Through the open window, a cheerful bird song, like the melody of music, flowed in with the morning breeze.

“Umm… Huk!”

As Skaha opened her eyes, she almost screamed at the warmth she felt. Instead of the long pillow she usually hugged between her legs, it was not a pillow but…

“You’re awake.”

“Sorry. Did I wake you up?”

“I woke up a while ago.”

“Thought it was a dream…”

Seeing a man appear in the annex in the middle of the night and suddenly kiss her, she thought it might be a dream. Since the engagement party was supposed to end in the evening, she naturally expected him to come the next morning.

“For that, you responded enthusiastically.”

Skaha changed her gaze sharply and got up, looking at him with a teasing expression.

Always ready to tease, indeed.

“Did you come alone?”

“Yes.”

“And your fiancée?”

“My fiancée is here.”

As he got up and lightly kissed her, he laughed.

“No… Even though I know what you’re saying…”

“She’ll be here soon. With Iriel de Agnoman.”

Seeing the man who spoke with a serious expression after laughing, Skaha quietly smiled.

“Fortunately. If you didn’t listen, the Empress asked me to persuade you.”

“What were you trying to persuade me of?”

His quickly piqued interest and sparkling eyes were cute. He was by no means a cute man, but there was no doubt that the bean-shaped mole firmly attached to him made him so.

Peck.

Skaha playfully poked his lips, lightly tapping them like a bird biting.

“Like this.”

The man, whose ears turned red, shook his head and laughed together.

“It seems so.”

“Persuaded?”

“Yes.”

Just as their lips were about to meet again, the phone rang. In the study connected to the bedroom, the phone bell rang.

Though she had no intention of answering the phone, Skaha, who managed to pull the man away from her with difficulty, scolded him while stroking his black hair.

“Kaspar… Answer the phone. It might be the Empress.”

“…Wait a moment.”

In thin slip pants, he revealed a slender and firm body in front of Skaha. However, the red scars firmly etched on his biceps were just painful.

Did she not cry in his arms yesterday, looking at those scars?

“Grand Duke Blachnart speaking.”

As it was an annex, the structure was simple, and the man who answered the phone in the study was visible to Skaha lying on the bed.

From the content of the conversation, it was undoubtedly Emperor Attila, but Kaspar, who was about to swear, stopped when he met Skaha’s eyes and sighed deeply.
Skaha covered her body with a blanket, blushing at the traces left from last night.

“Well, the mistress would see it too. It seems impolite.”

“Hmm…”

The man, biting one side of his lip, confined Skaha between his arms and pressed his lips against hers. The man who pressed his lips firmly on Skaha’s eyelids got up leisurely with a relaxed attitude.

“Come to think of it, I don’t like others seeing it either. I’ll see how unpleasant you can be. I’ll see how you act so disgustingly.”

“I’m not confident… I can’t shoot well either… But if it makes you feel safe, I’ll keep it.”

“You shot well. It’s unpleasant that your marks are left on my shoulders, like Ezra.”

“What…? What traces are left from being shot…?”

Seeing Skaha’s bewildered expression, he smirked.

“I envied it back then.”

As Skaha, who was about to apologize as a habit, looked at him with her lips repeatedly meeting his, they once again passionately collided. The sound of a door knocker made of iron was heard until they were interrupted by the voice of Tuan.

The two, who had been kissing each other without any reason, exchanged more kisses before getting up.

After a simple dressing, Skaha, escorted by Kaspar, headed to the main building of the Duke’s residence to greet the lady and the guests.

Regardless of whether the servants saw or heard it, Kaspar bowed his upper body and sealed Skaha’s lips as if stamping them. In fact, the servants must know what is happening in the annex, so hiding it now is meaningless…

“I put on lipstick…”

“Pretty.”

“No, I asked. Your lips, too…”

Ignoring Skaha, who pretended not to notice with her blush, he just smirked.

“Give me a handkerchief. I’ll wipe it.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s too… it’s obvious… give me a handkerchief, quickly…”

Even though Skaha was in distress, he continued to smirk without taking out a handkerchief.

In the end, just before the vehicle carrying the lady, Iriel, and Phlidas arrived in line, Skaha, lifting her heel, urgently brushed his lips with her gloved hand.

“Oh, really [Dash]! You’ll do the disgusting things better.”

“Just let it go. It would have been fun.”

“I almost broke out in a cold sweat. You should do disgusting things depending on the situation; I don’t want to look unpleasant to the lady.”

“Being this beautiful, how could you look unpleasant?”

“…”

Having lost her words, thanks to Skaha, Lakhan, who had been waiting nearby without daring to interfere, approached.

“Uh… Your Excellency. Shall I escort Lady Skaha?”

“…Sure.”