When our business was finished, upon Jane’s urging to leave quickly, Cahilern and I stood up.

Feeling reluctant to part with the cat, Cahilern grabbed my wrist and handed it over to Rain.

The cat, its claws extended, growled, and Jane grumbled about our rudeness.

Returning from the Fairy Forest was much smoother than finding it.

Thanks to Jane opening a portal, we could quickly reach the Star Palace.

Jane glared at Cahilern, saying she didn’t want to see the arrogant swordmaster near the Fairy Forest for even a second. Of course, Cahilern didn’t bat an eye.

Despite using the portal, when we arrived at the Star Palace, the situation was dire. Going straight from a long carriage ride to a strenuous hike was strange without exhaustion.

I couldn’t tell when time had passed; outside the window was dark. I relaxed in the bath Sylvia had prepared for me. The slimy feeling seemed to ease the tension.

Hope had sprung from the recent developments in the seemingly hopeless situation. I found myself humming a tune. Sylvia, wiping my body with a sponge, grinned.

“What good news do you have?”

“Yeah. It seems like we might be able to resolve the troublesome matter that has been bothering us.”

“What is it?”

“I’ll tell you later. I’m tired right now.”

Sylvia didn’t ask me twice about it. Instead, she poured the prepared fragrant oil into the bathtub.

“It’s scented oil made from herbs known for relaxation. It’ll help ease your fatigue.”

“Thanks, Sylvia.”

With my eyes closed, I inhaled the subtle fragrance, and it seemed to calm my mind, as Sylvia had suggested.

Until Sylvia cautiously brought up the topic she had in mind, that was the case.

“Um… Haon de Bi, can I ask you something? It might be inappropriate, but have you two not performed the wedding night yet?”

Hearing an unexpected question, I was startled and opened my eyes wide. Sylvia wore a very concerned expression.

“W-why are you suddenly asking that?”

“I read it in a book. They say if you don’t have the wedding night, there won’t be any traces left on your body.”

“Who says that?”

“I read it in a book.”

I should either confiscate all those damn books or something.

I never expected to hear such an embarrassing remark from the still-innocent Sylvia.

In fact, as Sylvia mentioned, Cahilern and I hadn’t had a wedding night. It was originally a contractual marriage, so it was only natural. On the night of the wedding, Cahilern, who used to be a maid, grabbed my wrist and said,

“You never know what the second prince might do to your heart overnight. Sleep by my side.”

At first, I was startled, but when Cahilern asked, “How do you see me?” and let out a fart, I got annoyed and lay down beside him.

It was like offering rice cakes to someone who wasn’t hungry at all. Since then, I’ve been lying in the same bed with him, but nothing unusual happened.
However, occasionally, when I opened my eyes in the morning, there would be an excessively handsome face right in front of me, or sometimes, I would catch a glimpse of well-defined muscles beyond the occasionally disheveled clothing. In those moments, I had to quickly turn my head because I found myself blushing involuntarily.

Cahilern, usually neat and proper, occasionally displayed a disheveled appearance on the bed. Despite his dignified posture when sleeping, he seemed to have quite a habit of snoring.

“Come to think of it, he hasn’t been doing his early morning hobby lately.”

When he was a servant, he used to wake up at 4 in the morning so often that I wondered if some grudge was formed.

Trying to divert the topic from the conversation, I responded casually, “Well… does that really matter?”

“It matters a lot!”

Sylvia asserted with sparkling eyes. Caught off guard, I unintentionally stepped back due to her momentum.

“Performing the wedding night is crucial for the marriage to be perfect. If you don’t have the wedding night, the marriage can be annulled.”

“Is that so?”

I didn’t know about that. So, if we don’t have the wedding night, does that mean there won’t be any traces even if we divorce? Since we had a contractual marriage, maybe that would be better.

“So, are you worried about me now?”

“Yes, I am. I’m very happy that Lady L’orinolla has become Lady De Bi.”

Sylvia’s cheerful smile was so cute that I couldn’t help but smile back.

When I entered my room, Cahilern, who had been reading documents while sitting on the bed, raised the blanket.

It was a somewhat persuasive suggestion for me to come in and sleep. At first, I thought it was ticklish, but people are creatures of adaptation, and now I nonchalantly burrowed into the blanket.

Cahilern, who covered me with the blanket, also put down the documents and lay down on the bed. It was the end of a day that had become familiar without realizing it.

“Thank you for taking me to the Fairy Forest.”

Feeling like I hadn’t properly expressed my gratitude earlier, I detached myself, and Cahilern gave a faint smile. He turned his head and looked at me.

“Are you going to keep it just with words?”

“Then should I do a dance or something?”