“Since the Duke of Temnes and the Duchess of Vermonte using the same room might not allow them to rest comfortably, I thought to prepare separate…”

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

Kaian cut off the attendant’s words.

Then he glared at the attendant with his characteristic cold gaze that seemed as if even a needle point could not penetrate.

“While serving His Majesty the King at the royal palace, are you unable to grasp the family tree of the royal in-laws? The Duchess of Vermonte? Why did you call my wife the Duchess of Vermonte?”

Kaian must have been born in the wrong place.

From any angle, this man exuding a chilling aura seemed more suited to the icy land of Valmonde than the sunny land of Rowen.

“Th-that. I-I made a mistake.”

“The Duchess of Vermonte. Right. That would be my mother-in-law, the mistress of Valmonde, wouldn’t it.”

At his sarcastic tone, the palace attendants and maids all lowered their heads and exchanged glances with each other.

“Remember this clearly. My wife is Temnes. If I hear you attach Vermonte to the Duchess of Temnes one more time, the mistaken mouth will be made to bite a knife, so be aware.”

“Yes, Your Grace. I sincerely apologize.”

As the attendant bowed deeply, his forehead almost touching the ground, repeatedly expressing his regret, Kaian unfolded his arms and placed Claudel’s frozen hand, which had been standing still with the attendants and maids, on his arm.

“Lead the way. We must rest immediately due to fatigue from the long journey.”

“Yes. This way, please.”

The attendant hurriedly guided them, taking the lead.

Claudel took quick, small steps to diligently follow Kaian.

Throb.

Usually, he would match his pace to Claudel’s.

‘Ah. My leg.’

Now, perhaps because he was very angry, he was walking faster than their usual shared pace, and as Claudel forcibly tried to keep up, her leg that had been injured by the alligator hurt a little.

Glancing up, he seemed to be in a very bad mood.

Perhaps the attendant who had tried to guide them to separate rooms had been on the receiving end of his anger.

In fact, he had seemed to be in a bad mood ever since they met the messenger sent by the king at the Temnes family mansion where they had planned to stay in the capital, and had to hurriedly depart for the royal palace again.

‘Sigh.’

Claudel forcibly put strength into her steps to avoid limping on her throbbing, aching leg.

She too was extremely tired today, having traveled straight through without being able to get out of the carriage to rest due to the rain.

When the carriage stopped at the mansion, just as she thought ‘I can rest now’, she felt a bit deflated at being told to go to the royal palace again, and upon actually arriving, she felt intimidated by the unfamiliar grandeur of the royal palace she was visiting for the first time.

If it hadn’t been for Kaian, who stood with his shoulders squared so confidently as if it were his own home, she might have looked even more unsightly.

Her husband, unchanged from usual, was somewhat helpful at times like this.

He really had a way of instantly commanding the atmosphere wherever he was.

Be it at Rowen Castle or the royal palace in the capital.

The royal palace, built pushing up the top of the hill, had high, sturdy walls erected, and when seen in pictures, it didn’t look that large nestled alongside the wide Shen River.

Whether because her leg hurt or not, walking along the corridor seemed endless.

“Ugh.”

It was when she let out a small groan of pain.

Kaian, who had been walking with a scary face and his mouth tightly shut the whole time, stopped in his tracks.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah. It’s nothing.”

“Is your leg hurting?”

Claudel’s shoulders hunched at the gazes of the palace attendants and maids watching them.

She didn’t want to show any deficiencies in front of these strangers she was meeting for the first time.

While riding in the carriage, Kaian had told her about His Majesty the King of Oberon, Valquiter.

‘When we were young, we called each other by name.’

‘You mean His Highness the Crown Prince?’

‘Since my mother and Queen Silvia are sisters. Even after becoming a duchess and queen, when it was just the two of them, they still called each other by name.’

‘Really?’

This previously unheard royal insider information was fascinating.

‘So I don’t think I ever had the notion that I should show deference to Valquiter because he was the crown prince. My mother called Her Majesty the Queen that way too, just like how you comfortably call your older sister Irena.’

‘I see.’

‘Valquiter has some willful aspects, but I chalk it up to his personality. He had to shoulder too big a burden at such a young age.’

Kaian’s eyes were exceptionally soft and gentle only when talking about Valquiter.

‘It’s a position where he can’t show weakness or act childish to anyone. He would sometimes go too far with pranks, and I think that’s how he relieved his stress.’

‘What about you? You also became the head of the family at a young age. Wasn’t it hard for you?’

At her words, Kaian answered meaningfully.

‘I occasionally did bad things. Unlike someone at the royal palace.’

But he didn’t explain in detail, making her even more curious.

‘Valquiter is my brother. I don’t feel that way about Bianca.’

Even though they were cousins, it seemed the King of Oberon was such a special person to him.

‘If I say my leg is uncomfortable here, rumors will spread.’

Rumors spreading among the nobles were easily distorted and exaggerated.

At this rate, if someone were to add the incident from the alligator hunt in the territory, it was bound to spread far and wide that the Duchess of Temnes who married from Vermonte has a limp.

Claudel was worried that the fact that she was an inadequate wife for the Duke of Temnes’ reputation might reach the King’s ears.

“I asked if you’re having trouble walking.”

“No. I’m really fine. If we just walk a little slower…”

However, before Claudel could finish speaking, Kaian lightly picked her up in his arms.

“Lead the way quickly.”

“Yes. Yes, Your Grace.”

As the attendant walked quickly, Kaian followed behind with his wide strides.

‘I don’t know.’

If this incident reaches His Majesty the King’s ears, what will he think of me?

Thinking that she might lose points with Valquiter, whom she hadn’t even met yet, made Claudel feel pathetic.

“This is the room. Please rest comfortably.”

The attendant quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, then straightened his chest properly and asked.

“Shall I prepare a meal or tea to be brought up?”

“Not necessary. Just have bath water sent up. We’ll be resting, so don’t disturb us.”

“Yes.”

As the attendant withdrew and the door closed, Kaian carefully laid her down on the bed.

“Kaian. I said I was fine, didn’t I?”

“What’s fine about it?”

He furrowed his brow.

“It’s just that I got a bit tired trying to keep up when you were walking a little fast.”

“If your leg hurts, you should say so. Why are you enduring it?”

“That’s because you seemed to be in a bad mood.”

Kaian sat on the edge of the bed, pushed up her skirt as if flipping it over, and began to feel along her thigh to remove the thin silk stockings worn on her legs.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“Stay still.”

Soon, as her bare legs were exposed, Kaian carefully examined the scar from where the alligator had bitten, gently rubbing her leg.

“It’s cold.”

Perhaps due to the cool, rainy weather, Kaian’s hands were quite cold.

When Claudel held her breath at the sudden cold sensation, he pressed the back of his hand against her leg.

“There’s some heat around where you were injured.”

“It doesn’t hurt. Now that I’m resting like this, it’s already fine.”

“Should we apply a compress?”

You see. Even when someone speaks, Kaian always acted as he pleased, so he didn’t listen.

Claudel sighed.

“It was just for a moment earlier. It didn’t hurt at all during the journey. Even during the territory festival.”

“Maybe I should have brought a doctor from Rowen Castle.”

“Kaian. Are you listening to me?”

“I’m listening. But you’re talking nonsense. Not hurting, you say. If it doesn’t hurt, why did you groan?”

“……”

Claudel was at a loss for words.

The day she could beat him in an argument would never come.

“The palace doctor is also reliable. If you feel even slightly uncomfortable, tell me quickly.”

“Alright.”

Kaian unbuttoned his outer garment and removed his travel boots that came up to his calves.

He finished removing the stockings from her other leg as well, then smoothed down her half-turned-up skirt to tidy it, and seeing her white toes peeking out from under the hem of her skirt, he tapped them lightly with his fingertips, his eyes becoming like he was looking at an adorable kitten.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s fascinating how small they are.”

When Claudel bent her knees to hide her feet under her skirt, he suddenly pressed down on her, covering her with his body.

“Kaian. Hnngh.”

As soon as their lips met, a tingling sensation swept through her entire body.

It had been a while since they shared such a deep kiss.

The kisses they exchanged throughout their journey resembled the scenery that would become memories.

As beautiful as the purple verbena flowers blooming profusely under the warm sunlight, and as sweet as the scent of a candy shop wafting through the carriage window on a gentle breeze.

Even though they were clothed, she could feel the man’s resolute attitude promising what was to come as he pressed his entire body against hers.

“Haah.”

Claudel closed her eyes tightly as she clung to his neck with both arms.

Kaian was truly extraordinarily different.

Just having their lips pressed together made her lose her mind like this, yet somehow he had already undone all the buttons on her dress.

For the convenience of travel, she had worn a two-piece dress with separate top and bottom, so when he removed the top, she was left in a thin, soft white blouse underneath.

The new clothes meticulously made by Madame Marcel had thirty small, dense, bead-like buttons.

Seeing this, Kaian immediately frowned.

“How annoying. Why are there so many buttons on women’s clothes? I think we hired the wrong seamstress.”

“Don’t blame the buttons. You’ve been irritated since we left the mansion earlier, haven’t you?”

When Claudel defended Madame Marcel, he sighed.

“I was planning for us to spend time alone together.”

She cupped her disgruntled husband’s cheeks with her hands.

“We’ll be alone together here too, you know.”

“I’d like to hope so, but.”

Having heard from him before, Claudel thought he might be worried about the upcoming ‘royal commands’ that would be issued frequently.

“I should finish what I was about to say earlier.”

“What are you talking about?”

Kaian said as he smoothed Claudel’s disheveled hair with his hand.

“What I said in the carriage.”

The man’s voice lowered as he leaned his head down.

“The naughty stuff.”

Claudel reached out her hand to block his kiss.

He looked down at her with a displeased expression.

“I’m hungry.”

“Haa… I’ll finish quickly.”

“Liar.”

“……”

Kaian roughly ran his hand through his hair and asked irritably.

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier when I told the attendant we didn’t need a meal?”

“You chased him away without giving me a chance to speak.”

“That’s… because you said your leg hurt.”

“Another lie. You were planning to do naughty things, weren’t you?”

“…I’ll call for the attendant.”

Claudel silently laughed as she watched Kaian sigh and get up from the bed, exuding an air of intense dislike.

The attendant standing before Valquiter reported nervously.

The Duke and Duchess of the renowned Wonsu family in Oberon’s history would be staying at the royal palace.

Admiring the king’s foresight in ordering rooms far apart to be prepared so they wouldn’t be uncomfortable, he had made preparations in advance, but the Duke had taken the Duchess to his own room.

Although it wasn’t that they didn’t follow the king’s orders, but rather that the Duke did as he pleased, words of excuse spilled out.

“We prepared as commanded, but the Duke said he wouldn’t be uncomfortable, so we guided them together.”

“I see. You may go.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As the attendant left, Valquiter muttered coldly.

“One room will suffice, he says.”