In the spacious bedroom prepared for the guests, he seemed to feel no need to restrain his impulses.

The heat that began like a sudden downpour only reached a lull after the sky had turned pitch black.

During that time, Jieselgrante and Cabelased communicated more than sufficiently.

After whispering sweet nothings into Jieselgrante’s ear for a long while, Cabelased rose as if still reluctant.

Then he prepared a soft towel soaked in warm water for her.

After that, he brought a glass of clean water to her lips.

“Drink.”

It was for her who had cried and shouted until her throat was parched dry.

“Thank you.”

Gulp gulp.

The sound of cool water moistening her dry throat was quite refreshing.

Some water that she couldn’t swallow in time trickled down the corner of her mouth.

Lick. After tenderly wiping away even the water at the corners of her mouth, Cabelased kissed her lips several times before speaking.

“We should eat dinner. Though it’s gotten quite late.”

Unlike Jieselgrante who was exhausted and limp from Cabelased’s relentless torment, he was already in perfect formal attire.

Moreover, he looked even more energetic than before their happy time together.

That was a bit strange.

‘How can he have such good stamina……?’

His daily routine went something like this.

He would wake up at dawn to train in swordsmanship, then enter into meetings with stubborn nobles.

After that, he would respond to audience requests, review reports pouring in from all over the empire, and solve problems.

Usually his work only ended late into the night.

He didn’t seem to set aside specific days off either. Yet he always overflowed with energy in front of her like now.

And looking at him made her doubtful. Whether he was really the same person…..

Until now, Jieselgrante had thoroughly avoided external activities.

So with her weak body at rock bottom stamina, she simply couldn’t handle Cabelased’s vigor.

That’s why she had been gradually increasing her exercise lately.

Of course, it would be difficult to reach Trinity’s level of fitness that had been consistently trained since childhood, but it seemed necessary to match Cabelased’s overflowing desires to some extent.

“That… sounds good.”

Glancing at Cabelased who looked clean enough to enter a meeting right away, Jieselgrante whispered in a tight voice and reached for the dress she had carelessly tossed aside.

“Let’s eat comfortably first. I’ll help you put the dress back on after dinner.”

Cabelased snatched the dress. He neatly placed it on the sofa and left the bedroom.

‘I wonder if those words are really true……?’

Although Cabelased’s words about helping her put on the dress after the meal were quite doubtful, she didn’t dislike being in his arms.

No, rather it was a problem because she liked it too much.

She also wanted to stay close to him even if it meant pushing aside all her duties.

“Yawn……”

Blinking her sleepy eyelids slowly a few times, Jieselgrante slowly raised her body.

It seemed better to ventilate the stuffy and humid air in the bedroom before eating.

Draping the thin blanket from the sofa over her shoulders like a cape, she opened the door to the balcony.

The cool, refreshing night breeze gently ruffled her disheveled hair.

“It’s cool.”

Enjoying that sensation while looking down from the balcony, she raised her head to look up at the sky.

It was a full moon. She had thought the moonlight seeping into the bedroom was especially bright today.

“It’s pretty……”

Jieselgrante walked to the edge of the balcony railing to see the bright moon a little closer.

She couldn’t take her eyes off the beautiful scenery provided by nature without cost for a while.

Then suddenly she recalled. Due to many events that had happened, it felt like quite a long time ago, but it was actually not too distant a past.

‘I was on my way to the imperial capital, right?’

The day commemorating her own death.

She had hurriedly left Duke Amaterasu’s domain to attend Trinity’s memorial service.

Many people had already gathered at Count Fortress’s domain where she stopped by on the way, and all the inns were fully booked.

At that time, she managed to get one of the rooms Cabelased had secured. By selling out Frederick Count…..

She judged that Cabelased would investigate Trinity’s death, and thought information related to that was worth exchanging for a room to stay the night.

It was a bold gamble on her part, but fortunately Cabelased gave up the room to her and her companions.

At that time too, she looked up at the night sky from the balcony with a shawl draped over her shoulders.

She nearly shed tears lamenting her situation.

Because she thought she was alone there.

But Cabelased was already on the adjacent balcony, and she ended up showing him all of her melancholy in the moonlight.

She was so embarrassed then that she wanted to hide in a mouse hole.

Weakness was a vulnerability to Trinity. So she had lived without revealing her frail self anywhere.

Yet she ended up showing her weak and fragile side to none other than Duke Cabelased Cardia…..

To add one more thing, she had misunderstood that he called her “pretty”.

Though it was just when she had started living as Jieselgrante, how many women wouldn’t be fluttered by being called pretty?

She too was an ordinary woman.

How could she not be pleased by a compliment from a remarkably handsome man who seemed to monopolize God’s love from birth?

“……It’s still embarrassing to think about.”

Cupping her slightly feverish, reddened cheeks, Jieselgrante lowered her gaze a bit.

After pouting her lips for a while, engulfed in shame, she soon changed her mind.

‘Oh well….. These things happen! People can make mistakes and such…..’

Even a monarch is human. Though born with the immense destiny bestowed by God to rule and control the empire.

So as Trinity, she always tried to act perfectly in front of the imperial people who believed monarchs were ordained by heaven.

Because of that, she was slowly corroded inside. Her mind was always in tatters.

But now it was different.

She learned to occasionally show her weak inner self and be comforted. She was able to change thanks to Cabelased.

Cabelased strongly disliked her suffering alone only in her heart.

‘If you’re sad, say you’re sad. If something’s bothering you, tell me it’s making you uncomfortable. Express yourself. Jiesel, I want to know everything about you.’

That’s what he said. That’s what being a couple means. While holding her tightly to his broad chest.

Don’t try to act nonchalant while stuffing uncomfortable feelings deep inside and suffering.

Though it was still a bit difficult to break old habits, she was changing little by little.

‘No matter how many times I think about it, the conclusion is the same. I really found a good lifelong partner.’

That thought remained unchanged.

She felt grateful to God for gifting him to her.

Perhaps all the pain until now was for this day.

Thinking that made her smile a little.

“You seem to be in a good mood. Can you tell me what it’s about?”

As she was chuckling, Cabelased’s voice came from behind her.

At the same time, his masculine scent wafted over.

The scent of Cabelased that was now so familiar to her – like a heavy woody scent but with a slightly refreshing feel.

“I recalled something from the past. Thinking about it made me laugh a little.”

Just as Jieselgrante was about to turn towards him, a large hand suddenly slipped around her waist.

Soon his arm wrapped around Jieselgrante’s waist, pulling her close.

“I think I know what memory made you smile, even without you telling me.”

The muscular arm was firm and warm.

Sinking into the familiar sense of security, Jieselgrante remained still in his embrace.

The strong, irregular thumping of his heartbeat also put her at ease.

“Are you cold?”

He asked, rubbing his cheek against her temple.

Jieselgrante’s heart began to beat rapidly.

Cabelased was the very image of a cold and powerful emperor in front of everyone else, but sometimes he loosened up only in front of her.

Just like now.

And that gap made her heart flutter.

“No. This is just right.”

Jieselgrante shook her head with a satisfied smile.

The breeze was cool.

‘Come to think of it, how did he manage to persuade those two stubborn people?’

This question suddenly occurred to her during the meal.

Even after declaring her marriage to Cabelased, the disapproving reactions from Duke Amaterasu and Mikhail continued for some time.

But from some point on, it changed dramatically.

They stopped strongly opposing her marriage to Cabelased.

She was curious about Cabelased’s skills in somehow persuading the stubborn Duke Amaterasu and Mikhail.

Until now, there hadn’t been a chance to ask about it.

Not only did she not receive a proper handover due to the sudden death of the previous emperor, but Cabelased had fired half of the important personnel in the imperial palace.

So it was difficult to have leisurely time with him like now.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Jieselgrante swallowed the food in her mouth and asked.

“How on earth did you persuade my family?”