In truth, whether the former or the latter, it had nothing to do with me. Even if the flower-strewn path laid out before Bertisha vanished, so what?

I didn’t want to see her, who had carelessly treated Yezar’s heart, seize radiant happiness. A sudden gust of wind made my body tremble.

“Ugh……. It’s cold.”

Was it because of the night? The wind stung my cheeks more sharply than in the afternoon. I often left the window open since the breeze cleared my mind naturally.

Still, even at the tail end of winter, the wind was fierce. In this state, I would surely catch a cold. I quickly closed the window and burrowed into the warm bed.

The crackling sound of burning firewood wrapped my body in cozy warmth. There were times I’d doze off several times like this and wake up cradled in Yezar’s arms.

Opening my eyes, I saw his face watching me sleep. What was so amusing? He gazed at me with a suppressed smile. Feeling strangely embarrassed, I lightly hit his chest without hurting him. I told him he should’ve woken me, but he replied that he felt sorry waking me when I was sound asleep, so he’d rather quietly stay by my side.

I didn’t need him to do that. Instead of saying I disliked it, my head nodded on its own.

I shouldn’t indulge in whims with him. Yet the longer we spent together, the more my caprices seemed to grow.

Just as sleep began to overtake me, a knock knocked on the door, followed by it opening.

“Madam……?”

The voice calling me abruptly stopped. I sensed him approaching quietly, trying not to make noise, as if worried I might be asleep. Lying on my side with my back to him, I blinked my eyes.

I should’ve shown I was awake. But my eyes closed naturally. Soon, I felt one side of the bed sink down.

He must have come to the bed.

“Are you sleeping?”

His whisper reached my ears. I wasn’t exactly sleeping, but drowsiness was creeping over me. Yezar’s long, straight fingers brushed through my hair. Strands slipped and flowed, caught again in his hand, fluttering here and there.

‘What is he doing?’

My drowsy mind gradually grew clearer. Curiosity bloomed, waking me from sleep.

“Madam……. Julietta.”

His tender voice, as if it could melt my ears, stirred me. Soon, Yezar’s hand moved from my hair to my hand.

“Your fingertips are cold. Did you open the window again and gaze outside? No wonder the maids worry you’ll catch a cold.”

He spoke as if he clearly knew what I had done, then let out a long sigh.

“Why don’t you treat your own body more carefully? Sometimes it makes me sad.”

Yezar earnestly wrapped his hands around my cold fingertips, sharing his warmth. Sleep had completely left me, but it became awkward to open my eyes.

‘Did Yezar always watch over me like this whenever I fell asleep?’

My heart warmed instinctively. After all, this man had been caring for me even while I was unconscious. Soon, he gathered my body, rolled tightly in the blanket, into his arms.

Then he firmly held me against his chest.

“I’ll warm you up soon. What if you caught a chill and had nightmares again, Madam?”

‘Nightmares? Did I talk in my sleep about dreams of my family from my past life?’

Still, lately it had been fine, since Injeolmi would come wagging her tail and keep me company. The memory of me hugging the puppy running toward me in the dream made a natural smile form on my lips.

His hand gently brushed over that smile.

“Are you having a good dream this time? You’re smiling so sweetly, Madam.”

His whisper tickled my ear. I nearly opened my eyes. I tried my best to suppress the ticklish feeling and refused to open them at all.

Despite my effort, Yezar kept talking to me as if I were still asleep.

“Sometimes, when you’re asleep, Madam, you pout your lips slightly. You’re not doing that today. Even when sleeping soundly, you toss and turn, and I have to hold your hand tightly and pat your back before you settle down. Will you do that again before you open your eyes today?”

My face felt as if it would turn red all on its own.

‘Yezar! You’ve been watching my sleeping face this closely?’

I didn’t even know I pouted my lips while sleeping. Ah, I really should’ve told him back then that he didn’t need to stay by me.

Regret came too late, but he already knew every one of my sleeping habits. At this point, saying it was fine wouldn’t change anything.

While feeling troubled by this fact, his lips gently landed on my cheek. Then they moved to my chin, nose, and forehead with soft pecks.

Startled by this outpouring of affection, I shifted my body.

‘Even so, doing this to someone who’s asleep is going too far…….’

Isn’t this just like real spouses? The gestures, leaving his marks as if his sleeping wife were adorable, were brimming with love. I was flustered and didn’t know what to do.

He leaned close to my ear and whispered.

“I know you’ve woken up, Julietta.”

“!”

“Do you need a fairy-tale kiss to wake up?”

His voice carried a hint of laughter. He had known I was awake and was teasing me.

I opened my eyes. Right before me were his eyes, blue like the ocean.

“How did you know I was awake?”

“Well, your breathing was different from when Julietta usually sleeps. So I realized you weren’t actually asleep.”

That meant he had known from the beginning that I was conscious.

“Then why didn’t you just tell me to wake up……! Did you say those embarrassing things so I’d hear them?”

“Well, since Madam pretended to be asleep, I thought I’d play along with your little prank.”

He smiled brightly, dazzling to look at. Now, it seemed truly impossible to win against his clever words. At first, it was always me teasing him, and he’d fall for it every time.

Now, he skillfully played pranks and made me flustered.

“I’m the one getting tricked by Yezar’s pranks now.”

A soft chuckle slipped out. If I’d known this would happen, I shouldn’t have teased Yezar in the first place. I never imagined his earnest nature would develop such a playful side.

“Do you not like seeing me like this……?”

Worried my feelings might be hurt, he carefully asked. I immediately shook my head.

“Of course not! I was just thinking how much more playful you’ve become because of me. You used to be too busy blushing. Now, we play jokes and laugh together. I like that.”

The word “like” slipped out naturally, and I clenched my fist tightly. It was my true self, always ready to burst out. I liked seeing how he had changed because of me, as if I were coloring him with my own shade.

Because I existed within Yezar’s time.

“I like it too. Exchanging these little jokes with you is quite enjoyable.”

Before I knew it, he had mischievously smiled and stolen a kiss from my lips. The soft touch, brief and fleeting, felt more thrilling than usual.

“This is a prank I didn’t finish.”

I caught sight of Yezar’s slightly flushed cheeks.

“D-Don’t ever play such pranks on other women, understand!”

If he did this to another woman, I’d clearly sell everything—money, house, soul—just to have him. Yezar needed to seriously consider the impact of his own attractiveness.

“I won’t. My wife is right before my eyes now. How could I play such pranks with any woman other than you, Madam?”

His smooth words toyed with my heart. Still, my heart, which used to race wildly whenever I spent time with him, now calmed down a little faster than before.

“……Yes, I understand. Then, could you please let me down from your arms now?”

“That might be difficult. Your body is still cold. Stay a little longer in my arms.”

“Like this, rolled up in the blanket like a snowman?”

“Yes. Isn’t it warm?”

Yezar spoke as if there were no issue at all. He was truly no different from the duchess’s maids. The problem was, Yezar clearly had no intention of freeing me from this state.

‘Well, as long as it’s warm, I suppose it’s fine.’

And the real issue was that I didn’t want to object to his words either. Soon, having adjusted to this state, I blinked and looked at Yezar.

“Um, did His Majesty the Emperor say anything unusual to you?”

“Camileo to me?”

“Yes. For example, about growing distant from Her Majesty the Empress.”

Yezar fell silent, lost in thought. To him, I revealed the information I had learned through Pelanne.

“……So that’s why you asked me. Unfortunately, Camileo didn’t mention anything about Her Majesty the Empress to me.”

“Is that so?”

Then perhaps it was merely a rumor. But if so, why would such a rumor spread……? Then Yezar added,

“Still, recalling the times when the three of us were close and intimate, he should’ve invited Her Majesty to join us. But he didn’t. Now that I think about it, that seems strange.”

“If he didn’t invite Her Majesty even when she entered the recovery period…… could it be that he feels uncomfortable having Her Majesty and you in the same place?”