Under an infinitely clear and blue sky, passing through the blooming rose vines in the garden leads to a small farm where herbs and fruit trees that Yuriella loves are grown.

It is the place where the first tea party hosted by his wife is being held today.

[I think the herbs and fruit-laden trees are prettier than the flowers. How beautiful they are, being medicine and food for us.]

Frost recited, focusing his senses on Yuriella’s voice while resting his chin on his hand.

“But I still find you the prettiest.”

“Your Highness…!”

At Leo’s tightly clenched voice, Frost slowly turned his head and looked up at Commander Leo standing at attention behind him.

His gaze was directed at Leo, but his mind seemed to still be in the garden with his wife, his focus hazy.

‘Not concentrating?’

Leo gestured with his chin to the nobles seated around the long conference room table and glared fiercely at the Grand Duke.

The nobles of the North, including Duke Grande, were staring at the Grand Duke with puzzled expressions.

My goodness. Saying “But I still find you the prettiest.”

Did His Highness dream of Princess Bi while calmly conducting the meeting?

Even though they had already witnessed the shocking sight of Grand Duke carrying his cat-loving wife in his arms and making a fuss as if the sky was falling at the Imperial Ball, the unfamiliar appearance of their lord was still hard to get used to.

But Frost’s complexion did not change at all, and he did not even retract his senses that had spread widely to the garden.

He was very worried as it was his wife’s first tea party.

His insides boiled over as the handsome faces of Sir Davio Yovel and his academy friends who were invited to the tea party kept appearing before his eyes.

He could guess Rosalinne’s intentions for inviting Davio and his friends. It must be to stimulate his jealousy and draw him closer to his wife.

Even knowing, he fell for the Head Maid’s scheme. The Grand Duke’s heart had been boiling like Andirinas’ active volcano from the moment those fellows greeted his wife with melting expressions. Tsk.

“Continue. I’m listening to everything.”

The Grand Duke had convened the meeting to review the main agenda items to be discussed at the High Nobles’ Council, which would last for the next fifteen days.

Yesterday was the first day, so they only exchanged greetings and parted, but starting tomorrow, the real meeting would begin.

The North intended to properly demand compensation from the Imperial Family for the damage caused by the recent suppression and also receive a formal apology from the Emperor.

[Sir Davio can’t take his eyes off Your Highness. It’s been three years since I’ve been with him, but I never knew he could make such an enraptured expression. Hoho.]

At the voice coming from the garden, Frost frowned.

That voice belongs to the daughter of Davano, who made a significant contribution to inviting Davio.

Frost glared fiercely at Duke Davano, who had raised his daughter poorly.

Duke Davano rolled his eyeballs in response to the unknown killing intent. Although he didn’t know the reason, if he told a story that the Grand Duke would like, it would appease him.

“My daughter was so infatuated with Your Highness at first sight. She left home early today, saying that Your Highness had called for her.”

“That’s the problem. That.”

“Pardon?”

Duke Davano had brought up Princess Bi to make him laugh, but the Grand Duke seemed to be in an even more foul mood, frowning deeply.

[Your Highness is truly beautiful. I fell in love at first sight. Especially those red eyes, they are like flames and also like a burning sunset. I heard that the crimson firebird of Commander Solas, who slaughtered the horde of demons that invaded the Western Frontier, was so beautiful.]

The following clear voices of the young ladies were also very irritating.

[No matter how beautiful Flamark is, how can it compare to Your Highness?] [Your Highness. You will call for us often in the future, right? I really want to see you every single day!] [Me too! Don’t forget about me either, Your Highness!]

Tsk tsk. Anyway, there were really many eyes that fell in love here and there without permission.

[Meow. Meow.]

Hmph. Even that ugly stray cat is monopolizing my wife’s lap.

“Hmm…”

When the Grand Duke groaned with a very resentful and vexed expression, the nobles shut their mouths with a startle and looked at each other.

Has a dark cloud passed over His Highness’s love front?

Could it be that the taciturn and clumsy with women Grand Duke has done something to fall out of favor with Princess Bi?

While the old nobles were recollecting their long-married life experiences and carefully choosing their words, wondering if there was anything helpful to say,

Count Chernier, known for his lack of tact, offered a piece of advice filled with his own intentions.

“Your Highness. Isn’t healthy competition the driving force of development in both the nation and the family? Now that you have married and welcomed the Grand Duchess, how about taking a concubine?”

“Concubine?”

A cold killing intent swirled on Frost’s face as he turned his head towards Count Chernier.

“Yes, Your Highness. Ielheim lacks heirs, so it would be wise to prepare a reliable plan in advance−.”

At the Count’s presumptuous advice, aiming for the position of the Grand Duke’s second father-in-law, Duke Grande shouted with fierce anger faster than the Grand Duke.

“Have you not clearly seen how Empress Dowager Sophia dealt with Empress Zelsomina and Prince Lewis to say such nonsense!”

“What! Are you threatening to burn our Eva and grandchild to death now?”

As Count Chernier raised his voice, mentioning his non-existent grandchild, Duke Grande, who had no intention of sharing the position of father-in-law, jumped up.

“How dare you shout at me, a High Noble! You’ll only come to your senses when your head is smashed by my iron mace!”

Duke Grande, who had left his iron mace at home in the North, waved his pot lid-like fist in the air and yelled at Count Chernier instead.

Frost looked at the two with disdain and then stood up from his seat.

He had already finished all the important agenda items anyway. It was time to appropriately chase away the handsome flies entangled in the garden.

[I want to swear a knight’s oath to Your Highness. Please allow me.]

A cold flame flickered in Frost’s blue eyes.

This voice definitely belongs to Davio’s blond friend.

[Noel! I was going to ask first. Cutting in line is not good!]

That’s right, Noel. And this shameless fellow complaining about cutting in line is the brown-haired one. His name was…? Right. Lashipo, was it?

Frost snorted.

Lately, it was a trend for knights to swear allegiance to a lady. How dare they.

[Let’s not fight. What if we all become knights of Her Highness? Your Highness. Please allow us.]

The voice is also round and the solution presented is also round. This fellow with a round face is the young Baron Ropo.

These types are the worst. Sneakily trying to take advantage of the situation under the guise of everyone’s happiness.

‘Do that to the pretty young ladies my wife invited. Don’t ruin the mood!’

Frost gritted his teeth.

[Oh my! It’s unfair if only the men swear! We want to do it too. Your Highness. Please be our lady!]

The excited voice of the young Chernier lady, who lacked tact just like her father, was heard.

[Can’t you dance the first dance with me at my birthday ball the day after tomorrow? I think it would be so cool if I wore men’s clothing and led Your Highness!]

Kyaa. That would be cool. Me too, me too.

[Please come to the horseback riding competition in Glphie. I will dedicate the glory of victory to Your Highness!]

I’m also participating in that horseback riding competition, so a victory prayer scarf for me.

No, for me. Or rather, for all of us.

The voices of the young ladies, more enthusiastic about receiving the Grand Duchess’s love than the attention of their peers, and the brazen pleas of Davio and his friends were all jumbled together.

Damn it.

It was a joyous thing for his wife to become popular, but he could not forgive those trying to take away his precious time with his wife, more valuable than gold.

The blood of the Grand Duke, who was already sexually frustrated due to the long, lonely nights unable to sleep because of his wife’s voluntary solitary confinement, boiled.

Finding it a waste of time to use the stairs, Frost leaped onto the terrace railing as soon as he left the conference room.

Lightly avoiding Leo’s restraining hand, Frost jumped down from the second-floor railing and headed straight for the garden.

“Your Highness!”

“Your Highness!”

Duke Grande and Count Chernier, who were grappling with each other, also belatedly noticed the Grand Duke’s escape and called out in a daze. But the Grand Duke was already gone.

Frost chased away the young ladies and flies surrounding his wife from the garden with a light wave of his hand, without breaking a sweat.

“Huh? There’s still a lot of prepared tea and cakes left.”

Yuriella said regretfully, trying to stop the guests.

‘If you value your life, run.’

The young ladies of the North, well aware of the killing intent in the icy blue eyes, each linked arms with the dumbfounded Davio and his friends and quickly retreated.

“We can share the leftovers between us.”

“Hmm. Grand Duke, you don’t like sweets.”

“I’ve come to like them now. Because you like sweets.”

Frost sat on the bench under the flower shade and pulled Yuriella to sit on his lap. Then, smiling more sweetly than the sweet cake, he gently caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.

Yuriella’s long eyelashes, red to the tips of her ears, trembled.

“You don’t look well. Was the meeting very tiring?”

Her voice, swallowing hard, also trembled softly.

Frost buried his face in his wife’s shoulder with a deep smile and tightly intertwined his hand with hers, making a groaning sound.

“It was hard. Because I can’t see you while working.”

Yuriella unconsciously raised her hand and gently stroked the silver hair shining brilliantly in the sunlight, then abruptly stopped.

The deep blue eyes, gently curved only towards her, were eerily seductive.

‘I want to kiss him… I want to get closer, closer to him…’

This is troubling.

The little beast inside her that she thought had disappeared is raising a fuss, wanting to be let out of its cage. Countermeasures are needed.

*

Yuriella said to the Head Maid while changing into an indoor dress.

“Rosalinne. Starting today, I will sleep in the Grand Duchess’s bedchamber.”

There are things that cannot be done with willpower alone. Like the Grand Duke’s gaze and heat.

It would be troublesome if she made the mistake of attacking the Grand Duke due to a moment of carelessness.

“There is no need for that. His Highness said he will be sleeping in the bedroom next to his office for a while as he is busy preparing for the meeting.”

Thank goodness…

Yuriella turned off all the candles except one as the room felt too large and drafty.

“Aeri~. Popo~. Nero~.”

With two palm-sized spirits and a cat occupying Frost’s pillow, the room felt a bit cozier, so Yuriella lay down diagonally and stretched her arms.

As it didn’t seem like she would fall asleep easily, Yuriella started mumbling while poking Aeri’s fluffy cloud-like hair.

“You know, Aeri. About the Ice Dragon.”

[It’s not polite to talk about other spirits while in the same bed, Yuriella.]

Aeri, with triangular eyes, wagged her raised index finger and shook her head.

“No. It’s not about the Ice Dragon. Thinking of the Ice Dragon made me curious about you, Aeri.”

[Curious about Aeri? What are you curious about?]

The little spirit’s eyes instantly sparkled.

Yuriella carefully brought up the question she had been holding back but wanting to ask all along.

“You said the Ice Dragon doesn’t reveal himself to the world because he doesn’t want to get his heart hurt. Was it the same for you, Aeri? Hiding in the aurora and only sleeping. Is that why?”

[I was also curious. Could it be that you met a wicked master and were betrayed?]

Yuriella regretted bringing it up as Aeri’s expression looked so sad.

“You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to, Aeri.”

[Tired of parting.]

After a long silence, Aeri rested her chin on both hands and let out a long sigh.

[Humans die, you know. No matter how strong they are, they all die in the end. So I had to say goodbye so, so many times, as many as the number of contracts I made. If I were the Ice Dragon, my heart would have burst and vanished long ago.]

Popo and Nero also became solemn at Aeri’s words.

The moment the eternal spirit of the sacred sword formed a contract with a human with a finite life, parting was an inevitable fate.

[We are not just swords, you see. The principle of nature is love. And we, born from nature, can’t help but love the master we contract with. So I hid. Because I didn’t want to love anymore.]

Aeri flew lightly and sat on Yuriella’s knee.

She had something she really wanted to say to the master she had already come to love.

[Love is so sad, Yuriella. So don’t love the Grand Duke. If the person you love dies, your heart will burst too, you know?]

“The Grand Duke won’t die before me. Because I won’t let that happen.”

[Can you really do that as you please?]

Yuriella smiled.

“Aeri. I… I thought I couldn’t love you because I felt sorry for Flamark. But I came to love you.”

[Of course, that’s natural! Because Aeri is lovable!]

“Yes. It’s natural. Aeri, I… If what’s natural isn’t natural… I think that would be sad in its own way.”

As Yuriella was gently stroking Aeri’s fluffy head with a sorrowful smile,

The bedchamber door flung open and Frost entered.

With an unusually serious face, Yuriella’s heart sank.

“What’s the matter?”

“A message came from Cassandra.”

A chickadee-like bird with white cheeks and a black cap was perched on Frost’s shoulder. Approaching her, ancient word codes in blue light brightly sparkled in the darkness on his open palm.

“The ‘fang’ the Emperor mentioned, is most likely… Flamark.”