Although I should have left if there was no response, it was ironically the maids managing the morning chamber who had come to visit the room.

As they quietly entered, they soon noticed us and hesitated.

Then, as if they had seen something they shouldn’t, they panicked and began to apologize profusely.

“We’re so sorry…! We thought you were sleeping since there was no answer…”

“We’ll come back later…!”

I wondered why they were reacting so dramatically until I realized the state we were in.

For one, Reus’s navy robe was open, exposing almost his entire upper body. And… as if I had been pulling at it all night, the robe was crumpled, even in places that should have been smooth.

Moreover, Reus, having been troubled by me in a different sense, looked unusually tired.

My situation wasn’t much different.

The robe I was wearing was under me, having been removed at some point, and the straps of my slip were down, exposing my shoulders. My face, neck, and shoulders were all red and flushed.

It was then I learned for the first time.

That when embarrassed, not only my face and ears but also my neck and shoulders would turn red.

It looked as if we were caught doing something wrong!

‘But it’s not like that…!’

Overwhelmed by shame, I closed my eyes just as the door closed with a sound.

Finally, Reus let me go, and I practically fled to the bathroom.

I gazed at the small dessert plate before me.

The round, light green ice cream in the small, transparent dish.

“This is the melon ice cream His Grace ordered to be prepared.”

“…….”

Having barely forgotten the embarrassing events, now confronted with this light green ice cream, I felt the shame washing over me again.

Seeing the chef’s face, which appeared almost elated, I couldn’t bring myself to ask him to take it away. Reus, too, without any intention of refusal, urged me to eat it quickly.

“You were looking for it all night, weren’t you.”

“…….”

I nearly failed to manage my expression and almost looked miserable.

Consciously lifting the corners of my mouth, I nodded slowly.

Having decided to get rid of the ice cream quickly, I briskly consumed it.

As I was almost done, Reus called me again.

“How about a walk in the eastern garden after the meal?”

It was the gentle voice of a considerate husband suggesting a walk.

But to those who might see us, it might appear so, yet I knew that Reus was not the type to leisurely stroll through gardens without a reason.

Though the reason was still unknown, it was more important to appear as a happy wife, so I smiled as brightly as I could.

“That sounds lovely, Reus.”

As we left the castle, we looked like any other couple, arm in arm, heading towards the maze garden in the east.

The reason for maintaining this pretense of a marriage even after the wedding ceremony was because of the staff at the ducal palace.

The maid who just bowed to us could be an experienced spy, and among the staff managing the grass, anyone could be an eye and ear for someone else.

The only people who knew about our contract were Reus, myself, and his aide, Dewin.

The conclusion was that this ridiculous act of being a couple would not end until this marriage was over.

Exchanging empty words, we soon arrived at the entrance of the maze garden on the east side of the ducal palace.
The landscaped bushes that made up the maze garden towered even higher than Reus, who was of great stature. Moreover, being far from the building, it felt like the perfect place for a secret rendezvous.

Reus led me naturally into the maze garden.

As we delved deeper into the maze, the noises gradually faded away, and when Reus stopped walking, only the sound of the wind brushing through the bushes occasionally reached our ears.

Soon, a voice quite different from the caring tone he had used with me earlier came to my ears.

“I intend to tell you about the witness I promised you today.”

‘The witness…’

The person who saw me in the Forest of Tranquility on the way to Anast?

“He is a part of my plan, and the moment you learn his identity, you become a part of it too, whether you want to or not. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

A part of the plan.

He sure knows how to sugarcoat his words. His plan of rebellion doesn’t change the fact that my existence can be eliminated whenever I become a threat to him.

But my response was already decided.

There was no turning back or a place to run to now.

“I don’t regret my choice.”

“Even if it means bringing down the House of Ibell?”

It was something he had already mentioned before proposing this absurd contract. Why remind me of it now?

“I chose to participate in that.”

“How far do you think I’ll go?”

Considering the half-mad villain Reus from the original story, the fate of the House of Ibell didn’t need much thought.

‘In a year, my father will be in my current position.’

A life with nothing to lose.

Honestly, it’s a lie if I say I feel no discomfort.