Yezar gently kissed her cheek. Then her forehead, the tip of her nose, and finally her lips, feeling her warmth. A pleasant sound escaped her lips.

He couldn’t help but smile. He remembered when he had proposed a contract marriage to her.

“At first, I thought it might be my misconception. But the longer I spend time with you, my lady, the more vivid the colors of my emotions become.”

He wanted to see her smile, longed to be by her side, felt jealous, and selfishly wished for her to rely on him more, to not leave. These emotions were a clear, bright red. Just like the color of Julieta’s hair.

But for now, he couldn’t let Julieta know these inner feelings. She might get startled and run away.

***

I tapped my lips lightly. It was a meaningless action. No, actually, it had meaning. The kiss I had practiced to show Wizlet our good relationship wouldn’t leave my mind.

‘Haa… It’s still like this even after a few days.’

The problem was that the sensation was too vivid, perhaps because I couldn’t see well at the time. Certainly, when I woke up after doing the deed, I was fine.

As always, Yezar, who had risen at dawn, wasn’t by my side, and I was blinking my eyes in a half-asleep state. I vaguely recalled greeting the excited maids.

Ah, and I realized anew how thorough Yezar was. When I woke up, there were wet towels strewn about, and the bed sheets were crumpled as if there had been vigorous movement.

‘However, the problem then was that my body was too clean…’

It was an aspect I hadn’t expected to be questioned about, but I managed to explain it away. I said he was gentlemanly even at night. With that one statement, most seemed to accept it.

Of course, I don’t know if he was truly gentlemanly. We didn’t do anything, after all. Would others even believe that there was nothing between us if the truth came out, given all the rumors about him being a passionate beast?

Of course, Ember, who knew all about our situation, seemed a bit suspicious. Considering the possibility that what she had prepared might have been in vain, I saw her cautiously calling Lophi aside.

The enthusiasm was overwhelming. I was already afraid of what might await next time.

“My lady, why do you keep touching your lips? Is there something bothering you?”

I quickly lowered my hand.

“Of course not.”

It seems I had been unconsciously touching my lips while lost in thought. Right. The important thing wasn’t Ember.

It was my strange state. I hadn’t become awkward with him or anything. But the lingering sensation that wouldn’t fade made me feel odd at times.

“I’ll go for a walk in the garden for a moment.”

This won’t do. I needed to bask in the sunlight, get some fresh air, and clear my mind. Hearing this, May, who was styling my hair, cheerfully replied.

“Ah! Come to think of it, your family is coming tomorrow, right? The gardener said he had already tended to the garden, but there might still be something lacking, so please go and check.”

Ah, that’s right. Wizlet is coming tomorrow, isn’t he? I had momentarily forgotten, my mind preoccupied elsewhere. If Wizlet knew, he would probably grumble about how I could forget about him.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen his face. I should also ask how the nanny is doing. She must have worried a lot about me, being so tender-hearted.’

Still, I smiled at the fact that there were a few faces I wanted to see. After all, the Orbetian estate was so large and spacious that when alone, it only made me feel lonely.

***

The spring garden was full of life. A pleasant breeze blew, neither too cold nor too humid.

As the wind rustled the fully bloomed flower petals, their fragrance wafted through the air.

‘The duke’s garden is truly beautiful. Is there even anything for me to check?’

The garden, meticulously tended by the gardener, seemed to need no other hand. The flower scent in the air was subtle enough not to cause a headache, and walking through it lifted my mood.

‘I’ll just take a quick look around and go back.’

I did like flowers, after all. It wasn’t bad to take time like this to enjoy the garden. The distracting thoughts in my head gradually faded away. Just as I was thinking I had made the right choice in coming to the garden, I heard a rustling sound.

Wondering if a rabbit had lost its way, I looked up, and there stood Yezar.

Seeing the main cause of my distracting thoughts right in front of me, all my efforts to clear my mind scattered uselessly.

“Yezar? Isn’t it time for you to be working?”

“I heard you were in the garden, my lady. Your brother is coming tomorrow, isn’t he? I thought there might be more preparations needed.”

Somehow, it seemed Yezar was more attentive to Wizlet’s visit than I was. He really didn’t need to be.

“No, it’s fine. Wizlet probably won’t stay long anyway, just having a simple meal and leaving, so you don’t need to prepare anything more.”

“I know, but I can’t help but want to take care of things.”

I couldn’t help but smile. It wasn’t a bad feeling that his kindness extended to my family as well. While Yezar’s presence did stir up distracting thoughts, walking with him in the spring garden wouldn’t be bad either.

“The preparations are fine now. If you’re not too busy, would you like to walk in the garden with me?”

He replied without hesitation.

“Yes, my lady.”

Such a quick answer. Is he really not busy? But if we can walk together, I’m happy.

Standing still, waiting for him to come to me, I suddenly realized how picturesque he looked standing in the spring garden.

‘A fresh-faced handsome man and spring. They suit each other well.’

A fleeting thought crossed my mind, wondering if I would ever get used to his appearance. As I confirmed he was approaching me and was about to start walking, he lowered his head.

Chu―. Such a ticklish sound came from my cheek. Surprised, I looked at Yezar to see him covering his lips with his hand, his face completely red.

“I heard your brother is coming tomorrow. I thought we might get used to it beforehand, my lady.”

An awkward laugh followed. Certainly, displays of affection while strolling in the garden in broad daylight fit the situation of a passionate newlywed couple, but… My hand rubbed the cheek where his lips had touched.

It only now sank in, as it had been too sudden. It felt like heat was spreading through my body. But as I rubbed my cheek, another thought occurred to me.

That night, when my vision had been dark, it wasn’t my cheek he had kissed. It was disappointing that it wasn’t my lips…

I was surprised by the natural flow of my thoughts. What am I thinking right now?

This wasn’t our private bedroom, but a garden in broad daylight.

‘Get a grip, Julieta. It’s midday now, the sun is shining brightly, and a pleasant breeze is blowing. And… also…’

Despite thinking of various things, my face kept feeling hot. Seeing that I wasn’t responding and just standing still, he apologized to me.

“…I’m sorry. You must have disliked it.”

He even stumbled over his words. With a completely red face.

“No! I didn’t dislike it. So there’s no need for you to apologize.”

It may have been sudden, but there was no way I could dislike it. There was even less reason for him to apologize. The problem was that a lecherous demon seemed to have taken residence in my mind.

“It’s just that, what we practiced then wasn’t on the cheek, was it?”

His voice flowed out a beat late.

“…Pardon?”

Still covering his lips with his hand, he was looking at me with a completely reddened face.

“Yezar, would you lower your head again?”

It seemed better to do it once more to get rid of these distracting thoughts. Constantly recalling that incident like some pervert wasn’t the right thing to do either.

He, who had been flustered, carefully lowered his head. This time, I could clearly see his face, which had been hidden by darkness before.

His usually composed eyes were trembling, his eyelashes fluttering. I could see in detail his reddened neck and the blue eyes that held my reflection.

‘Ah. Do I have the same expression as Yezar? Body trembling with nervousness, face flushed.’

Thinking that, I felt somewhat at ease. He lowered his head to match my eye level, and I gently cupped his cheek with my hand and kissed him.

The kiss was light, and the transmitted body heat was warm. Just like the spring garden.

‘Still, it’s not different from then.’

Surprisingly, it was exactly the same sensation as before. Only now, I could imagine what expression he had worn as he approached me and kissed me.

‘So that’s the expression he had when he approached me. Thank goodness… that it was dark then.’

If it hadn’t been dark, I might have done something improper to him. Until the moment our lips parted, neither of us closed our eyes.

We were solely focused on each other.

“Haa…”

Our lips parted with a heated breath. A fragrant flower scent wafted by. I was reminded of the sweet scent that had filled the bedroom that night.

“There’s a sweet scent.”

He must have recalled something similar, as he replied thus.

“Yes… There’s a sweet scent.”

‘Ah, really. I thought kissing would make the distracting thoughts disappear.’

Instead, my gaze was fixed on his red lips. Desperately suppressing my desire, I answered.

“…You know, Yezar. Actually, my elder brother is coming tomorrow. I don’t think I’ll be able to calmly kiss you in front of him then.”

During the wedding, it was fine because I didn’t have any particular feelings for him. But kissing him in a bright place while having feelings of excitement for him made it clear.

I’m too embarrassed to kiss or do such things calmly in front of others…