“It’s a pity, yet satisfying, that you insist on being so thorough.”

Satisfying, yet a pity… Could it be because my words feel like I’m drawing too firm a boundary?

But I must. If I don’t keep reminding myself like this, my excessive desires might grow, and I could lose everything I have.

Always prioritizing others’ circumstances had been nothing more than a defense mechanism to protect my own heart from getting hurt. He’s just busy. It’s not that he doesn’t love me.

I shouldn’t be greedy. There’s no reason for my heart to ache. So there’s no need to wear such a sorrowful expression, longing for something. After all, I know very well it’s a place I can never return to.

I repeated these words over and over. Longing changed nothing. Would staying depressed forever change my future? I should enjoy myself and smile as much as possible. If I keep smiling brightly, perhaps everything truly will get better.

Like a kind of self-hypnosis, I smiled brightly, free of worries and anxieties. But when I met him, when he actually listened to me, I was so happy I didn’t know what to do. How long had it been since I could rely on someone?

‘……Yezar, you’re precious to me. That’s why I truly wish for your happiness. Please don’t make me greedy anymore.’

“Madam, shall we go?”

When I was wishing so desperately. Why did he wear such a lonely expression? I wished I hadn’t kept seeing that look lingering in my mind. He kept making me do things I normally wouldn’t.

“Just a moment. Yezar.”

“What is it?”

“We’ve forgotten something, haven’t we?”

“Did we leave something behind?”

He came back toward me, drawing the curtain closed again. Our hands still remained clasped.

Without moving, I gestured to him, asking him to lower his head.

“There’s dust on your head.”

He replied that he understood, in response to my soft whisper. With my other free hand, I gently cupped his cheek.

“Madam… mm.”

I silenced his words by pressing my lips against his before he could call my name. Here, it was just the two of us. I didn’t feel embarrassed.

Slowly pressing my lips against his, I exhaled. The breath grazing my lips felt just like his. Strangely, it tasted sweet.

When I slightly turned my head, he followed my movement. I giggled and kissed the corner of his lips.

Then, looking at his dazed expression, I asked,

“……How was it? I’m thoroughly keeping to that agreement, aren’t I? I’m also doing my best in practice.”

Understanding my intention, his face flushed red. The bitter expression was gone, replaced entirely by a deeply blushing face greeting me.

“Y-yes, indeed. You’re very thorough.”

As he said this, he raised his hand to cover his lips. But his hand was still tightly interlaced with mine. Only then did he cover his lips with his other hand and turn his head away.

In a particularly gentle tone, I asked him,

“If you walk out like that, covering your mouth, anyone will know you’ve done something naughty, Yezar.”

“……I’ll put it down.”

When he lowered his hand, I saw the red lipstick mark on his lips. Ah, I had put quite a bit of effort into my makeup today.

“Still, it doesn’t seem okay. My lipstick has completely transferred onto Yezar’s lips. It’s very red.”

I took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped his lips. Pressing gently on his lower lip, a red stain appeared on the white cloth.

‘If it’s smeared this much, my makeup must be ruined too… Will a quick wipe with the handkerchief be enough to fix it?’

This was the problem with acting impulsively. You don’t think about the consequences. And afterward, you regret it.

‘Or maybe… I don’t actually regret it?’

I saw his eyelashes tremble faintly under my touch. I exhaled softly, and he opened his eyes.

“W-why…?”

“Hmm… It seems dust got into my eyes this time?”

My innocent reply made him weakly grasp my wrist. He could have gripped it tightly, but instead, he applied just enough pressure—so light I could easily pull away—which made me chuckle again.

‘Ah. I wonder which woman will eventually take him, but she’ll be lucky.’

After all, having such a man as a husband would surely be quite a happy and delightful thing.

“I’ll do it myself.”

His golden hair softly fell, covering his face. He kept his head lowered, as if desperately refusing to show his face.

“Alright. Here’s the handkerchief.”

When I quietly handed it over, he wiped his lips and then returned it to me. He looked as composed and neat as ever.

“You’re all clean now.”

Now it was my turn to fix my makeup. But there was no mirror. I stood awkwardly, briefly wondering what to do.

Then he took out his own handkerchief and gently wiped the corner of my mouth.

“You have it here too, Madam… It seems to have smudged. Probably where my lips touched.”

The spot he lightly patted felt like heat was spreading across my skin. My composed demeanor shattered instantly.

“I-It’s not necessary to explain so precisely. I can wipe it myself.”

“You were the one who wiped mine first, Madam. Now you’re blushing just like I was.”

“You’ve learned something bad…”

“I learned it from you, Madam.”

When he said that, I had no reply.

‘Still, this is Yezar’s fault.’

After all my efforts to maintain boundaries. What was I supposed to do when you say it’s “a pity”? I only crossed the line slightly with that physical contact.

‘When I think it through logically… I feel kind of trashy. After all, I was the one who deliberately pressed my lips against yours.’

Honestly examining it, even I felt I had no conscience. What made Yezar even more mysterious was that he accepted me, without rejecting who I was.

Standing quietly, he gently led me.

“Let’s go, Madam. It’s time for His Majesty the Emperor to enter.”

“Does His Majesty have a separate entrance time?”

“He usually arrives late. He doesn’t particularly enjoy events like this.”

Since he was friends with Camileo, he seemed to know these details well. Then naturally, Yezar must also know even the smallest details about Bertisha, whom he had known for much longer. That thought arose naturally, and I felt slightly upset.

***

Just as Yezar said, not long after we stepped out from the balcony, Camileo entered. Everyone bowed their heads in unison.

Soon after, they were told to rise, and there sat Camileo upon the imperial throne, beside him the Empress Bertisha, adorned with an elegant headdress.

‘No wonder people say they’re a perfect match…’

If Camileo was a handsome man with a cold aura, Bertisha was a beautiful woman with a delicate charm. Simply standing together, they looked like a single, exquisite painting.

Of course, that was only on the surface. I didn’t particularly like Camileo, who had driven Julietta to the brink of death.

The general public saw him as a benevolent emperor, a once-in-a-lifetime sovereign talent. Even now, as he spoke with a light smile without putting on airs, he appeared exactly like that.

‘In the novel’s setting, it was the same. Outwardly, a kind and gentle crown prince to everyone. But in truth, he possessed a cold mindset that cared for no one beyond his own circle.’

Julietta in the original story hadn’t been entirely innocent either. Clearly, it was wrong of her to torment the woman he loved.

But what Julietta had done as a minor supporting character was merely…

“Please stop approaching His Highness the Crown Prince! On what grounds does the young lady keep receiving His Highness’s kindness? If it were me, I wouldn’t be greedy—I’d step aside.”

She had only spoken words filled with jealousy. A few bitter words spoken out of envy. It never seemed to me that such a thing deserved punishment severe enough to nearly cause her death.

‘It makes me want to turn my head away in discomfort.’

Camileo was far more unsettling than I had imagined. But since Yezar was the one suffering the most right now, I suppressed my instinctive aversion and carefully observed him.

His eyes were fixed on Camileo and Bertisha. He watched the perfectly matched couple with an ambiguous expression—neither smiling nor crying.

‘It seems so complicated, so many emotions tangled together.’

Still, this was better than completely avoiding their gaze and fleeing in pain. I didn’t want him to run away.

‘I hope Yezar doesn’t avoid them. He’s done nothing wrong. Why should he be the one to quietly step aside?’

I hadn’t come here to watch him suffer alone, swallowing his emotions for the sake of a friend. I wanted Yezar to stop caring about them.

I wanted him to move forward proudly, as I had always seen him, no longer treating this like a trauma. Even if he couldn’t do it immediately, even if it took a long time, as long as I remained his wife, I was determined to ensure he would never suffer more because of love.

“Are you alright?”

To my cautious question, Yezar replied,

“Yes, I’m doing better than I expected. Seeing them like this, they really do look like a perfect match.”

Of course. In Bertisha’s destined story, Camileo was the male lead.

“Still, to me, Yezar looks much more impressive than His Majesty the Emperor.”

But so what? To me, Yezar was more handsome than Camileo. After all, no matter how good-looking someone was, I had never been interested in people with unpleasant personalities.

“Hmph. Are you saying this just to cheer me up because you think I’m feeling down?”

Hearing his laughter, I answered calmly, relieved.

“I’m only speaking the truth. I think Yezar needs to develop a more objective view of his own appearance.”

“What good would it do if I gained such an objective view?”

“You’ll understand when the time comes—the feelings of a wife who feels uncomfortable seeing other women eyeing her incredibly handsome husband.”