The white mansion, from which dozens of shadows had slipped away, was as quiet as if submerged in water.

Orbis stood up from his seat and slowly walked down the corridor.

The moon had tilted considerably westward. Seeing the clear starlight, it seemed tomorrow would be a fine day as well.

‘I wonder if Litania is sleeping well.’

As Orbis stood in front of Litania’s bedroom, the door opened silently.

At first, she had diligently barricaded the door, even pushing a chair in front of it, fearing Orbis might visit her bedroom in the middle of the night. But when he didn’t attempt to sneak in during the entire construction period, she soon gave up.

Orbis chuckled at the sight of Litania sleeping defenseless, not even properly setting up the canopy, unsure if she was being cautious or not.

“After pushing me away so fiercely, how can you sleep so peacefully just because I haven’t visited for a few days?”

Orbis gently sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at Litania’s sleeping face.

Her small face, lost in deep sleep, looked as innocent as a child who knew nothing of the world’s dark side.

“You believe everything too easily. People, the world, and even me.”

As he quietly reached out to stroke her soft hair, her expression softened even more, as if enjoying it.

Was she having a pleasant dream? Orbis, twirling her fine hair around his finger, lowered his posture slightly to bring his face closer.

Warm breaths flowed from her red lips, which emitted a sweet fragrance.

Orbis narrowed his eyes and watched as her lips parted slightly and then pursed.

With each of her breaths, her round shoulders rose and fell, making her thin nightgown rustle.

“Litania.”

When he whispered her name against her ear, she shifted lightly as if tickled. Orbis slowly moved his head.

From her round ear to her fair cheek, from her long eyelashes to her eyelids, across her straight nose to her lips where moist breaths escaped.

Though he had only moved close enough for his breath to touch her without making contact, it felt as if he had licked her skin, leaving a sweet taste in his mouth.

Orbis stared at Litania’s defenseless, parted lips for a long while before raising his head.

“You said only once.”

He couldn’t kiss her without her permission. It was still too dark to wake the sleeping princess with a kiss.

He gently pulled out her curly hair that had slipped inside the collar of her nightgown, tucked her in well, and bid her goodnight.

“Sleep well, Litania.”

“Mmm.”

Litania stirred and grabbed Orbis’s sleeve.

“Litania. If you hold me like this, I won’t be able to get up.”

Though he could have easily freed himself with a light shake since she had grabbed him in her sleep, Orbis didn’t.

Now that he had a good excuse, why bother?

“If you don’t let go, I’ll have no choice but to stay by your side. Is that what you want?”

“Mm…”

When he leaned in close and whispered in her ear, Litania, perhaps tickled by his hair, flinched her shoulders and suddenly hugged Orbis’s head.

“…”

Satisfied with capturing what had been tickling her, Litania let out a long sigh and became still.

“I’ve been caught.”

Orbis laughed, his throat rumbling low.

“If I try to break free forcefully, I might wake you up, so I have no choice but to go along with it. Is this what they call force majeure?”

Making such an implausible excuse, Orbis lay down beside Litania.

Though it was a temporary residence, the bedroom’s bed was large enough for two to lie on, clearly the consideration of the servants.

The servants of the Dragon Castle were capable but never did anything they weren’t told to do.

Decorating and repairing the castle, creating the vineyard, even making them take human form and imitate humans – all of it was planned and ordered by Orbis.

Litania was the first to make them move on their own. It was a remarkable change.

“Litania. You really are an amazing person.”

You changed Orbis, changed the servants of the Dragon Castle, changed that stubborn emperor, and changed the world around you.

Even the Divine Dragon, who could do anything in the world at will, found it impossible to move people’s hearts.

How could she accomplish such things with this small and powerless body?

“Thank you, Litania.”

“…”

“As a token of gratitude, I’ll let you use me as a hugging pillow.”

The slender, fragrant body felt through the thin nightgown. The rhythmic beating of her heart. Orbis closed his eyes as he buried his face in her small, warm embrace.

A cozy sense of happiness enveloped him.

A deep sigh seeped between her breasts.

Something tickled below her neck. Feeling something smooth, neither her own hair nor the nightgown’s thread, tickling around her neck and chest, Litania moved her hand to remove it.

Something heavy and large was caught in her hand.

Startling awake, she almost screamed at the sight of the large man with his face buried in her embrace.

“W-What is this…”

“Good morning, Litania.”

As Orbis languidly whispered, rubbing his cheek against the slightly open nightgown, Litania’s face flushed bright red.

“What good morning! Get off me right now!”

“Oh my.”

Litania quickly turned and fled to the edge of the bed. She hurriedly checked her body under her nightgown, then sighed in relief.

Then, as if another thought struck her, she quickly pulled down her rolled-up skirt and wrapped herself tightly in the blanket.

Orbis, who had been lying beside her, just tilted his head slightly as he watched.

Wrapped in the blanket like a pillbug, she poked out only her face and shouted.

“Pervert!”

“Oh my. Has a pervert entered? Let me catch him for you.”

“What nonsense are you spouting, when you’re the pervert!”

“I don’t recall doing anything particularly perverted.”

“Y-You were trying to do strange things to me while I was asleep!”

“That’s a misunderstanding, Litania. I didn’t do anything.”

Orbis raised his upper body from the bed, straightened his disheveled clothes, and smiled brightly.

“It was you who wouldn’t let me go and pulled me into your embrace.”

“W-What did you say?”

“You held me so tightly, I was the one who had trouble breathing. My shoulders are a bit sore from being held in an uncomfortable position all night.”

Orbis exaggeratedly complained, tapping his shoulder with his fist.

Litania, dumbfounded by his brazenness, let out an exasperated sigh.

Still wrapped in the blanket, she squirmed off the bed and stood stiffly, furrowing her brow as she asked sharply.

“Why did you come into my room?”

“You didn’t say I couldn’t enter.”

“And you call that an excuse…!”

“With the reservoir construction finished, we’ll be returning to the capital soon and won’t see each other for a while. I wanted to see your face one last time. I can’t leave the Dragon Castle unattended for too long, after all.”

While a brief visit during the spring festival would have been fine, Orbis had come all the way down south, far from the Dragon Castle, to oversee the waterway construction. And he had brought all of the dragon’s subordinates with him.

Although they had driven the monsters to the edge of the continent a year ago, if his absence grew too long, the monsters would likely creep back up to the empire’s borders.

“I thought you were giving me a gift on our last night, but it seems Litania’s body is more honest than her words.”

“What do you mean by that…”

“Ah. Perhaps I should say you’re more honest at night than during the day?”

“Orbis!”

As Litania shouted, Orbis chuckled and rose from the bed.

While lying down, he had been in a relaxed outfit with just pants and a shirt, but with a snap of his fingers, he was instantly in perfect formal attire.

“You can’t go back in your nightgown, shall I dress you?”

“I’m going to call Snow.”

“Ah. Snow returned ahead of us last night.”

“What? Why?”

“Well. It seems he had some preparations to make in advance.”

As Orbis smiled, Litania’s brow furrowed even more.

“Orbis. You’re not plotting something again…”

“Litania, you have no faith in me. Do you think I always scheme like that?”

“You have a record, a record!”

“Snow isn’t particularly obedient to me. Its identity is closer to being your attendant than my servant.”

Hearing this, she realized it was true.

Snow had stood against Orbis until the end, trying to protect Litania, and when she returned to this world, it had left the Dragon Castle and rushed to the Imperial Palace to become her attendant.

“Well, if you haven’t done anything bad to Snow…”

“Now, may I dress you?”

“I’ll dress myself!”

She snapped, her small face turning red. Orbis burst out laughing and approached her, only to be driven out of the bedroom after being hit by a flying pillow and cushion.

Hearing that not only Snow but all the other servants had returned ahead of them, Litania once again suspected Orbis might be plotting something.

Orbis, feeling a little wronged by her suspicion, didn’t bother to make any particular excuses.

The white mansion, from which the servants had slipped away, was quiet even in broad daylight. Orbis explained that he would leave the mansion until the imperial palace administrator came to inspect the construction state, and then later demolish it with magic.

“But if Snow left first, there’s no one to drive the carriage. How will we get back?”

“Why worry when I’m here?”

As Orbis smiled and held out his hand, Litania instinctively reached out to take it but quickly pulled her arm back and turned her head.

“I’ll ride Lapis.”

“It would be faster if you came with me.”

“I don’t want to hold a pervert’s hand.”

“I told you that was a misunderstanding.”

“Hmph.”

“If you won’t believe me, I might have to make it true.”

“…What?”

As Litania looked up startled, Orbis, who had suddenly drawn close, wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her up.

“Shall I kidnap you like this?”