After entering the villa, the two enjoyed a lunch prepared by the staff.

The freshly caught freshwater fish from the nearby lake was quite delicious.

After finishing the meal and drinking some black tea, Seyerd gave Kisa a brief tour of the villa’s interior.

‘I had a feeling it would be clean inside as well.’

Just like the exterior, there were no traces of fire to be found.

Well, it was said to be newly built.

Although it shared the same shape as the one from when Visherk Hillan was alive, it would be more accurate to consider it a completely separate building.

Still, according to the caretaker’s explanation, Seyerd had the villa restored to be as similar to its former appearance as possible with the help of those who remembered it.

Even down to the interior furniture and decorations.

Come to think of it, perhaps he had similar tastes to his brother and quite liked this place.

In any case, Kisa’s eyes were in for a treat.

The interior was also adorably decorated like the exterior, so she looked around the not-so-large mansion, losing track of time.

The dreams from her forgotten childhood slowly revived.

‘Yes, this is the kind of place I wanted to live in.’

In a beautiful home, with loved ones, happily.

While having such thoughts, Seyerd, who was beside her, spoke.

“Kisa, do you like it here?”

Kisa had been examining the cute animal figurines on the display cabinet, then turned her gaze to him.

“Yes, very much so.”

He smiled, seeming satisfied with Kisa’s answer.

“I’m glad. Let’s come often from now on.”

After leisurely looking around the house for about an hour, the two decided to go outside again to stroll along the lakeshore.

“I saw a back door earlier. Let’s try going out that way this time!”

Kisa made that suggestion with an excited heart as if going on an exploration, but upon hearing those words, a troubled expression appeared on Seyerd’s face.

“I’m afraid that would be difficult. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring the key to the back door today.”

Just then, the caretaker who had been helping with cleaning nearby also approached them and backed up Seyerd’s words.

“Actually, the back door is rarely used. It was the same when Viscount Hillan was the head of the family.”

According to him, the back door was an entrance that Visherk Hillan used when he wanted to secretly come and go from the villa.

“I mean, the back door is visible right after descending the stairs from His Excellency’s bedroom, isn’t it? But the front door is far from the stairs, so using it would easily attract the attention of the staff on the first floor.”

For that reason, it seemed that Visherk used the back door when he wanted to quietly go outside.

“Sometimes he would silently stroll in the back garden or walk along the lake before returning. Perhaps because of his important position, he often seemed lost in thought.”

Anyway, in order to not disturb the duke’s such secret moments, none of the villa’s staff, including the caretaker, ever used the back door.

“Well, even if we wanted to use it, we couldn’t because he kept the only key to the back door.”

Stroking his beard while laughing heartily, the caretaker gazed at Seyerd.

“I thought Seyerd-nim might also need some alone time, so after the villa was rebuilt, I gave you an identical key, but it doesn’t seem like you use it much.”

Seyerd responded with an awkward expression.

“I find it more convenient to just use the front door rather than repeatedly locking and unlocking the back door. I forgot to bring the key today as well.”

“I suppose not all twin brothers are alike.”

Kisa and Seyerd chatted with the caretaker for a while before heading towards the front door.

The winter lake scenery was beautiful, but as expected, it was difficult to stay long due to the cold.

Around the time Kisa’s nose tip turned red, at Seyerd’s strong recommendation, the two turned back in the direction of the villa.

Seyerd told Kisa, who showed disappointment, that they should go boating on the lake when the weather gets warmer, and Kisa smiled with an expectant look, calling it a promise.

She looked forward to spring even more.

Afterwards, the two spent time leisurely indoors in the warmth, ate dinner prepared by the staff, and went up to the bedroom on the second floor.

They had come here with plans to stay the night from the beginning.

After Seyerd went to the bathroom to wash up first, Kisa quietly sat and looked around the room.

The room that Visherk Hillan had used as his bedroom in the mansion that was lost to fire, and where he ultimately lost his life.

Strictly speaking, it was a different room in a different building, only sharing the same location, but somehow the feeling was strange.

It wasn’t scary since Seyerd was not far away. Just a little sad.

“He passed away at such a young age.”

Kisa opened her luggage bag, which the staff had carried here from the carriage, feeling gloomy.

Some time later, Seyerd returned to the room after finishing his bath.

“Kisa, now you…”

He had been about to suggest that Kisa wash up, but suddenly closed his mouth.

His hazel eyes that saw his lover widened.

“Is, is it that strange?”

Kisa carefully asked at the unexpected reaction.

“It’s late and I felt bad about calling Lily, so I tried putting it on roughly by myself.”

She scratched her cheek while looking down at her somewhat clumsily worn dress.

“That dress is…”

Seyerd blankly opened his mouth.

“I told you before. It was a gift from the former duke.”

A few years ago, at a banquet hosted by Princess Arta, it was meant as an apology for spilling wine on Kisa’s dress.

Kisa had taken out the dress she had been keeping all this time from her wardrobe for the first time in a very long while.

Thinking about visiting the place where Visherk Hillan was buried, the dress he had given suddenly came to mind.

She hesitantly spoke.

“Somehow, I never got to show it to the former duke while he was alive. Me wearing this, that is.”

Naturally. She had never even worn it in the first place.

“I thought maybe I could show him now, even belatedly. But actually, it’s not really an appropriate outfit for paying respects to the deceased. It’s too bright and flashy.”

“…”

“So I tried it on to ask Seyerd too, but what do you think? Should I just wear darker clothes after all?”

Kisa couldn’t continue speaking any further.

Because Seyerd, who had already come close to her side, suddenly embraced Kisa tightly.

“Kisa.”

You look truly beautiful. He whispered in her ear in a somewhat subdued voice.

Kisa instinctively realized that he was aroused right now.

“Seyerd?”

The startled Kisa called her lover’s name, but he instantly captured her lips.

His tongue pushed in and ravaged every part of Kisa.

What in the world was this? Kisa had no choice but to swallow the saliva he gave her as she wondered.

It was hard to guess why Seyerd was showing such a passionate reaction.

The only thing that had changed compared to before he left was that she had changed into this dress, so it seemed like the dress she was wearing now was the cause, but…

‘Could it be because red is the color of passion?’

Or perhaps red was his taste.

Planning to buy more red clothes once they returned home, Kisa led Seyerd to the bed.

Honestly, her legs were trembling from the intense kiss, making it hard to stand any longer.

Come to think of it, it had already been three days since she spent the dawn with him.

Of course, if it was muscle pain, it had already completely healed.

The next day, Kisa, who had woken up late, had to wear a different dress than the red one Seyerd had loved so much the previous night.

It was because the dress had gotten very wrinkled in the process of hastily removing clothing on the bed.

While Kisa was contemplating whether it would be okay to just iron and wear it, Seyerd dissuaded her.

“It’s a beautiful dress, but as expected, it doesn’t seem suitable for paying respects.”

There was some truth to his words. After all, the purpose of this visit was to pay respects, wasn’t it?

“Your grateful heart for the gift has surely been conveyed to Visherk.”

He said that while patting Kisa’s shoulder.

After that, the two spent some more time at the villa and left before it got dark.

Promising to visit once more before leaving for Hillan territory after the wedding.

Peaceful times passed by.

Perhaps thanks to the sense of growing closer to Seyerd, Kisa’s anxiety had diluted significantly compared to before.

“That’s quite an unexpected move.”

Then one day, while visiting the Hillan ducal residence as usual and watching her lover work, Kisa tilted her head upon hearing him mutter those words with a slightly stiff face.

After Gilliam, who had been talking with him, left the office, Kisa approached Seyerd sitting at the desk and asked.

“Is something the matter?”

While saying it was nothing, he still shared with Kisa the report he had heard from Gilliam just before.

“There is a distant relative of mine called Viscount Seodor, and I was told he has come to the capital this time. They say he’s keeping quiet for now, but he was once the person who was most hostile towards me, so I’m feeling a bit concerned. It’s also unusual for him to leave his territory at this time of year, rather than in spring or summer.”

“That’s true.”

Even assuming he came with the purpose of attending Kisa and Seyerd’s wedding, it was way too early.

“Well, if he has business with me, he will speak to me first.”

However, contrary to Seyerd’s prediction, the person Viscount Seodor spoke to was someone else.

“I hope you are well, Young Lady Vanspelt.”

A few days later, an unfamiliar middle-aged man appeared in front of Kisa as she was walking through the shopping district.

“I recognized you from the portrait in the newspaper. The one who will soon become the lady of Hillan.”

Taking off his hat and politely greeting her, the man calmly introduced himself.

“You may not know, but I am Viscount Seodor. I am also a relative of the Duke of Hillan.”

The viscount’s thin eyes, which gave off a somewhat cunning impression, curved.

“Meeting like this is also fate, so could you spare me some time?”