When morning came, the unknown fever had subsided.

The bedroom in the building closest to the backyard had long remained vacant, serving as a private retreat once used by the late Grand Duchess who had cherished the gardens.

Currently, it was only maintained by staff, and it was a maid cleaning the room who discovered the Grand Duke and his wife, calling for help to move Raymond into the bedroom.

The fever had broken.

More precisely, it had transferred entirely onto Yerpi, who had shared the night with him.

Her entire body ached. There were multiple marks across her skin, as if she had been bitten by a beast.

Added to that, her exhausted body felt unfamiliar, as though it no longer belonged to her.

Yet her mind was clear, as if freshly washed.

The clarity in her thoughts seemed like the lingering effect of their prolonged communion.

Faydax Robento, the court physician within the castle, examined Raymond.

Though a corrupted mind was beyond his expertise, he could assess the physical condition.

He found no abnormalities and concluded that Raymond would be fine once he regained consciousness.

Yerpi stood by the bedside, watching the sleeping Raymond.

The physician had said he would awaken within two days at the latest, but seeing him lie there motionless now, her worry was overwhelming.

She reached out and gently stroked his hair. The texture was softer than she had imagined.

Reaching out to him felt increasingly natural. It was an odd thing.

“…This is the first time I’ve seen him sleep so deeply.”

While waiting for Raymond to wake, Yerpi composed herself.

It was fortunate he was safe.

They had nearly reached a critical point where he might have spiraled out of control. Neither of them had ever experienced such a situation before.

‘Why did that happen?’

He had been perfectly fine as late as the afternoon, yet the cause remained unknown.

She was deep in thought about the signs preceding his outburst when the hand stroking his hair was suddenly caught.

She turned her gaze and met his eyes.

“Raymond? Are you awake?”

Urgently, she called his name, but Raymond only stared at her with a dazed look, not speaking.

Could there be some problem she had missed earlier? Just as Yerpi decided to call the physician, he murmured:

“It’s not a dream, is it?”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

He pulled her toward him as if in wonder. Startled, her body leaned forward, drawn to him.

As she fell into his arms, a familiar scent enveloped her.

Memories of the previous night flooded back, and unconsciously, her cheeks flushed red. A blush rose to her face, and her eyes trembled.

To be this close.

Her heart pounded wildly.

As she nestled in his arms, the last of her tension finally melted away.

Sunlight streaming in sparkled brightly.

All her senses awakened vividly.

The sensation of being alive was this beautiful.

“Holding you feels strange. I can’t quite believe it’s real.”

“…Me too.”

She meant exactly the same. Conveying it through her gaze, he smiled.

His cool, gently curved smile sent a tingling warmth through her heart.

They seemed just like an ordinary couple.

“Are you feeling okay? You nearly got into serious trouble. I was so frightened when you suddenly lost consciousness.”

“I don’t remember clearly. My fever suddenly spiked.”

Raymond confessed that the mental corruption had happened in an instant.

The only possible cause he could suspect was the immense dragon power he had used within the domain of fire.

‘Could it have been hiding somewhere I didn’t perceive?’

Yesterday’s corruption had been like a coiled venom—lurking deep within his mind before suddenly erupting.

“Nothing else comes to mind?”

“Nothing particularly concerning.”

A brief silence fell. Before she could express her worry, he reached out and cupped her cheek.

His tender fingers gently brushed away strands of hair from her face, tucking them behind her ear.

Was he too close?

Just as she thought that, their fingers overlapped.

His much larger hand enclosing hers made her feel as though she had shrunk entirely, completely held within his grasp.

“Is my mind stable now?”

“…Yes. Everything has been purified.”

For some reason, meeting his eyes felt difficult. Seeing this, Raymond pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.

“All I know right now is that I’m fortunate my wife is by my side.”

“That’s… exactly how I feel too.”

Recalling the moment he collapsed, her heart sank.

When she admitted she had truly feared the worst, his gaze deepened.

“I didn’t realize you worried about me this much.”

“…Because you’re my husband.”

Her innocent eyes met his. She had no idea that calling him her husband had ignited a fire within him.

Her vision flipped. His once-tender face, now shadowed by light, turned intensely lustful.

“Just a moment…!”

She was nearly swallowed whole—had it not been for the knock at the door from outside the bedroom.

Flustered, Yerpi pushed him away and stood up. She didn’t know where that strength came from, but her embarrassment outweighed everything.

After straightening her clothes, Yerpi called for the person to enter. It was her lady-in-waiting, Pepe.

“Goodness, Your Grace has awakened! Shall I summon the physician?”

“He should rest a bit longer. Please inform me again when lunch is served in the afternoon.”

“Of course.”

It seemed Pepe hadn’t come merely because Raymond had woken. Hesitant, Pepe explained the reason for her visit.

“Your Highness, that is… your younger sister is asking for you. She’s currently waiting in your reception room.”

It was clear she intended to wait until Yerpi arrived.

Pepe had also witnessed Charlotte being thrown out of Raymond’s bedroom the previous night.

Not just Pepe, but everyone in the castle surely knew about Charlotte by now.

After a brief silence, Yerpi nodded.

“Alright. Tell her I’m coming now.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The maid hurriedly left the bedroom. Yerpi turned to Raymond and asked for his understanding.

“I’ll step out for a moment. Please rest a little longer.”

“I don’t want to let you go, but fine.”

It might have sounded awkward, but his eyes revealed his sincerity.

Yerpi gently kissed his cheek.

With that kiss, light as a fledgling bird’s, she turned away.

As she stepped out of the bedroom, her expression subtly hardened.

“If everything was fine until evening, then the only one connected to last night’s incident is Charlotte.”

But according to Raymond, the time he had spent alone with her in the bedroom was less than five minutes.

It was questionable whether anything could have been done so swiftly without Raymond noticing.

Should she dismiss it as mere coincidence?

She wondered whether such suspicion was even justified.

Lost in thought, she arrived at the reception room.

Through the already-open door, she saw Charlotte sitting demurely on the sofa, sipping tea.

Judging by the multiple teapots and cups scattered about, she had been waiting for quite some time.

Sensing Yerpi’s presence, Charlotte turned her gaze toward the open door.

Charlotte smiled. Seeing her smile as if nothing had happened, Yerpi’s heart turned cold.

“You’re here, sister? What are you doing, standing? Your legs must hurt.”

“You’ve been here a while.”

“Yeah. I waited because you seemed to have stepped away briefly.”

Waited? That was not a word she would normally say.

Taking a seat on the opposite sofa, Yerpi declined the tea Charlotte offered. Charlotte rested her chin on her hand and spoke.

“You’re angry with me, aren’t you? Loosen up your expression.”

“Loosen up? Are you being serious?”

The air between them, separated by the table, froze. At Yerpi’s cold retort, Charlotte silently studied her.

In the midst of the silence, the first to apologize was, surprisingly, her younger sister.

“I’m sorry about yesterday.”

“…What?”

Yerpi thought she must have misheard and asked again. But it was true.

“When I thought about it calmly, I realized—anyone would hate a sister threatening to jump off a cliff.”

She had always been someone incapable of empathy. She had never before said things like “your legs must hurt” or “anyone would hate that.”

Had she received training at the temple?

But even if it was the result of training, the apology itself was genuinely unexpected.

“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you really being sincere with what you just said?”

Charlotte didn’t answer. Instead, she gave a smile too beautiful to ignore and made a promise.

“I’ll return before the first prayer period ends. So don’t treat me so coldly. We’re sisters, after all.”

Faced with a promise that was impossible to believe as genuine, what could she even say?

Even if that promise were true, she no longer knew how to trust it.

“I’m not even sure if you truly see me as your elder sister. Why have you suddenly changed your heart?”