“…I heard that unmarried men and women cannot share a bed.”

“It’s just ethics, not law.”

She was at a loss for words at Sieghart’s brazen display of his immorality.

“There’s no good in following the Empire’s outdated rules. Besides, it’s more correct for the princess to be described as a person of the Duke’s family rather than the Empire.”

His shameless attitude lent credence to the man’s forced argument. In reality, even though the Duke’s family had no such rules, it felt as if he was saying the right things.

In fact, setting everything aside, it was a laughable situation. Hadn’t the man from her past life never hesitated to consummate with Natasha? She couldn’t understand what ulterior motive he had for crawling into her room and talking about being husband and wife.

Natasha sighed deeply and stared silently at the man. There was no use in bringing up past events that he wouldn’t know about.

Natasha contemplated a more sensible approach.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace. This seems… too early.”

She expressed her refusal by gently pushing away the approaching large body. The body that couldn’t possibly be moved by such a light force suddenly stopped. Only his amber-colored hair swayed slightly from the recoil.

“We are not a couple bound by love, but a relationship formed to pursue each other’s interests. For us, who are more suited to the title of allies than spouses, it’s still too early to immediately fulfill the role of a married couple…”

After firmly drawing the line, Natasha finally checked for the other’s reaction. The man’s calm demeanor was quite out of character. Given his personality, he should have stormed out of the room, if only out of wounded pride, but for some reason, Sieghart was behaving docilely.

After a long while, just as he seemed about to leave her sight, Sieghart, far from leaving the room, instead moved closer to Natasha. As the space between them gradually decreased, his broad chest drew near.

“The princess is right. However, it’s troublesome if you treat me like a beast consumed by lust.”

The man, repeating the short word ‘love’, smiled faintly.

“As you said, we were brought together too suddenly. And this was an effort to supplement a relationship that lacked explanation and understanding.”

“…Don’t tell me, that effort was meant to improve our relationship?”

“Well, the measure of intimacy is proportional to time and contact.”

He gently caressed Natasha’s fingers. Conscious of her earlier refusal, his touch was completely relaxed.

Unfamiliar sensations whirled around her. For instance, the feeling of the large hand intertwined with hers, or the warmth exchanged every time their fingers entwined.

Unlike her awkwardness, Sieghart maintained a composed attitude. He even dared to make promises he couldn’t keep.

“I’ll try not to create the situations you’re worried about. What I want from my wife isn’t something so base to begin with.”

It must be a lie again.

Despite enveloping her hand so intimately, adding that his actual intentions were different held no persuasive power.

However, Natasha didn’t get a chance to argue. The swift members of the Duke’s household had already moved all of Sieghart’s luggage here.

Unless Natasha wanted to treat the servants of the Duke’s residence harshly from the start, she couldn’t ask them to move back the luggage they had just finished hauling.

The man had clearly counted on this point as well.

The man’s eccentric behavior, which she thought was just for show, continued without ceasing after the first day.

The man who rarely attended dinner, using busy work as an excuse, was gone, replaced by a lover desperate to spend more time with his fiancée. Sieghart would even create time out of nowhere to devote to Natasha.

From the first day, until the night before the wedding.

‘Is he planning to make me fall in love with him? Like back then?’

Natasha found the other’s unusual behavior suspicious. Sieghart’s current actions were very similar to how he had acted when trying to win a woman’s heart in the past.

But back then, wasn’t it just a process to make the proposal successful?

‘…Could it be to prevent divorce?’

Come to think of it, whenever she wanted a divorce, Sieghart would change his attitude completely, becoming affectionate. So perhaps it was a ploy to change Natasha’s mind, who had accepted the proposal on the condition of divorce.

‘If that’s the case…’

At that moment, an extreme dizziness struck her. As her eyes involuntarily closed due to her fading consciousness, eerie voices appeared in the darkness.

‘Daughter, that man is the one we must take revenge on. You mustn’t love him!’

‘Stupid girl! You’ll surely fall in love with that man again, even knowing he’s the traitor who killed us!’

It was the voices of her family.

The voices of her family, first heard on the day she was suffering from a fever, appeared again after her regression began.

They circled around her like ghosts, occasionally speaking to her. Reading her thoughts thoroughly and intervening whenever they wanted to comment on something, suddenly invading the real world.

This time, they seemed to be reacting to ‘Sieghart Asthart’, the target of their revenge.

Natasha slowly mulled over the voices filled with resentment. The voices of her family had become so familiar to her that they no longer stirred any emotion.

Her feelings towards Sieghart were no different. Originally, she should have hated someone pretending to love her, but she remained detached, as if even such emotional expenditure was a luxury.

All that remained was a mocking attitude towards his brazenness, a feeling of loathing him.

Betrayal, anger, hatred, sorrow. Such negative emotions disappeared along with the heart when it was carved out.

‘…Love? That’s impossible.’

Natasha denied her family’s voices, thinking it wasn’t even amusing.

Soon, an outstretched hand came into view. Among the slender fingers, the ring finger adorned with a brilliant jewel particularly stood out. The red ruby that resembled her eyes gleamed faintly in the moonlight.

This ring, too, would be replaced by another tomorrow. Befitting the status of a duchess, a larger, more splendid gem would take its place on her finger.

Looking at the shackle, Natasha made a vow.

Even though it was unlikely, she wouldn’t let things flow as the man desired.

For she would never again love the one she had completely let go of without any lingering attachment.

The sound of grand trumpets resounded before the woman marching with a bouquet of imperishable lily of the valley. Following this, Natasha appeared in her dress, walking deliberately down the virgin road.

The scene visible through the veil was as splendid and colorful as a masterpiece painting, yet it felt tedious, as if she had seen it once before.

Amidst the monotonous landscape, only Sieghart was a mysterious subject. This perfect creature, offering an impression that even fresh flowers and jewels couldn’t convey, stood out the most among the elegant surroundings despite his neat attire.

Through the lace holes, Natasha felt Sieghart’s intense gaze. Like his unwavering body, his eyes were firmly fixed on one spot. If anything, it was Natasha who averted her gaze.

After the ceremonial officiating ended, a flower child walked in and handed over the rings. Soon after, the bride and groom exchanged rings.

Sieghart slipped the ring onto the white hand. In the center of the ring sat a violet diamond, a mysterious blend of red and blue. As expected, a larger and more luxurious gem adorned the ring.

The two who had exchanged rings finally met each other’s gaze. For the couple who had shared the symbol of marriage, only one procedure remained.

The vow of a kiss, commonly called the flower of the wedding ceremony.

“Now, it’s time for the two of you to prove your love.”

At the officiant’s words, Sieghart began to move.

Natasha, who had already closed her eyes, started counting her leisurely beating heart. After recognizing the approaching footsteps, she quietly inhaled and exhaled.

She sensed the veil being lifted. As the intruder who invaded Natasha’s space stopped abruptly in front of her, he gently grasped her shoulders.

The mingling of their breaths in the confined space further heated the atmosphere. At the sweet and stimulating scent that assailed her nose, Natasha almost opened her eyes without realizing it.

“You don’t have to kiss me.”

“……”

“You wouldn’t want to anyway.”

She whispered. Perhaps out of dislike for herself, nearly swept away by the atmosphere, and worried that the other might have noticed, she deliberately put on airs.

Then she felt a hand gently cupping her cheek. The hand that caressed her chin and neck pulled her face towards him.

The intensified breath mixed with her own, muddling her mind. The occasional touch of hair and the bridge of the nose signaled that everything between them had drawn closer.

Even their lips.

“…!”

A soft sensation enveloped her lips. The hot flesh that invaded through her teeth was awakening her to reality.

It wasn’t an illusion.

They were kissing. Not just a show of bringing their faces close while maintaining a strict distance.

There was no time to sigh. Her heated breath was no longer her own.

Natasha, who had unconsciously opened her eyes, met the other’s gaze. From the lowered blood-red pupils, the man’s desire dripped palpably.

‘Why…’

Incomprehension led to bewilderment in this utterly inexplicable situation.

‘Why on earth?’

As she unknowingly clenched her fist, the perfectly sized wedding ring scratched her palm, leaving a fresh wound.