Anyway, having thoroughly learned what romances the academy freshmen harbored during class time, it was time to make Edit happy.

“Edit, there’s still quite a bit of time left until the public health theory class, right?”

“Yeah. About three hours left. I’m thinking of exploring the library.”

Valter was astonished that Edit, after touring Portrion, Lexion, and the Imperial Library, still wanted to visit another library.

‘Is Edit’s academy fantasy limited to the library?’

Although there was a reasonable suspicion that each library might contain a small mouse-shaped cheese tempting Edit, at any rate, he couldn’t send Edit away now.

“There’s a good cafe nearby. It’s famous among academy students.”
“Oh, the shop that sells those fluffy soufflés? I heard it’s always crowded, so I plan to visit later.”

Indeed, it seemed Edit was not unfamiliar with the famous places in the academy. Valter nodded slightly and led her.

“To have you personally visit, it’s an honor for our family.”

A retired pastry chef who had long worked in the palace greeted them with a deeply moved expression.

Being a person loyal to the imperial family, solely judging by skills, and having treated him well for a long time, it wasn’t difficult to reserve the best seat.

When the fluffy soufflé and fragrant milk tea, seen only in pictures, were served, Edit’s cheeks brightened with joy.

“Why are you surprised by something like this?”

Valter felt proud that he had wisely reserved these pleasures, encouraging Edit to develop an unconscious enjoyment of eating various foods.

Edit, whose appetite was not initially robust, began to show interest in food after Adrian’s pregnancy.

With newfound wealth, Valter took every opportunity to recommend various foods, deeply engraving the joy of eating into Edit’s subconscious.

Watching Edit savor the soufflé with abundant sweet and smooth cream, Valter felt proud of his prior efforts.

“Does it taste good?”

“Yeah, Valter. You should try it too.”

When she smiled and fed him a piece of soufflé, an inexplicable impulse came over him.

Could he make Edit even happier now by having her eat the dessert she had been looking forward to for a long time?

‘If I suggest going to the lake now and kissing, like saying let’s do it like animals.’

Valter, with his chin propped up, looked at the cream on Edit’s lips.

Thinking that Edit had fed him delicious dessert to achieve some dubious goal was not appealing to him. So, he asked.

“Edit. So, have you found out where the romantic places for couples inside the academy are? If there’s such a place, shouldn’t we check it out too?”

“Valter. This is a sacred place of learning.”

Seeing her neatly block his playful tone with a crisp voice, it seemed Edit wasn’t interested in legends like kissing by the lake in front of the western garden.

‘Is she only interested in classes, desserts, and the library?’

For Valter, who didn’t want to become a clearly visible beast, it was a rather welcome piece of news.

After leisurely enjoying the soufflé and milk tea, Valter, using the excuse of exploring the correctional facility, started a walk with Edit.

Contrary to what he said, Valter had a definite destination in mind, the ‘lake in the western garden.’

‘Cassius should have cleared the surroundings by now.’

Edit disliked embarrassing situations, so if they were to properly kiss like innocent lovers, it was better to make sure no one was around.

“The weather is really nice, Valter.”
As they entered the western garden and approached the lake, Edit looked around with a cheerful smile.

Seeming in a good mood after enjoying delicious and sweet desserts, she walked side by side with her husband, unaware of what he might be thinking.

‘Perhaps it’s time.’

Just then, a bench surrounded by beautiful rose bushes on both sides and behind caught their eyes. Just as Valter was about to pull up the corners of his mouth, revealing his dark intentions, Edit called his name.

“Valter.”

Edit called out his name and stopped walking. Then, in an instant, she raised her heels and pressed her lips against his, only to quickly pull away.

“……?”

Valter, who suddenly had his lips kissed, blinked his eyes slowly. It didn’t take him long to understand the situation.

‘Although she pretended not to know anything about the legend of the lake, she actually knew everything.’

Despite claiming disinterest in places like the academy being a sacred place of learning and couples having secret meetings, it seemed she was more interested than anyone else.

Watching Edit quickly run away after giving him a brief kiss, Valter couldn’t help but smile.

“Edit.”

Valter called her with a low voice. Edit turned around with a face pretending to be clueless.

While acting so innocently, Edit, who subtly sought passionate and eternal love, was both mischievous and incredibly cute, making Valter unable to stop smiling.

Simultaneously, he felt the urge to grab Edit’s wrist right away and go somewhere. Despite knowing it was an open outdoor space, his blood was boiling.

“If you kiss, you have to take responsibility.”

If he had wanted a love hotter than this, he should have said so earlier.

“You kissed me first, so I can’t move because I like it so much.”

“……?”

Surprised, Edit lowered her gaze.