“For our first honeymoon, let’s go on a long trip, and after that, we can continue going on honeymoons once a week.”

“The honeymoon you’re talking about, is it a bit different from what I know?”

“If it’s going to become the Ulpaz family tradition where the wife and husband spend time together, just the two of them, then once a week, I will spend time with only you, not letting anyone else come between us. I promise. How about it? Do you still not want a second child?”

“……”

“Children are bound to grow up. Cai won’t be held by me forever either. When that time comes, I can spend more time looking at you and holding you, so it wouldn’t be a bad deal. Even after the child grows up, you can go on a honeymoon with me once a week. Think about it carefully.”

Looking into Chloe’s eyes gazing intently at him, Hugrey could tell that she was sincerely making this proposal. At times like this, it really felt like half the blood flowing in her was inherited from her father. The Lionel family she came from was a group excelling in making deals, after all.

So he really had to think carefully about whether the deal this woman proposed was truly good. Carefully…

‘Once a week. Children are bound to grow up,’ she said.

“First, on the other days besides that one day a week we go on the honeymoon, what will you do? Will you still put me on the back burner?”

“How could I? I can’t do without you either. On the other days too, I will want to see you and hold you. I’ll put it into practice from time to time. It’s just that on the day designated for the honeymoon, I mean to prioritize spending time with you above all else.”

It clearly meant she could monopolize him for one more day.

“Second, that one day, does it mean the full twenty-four hours of day and night?”

This was also a very important issue to clarify.

“Hmm… Yes.”

Not bad, but…

“That seems insufficient.”

“What?”

Chloe’s face crumpled. But it couldn’t be helped. He couldn’t give in so easily. This was a truly important matter.

“From now on, have Cai sleep with the nanny. When the second child is born, have that child sleep with the nanny once they turn 5 months old. If you accept this, I’ll accept your proposal.”

This was an issue just as important as, no, perhaps even more important than having a full day. He finally spent a whole night with her yesterday. But taking that back after just one day, just the thought made him feel like blood was rushing to his head. Showing a glimpse of heaven then dropping him back into that endless quagmire, there was no torture quite like it.

“Alright! We had decided to have him sleep with the nanny starting yesterday anyway. It wouldn’t be good for Cai to bring him back to sleep with us again. I was just lying earlier because I was upset with you.”

“What?”

This woman!

“I love you, my husband.”

Chloe stopped his mouth. ‘I love you,’ ‘husband.’ These words always had the magical effect of shutting his mouth.

In the end, Hugrey lost to Chloe. He got one day a week, the child would keep growing, and he could be with her at night. But he left open the possibility he most wanted to avoid – a second child. However, as she said, they might not have a second child, so it wasn’t a complete defeat, he had no choice but to think.

Hugrey said he wanted to go as far as possible, while Chloe said they should go somewhere they could return from within a week. After another fierce negotiation, the place they eventually chose was Borgen. It was because Hugrey couldn’t bring himself to ignore Chloe’s mumbling about wanting to see her mother. In return, Chloe accepted Hugrey’s opinion to go on a ten-day trip.

“Shall we stay the night at the Dog and Cat’s Night on the way?”

Hugrey asked as they neared Arne. Since they had left in the morning, there would be no big issue going straight to Borgen, but somehow Chloe also felt like saying “let’s do that.” She still held some resentment towards the innkeepers, but on the other hand, she also thought that very inn was the place that created the connection between the Duke and herself. As time passed, her resentment towards the innkeepers’ thoughtless actions faded, and very occasionally, she wondered how they were doing.

“Shall we?”

“Hmm… The food there doesn’t seem very good, so let’s eat somewhere else first even though it’s a bit early. Do you know any restaurants you’ve been to in Arne?”

“Oh, I only slept in Arne so I don’t really know. Arne was just a passing village for me from the beginning.”

Although Arne was a small town, it could be called a transportation hub. That’s why there were unusually many lodgings and restaurants, but Chloe had never actually entered the town center. Each time, she only slept at the Dog and Cat’s Night on the outskirts and left.

“Only slept? Indeed… seems like it will be the same this time too.”

“What does that…”

Chloe was about to ask what he meant but shut her mouth. Her face flushed with heat.

“It would be good to eat a lot before that, right? There don’t seem to be any other restaurants around the Dog and Cat’s Night.”

Chloe trembled without realizing it. Even though it was nothing new, Hugrey’s nonchalant tone that sounded businesslike was paradoxically very threatening.

Was he saying they would only sleep from the time they checked in at the Dog and Cat’s Night until they checked out tomorrow morning? Moreover, it was still broad daylight…

“Hugrey, since we’re going into Arne anyway, shall we do some sightseeing too?”

Calculating the time remaining until the next morning, Chloe hastily made the suggestion with a pale face. That man was more than capable, so it seemed wise to delay the time they entered the inn room. If she wasn’t careful, her whole body might end up limp the next day and they might have to stay an extra day at the Dog and Cat’s Night.

“Sightseeing?”

Hugrey made an expression as if asking ‘what’s that?’

“What was Arne famous for again? Hmm…”

No matter how much she thought about it, nothing famous about Arne came to mind. To her, Arne was a town remembered only for the ‘Dog and Cat’s Night.’

“There’s nothing to see in Arne, Chloe. If we’re looking for something, it would be ‘you’ that I see in Arne. That would be the same no matter where else we go.”

“Let’s go eat. I’m suddenly very hungry.”

Chloe shuddered again. Hugrey was clearly planning a more goal-oriented trip than ever before. The goal seemed to be only one – ‘Chloe’ herself.

“Let’s do that.”

Hugrey grinned. It was a smile that seemed to say he already knew what was on her mind. It was also a smile that said it would be futile anyway.

Hugrey and Chloe entered the biggest restaurant in the center of Arne.

“It seems like it will be noisy with so many people.”

“Usually crowded places are the tasty ones.”

Although Hugrey looked quite dissatisfied, he sat down at the table the server guided them to without another word.

“Please take your time looking and order.”

The server held out the menu to Hugrey.

“Hmm…”

Hugrey took the menu the server offered and immediately fixed his gaze on it, then belatedly seemed to realize the server was still standing next to him and looked up at her.

“You can go. I’ll call you again once we decide on the menu.”

“No, it’s fine! I can wait here and take your order.”

The server replied with a smile.

How friendly, too much so…

The reason that woman was insisting on waiting here was too obvious. It was a scene she had seen several times back when she was Hugrey’s valet, but… it still felt bad.

Back then, she had been in the position of his male valet, but now it would clearly look like she was his female companion, yet that server had no shame.

Annoyed, Chloe turned her head away from the server. Looking would only make her angry.

But her mood plummeted even further as she looked around the hall. The female customers sitting at other tables were glancing at Hugrey.

She felt like hanging a name tag saying ‘Chloe’s husband’ around Hugrey’s neck.

“Chloe, what do you want to eat?”

Hugrey looked at Chloe with his usual expression as if not noticing the server’s excessive friendliness or the gazes of the surrounding women at all.

Was he not noticing it? Or was he so used to such gazes that he didn’t even register them?

She hadn’t dined out with Hugrey that often, so she didn’t frequently feel this way, but the few experiences made her recall that she had felt this unpleasant emotion every time they went out.

Why did he have to be so universally handsome?! He should have been just moderately good-looking.

“Chloe?”

“Anything that comes out quickly.”

She was almost resentful of her earlier self who had followed the general notion that crowded places were tasty. To the point she wanted to quickly eat and immediately drag him to the Dog and Cat’s Night room where she could monopolize him alone.

“Two of the fastest dishes, please.”

Hugrey ordered politely to the server, who was clearly a commoner.

Sigh, with those looks and that personality… her man was too perfect, and so it made her anxious.

“Yes, and what would you like for drinks?”

At the server’s question, Hugrey’s eyes turned to Chloe.

“Just water, please.”

Heat rose from inside her.