As soon as I thought I wanted to steal his lips, I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his lips first.

Smooch.

Askal’s surprised eyes opened wide. I quickly took a step back.

“I hereby declare you husband and wife.”

The cardinal announced our marriage, looking at us alternately. I put my hand on my reddened cheek.

“…..”

Askal stared at the hand that had held my head, then chuckled. He whispered softly so that only I could hear.

“I’m good at kissing too.”

His golden eyes looking at me blazed brightly.

“So next time, I’ll show you properly, my lady.”

He said, kissing the back of my hand. Heat rose to my face again, which had just calmed down.

The declaration procedure was over. The cardinal said he would see us again at the wedding ceremony and left. Rublion, who had been fine until now, seemed to have burst into tears, bowing his head low and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

Lambertmon teased him, asking if he was crying, but got hit on the back of the head by Riena and quieted down.

“Your Excellency, I apologize for interrupting your happy moment, but there’s an urgent matter you need to see.”

Baron Tirel, the secretary, rushed into the cathedral. Askal asked for my understanding and went outside with the baron.

“Mom.”

“Yes?”

Rublion, who had stopped crying, came closer. Thanks to his bangs pushed back, his fair forehead was adorably revealed.

“I hope the subjugation ends soon and the wedding ceremony finishes quickly too.”

Rublion grinned broadly.

“I think so too.”

I stroked the child’s head with affectionate eyes. Now I can really live as Rublion’s mother.

“Hehe, Mom, you look really pretty today.”

“Thank you, son.”

At my words, Rublion’s mouth slowly opened. A pink tongue was visible between his twitching lips.

“Ah, now we just need a younger sibling.”

I pretended not to hear him mumbling as if talking to himself. Then the child tapped my dress and said loudly enough for me to hear.

“Aah, I want a younger sibling.”

[This is the timeline separator]

Askal, who had come out of the cathedral with Baron Tirel, listened intently to his words with a serious expression.

“We can’t just keep watching, can we? How about requesting mediation from the Imperial family?”

“I already requested it. But for some reason, the Imperial family’s stance is to observe.”

Duke Rumps’s actions were becoming increasingly aggressive. There was an incident where the carriage Duke Teravita was riding in was attacked by unidentified assailants and overturned.

Because of that, the duke and duchess were seriously injured, and although skilled doctors rushed to treat them, they gave up, saying there was no hope.

It wasn’t just Teravita she was meddling with. There was a wealthy person buying up houses in the outskirts of Artenbach, and when investigated, it turned out to be Duke Rumps’s dual identity.

The family’s business of real estate rentals had entered Artenbach territory, and as housing prices rose, enormous amounts of money were flowing to Rumps’s side.

“If that’s the Imperial family’s stance, I don’t need to be cautious either.”

Askal pondered for a moment, then put his hand on the baron’s shoulder and said,

“First, we need to cut off Rumps’s funding.”

“Yes, that would be good.”

Baron Tirel opened his notebook, ready to write down everything without missing a single detail.

“Find out if there are any houses available for purchase in the outskirts of Artenbach and buy them all. Also, look into the real estate situation in Rumps territory. Find out how much the annual rent is for houses owned by the Rumps ducal family.”

“Yes, understood.”

The baron, having meticulously noted everything, tucked the notebook into his chest pocket. Then he said to Askal, who was dressed in a tailcoat,

“How does it feel to be a married man?”

“I’m not sure.”

Baron Tirel grinned mischievously.

“Tonight is crucial. When you lie in the same bed, your thoughts will change. You’ll realize, ‘Ah, I have a wife now.'”

“…..”

When Askal showed a puzzled expression, the baron’s smiling face gradually froze.

“Don’t tell me.”

“I haven’t yet agreed with my wife about consummation.”

“You just had your marriage declared. You may not have had the wedding ceremony, but you’re legally married.”

“So what.”

Baron Tirel clutched his chest, frustrated by his old friend’s obtuse behavior.

“Let me ask you straight. Do you want to do it or not?”

“Even if I want to, I won’t do it without my wife’s permission.”

“That’s obvious. But isn’t today the one day you shouldn’t just let pass?”

“But we haven’t agreed on anything yet…”

Baron Tirel loosened and unfastened his tie. He couldn’t bear the frustration.

“Have you even asked the duchess about consummation?”

Askal shook his head. The baron gritted his teeth and muttered,

“Oh, you virgin. Shouldn’t you be the one to ask about such things first?”

[This is the timeline separator]

Just because we had our marriage declared, it didn’t mean our relationship had changed particularly. I was still doing Black Swan’s work, and the duke was busy preparing for the subjugation.

If I had to choose one thing that had changed, it was that Rublion’s interests had shifted from all the knowledge in the world to human birth and growth.

“I’d like to ask a question about how babies are made.”

The white-haired professor was quite taken aback by Rublion’s question. When he said to ask if there were any questions before finishing the lesson, Rublion suddenly raised his hand and said that.

“My sister said that babies are picked up from under bridges, is that true?”

Riena shook her head at Lambertmon’s know-it-all attitude.

“That doesn’t make sense. You’d have to wait under the bridge until the baby comes to pick you up, but how could you wait in winter when it’s so cold?”

“Hmm… Hide behind a pillar?”

Riena dismissed Lambertmon, saying he was hopeless.

“From what I know, when a mother’s belly button touches a father’s belly button, a baby is born.”

“Hey, that makes even less sense! The belly button is tiny, how could a baby come out of there!”

Rublion heaved a deep sigh. Then he got up from his seat and approached the professor. The professor lowered his posture discreetly and lent his ear.

“What I’m curious about isn’t the actual method of making, but how to increase the chances of making one.”

The professor, looking at the serious face of his student, seemed to make a decision and opened his mouth.

“Well, first, let’s end the lesson for Lambertmon and Riena. Young lord, would you like to have an additional lesson?”

At the professor’s words, the twins exclaimed.

“Can we go first?”

“Is it over?”

As soon as they got an affirmative answer, the twins jumped off their chairs and rushed towards the door. And waving at Rublion, who was confirmed for the additional lesson, they said,

“Young lord, we’ll be waiting at the treehouse!”

“Come tell us later how babies are made!”

This is what they mean when they say leaving without looking back. Only after confirming that the laughter was fading did Rublion sit down.

“Now, please tell me. I’ll teach you as much as I can within what’s appropriate.”

Rublion blew out a breath through his nose once before asking.

“Should I sleep alone from today?”

The professor, looking approvingly at the student burning with unprecedented academic zeal, opened his mouth. He really intended to answer sincerely.

[This is the timeline separator]

The morning before the departure for the beast subjugation.

News came that the Duchess of Teravita had passed away. The duke was barely clinging to life, and several vassals who had been working behind the scenes to become the master of the three-year-old young heir were stripped of their titles for embezzlement and exiled.

The people of Teravita Duchy supported Lamberson, who appeared like a hero. The vassals who saw their co-conspirators fall into ruin became cautious and prostrated themselves, saying they would follow Lamberson’s will.

Of course, while they rubbed their palms in front of him, behind his back they cursed him as a bastard.

There were also subtle rumors that Lamberson Teravita and Maybel Rumps were quite close. Naturally, Maybel hated this to the point of grinding her teeth.

Askal read Ranson’s letter and then burned it. He recalled what he had said when entrusting his siblings.

[I will abandon these feelings. Thinking it was just a momentary admiration, I will stand not as a man but as a collaborator.]

So Askal and Ranson decided to join hands. For Askal, it was to protect Schmidt and Rublion, and for Ranson, it was to protect his siblings.

It was a dangerous deal. Maybel Rumps was a merciless person who ruled her territory with tyranny. If she found out that Ranson had ties to both Artenbach and Rumps, she would tear him apart.

“Your Excellency, the preparations for the subjugation force’s departure are complete.”

Baron Tirel, who came to the government office, was holding armor in his hands. It was the one Askal always wore when going out for subjugation.

“Will we be able to depart as scheduled tomorrow?”

“Yes, barring any special circumstances, we’re fully prepared.”

On the brightly polished plate armor, there were clear marks of sharp beast teeth and claws.

‘This time, I really don’t know what will happen.’

The first observed beast herd.

Until now, the battles hadn’t been difficult as they were hunting beasts that moved alone, but this time was different.

As the thought that he might die crossed his mind, Rublion and Schmidt kept appearing before his eyes.

“Your Excellency, how about retiring early today?”

It was just past three in the afternoon. There were still unfinished government office tasks remaining.

“I’ll take care of it. I’ll set aside the ones that need your signature, so please do them tomorrow morning.”

Askal looked at him with suspicious eyes. This was unusual for him.

“You need to rest well if you’re going to depart tomorrow.”

“You’re not the type to substitute work for such a reason.”

Baron Tirel forced a smile and said,

“Go when I’m offering to send you off. Go spend time with the duchess too.”

“…Alright.”

“You’ve made a good decision.”

The baron moved all the documents on Askal’s desk to his own. Then, watching him pick up his top hat, he said,

“If I hear that you were working after I sent you home early, I’m not being your friend anymore.”

Baron Tirel chased him out of the office. Askal smiled slightly and waved his hand.