I bit my lip at the bewilderment that made me raise my head.

A strange feeling struck my head, and a tremor ran through my whole body.

I stood still in that spot, clenching my slightly trembling fist.

I had to leave this place now.

I don’t know if it was because he seemed unfamiliar as he kept looking at me and speaking with his eyes, but I felt like an alarm was constantly ringing in my head.

“I must have been too hasty. Elder brother Leo is a kind person, and you’ve always had it tough.”

Noticing me retreating hesitantly, Lloyd, who seemed to have been quietly observing, spoke again.

“So I was anxious, thinking what if you didn’t give me any chance at all. I’m sorry. I made a mistake again.”

Once more, an apology that didn’t suit him came.

Now I’m confused enough to wonder if the Lloyd Alois I knew was actually a different person.

The incessantly conflicting feelings were clearly revealed in my trembling hands.

I bit my lip while hiding my tightly clenched fist behind my back.

“I’ll go. You must be tired, so hurry inside and rest. I’d like to escort you to your room, but……”

No. This person is not Lloyd Alois.

I don’t know this person who keeps apologizing over and over and speaks so desolately.

Seeing me standing still in that spot, Lloyd smiled and turned his body.

After walking a few steps like that, he turned back again not long after.

“And.”

He slowly opened his mouth.

“There’s no reason you need to forgive me. I just wanted to let you know that you have the right.”

You can hate me and hurt me anytime you want.

The last words were almost powerless, as if scattering into the air.

It wasn’t a tone of regretting or resenting today’s failure.

Lloyd’s eyes, which he had so desperately wanted to reach, were solely focused on me.

The fact that I was at the end of the wistful gaze he cast instantly penetrated deep into my heart.

And that made me even more confused.

Leaving behind only emotions I wanted to ignore and terrible confusion, Lloyd Alois disappeared from my sight.

* * *

I don’t know how I got back to my room.

After staring at the place he left for a long time, I fled from that spot and hurriedly entered the building.

Ignoring Betty and the soldiers who were surprised to see me in the lobby.

Ignoring Lord Daeon who was standing still in front of the stairs, staring at me intently for some reason.

Ignoring Arnold, Leoprick’s aide, who was standing at the end of those stairs, I don’t know when he arrived, I ran straight into the room where I was staying.

Thud.

As soon as the door closed, I sat down on the spot with my head bowed.

My heart, still ominously pounding, seems to be telling me that I will kick away this miraculous opportunity.

I tightly grasped my ceaselessly beating chest while curling up my whole body.

If this was a sign that it would start beating for Lloyd again, I wanted to rather tear out my heart.

If I was going to seek out that terrible quagmire on my own feet again, I had to cut off my feet in one go, and if my eyes were going to capture him again, I had to gouge out my eyes and cut off my hands.

If Lloyd’s fake and selfish actions make me consider even for a moment a possibility other than revenge…

“Amelia?”

I, who was even thinking about turning my body and throwing it out the window or down the stairs, was startled by the sudden voice.

“……!”

There was someone else in the room besides me.

Could they have seen me coming back after meeting Lloyd?

Although I didn’t scream, I jumped up from where I was sitting, backing away with my whole body, and was on the verge of fainting.

Just the fact that someone who saw me like this would notice my confusion made me want to kill myself right away.

If Leoprick were to find out about this and treat me coldly like in my past life.

If that happens, I…

“…lia, Amelia. It’s me. It’s Leoprick.”

And before I fell backwards, Leoprick reached out and firmly grasped my arm.

He too seemed surprised, seeing me so startled that my eyes were about to pop out.

Or perhaps my pale face looked pitiful to him, as he pulled the arm he was holding and embraced me in his arms, slowly patting my back.

“Shh, it’s alright. I must have startled you.”

“Y-Your Highness……”

“Yes, it’s me. I’ll be by your side, so it’s alright now.”

A gentle voice soothed me.

He didn’t try to ask what had happened to me or why I was trembling.

Just those hands comforting me, saying it’s okay, that he would stay beside me, felt overwhelmingly warm.

Enough to make me cry.

“……”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I will protect you. Don’t worry about anything.”

He didn’t ask me anything that night, and for a long time, I didn’t push away the large hand stroking my back.

Just until we both fell asleep comfortably in each other’s arms.

And finally until morning came and I opened my eyes in his embrace.

Continuously.

* * *

Come to think of it, Lloyd last night was somewhat strange.

Only when morning came and I regained my senses did I calmly organize my thoughts while looking at the scenery passing by outside the window.

First of all, he couldn’t have known about the trip to Weins that even I didn’t know about.

‘The honeymoon destination changed from my past life due to Leoprick’s unexpected action in this life.’

Let’s say he was able to follow last night because the route to Hameln, which was the original planned destination, is the same.

Because until today, the path to Weins and the path to Hameln are the same.

But besides that, there were some unclear points in Lloyd Alois’s attitude towards me yesterday.

He had already asserted that I was hurt because of him, and acted as if I had said I would divorce Leoprick.

He said he would wait for my choice, as if I, who had already become a Reinhart instead of a Vermerian, still had a choice.

Even when he said it was fine after being told the marriage was established, and the apologies he kept offering several times.

‘This is just like…’

Yes, he too seemed like someone who had completely changed somewhere.

Lloyd never cared about others’ wounds in life.

Yet such a person apologized to me, saying he was sorry.

How else could one explain that ridiculous desolation of even saying he would wait for me, other than saying he had changed?

I thought for a moment that perhaps he too had returned to life like me, but soon shook my head.

Thinking of Lloyd’s last expression that I saw in my past life, it doesn’t make sense for him to apologize to me like this.

Unless he’s trying to use me somehow again.

I let out a small sigh.

Whether Lloyd had traveled back in time like me or not, the important thing was to never get involved with him again.

My regression was entirely for Leoprick.

As much as the resentment I offered to God, I had to use this time given to me again only for him.

More desperately and clearly, as much as I couldn’t forgive myself for being shaken by him even for a moment.

Perhaps due to my complicated feelings, I sighed again, forgetting that I was in a carriage.

“Amelia? Are you alright?”

Leoprick, who was sitting opposite me, asked as he put down the book he was reading onto his lap.

He who had held me in his arms all night yesterday, acted as if nothing had happened this morning.

To the point where it made my long deliberation on how to explain last night’s events seem futile.

He treated me with a calm face as if nothing was wrong.

Looking at him like that, I smiled awkwardly.

“Yes. I’m fine.”

“If there’s anything uncomfortable, please tell me anytime. We can take a break if needed.”

Unlike my awkward smile, Leoprick just smiled gently and was considerate of me.

While grateful for his attitude, a corner of my heart felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

Without realizing it, another small sigh escaped me.

Isn’t he curious?

Or does he just think it’s better not to know?

If it were me, I would have asked or dug into everything until I knew it all.

As I was just staring at Leoprick without saying anything, he slowly closed his book and straightened his posture.

“Do you have something to say, Amelia?”

“Pardon? Ah, that…”

“You can speak comfortably. It’s alright.”

Why did the word ‘alright’ remind me of last night for no reason?

I awkwardly avoided his gaze and then carefully spoke up.

“It’s because you didn’t ask about last night.”

“Was it something I absolutely needed to know?”

He asked with a smiling face.

When you ask like that, I have nothing more to say.

As I was struggling to find words to answer, he laughed softly.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it. I’d like to tell you that you can rely on me comfortably, but……”

You seem uncomfortable.

He added quietly.

Rely on him comfortably?

What does that mean?

I cleared my throat unnecessarily at his words that seemed to be an extension of the conversation I had run away from yesterday.

“It wasn’t particularly uncomfortable. It was just saying that you don’t need to try too hard for a marriage that’s merely political after all.”

Leoprick’s expression became subtle at my words that sounded like I was making excuses.

Now what is it that he doesn’t like to make such a face?

Come to think of it, he was always like that.

Whenever I talked about political marriage, he always made that displeased face.

Well, of course, there’s no law saying that political marriage partners must always be cold to each other, but……

Still, the Leoprick I had known until now was that kind of man.

A person who never cared beyond the strictly defined boundaries.

It was natural that his behavior of constantly seeming to care about me felt strange.

While I was internally justifying the reasons for my rejection, he opened his mouth.

“We are husband and wife, Amelia.”

“Yes. I know.”

“Even so, is it strange that I want to be someone who shares small worries and lightens your troubles?”

His gaze flew straight at me.

And then he smiled gently.

A face trying not to burden me while saying he feels hurt.

I was reminded again of his gaze that had purely collided with me, which I had momentarily forgotten due to Lloyd’s nonsensical behavior yesterday.

“I never said it was strange, Your Highness.”

“Then why do you keep avoiding me? As if I’ve done something really bad to you.”

He smiled with his eyes, pulling down the corners of his eyes.

And then he leaned his body slightly towards me.

As if he was about to come to me and do the ‘bad thing’ he mentioned.

The moment I felt the atmosphere in the carriage become strangely precarious, I smiled awkwardly and buried myself in the chair.

But the more I did so, the deeper the smile on his face became.

As if to say it’s okay no matter what I say, yet trying not to lose and capture my gaze.

“Hmm? Amelia. Tell me.”

He asked in a low voice.

Kindly, and on the other hand, seductively as if to stimulate my ears.

That appearance was terribly tempting, but the eyes meeting mine couldn’t lie.

A desperate gaze as if saying not to reject him.

If there had been anyone else who saw those red eyes, anyone would have known at once.

Whether that was acting or not.