It was a clear morning.

However, for Shwelly, it was a morning full of dark clouds.

“You slept separately from Anette….”

Early in the morning, Shwelly, who habitually visited Anette’s room, couldn’t hide her disappointment. She saw her daughter sleeping comfortably in the bed that should have been empty.

She had given Hertian the special potion she had prepared!

“That… that thing I gave you, what happened to it?”

Shwelly asked carefully, unable to directly mention the potion. It was a concoction famous for its effectiveness among noble ladies. But it was embarrassing to openly admit using such a thing.

“Didn’t you drink it?”

“I did drink everything you gave me….”

Hertian trailed off with a troubled expression.

“The whole bottle?”

Even one glass should have been effective for two days. He drank the entire bottle?

Her eyes wavered.

Yet the fact that he came out fine today meant something was amiss.

“Was it not effective…?”

Suddenly, she began to doubt the conditions for the potion’s effectiveness.

The potion only works if there are genuine feelings for the other person. It was meant to prevent things from happening purely out of instinct.

‘If the Grand Duke doesn’t like Anette, the potion wouldn’t have any effect.’

She concluded that the conditions weren’t met.

Otherwise, there’s no way Hertian could be walking around normally in front of her after consuming such a large amount.

Had their love cooled so soon after the wedding? Or was there never any to begin with?

Shwelly’s face turned from disappointment to seriousness.

“Thanks to it, I had a meaningful time.”

At Hertian’s calm response, she questioned with doubt. Then what about Anette she saw in the morning?

“A meaningful time? But nothing happened between you two….”

“Children aren’t only made at night.”

Shwelly’s face flushed red with hope.

“Then?”

As he smiled slightly, Shwelly’s face instantly brightened.

“Oh my! But, how could you return so quickly?”

“Actually, when the lady saw me bedridden and sweating profusely, she brought an antidote.”

Hup, she inhaled sharply.

She hadn’t considered that far.

The fact that not only was Anette’s body immune to the potion’s effects, but she was also knowledgeable about herbs.

“It was my mistake.”

She drooped her shoulders.

It was because she didn’t know her daughter well enough. And then to doubt Hertian, she had no words even if she had a hundred mouths.

“If there’s another way, I’ll look into it.”

“It was already enough.”

Hertian politely declined her offer.

Shwelly was about to suggest once more but nodded without a word.

‘He really doesn’t seem to need it.’

Unlike yesterday, his face looked somewhat relieved. Seeing this, Shwelly suddenly felt that she had been excessively meddlesome.

“I guess I got impatient because she’s my only daughter.”

“Isn’t that only natural?”

Hertian gently held her hand, which was tensed with embarrassment.

“But from now on, please leave it to me. I will do my utmost so that you never have to worry like this again.”

Though she said she wouldn’t be meddlesome, her eyes became moist. On the contrary, Hertian showed a kind smile.

“By the way, I have a gift for the Countess. Would you like to see it?”

“Oh my, a gift for me?”

“I may forget everything else, but I must remember gifts for the Count and Countess.”

“How thoughtful.”

Shwelly smiled happily as she watched him change the subject, trying not to make her uncomfortable.

‘I worried for nothing. Where else could there be such a perfect match?’

“Please go ahead. I’ll visit my room briefly and join you.”

She left the garden with light steps.

Left alone, Hertian finished the tea Shwelly had prepared. The warm weather kept the tea from cooling quickly, and it gave off a pleasant aroma.

It was a milder scent than the wine Shwelly had given him yesterday.

“No wonder the effect was so strong.”

He chuckled, recalling himself from yesterday.

Hertian sensed something was wrong with his body the moment he took a sip of the wine. He roughly guessed what kind of effect this potion had.

It was easy to figure out, given that Shwelly had secretly handed it over with a knowing smile. While Hertian was contemplating what to do with it, he soon lost his senses to the rising heat. His body went wild.

Only then did he notice the instructions that came with the wine bottle. It was something Shwelly had failed to remove.

[Caution] [This product is for men and women who are unsure about their partner, and its effectiveness varies depending on the desire for the other person!

We hope you have a good time.]

Sure enough, there were such conditions. It was strange that his body started acting up after just one sip. His body, which he had taken lightly, collapsed while emitting heat.

“I didn’t even finish one glass, let alone the whole thing.”

He had only said he drank it all because he didn’t want to reveal such a reaction.

And the result of one sip was disastrous.

It was fine until his body stopped listening to him, intoxicated by the excessive potion. He couldn’t even lift a finger when he saw Anette, so that should have been enough. But Anette suddenly fed him the antidote with her mouth.

With her mouth, no less. The problem started when his immobilized body began to loosen due to the antidote. With insufficient detoxification compared to the amount he drank, he clumsily broke free from the potion and began to desire her.

The first kiss was agonizing.

‘I didn’t want to do this while under the influence of the potion.’

He never thought Anette would kiss him first, so he didn’t expect this situation. Hertian, who found it difficult to control himself, was frustrated. Seeing his body move differently from his mind, he struck his own head.

‘What will Anette think of me?’

Would all his efforts so far be in vain? Would she avoid him? He faced Anette while trying to soothe his burning insides.

However, Anette’s gaze, when he finally faced her, strangely followed his lips.

‘Wasn’t she displeased?’

In response to his casually thrown words, her face even flushed red.

He fell into deep contemplation.

It was far from the her he had known so far.

The Anette he knew was very cautious about relationships between people, and not someone who easily gave her heart.

“Maybe I’ve been having foolish delusions all this time.”

He finally realized.

That the letters so far were just a part of her thoughts, and reality was quite different. That the current Anette is different from the past.

“Should I be grateful to that guy?”

Hertian suddenly found Serdis, who had burned away the framework of letters, admirable.

For he would never look through those letters again.

[This is the timeline separator]

I set about preparing to go out, putting breakfast aside.

“Princess! What’s wrong with your eyes? Have you already adapted to the North and find the Count’s residence uncomfortable?”

Betty, who was watching me sit in front of the dressing table, couldn’t hide her shock when she saw my eyes.

“No, it’s warm and comfortable, so I like it.”

I just slept late, that’s all.

I didn’t fall asleep until well past four in the morning.

“Well, I understand being tired on your honeymoon. Hehe.”

Betty sent me a suggestive look and snickered.

First mother, and now Betty.

I just closed my eyes. Then I opened them wide again.

Yesterday’s events seemed to be vividly painted before my eyes.

“Oh right. I packed the dress you took off last night separately in the luggage, Princess.”

Betty said, pointing to the suitcase.

She seemed to be talking about the dress I had taken off as soon as I returned to the room, thinking I should wash up.

“You don’t need to pack it separately.”

“Why not? I heard it was a gift from the Madam to you.”

“It’s too thin to wear in the North, so just wash it and hang it in the closet.”

Betty nodded as if she understood.

“I’ll just take out the note that was in the sleeve.”

“Yes, note?”

“When I was tidying up, a note fell out of the sleeve?”

Only then did I remember.

There was a note I had picked up when I went to the laboratory yesterday.

“Yes. Just keep that separate.”

“It looked really old, must be an important note.”

Betty asked with a curious face.

“I don’t think so. If it were important, they wouldn’t have written it on such a note.”

“You haven’t opened it yet?”

“No.”

How should I put it. I didn’t feel like it.

The memories from the laboratory were all so dark that I felt like old thoughts would come back if I opened it now.

Whatever the contents may be.

[This is the timeline separator]

My destination was the guest room of the Scharpenen family.

Tomorrow, I was planning to leave for the North right after returning to the Imperial Palace. Before that, I wanted to meet Violet and give her a gift, so I came here first.

“How can I accept such a precious thing?”

Today too, Violet’s reaction was perfect. Her mouth gaped open at the enchant I gave her.

“Isn’t this nothing compared to the jewels you have, Princess? Do you perhaps not like it?”

“How could that be!”

Violet jumped up, worried that I might misunderstand.

“I like it very much. Thank you.”

She took out the enchant and hugged it preciously to her chest.

This gift was a great success. Whether it was Hertian or Violet, their big reactions made giving gifts enjoyable.

She attached the purple enchant, which resembled her, to a necklace.

“Please wear it whenever you go out. It’s not just a jewel, but has a purification spell cast on it, so it will save you someday, Princess Violet.”

I explained the effects of the enchant to her. Violet doesn’t wear many accessories, so she might just cherish this preciously without wearing it.

“Not only the necklace, but a gift with magic… May I cry?”

She, on the verge of tears, had a quite different atmosphere from when we first met.

‘I thought she was stiff at first.’

Now that we’ve become close, she’s so honest and pure.

I could only lament that Serdis didn’t know Violet’s cuteness.

“You must have been busy, when did you buy this?”

“When I was sightseeing in the capital yesterday, this caught my eye. As soon as I saw it, I thought of you, Princess.”

“If I had known, I should have visited a jeweler too….”

She swallowed her regret. Her hair cascaded down as she lowered her head. That image overlapped with what I saw in the alley yesterday.

“Princess, did you perhaps go out yesterday afternoon?”

I know it wasn’t her, but Michael. It could have been a mistake due to the dark alley. But the person I saw was definitely Violet.

For a moment, her expression hardened. Perhaps it was my imagination, but her expression changed back to gentle.

“I was in the mansion all day.”

“Of course, you wouldn’t be in such a place, Princess. It must have been someone who looked similar. The person had long, purple hair like yours….”

“It wasn’t me.”

Her tone was somewhat angry.