Hertian’s face was quite serious.

“You’re saying you know me?”

Under his damp black hair, slightly flushed cheeks were visible in turn. At that sight, my thoughts suddenly flew in a different direction.

‘Does he really mean to spend a hot wedding night?’

A strange imagination flashed through my mind.

As if my imagination was becoming reality, sincerity could be felt in his gaze as he looked at me.

I rolled my eyes around and slowly pulled the blanket up to my neck. Now that I saw the masculine muscles right before my eyes, I began to doubt whether this man was really asexual or not. I swallowed hard and said.

“Even if Hertian and I just sleep in the same bed, there won’t be rumors that our wedding night was neglected. There’s no need to actually do, that…”

But even that couldn’t be finished properly because of his gaze sweeping over my body covered by the blanket.

You’re supposed to be asexual!

You’re not even interested in women, so what are you thinking now!

“If it’s about the grandchild plan you mentioned to His Majesty the Emperor, that was all a lie…”

My face was stiff and I couldn’t even speak properly.

“You’re shivering.”

“What?”

Hertian, who had been quietly looking down at me, finally opened his mouth.

“If you shiver in the cold all night, your condition will worsen. The Count said so. That you often fell seriously ill in winter and couldn’t even go outside. The North is cold all year round, so if you fall asleep like this, your illness will worsen.”

He explained neatly.

“You’re not saying… we should spend the night together?”

I asked with a dumbfounded face.

“Did you want to?”

“What? What?”

“If you wish, I will try my best.”

“No!”

My face turned bright red as if it was burning.

I had been misunderstanding on my own.

Hertian seemed to find it funny and chuckled, then covered his mouth after seeing my reaction.

“My body temperature is high, so I thought if I hugged you, you might get a little warmer.”

“Ah… I see.”

I was so embarrassed.

Me, who imagined that way even though I knew Hertian wouldn’t say such things.

Instead, Hertian tightened his robe and watched my reaction. It felt like I had done something terrible.

“I’m sorry for misunderstanding. Don’t worry, I’m not that kind of woman.”

He glanced at me coyly. Just like a black puppy.

“Really, I mean it.”

“…”

“Come on. Let’s sleep tightly embraced tonight. We’ll see what happens tomorrow morning!”

I emerged from the blanket and spread my arms wide.

That was the only way to prove I wasn’t a pervert.

“I believe you.”

“You should trust me completely. We’re partners, after you know.”

Only then did he close the distance.

“But is Hertian’s body temperature really that high?”

“Would you like to feel it?”

A glimpse of tantalizing muscle was visible through the robe. I involuntarily gulped. Just as I was about to move my lips, hesitating to readily agree lest I seem like a pervert, he pulled my hand and placed it on his stomach.

For a moment, I was startled by the sensation of firm skin under my palm.

“How is it?”

“It’s warm…”

A small moan escaped my lips.

Because I felt a strong warmth that could instantly melt my hands that had been frozen by the cold wind all day. Looking closely, faint smoke seemed to be rising from his body. It was an abnormally high body temperature.

“I think you’ve caught a cold. The study was so cold earlier, were you staying there in such thin clothes? No wonder you caught a cold!”

I put on a serious face and nagged. Come to think of it, even the robe was made of thin silk, so it was hardly any use.

“You should dress warmly. Even if you lit a fire, how cold the room must be at night… Your mouth will be crooked tomorrow morning.”

Hertian seemed to have forgotten about life in the North after spending so much time on the battlefield. Walking around dressed so thinly.

I tucked the blanket tightly around him so he wouldn’t be cold.

“I’ve never caught a cold in my life.”

“Your body is burning hot.”

“I tend to have a high body temperature.”

“But it’s hot enough to burn?”

“It just feels relatively higher because your body temperature is low, my lady.”

He had changed to call me ‘my lady’ at some point, and he covered me with the blanket that had shifted towards him.

“If that’s the case…”

I felt the urge to jump into his arms. In that warm embrace, I would be able to sleep comfortably.

But when I actually tried to hug him, the Confucian ideology deeply rooted in me couldn’t accept it. Sleeping in an embrace as if we were a real married couple when we were just in a contract marriage. But nothing would happen, right? We’re just sharing warmth, aren’t we? Is even that too greedy?

A thousand thoughts flashed through my mind in that brief moment.

Then, as if reading my mind, Hertian said.

“It’s just for the sake of your health, my lady.”

The answer was already there.

I had no luxury to refuse him, a human heater.

Then, I’ll enjoy, no…

“I’ll be in your care.”

I jumped into his wide embrace as if I had been waiting for it.

He effortlessly embraced me and lay down on the bed. As soon as he covered us with the thick blanket, my body temperature started to rise instantly.

‘Ah, it’s warm.’

My body feels relaxed. My hands naturally burrowed into his embrace. He flinched every time they touched a new spot, probably because my hands were cold.

Feeling sorry about that, I pulled my hands back and leaned lightly against his chest. It felt like my face, which had been exposed to cold air all day, was melting gently. But then I heard a strange sound.

“I’m sure Hertian is sick somewhere.”

The sound came from his chest.

Thump-thump-thump.

A heartbeat so strong it seemed about to burst out. Like his body temperature, that sound was not normal.

“Oh my goodness.”

I exclaimed and moved away from his embrace to look at him.

“You’re not well at all. You have arrhythmia, don’t you?”

“A… arrhythmia?”

“It’s a condition where the heart beats irregularly, either too fast or too slow.”

There’s no way it could be normal when his body temperature is rising.

I could feel his pulse even with just a light touch.

At this rate, Hertian might die first.

“How long have you been like this?”

He must have known about it himself at this point.

He thought for a moment and then answered.

“About 5 years.”

5 years ago, that’s when he had just inherited the Grand Duke position.

It seems he was dragged into war without time to get treatment. He inherited the family head position before even coming of age, and the Empress’s checks were also severe. Even if he had an illness, he would have had to keep his mouth shut to avoid having a weakness exposed.

‘Poor man.’

Looking closely, his firm body was covered in small scars. What’s the use of being a Grand Duke? In such a large castle, there’s not even one person to tend to his wounds. As a person, I felt a surge of sympathy.

“I’ll give you medicine good for arrhythmia starting tomorrow, so make sure to take it regularly.”

“…I will do so.”

He smiled foolishly.

From now on, I’ll have to take care of him.

[This is the timeline separator]

The night deepened, dawn passed, and soon it was daybreak.

In the quiet room, only faint breathing sounds could be heard.

Hertian stared intently at the woman sleeping with her head resting on his arm. Though he had been looking all night, he never tired of her face.

Faint eyelashes visible below her slightly protruding forehead. Her small lips moved as if eating a delicious macaron in her dream.

Wondering if it was a dream, he would gently poke her, and she would rub her face.

It wasn’t a dream but reality.

Anette was lying in his arms.

Just that fact made him feel overwhelmed, and a happy smile bloomed on his lips. As usual, he mulled over their conversation several times.

Then, remembering what happened earlier, he quietly placed his hand on his chest.

“She said it was arrhythmia?”

As Anette said, his heart that had been calm was now beating irregularly. It was a completely different palpitation from when he read Anette’s letter.

At this point, she should be suspicious, but Anette mistook this for an illness.

“I wonder when she’ll notice.”

Even that was enjoyable. As they gradually got closer, the day would come when her heart would beat at the same pace as his.

Just then, the bedroom door opened carefully.

A maid entered carrying a washbasin. Then, seeing Hertian’s bare skin sitting by the bedside, she was startled and quickly bowed.

“I’m, I’m sorry, Master. I’ll come back later.”

It was because his robe was half off due to Anette burrowing into it all night, saying she was warm. Only then realizing he was naked, he chuckled as he put his robe back on.

“I’ll go out first, so don’t wake the lady until she wakes up on her own.”

“Understood.”

Hertian barely managed to detach Anette, who was clinging and whining, and left the room.

Only after hearing the door close completely did the maid raise her head. Just as her face was flushing hot and she was fanning herself, this time she almost fell to the floor. It was because of the giant caterpillar occupying the bed.

“Ma… Madam?”

It was Anette, whom Hertian had wrapped tightly in blankets in case she got cold.

[This is the timeline separator]

The Grand Duke’s castle was bustling with the voices of maids after a long time.

Rumors of the young Grand Duke couple’s wedding night spread everywhere.

“I heard the maid who opened the door in the morning saw everything because they were still together until dawn.”

“Her eyes were all swollen as if she had cried all night.”

“It’s good that they get along well. The Madam is exceptionally beautiful, right? She’s said to be one of the most beautiful even in the capital.”

“What kind of person is the Madam?”

That was everyone’s interest. The atmosphere of the castle changes drastically depending on the new Madam.

“Well… She seems carefree and just happy.”

The maid recalled Anette as she spoke. She remembered the bright smile on her face without a trace of worry.

“Like Lady Lili?”

“Yes, like Lady Lili. By the way, the Master sent twenty new dresses, and I even sprained my shoulder carrying them.”

“Twenty dresses?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? She probably won’t wear the same dress twice, like Lady Lili.”

There was no particularly bad intention. That’s just how nobles usually are.

“Still, twenty dresses at once is too much. How much money is that?”

“Well, the Master will handle it as he sees fit.”

Of course, there was a bit of territorial behavior.

[This is the timeline separator]

“It’s cold.”

Without Hertian’s embrace, this place was still a winter wonderland. When I left the relatively warm room and wandered around the castle, the cold wind entering through the dress skirt made my legs feel numb. I sniffled as I roamed the castle again today.

“Lili went outside?”

“The butler said he saw her going out a little while ago.”

It was to find Lili.

Lili is the daughter of a branch family of Blanditia. She’s the first cousin once removed of the previous Grand Duke and has been living in the Grand Duke’s castle after losing both her parents in an unfortunate accident. That’s all I knew about her since there was no information about her in the original work. No, there’s one more thing I know.

“Isn’t she cold?”

That Lili doesn’t feel the cold either. Otherwise, how could she think of going outside?

Even to the naked eye, the outside where strong winds were blowing was no place for a person to set foot.

“Lili… Did you really have to go outside?”

She must have run away after realizing she lost the bet.

“Madam, should I call the knights to search for her?”

“No. She wouldn’t have gone far.”

I wanted to believe that. I walked along the outer wall of the castle, exhaling white breath. If I walked a little more, I would have circled the entire castle. Just as I was starting to worry that Lili might have gone far away.

Slap.

The clear sound of skin tearing as it hit something rang out.

In the distance, pink hair was seen fluttering in the wind.

“Lili?”