“The Emperor?”

Valentin nodded, pursing his lips in displeasure.

As he reached out to brush her hair, a cool sensation swept from her head to her toes and disappeared.

Adelheit realized that her body, which had been damp with sweat, was instantly refreshed.

Even her hair smelled of fragrant soap, as if freshly washed.

“He wants the nobles to see him on the first and last days of the hunting festival. We’ll go by carriage, show our faces, and then rest in Ansgar’s tent.”

“…”

“If it’s too much, tell me. I’ll find a way to get you out of it somehow.”

Adelheit shook her head.

“It’s fine. I’m feeling much better, and I can do it.”

In truth, regardless of everything else, Valentin was the hero of this victory celebration.

Attending major events alone without a partner was just the thing to invite ridicule.

But a married man couldn’t very well accompany another woman, so despite her illness, she had unintentionally caused quite an inconvenience.

Valentin himself didn’t seem to mind at all. Was it because, even with the memories of the ‘Grand Duke of Ansgar’, he wasn’t fundamentally human?

‘Come to think of it, it’s strange.’

It was increasingly surprising that Valentin was fine in the Imperial Palace, surrounded by Morig’s thick curtains and high priests strutting about.

Moreover, no one had even noticed his true identity.

‘Holy power can’t be completely ineffective, can it?’

The reason casualties weren’t severe despite seasonal monster subjugations was because priests always accompanied them.

Monsters that didn’t flinch at blades or fire were terrified of the priests’ holy power.

Yet she wondered why it had no effect whatsoever on Valentin. Was it because he was also a ‘god’?

“More useless thoughts.”

He gently brushed her parted lips.

“You’re about to drool, Adelheit.”

He leaned in and whispered tenderly in her ear. She blushed and hurriedly wiped her lips with the back of her hand. He smiled and extended his hand.

“Tired of lying down? I’ll help you put on your new clothes first.”

“You’ll help me?”

“You’d find it difficult on your own, wouldn’t you?”

Well, it was difficult. The dress had strings that needed to be threaded through holes and tied in the back.

But rather than showing her bare back to Valentin, she’d prefer to manage on her own.

“It’s alright. I can do it myself.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“If you’re really worried, you could send Margaret…”

“Adelheit, please use me for such trivial matters from now on.”

He said with a smooth smile. Even fully dressed with buttons done up to his neck, he looked dangerous even in the morning sunlight.

Adelheit mumbled with flushed cheeks.

“You know you’re acting particularly strange today, don’t you?”

“Is that so.”

He smiled enigmatically. Adelheit gave him a thoroughly perplexed look.

“Are you really going to attend to me? You can’t be serious?”

“Do I really look like that?”

He tilted his head and slowly approached her.

As if he really intended to help her dress, Adelheit hurriedly grabbed the clothes laid out on the bed and ducked behind the screen.

She heard Valentin chuckle softly behind her.

‘He’s really impossible to figure out.’

Adelheit wrinkled her nose and checked several times to make sure the screen was properly set up and that she couldn’t be seen from the other side.

Then with quick hands, she removed her nightgown and undergarments.

It was amazing that thanks to Valentin’s magic she didn’t need to bathe, but it felt somehow odd not even needing to wash her face.

‘I’d better hurry before he tries to force his way in again.’

She rummaged through the clothes she’d brought in to change into clean new undergarments first.

But no matter how much she looked, she couldn’t find the undergarment to support her chest. She searched several times, but it was nowhere to be seen.

“Um, Valentin…”

Her face flushed red with shame as she barely managed to speak.

“Could you please call Margaret?”

“Why?”

She bit her lip hard. An unusual feeling of defiance grew in her heart.

Really, did he have to ask why? He wasn’t oblivious, yet he had a knack for putting people in awkward situations like this.

“Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”

Afraid he might enter the bathroom if she said she was uncomfortable, Adelheit quickly stated her request honestly.

“N-no, that’s not it… I-I think the undergarment is missing.”

“Undergarment?”

“The one worn under clothes. The one that s-supports the upper body like this…”

“Ah.”

His elegant voice was calm and even. She heard his leisurely footsteps from beyond the screen.

“This must be it. You dropped it on the floor.”

“Could you… give it to Margaret…”

“Don’t you need it now?”

His neat footsteps drew closer.

She turned pale and hurriedly gathered up the clothes she had taken off to cover herself.

If she had known this would happen, she should have checked for the undergarment before undressing.

It was hard enough to put on properly by herself, before taking everything off like this…

“Here, take it.”

Finally, a hand reached over the tall screen, offering her the undergarment.

Adelheit received it with her whole body bright red and trembling. She felt as if steam was billowing from her ears.

“N-now go back over there. I’ll get dressed quickly and come out.”

She hastily put on the undergarment and tightened the strings.

For a while, only the soft rustling of fabric could be heard. Suddenly, Valentin broke the silence with a question.

“Isn’t it uncomfortable?”

“Pardon?”

“Binding yourself with such a small thing when your body is weak.”

By ‘such a small thing’, he meant the undergarment. Adelheit rolled her eyes in confusion before finally answering.

“…Well, it is uncomfortable, but I can bear it.”

There wasn’t really any other choice to begin with. A hundred years ago it might have been different, but now wearing such undergarments had become the norm.

The dresses that had recently become all the rage, centered around Bayern, all exposed the collarbone and upper chest.

Because of this, tightly binding undergarments were essential.

“It looks like you can barely breathe.”

“Even so. It’s better than being criticized for impropriety. It’s not just my problem, it could negatively affect Ansgar’s reputation too.”

Adelheit examined the dress carefully before carefully pulling it on over her head.

Then, remembering how the maids did it, she spread out the skirt so it would fall in pleats.

‘If I just get it roughly in place, the maids will adjust it properly.’

She strained to tie the strings hanging down her back while checking her reflection in the mirror from various angles.

If Margaret were here it would have been much easier, but on her own she could only manage to tie it loosely and haphazardly.

Moreover, she had never worn such a complex and elaborate dress before.

Just as she let out a grunt of effort, Valentin’s voice came from beyond the screen.

“If it’s a reputation that needs to be protected by such clothes, it might be better not to have one at all.”

“…You shouldn’t say things like that.”

“Well, how you dress all looks about the same to me.”

“…”

“I don’t care how you dress. The idea of respecting someone more for covering up and looking down on them for being exposed is a bit ridiculous. Human concepts are sometimes confusing…”

“…”

“I’ll help you.”

The screen was pulled back almost simultaneously with those words.

“Eek.”

Adelheit inhaled sharply, making a strange sound in surprise. She raised her head abruptly, her shoulders hunched tightly.

Valentin was reflected in the full-length mirror in front of her.

His arrogant and elegant eyes slowly scanned her reflection in the mirror.

“It suits you well.”

“…H-how dare you, such shameless…”

“You just realized that now?”

Ignoring Adelheit’s condemnation, he drew close behind her. Her breath caught sharply with tension.

In contrast, Valentin showed no particular reaction to Adelheit’s bare back. He seemed completely disinterested.

“Hold up your hair.”

At Valentin’s words, Adelheit hesitantly gathered her hair and swept it to the side.

His large hands grasped the loose strings of the dress. Unlike the flustered Adelheit, his reflection in the mirror was impassive.

He didn’t smile as usual, nor did he look at her with loving eyes.

It was as if he had forgotten that his face was reflected in the mirror, or that Adelheit was observing his face through the mirror.

It was the face of a completely unfamiliar man.

“…”

Adelheit suddenly thought he looked terribly anxious. Why did she think that?

An uneasiness that was never apparent when he was smiling now seemed palpably clear.

She could sense something dark rooted deep in Valentin’s heart. She cautiously opened her mouth.

“Did something bad happen?”

“Hmm?”

“Your expression seems worse than I’ve seen recently.”

“Hmm.”

He smiled, twisting his eyes as if finding it difficult to answer.

“Why? Are you going to comfort me?”

“…If you say I can be of help.”

Their eyes met briefly through the mirror. Golden eyes shining transparently in the sunlight looked straight at her.

At last, his lips parted slowly.

“There’s never been a time I didn’t want it.”

“…”

“I want it now too.”

No matter how innocent she was, she could read between the lines. At the blatant implication, Adelheit bit the soft flesh inside her mouth.

“Then, why…”

Don’t you ask for more than this? Adelheit barely swallowed the question she had almost blurted out.

After all, Valentin was her contractor, and outwardly her husband. It was an era when a wife should not refuse if her husband desired her. And yet, why.

“Because you are human, and I am clumsy with human concepts.”

Valentin spoke as he leisurely tightened the strings on her back.

“Don’t cross over because you were pushed, don’t fall for me in a trance, but properly tell me you want to have me.”

“…”

“I’m waiting until you’re ready like that.”

She raised confused eyes. Valentin’s reflection in the mirror suddenly seemed unfamiliar.

His elegant forehead and straight nose, perfect jawline. A man with not a single part that wasn’t beautiful, a monster that could take the whole world if he wanted…

Well, no matter how she thought about it, it all felt like a dream. Above all, that there was someone who respected her choices to this extent.

“It’s done.”

Finally, he removed his hands and stepped back. Adelheit glanced back through the mirror and gave a hollow laugh.

Done indeed. Nothing was done at all. He had tied it so sloppily and loosely.

“…”

Adelheit sighed heavily as she looked at her back in the mirror.

It was disastrous, but she thought there might be some way to salvage it when Margaret came later.

“So, when do you think you’ll come to love me?”