“No, you’re right that I mentioned Anika.”

However, the question remained unresolved. Idren asked again slowly,

“You entrusted the daughter of an elder family to the southern lord…?”

The south and Aidegrune had been on bad terms for several generations.

No matter how different Anika’s disposition was from his father’s, it seemed unlikely that he would welcome Siana, who was close to being a pure-blooded member of an Aidegrune elder family.

However, the reply that came back was nonchalant.

“When I looked at the previous life, they got along well with each other?”

“Is that so…?”

If that was the case, it seemed that there had been a change in the relationship while Idren was away.

In fact, when he returned to Aidegrune after ending the war, Anika was already dead.

Recalling the time when everything seemed to be a dull gray, Idren said,

“Then you should have given me a heads-up.”

It wasn’t a problem for Ophelia to entrust Siana to anyone, but Idren didn’t like not knowing the information related to the other party in advance.

Weren’t they a married couple? Now that they had truly become a relationship befitting those words, Idren wanted to know in detail what Ophelia was thinking.

Previously, it was something he couldn’t even imagine.

Ophelia then calmly replied,

“You also left for Brinwell without a word, didn’t you?”

There were reasons for that… but it seemed like Ophelia would take it as an excuse rather than an explanation if he told her.

In the end, Idren, who had shut his mouth, was asked by Ophelia,

“Will you continue to do that in the future?”

“I won’t.”

And Idren gently hugged her so that she wouldn’t get angrier.

As if Ophelia wasn’t really trying to scold him seriously, she hugged him back and stroked his hair.

Feeling that soft touch, Idren muttered,

“…This isn’t a dream, right?”

It seemed like it was time to regain a sense of reality.

Sometimes when the mood was good, Ophelia thought as she stroked the hair of the man who said absurd things. Is it that hard to believe?

But it was more than once or twice that Idren had shouted that her sensitivity had dried up.

Thanks to that, Ophelia learned that her standards and his were quite different, so she just kept her mouth shut.

As she lowered her hand and brushed his back, Idren slightly flinched.

Even so, as long as he was holding her, he was far from being adorable, but his efforts were quite cute.

Thinking that her eyes must have really gone bad, Ophelia brushed his neck.

His soft black hair, which he didn’t even manage separately, brushed against her fingers. Idren, who was hugging her tightly, muttered again,

“You’re even hugging me like this…”

It seemed like he was attaching too much deep meaning to a single contact.

Trying to sigh at the man who seemed to say that even the breath he inhaled was a luxury, Ophelia realized that it would not help his emotions.

Belatedly trying to learn how to handle her husband, there were more than one or two things to be mindful of.

She was about to continue teasing him with the hand that was stroking his back, but Idren asked,

“Your birthday is coming up soon… Is there anything you want?”

“No, it’s fine. Why birthday presents?”

If there was something she needed, regardless of whether it was her birthday or not, she would either ask Idren for it or get it herself. There was nothing else she wanted.

Above all, her birthday was quite far away to say it was soon.

Idren seemed to be trying to take care of such anniversaries in advance because he was attentive.

But speaking of birthdays, there was something that came to mind. Ophelia, who had pushed him away a little to face him, said,

“Why don’t you tell me what you want? Since it was unintentionally ruined last time, I’ll give you another chance.”

Idren took her up on the offer without refusing even once.

“Alright. May I think about it and tell you?”

And then he smiled brightly, and that pure smile was just like a yellow flower.

Ophelia concluded based on her own absurd impression. I must be really crazy. I’ve fallen hard.

Placing her hand on the face of the man who made her feel emotions she didn’t even know existed, Ophelia exclaimed,

“Perhaps you are… a natural?”

If not, there was no way he could have changed her this much.

Idren, who grabbed her hand on his cheek and kissed the tip of it, asked,

“What do you mean?”

That’s what I mean, actions like this are the problem.

Ophelia swallowed those words as she looked at the man who did actions that might seem like aegyo without much thought.

Meanwhile, his staring yellow eyes really resembled flowers. Ophelia muttered,

“Just, when I see you doing this…”

Then there was a knock on the door, and Salode called for Idren from the other side.

Your Highness. The man, whose vacation ended yesterday, had returned to the castle.

“I heard that the Lord of Rohos has arrived at the castle.”

At those words, Idren pressed his lips to her hand and let out a groan.

“There are so many people to meet today.”

Seeing him frowning and grumbling, she suddenly wanted to tease him. Ophelia lightly pressed the narrowed space between his eyebrows with her finger.

“And you have a lot of complaints.”

Idren, who turned his head as if to avoid her finger, buried his face in her shoulder. He mumbled in a muffled voice,

“Don’t forget. We’re newlyweds.”

“I don’t even know how many times we’ve been newlyweds.”

Then the man pouted his lips but detached himself from her. He half-heartedly smoothed out his clothes that were crumpled along with his body.

Waiting until he finished fixing his appearance, Ophelia grabbed his cheeks and kissed him.

As their lips touched and parted, Idren’s face instantly turned red.

It’s nice to see him get embarrassed even though it’s not the first time. Ophelia whispered to the stiffened man,

“Because we’re newlyweds.”

“Ah, that’s, that’s right.”

And Idren hurriedly got up from his seat. He turned his back and rubbed his neck with his hand as if to cool down.

Even so, the redness didn’t go away,

If even that looks lovely, is it a severe case?

Recalling the diagnosis she had made for herself several times, Ophelia appreciated his back view.

It was nice to look at because he was a tall man with a toned body.

As if rubbing his neck wasn’t enough, Idren washed his face and said,

“I’ll go meet Anika Rohos and come back.”

“Until when is that bastard going to keep doing that?”

Orien, who was walking through the rear garden with his younger sister, grumbled upon seeing Bahamut coming and going from the palace.

He called her out after a long time, saying let’s take a walk, but he was just complaining about trivial things.

Rahelika responded gently to suit the taste of her elder brother, who was sensitive to even the smallest things.

“Don’t be like that, elder brother. It’s understandable to be concerned when the person you were serving has disappeared.”

The reason Bahamut was coming and going from the palace was because the Second Prince, whom he served as his master, had disappeared.

The attendant, who was extremely devoted to Netepel Luntalis for some reason, was searching every corner to find clues to his disappearance.

Tsk. Orien clicked his tongue and sarcastically said,

“What does it matter if a lowly bastard like that disappears? If he’s dead, I don’t know, but if he comes back alive, he’ll just be punished.”

He had always made the Second Prince do all sorts of errands, so it seemed he was planning to hold him accountable for not being able to carry them out when he returned.

Then, as if worried that he might look narrow-minded, Orien added,

“That guy should stop doing that for his own sake. If a former doctor of the Empress Palace goes around like that, it will definitely bother Mother’s eyes, and do you think Father will just sit still then?”

Rahelika agreed with those words to some extent.

Their father had a tendency to try to prove his love in strange ways.

It was not a very effective method since what he was trying to prove was questionable whether it was love in the first place.

And looking at such a sight inevitably made her feel unwell. Holding back the nausea that threatened to rise just by imagining it, Rahelika replied,

“I’ll have someone advise him well and send him back.”

Among the doctors of the Empress Palace, there was a disciple raised by Bahamut. If she had him talk, Bahamut would also avoid Orien’s eyes.

Orien also didn’t seem to want to delve deep into the problem, so he roughly nodded. He changed the subject and asked,

“Is the banquet preparation going well?”

“Of course.”

Soon, a banquet was scheduled to be held at the Imperial Palace in place of the summer conference.

Since Empress Iris was not in a state to prepare for such a thing, Rahelika was taking charge of the banquet preparations.

Orien, who had been frowning slightly as if thinking about something, said,

“Preparing for the conference might not have been bad either. Then we could have found out what the Duke of Aglante was thinking.”

“The duke wouldn’t have come to the conference. Since he’s a newlywed, a long-distance trip would be difficult.”

“Then we could have used that as an excuse.”

It was then that an Empress Palace attendant approached them. After greeting Orien with the etiquette of addressing the Crown Prince, the attendant said,

“Her Majesty the Empress is looking for you.”

She had left after confirming that the Empress was asleep, but it seemed she had woken up in the meantime.

Holding back a sigh that threatened to come out, Rahelika said,

“Then I’ll go back to Mother now.”

“Wait, Rahel.”

Looking back at her elder brother who had stopped her, Rahelika hoped that he wouldn’t say something stupid.

It was already becoming difficult to manage her expression these days.

However, Orien, who had been tactless all his life, was the same today as always.

“Take good care of Mother. It may be frustrating for now, but she won’t be like this forever.”

And Orien added that Father would soon take care of Mother himself.

That statement was probably a euphemism for abdication.

Talking as if something that was still a few years away would happen soon, Orien winked with one eye.

“When that time comes, I’ll take good care of you. I’ll find you a good marriage partner too.”

It was annoying that he spoke as if it was a sweet reward for something she didn’t even desire, but Rahelika just nodded.

Anyway, there was no other way since he had shown the same attitude for over twenty years.

She answered kindly,

“Yes, thank you.”