As the burned firewood exhaled its last breath of red, her eyelids fluttered open.

The room was filled with a slightly cool air, the humid and stuffy atmosphere from the night having settled.

The bluish light of dawn shone through the not fully closed curtains.

Diana, who had been lying still with her eyes open, wanted to stay buried in the sun-scented blanket.

But she had to move. With a groan, she tried to lift the blanket, her whole body feeling heavy.

“Sleep more.”

A languid voice enveloped her.

“Diana.”

Unable to get up, she was sucked into the arms that stretched out from behind her.

Flesh pressed against flesh. She swallowed a moan at the tightly entwining touch.

The air surrounding them carried lingering heat and tranquility.

“Rodrick?”

He remained motionless, as if he had fallen back asleep while holding her.

“It’s today. We need to get ready quickly.”

“……”

Instead of answering Diana’s words, he tightened his arms around her.

They couldn’t leave for the capital right away.

Saying that the mansion in the capital needed to be reorganized, the belongings from the North were moved, resulting in a major relocation. Thus, the preparations took a long time.

A full ten days. While the castle servants and Felice worked hard, Rodrick did his best to spend time with Diana.

And so, after driving away the troublemakers, they spent three days only in the bedroom.

The knights grumbled that they were on their honeymoon, but they couldn’t make a sound in front of them.

“Rodrick, hurry.”

Before she could even say “get up,” his hot breath poured over her face.

He didn’t stop kissing her here and there. As if trying to rekindle the heat of the night, his touch became dense yet secretive.

The thirst was not easily quenched. The satisfaction he gained through her was never enough, no matter how much he filled it. He kept yearning for her.

“We can’t do it in the carriage.”

Diana, who had been watching him in a daze, blinked her pink eyes and frowned.

“Do what?”

“This.”

He kissed her lips again as if to devour them. The beast knew no satisfaction.

“You don’t like it?”

With her disheveled face and the corners of her mouth lifted in such a sensual way, she could only succumb to him again with a moan.

[This is the timeline separator]

In front of the castle entrance, dozens of carriages and horses were bustling. Add to that the servants who came to see them off and the families of the knights. It was like a separate market.

Amidst the chaos, a bear-like giant man was clinging to his wife, crying.

“Waah. I have to be apart from you again, dear.”

Buzz and Carol were a well-known cringe-worthy couple in the Schwartz territory.

The knights of the knight order, who were attaching saddles and reorganizing, closed their mouths and shook their heads.

They were keeping their mouths shut at any time, having witnessed the state of the 2nd Knight Order, which had been severely dealt with by Nathan.

However, the elite knights who were always together openly spat out curses.

“Tsk. Disgusting bastard.”

“Really, does he want to do this every time? Is he going to do this whenever we go outside?”

“Hey, let’s stop it. Do you want to live miserably without a wife!”

Carol’s sharp eyes glared at the elite knights as she comforted the sobbing Buzz.

The knights couldn’t say anything more, as every single one of them had a history of receiving Carol’s help.

They pretended to be busy and started doing their own tasks.

“Tsk. Honey. Wipe your tears.”

“Sniff. Is it roses this time?”

Carol always stayed up all night embroidering handkerchiefs for him whenever there was an outside schedule, even when the store was busy.

“Yes, I heard that Lady Diana’s family uses a lot of rose patterns. It’s to give you some strength.”

Buzz obediently wiped his tears and carefully placed the handkerchief inside his chest.

“Eat well. And don’t come back with this handsome face injured.”

Carol tenderly caressed her husband’s scarred face.

“Okay.”

“If anything happens, take care of the young lady first. In this group, the young lady is above the commander. You know that, right?”

“Yes!”

Carol patted his muscular, bulky buttocks, saying he was admirable.

Ugh. Let’s not see this. The elite knights clicked their tongues and turned their eyes away.

At that moment, Diana approached, dressed in outdoor clothing as if fully armed.

The surrounding area seemed to brighten with her appearance.

Indeed, the demeanor of a central noblewoman from the capital was different among the roughly large Northerners.

“Young lady!”

Carol greeted her joyfully, saying that a beauty was indeed the best.

“Carol. Were you exchanging greetings?”

“Yes, please take good care of him.”

Carol, who had a small physique for a Northerner, clung to her husband’s arm. The two, sticking together like a cicada on an old tree, were a pleasant sight.

Diana, who had been unintentionally watching Carol and then Buzz, was startled.

“Oh my, Sir Buzz.”

“My husband is handsome, isn’t he?”

“Indeed.”

Buzz, who had neatly shaved off his thick beard, was revealing his good-looking appearance.

Now that she thought about it, his elite knights had above-average looks. They were so handsome that one might think they were chosen based on their faces.

There would be no disagreement that Rodrick, the commander of such knights, had an unrivaled appearance.

“Haha, it’s awkward for me.”

Buzz rubbed his angular jaw and laughed awkwardly.

When the beard he had worked hard to grow to make his plain face look manly was shaved off, Buzz sincerely wanted to cry.

Shaving his beard was not of his own will. It started with a wish he had bet on in a drinking game.

‘Oh my, you even increased the sales and used the wish for me?’

‘Yes, is there anything you want from your husband?’

Diana, who had paid off the knights’ tabs, decided to use the wish for Carol.

‘There is, but…’

Carol, who had been hesitating, soon spoke passionately.

‘I wish he would shave off that thick beard! He really thinks it’s cool?! It’s so uncomfortable when kissing! Even when I’m disgusted by the hair getting into my mouth, he won’t listen to me.’

And so, the wish was used for Carol.

Buzz was dragged to the barber and had not only his bandit-like beard but also his hair shaved.

“Honey. Can’t I grow my beard back?”

“Just try it. From then on, I won’t even give you a kiss.”

And so, he became a neatly handsome bear.

“Why are you giving attention to another man?”

A large, strong man stood behind her, giving off an intimidating aura. Having already felt his mana, she wasn’t startled even without his presence.

“Are you jealous?”

“I am.”

Looking up, she saw a prominent nose bridge, delicate lips, and a sharp jawline. Even upside down, it was a face of a handsome man without humiliation.

The corners of Diana’s mouth lifted as she looked at the indifferent blue eyes looking down at her.

“I don’t see anyone else as a man except you.”

“I still don’t like it.”

He pressed his lips down on the lips that were seducing him.

A full three days. After living only with her on the bed, he had no hesitation in expressing affection in front of others.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Wow. Commander. Really.”

Why are you doing this, sir? The elite knight who was about to tease the mouth of fear again.

“Shh, don’t say a word.”

The couple was immersed in their own world, emitting heat no less than the Buzz couple.

It was Felice who shut the mouths of the elite knights with rotten expressions.

‘Salary deduction every time you open your mouth.’

If you ruin the mood, you die. Felice was warning them with his eyes, smiling.

He had to get rid of the things that disturbed his brother in order to see his nephew on this occasion.

“……”

The power of the one in charge of the castle’s finances was strong. The elite knights couldn’t make a sound and finished their preparations to leave.

The problem was the carriage assignment. Who would ride with Diana?

Rodrick rode a horse and led from the front, so he didn’t ride the carriage. So the remaining ones were Noel and Felice, but…

Rodrick wouldn’t allow it.

“I’m fine with it. The carriage is big, so we can all ride together.”

When Noel ran up to hug Diana, Rodrick immediately grabbed Noel by the back of his neck.

“Ack. Uncle. Let go of this!”

Noel, dangling in the air, struggled, but he ignored it.

At some point, whenever Noel tried to hug her, he blocked him. To be precise, he blocked Noel after he shared his body with his ancestor.

He was speaking with cold eyes.

‘If you don’t want your identity exposed, stay away.’

Having seen Noel’s true nature, Rodrick never let go of Diana.

Diana, unaware of the circumstances, only thought that Rodrick’s jealousy was excessive. What was he doing to a little child?

“Noel. It’s okay. Come here.”

Noel, free from Rodrick’s grasp, tried to go to Diana right away. But this time, he was caught by Felice.

“Haha. Sister-in-law. If brother wants to ride together on the way, the carriage will be cramped. I’ll take him with me.”

Felice also intended to ride a horse, but he immediately changed his plans.

Noel, with his cheeks puffed out, was held by Felice’s hand. In the end, she got to occupy one carriage alone.

And so, the procession toward the capital began. Naturally, the Duke of Schwartz did not come out to see them off.

She had visited the office before getting on the carriage.

The duke said, since they had already exchanged greetings, let’s not waste each other’s time.

And as Diana turned around, he said to her,

‘When you return, I will hold a grand wedding for you.’

The men of this family had a tendency to speak with predetermined answers. Diana smiled pleasantly and replied,

‘Yes, Father. I will be back!’

[This is the timeline separator]

A large group was on the move, with various supplies and even servants joining.

In a normal situation, they would have had to deploy double the protection with knights and mercenaries, but the prowess of the Duverc Knights surrounding them kept not only bandits but even magical beasts from approaching them.

“Heli.”

The swaying inside of the carriage was quiet. At her small call, Heli, who was sitting on the roof of the carriage, dangled upside down and looked at her from outside the window.

“What. Young lady.”

As the bangs covering half of her face flipped upside down, her face was revealed. With a listless face, her eyes were half-closed.

“Come here. Let’s talk.”

At her words, Heli entered the carriage and sat across from her. Yawning languidly, Heli raised her head as if to say, “Speak.”

Diana leaned forward, interlocking her fingers on her arms resting on her knees.

“So,”

Diana’s pink eyes glimmered coldly as she rested her chin on top.

“Who is the one occupying the family now?”