Kkiruk [Dash] Kkiruk.

After a while, seagulls were flying in the sky illuminated by the sunset.

‘Seeing seagulls, we must be approaching the land soon.’

As Cauthess looked up at the sky, thinking that they would arrive soon, Atia woke up from her sleep.

As soon as Atia opened her eyes, Cauthess’s face reflected in her pupils.

“Huh?”

Atia rolled her eyes, looking puzzled. She had briefly closed her eyes to avoid seasickness, and she had unintentionally fallen asleep on his thigh.

“Oh? Did I keep sleeping here?”

Cauthess nodded.

“Oh, sorry… Did you get seasick? It’s probably my fault that you couldn’t move because of me…”

Feeling sudden guilt for keeping Cauthess in the same position for a long time, Atia apologized.

“Just stay still. Lift your legs. Oh, dear, what to do. Blood circulation in your legs might not be proper, so it could hurt…”

As Atia placed her hands on Cauthess’s thigh, where she had been lying, he felt a sudden surge of energy throughout his body.

It didn’t matter if a mouse appeared. However, enduring Atia massaging his thigh was quite challenging.

“Madam.”

“No… I shouldn’t have made you sit like this for a long time. I’m really sorry. Are you sure there are no mice? Just because of me, you couldn’t move easily…”

Feeling sudden remorse for keeping Cauthess in the same position for a long time, Atia apologized.

“Mad…am.”

Thunk.

Cauthess grabbed Atia’s arm.

“Does your arm hurt?”

Atia’s hand, which had been massaging Cauthess’s firm thigh, was held by him.

“…Hmm? No. But why suddenly such affection?”

“I’m fine, so you don’t need to strain this delicate arm.”

“Delicate?”

Atia shook her arm, held by Cauthess, back and forth.

“Do I look weak?”

Cauthess realized he had made some sort of mistake.

“No, not at all. You seem strong.”

Cauthess, sensitive to being described as ‘weak,’ whispered low in Atia’s ear.

“If you stimulate me here, I don’t know what might happen.”

“…Ah, was that it?”

Atia didn’t understand what he meant when Cauthess suddenly said, ‘Don’t stimulate me.’ However, spending the night with him, she had come to understand its meaning.

It wasn’t easy for Atia to resist his stimulation.

“So, avoid touching me in crowded places.”

Cauthess fixed Atia’s messy hair while saying.

“Even the duke… Your body is quite sensitive. Because then, I might want to tease you more.”

Sensitive?

Until now, Cauthess had never considered his body to be sensitive.

However, except for Atia’s touch, any contact made his body more responsive. It was an unavoidable aspect.

In the past, he even suspected that she might not be a man, but now he found it amusing to think that way.

Touching any part of her made his entire body sensitive, making movement awkward.
When Atia touched him, Cauthess felt like a man radiating light, so Cauthess felt the need to issue a warning, not a warning, to Atia.

“It’s good for others to see that we have a close relationship, but it’s hard for me to endure.”

“Got it. I’ll be careful.”

As Atia bowed her head, she whispered into Cauthess’s ear.

“So, Duke, be careful too.”

Atia winked at Cauthess.

“…….”

Cauthess wanted to hold his mischievous wife right away, but he couldn’t. One blink of an eye could make things so complicated.

“I told you not to tease.”

“….Yes?”

“Winking with one eye, from now on, it’s prohibited.”

“Where did that come from?”

Atia protested.

Cauthess warned with a gesture, raising his index finger.

Jen, who was watching from the side with fish-like eyes, barely held back his laughter.

“It’s really the most fun to watch those two dating.”

The lord, who used to seem like he would avoid women for a lifetime, making such a facial expression, was now quite familiar and fresh.

Leaning on the deck, Cauthess turned Atia’s shoulders away from Owen’s view.

“The view is better here than over there.”

“?”

Atia tilted her head.

No matter where you looked, the sea from the ship looked the same.

“Hmm? It seems similar everywhere.”

Cauthess was bothered by Owen constantly wandering into Atia’s view.

He didn’t like the gaze he threw at another man’s wife.

Even the curiosity behind it or the surveillance it implied was not to his liking.

Even the reflection of Atia’s figure in Owen’s distinctive low voice and golden eyes was irritating.

Standing on the deck, Cauthess blocked Atia’s view from Owen by turning her shoulders in a direction where Owen couldn’t be seen.

Shoo-ah.

Above the vast sea, the waves sparkled in the sunlight.

“Indeed, it’s not as good as the northern sea.”

“Is that so…? Come to think of it, I’ve seen lakes in the north but not the sea.”

“I’ll show you when we get there. There are many things I haven’t shown you yet.”

Trapped in his narrow embrace, Atia turned her head back and spoke to Cauthess with her lips near his ear.

“Oh, really?”

“No, just a moment. That kind of expression is also prohibited.”

“Huh?”

“That wistful expression stimulates me.”

Cauthess whispered low in Atia’s ear, and in response, she hit him lightly.

Smack.

“Huh?”