gaze fixed, the Grand Duke displayed an even more seductive smile on his sculpture-like face and said:

“Speaking of which. Where did Airy take Cassandra Cabeza?”

“To the dungeon. To make it seem like Frost never took her out of there.”

Yuriella omitted mentioning that she had intended to kill the black mage. And that she had pondered how to make the cause of death appear natural.

That was something Solas Moretti might say, not words fitting for the mouth of the foolish young lady who had been a medicine peddler and dancer.

“But we brought her back. The black mage had quite useful things to say. I’m sorry. I made the decision on my own without asking for permission…”

Yuriella lowered her eyes and rounded her shoulders as if checking his reaction.

Regretting that the clear and pure red eyes were hiding beneath her eyelids, Frost reached out and gently lifted Yuriella’s chin.

“…!”

Yuriella’s cheeks flushed bright red at the subtle warmth touching her chin.

“Husband and wife are equals, so you don’t need to ask my permission. Do whatever you judge best. I’ll follow your lead, no matter what it is.”

Not dreaming that he would soon regret those words, Frost displayed a barely perceptible, profound smile on his sculpture-like handsome face while cupping her chin, like a peacock spreading its beautiful tail in courtship.

Perhaps it was a desperate instinct foreseeing the bloody competition with a future rival that made him recall a description of himself from a gossipy capital magazine he had once dismissed as utterly useless trash – ‘A charm that seems to blend a divine aura with the pure boyishness that captivates the eyes of many women and elicits admiration.’

Yuriella’s heart sank with a ‘thump’.

But it was a slightly different ‘thump’ than what the Grand Duke expected.

‘The Grand Duke’s smile is more dangerous than a venomous fang. I almost fell for it. He would be greatly disappointed if he knew. I must keep my wits about me.’

Yuriella cooled her mind and returned to her duties.

She removed all the needles she had inserted into the Grand Duke and neatly placed them in the case. Then, straightening her back with her hands folded properly, she began her report.

“I would like Cassandra Cabeza to disguise herself as my maid and stay with us from now on. Since she’s said to be the empire’s top black mage, I thought she could be useful to have around and make use of.”

“Do that.”

Frost answered leisurely, still maintaining his pose and smile.

“We put a pig transformed to look like Cassandra in the dungeon, and Cassandra used an illusion spell to take on the appearance of an ordinary maid. The maid who greeted you at the door earlier. You didn’t notice, did you?”

Frost keenly noticed that there was an omitted subject in Yuriella’s words.

“Transformation, illusion spell. Those words bring someone to mind.”

A crack appeared in the carefully crafted smile.

“The Mage Tower Master lives up to her reputation. Moreover, she graciously agreed to Airy’s request to stay at the Grand Duke’s residence for a while, since the fusion of my soul and mind might still be imperfect.”

“The Mage Tower Master is going to stay here?”

“We’ll tell the servants that I hired her as my personal physician. I was worried you might be displeased that I decided on my own. But I’m really grateful that you trust and follow my judgment, Frost.”

“Ah…”

Regret for shooting himself in the foot came belatedly, but he couldn’t take back words already spoken.

And.

She’s bursting into such a bright and clear smile because she’s happy that I trust her.

Frost unknowingly broke into a dazed smile, mirroring Yuriella.

Yes, if the Mage Tower Master does anything bothersome, I can just get rid of her without Yuriella knowing.

“It’s good that we’re going on a honeymoon, but what about Shavell? He’ll cry a lot. And when Shavell cries, won’t it hurt Frost’s heart a lot too?”

Frost pondered whether it was right to let Yuriella continue misunderstanding about Shavell.

Should he tell her that Shavell is actually Prince Lewis, Emperor Justin Della Ponti’s half-brother?

If it were his usual self, this wouldn’t even be worth reconsidering. It was the secret of the monarch he intended to put on the throne after deposing the Emperor. The future of the North and the empire hung in the balance.

Suppressing the urge to share the secret with Yuriella, Frost thought he should warn Shavell to put on an appropriate act of a jealous mistress when he returned.

“Don’t worry about Shavell. He’s a person with many sides different from his appearance.”

“I suppose so. His body is quite different from how it looks too.”

Yuriella nodded as she tightened the bandages and buttoned up Frost’s shirt one by one.

“When we were wrestling in the mud before. The arm and leg muscles I grabbed felt finely divided, with all the muscle fibers palpable?”

“What…?”

Frost grabbed Yuriella’s wrist as she was buttoning and yanked her towards him.

“What did you feel?”