“Confess to the lord that you like him.”

“Confess?”

“Yes. That’s my wish. Before returning to Rowen from the capital.”

“Hannah.”

Claude was embarrassed.

“You should make a wish for yourself. That’s a bit…”

“Why do you think this isn’t a wish for me?”

Hannah spoke seriously, erasing her playful expression.

“My lady. He’s your husband. At first, well, I expected it would be difficult to get along. But now you’re on such good terms.”

“But…”

Claude lacked confidence.

It had only been about half of the nearly four months since coming to Rowen that Kaian had been able to get along this smoothly.

Even if he treated her kindly and they got along well, he was still the one who had hurt her in the past.

The person who had been terribly cold had become dull and gentle.

Then, if there was a reason and opportunity, wouldn’t he become frightening again like before?

“I want to say it. But…”

Claude was tired and weak.

It hadn’t been long since she escaped the pain she believed only death would liberate her from.

Kaian was the first man Claude had held in her heart.

How could sharing breaths, pressing bodies together, and spending nights with such a man not be precious?

She wasn’t curious about what feelings he had when coming to see her.

Because the fact that she liked him was the truth.

It was important that the one she admired reached out a hand of salvation to the hell of insomnia, lying side by side under the covers and offering his embrace.

“Such things aren’t important in this marriage.”

Claude tried to think that things were fine as they were now.

Sometimes she imagined what expression that man would make if she told him she had become sincere.

Of course, she wanted to know his true feelings too.

And she wished he would allow her into his heart.

Those were all Claude’s desires.

Their marriage was solely by the order of King Oberon, for the reconciliation of Vermonte and Temnes who had been sworn enemies for long years.

It was different from ordinary marriages where hearts are shared.

So she was afraid of the ripples it might cause if she rashly poured out her inner thoughts to him.

Rather, even the outwardly peaceful daily life they had now might be shattered.

Thinking about it after hearing Hannah’s words, the biggest variable was Claude herself.

If she hadn’t held him in her heart.

If the wish to keep living in Rowen like this hadn’t been born, there would have been no need to send a telegram or such to the Duke of Vermonte, trembling and begging him to never send Irena like this again.

If Kaian hadn’t become this likable, even if the Duke of Vermonte called for her to return to Vermonte, she might have rather seen that call as a lifeline.

“It’s not unimportant. The only unimportant thing is the fact that we followed the royal order.”

Hannah stomped her foot in frustration.

“What’s important is your happiness, my lady.”

Madame Marcel, who had been watching from the side, chimed in.

“My lady. What are you so afraid of? You don’t know how much the duke thinks of you.”

“The things I care for and hold dear don’t remain around me.”

Claude smiled bitterly.

“So I guess that’s why I’m so afraid. That my desire to pour out my heart and feel relieved, and my curiosity to know his true feelings, will ruin everything.”

Hannah’s face hardened at the roundabout confession of her innermost thoughts.

Hannah would know what Claude was talking about.

She was the only friend who could understand it most completely.

Madame Marcel felt like she might cry unwittingly at Claude’s faint smile with such a sad face.

‘Love doesn’t bring joy and delight to everyone.’

Madame Marcel’s heart ached to see such deep and weary sorrow shown by a young woman who still had so much life ahead of her.

“Nothing in this world is eternal, my dear.”

Madame Marcel gently stroked Claude’s hair.

“Even the fiercest drought eventually welcomes rain that soaks the earth. Even Vermonte’s cold that sweeps away all life on the ground welcomes spring.”

Claude closed her eyes, listening to her words.

“Don’t be afraid of change. Even if painful moments come, surely better things will follow.”

Madame Marcel comforted Claude and ended up shedding tears.

“Don’t cry.”

Claude looked at Hannah, embarrassed.

But seeing even the usually cheerful Hannah wiping tears with the back of her hand, she closed her mouth.

‘What about my happiness.’

Why were they all crying and worrying like this?

Claude felt pathetic for making them cry.

“Alright. I’ll try.”

“Really?”

Hannah, who had been sniffling, raised her head.

“I’ll try. I’m not sure if I can say it before going to Rowen, though.”

Would there be a chance to say those words to Kaian?

Claude’s heart pounded just imagining it.

Then the thoughts that had been circling like a hamster wheel reached an realization.

‘I wouldn’t have been able to hide these feelings forever anyway.’

As long as she couldn’t avoid seeing him, it would have shown on the outside someday.

“Thank you for caring about me, Hannah.”

Claude reached out and took Hannah’s hand.

“But if there’s another chance, you should make a wish for yourself. Okay?”

“But this really is my wish. If you become happy, I don’t need any wishes.”

“Still.”

Holding Hannah’s hand in one and Madame Marcel’s in the other, Claude steeled her resolve.

With these people supporting her like this, she could gather courage bit by bit and tell him at least once.

It was raining on the day they arrived in the capital.

When she opened the cover over the carriage window a little, rainwater splashed in mercilessly.

Claude, who had been curious about the outside, quickly gave up and closed the cover again. It was already the umpteenth time she repeated the same action, but due to the heavy rain, looking out the window was out of the question.

“Sigh.”

When she sighed, Kaian asked.

“Are you bored?”

“A little.”

“How impolite. Weren’t you taught to say you’re not bored even if you are, in front of your husband?”

“I was taught that, but I don’t want to lie to you.”

Kaian said he could reach the royal palace in five days if he rode alone.

The journey that had taken a week by carriage when Claude went from Vermonte to Rowen had taken twelve days this time, as they slowly sightsaw and stayed here and there on the way up.

“The trip was really fun. That’s why I feel so stuffy now, I guess.”

When going from Vermonte to Rowen, she hadn’t felt bored or stuffy even though she spent three whole days in a leaky carriage with the windows tightly shut.

Her mind, which had fully enjoyed good sights, was now screaming to jump out of the carriage and get soaked in the rain.

“Want to do something fun?”

“What is it?”

When she perked up, Kaian leaned in close and whispered lowly in her ear.

“Something naughty.”

Claude immediately felt a tingling sensation down her spine.

Since leaving Rowen, Kaian had only slept holding her at night.

That’s because Claude was absorbed in reading travel books until one or two in the morning.

‘Aren’t you tired?’

‘Not at all. We’ll pass by here tomorrow.’

At first, she was busy reading books because carriage travel was tiring and unfamiliar, and she was afraid of missing something famous in the city they would arrive at the next day.

‘Shall I put out the light?’

‘I have things to send to the territory too, so keep reading.’

When it occurred to her that Kaian was being considerate of her in case she was tired, Claude was happy.

There were times when she felt upset thinking he only enjoyed spending nights with her, and times when she felt sad realizing she didn’t know well what he liked or what he was thinking, even while living together like this as a couple.

This was the first time spending time alone with Kaian like this.

Having the busy man who was always the lord of a vast territory all to herself, she got to have all sorts of conversations with him.

Memories of the hometown village where she grew up, and stories about Hannah.

Things about Vermonte Castle.

Things Kaian had seen, heard and felt on the battlefield, and the situation of Rowen territory when he became lord.

While talking about that, Kaian suddenly showed a somewhat apologetic look.

‘I suppose these stories are boring.’

But Claude shook her head.

‘Not at all. Please tell me more.’

She wanted to know more and hear more of whatever stories he told.

However, at the sudden words “something naughty” from the mouth of the man who had been impeccably behaved for twelve days except for occasional kisses, Claude’s heart pounded.

“What kind of naughty thing?”

She asked.

“Hoot. Pfft. Ha, hahaha.”

But Kaian just laughed after bringing it up himself.

“Why are you laughing?”

What a waste.

His smiling face should be seen in a brighter place.

Claude was truly regretful to lose this precious opportunity in the gloomy carriage.

“You really never back down, do you.”

“You’ll do whatever you want anyway.”

“True. That’s admirable in its own way.”

Just then, the carriage seemed to slow down and stop.

“Are we here?”

As Kaian muttered, there was a knock on the carriage door and the coachman, wearing a raincoat soaked with rainwater, opened the door and bowed his head.

“My lord. We have arrived at the capital residence.”

“Good work.”

“Um. It is presumptuous of me to say, but there is a messenger from the royal palace.”

“What? From the royal palace?”

Claude blinked, watching Kaian immediately frown.

“Duke of Temnes. Greetings to you and the duchess.”

The messenger, soaked in rain despite using an umbrella, was wearing a cape of pale yellow on a cream background. It was the uniform modeled after Oberon Palace with its white walls and golden roof.

“What is it?”

“His Majesty the King has commanded that you stay at the palace during this visit.”

“Tell him I refuse.”

The messenger was at a loss when he flatly rejected the King’s summons without even considering it, then quietly took out a letter from his bosom and presented it.

“If you refuse, he said to deliver this letter.”

Kaian glared at the letter with a cold expression before declaring,

“We’ll go to the palace.”

“Yes. I will escort you.”

The coachman closed the door and soon the carriage started moving again.

“What did His Majesty say?”

When Claude asked curiously, Kaian held out the envelope.

She quickly took out the contents to see, but the letter only had four words written: “This is a royal command.”

“Ah. Haha.”

She laughed awkwardly and quickly stuffed the letter back into the envelope.

“That guy… His Majesty throws around royal commands so casually.”

Having heard on the way that he and Valkyrie grew up like brothers, Claude found even Kaian’s grumbling cute.

To the point where even the King, whom she had never met, felt familiar for casually issuing royal commands.

‘The Duke of Vermonte said the King was keeping Kaian in check.’

That he would lend strength to attack Temnes through their marriage.

However, the young King of Oberon that Claude glimpsed through Kaian was completely different from what the Duke of Vermonte had said.

‘I thought there was no way.’

That the King would take the Duke of Vermonte’s side between cousins whose mothers were sisters.

A brief thought passed through Claude’s mind.

When they arrived at the palace and got out of the carriage, they were quickly guided inside the castle.

“Welcome to Oberon Palace.”

The servant who came out to greet them bowed his head.

“I will guide you to your rooms. Duke, please follow me. Duchess, you can go with the maids.”

“Wait. Why are you guiding us to separate rooms?”

When Kaian asked, the servant looked between him and Claude with a bewildered face before replying.

“I thought the Duke of Temnes and the Duchess of Vermonte wouldn’t be able to rest comfortably if you shared a room, so separately…”

“There seems to be a misunderstanding. One room will do.”