She had added her desire to share her impressions while looking at the work together if time allowed, praising the Emperor’s high discernment in discovering such an artist, and expressing gratitude for holding a wonderful exhibition.

“Quite a sophisticated invitation.”

Of course, this wasn’t a compliment either.

There were countless women who were sending him secretive flattery, just as they did to his brother, Caeron. The unmarried Emperor was coveted for marriage by many high aristocratic families.

However, Pascal did not fully accept anyone’s feelings, but just went along with the flow of the noble ladies.

He deliberately left the Empress’s seat vacant without an engaged woman, acting as if he was a lover of all. To reduce future variables by even one.

Pascal thought of a woman who hid sharp thorns within fresh flower petals. He knew well what that sly and greedy woman, pretending to be innocent, wanted.

‘It’s better to keep a potential threat close.’

With all calculations drawn in his mind, he stood up from his seat.

The Napoleon, which had set sail from Maris’s harbor carrying the Duke and Duchess, had not traveled far before it came to a stop.

As the ship reached the pier and anchored, a servant came into the cabin and reported.

“Your Majesty, we have arrived.”

Where indeed had this ship arrived…

Idel hadn’t heard clearly where their honeymoon destination was. She only heard it was within the Duchy.

Marlin and Gregory consistently responded to her queries with a smiling, ‘You will know when you see it.’

Initially, seeing the coastal city of Maris, she thought this was the final destination… she found it strange to hear they had to travel again by ship.

After boarding, she couldn’t hide her astonishment for a while, gazing at the endless blue sea spreading out the window of her cabin.

Then, she became curious again about where this ship sailing the vast ocean was heading.

She subtly asked Caeron about the destination of the ship, but… he, too, did not give a proper answer with an ambiguous expression.

Leaving the cabin where vague expectations and tension coexisted, Idel stepped onto the deck with a fasterthanusual pace.

Once on deck, a cool sea breeze gently swept her cheeks. The surroundings were quiet. Only the sound of the crashing waves reached her ears.

It was completely different from Maris, noisy with the steamship’s horn and the bustling crowd.

“Wow…”

Idel let out an awestruck breath at the sight before her eyes.

What caught her eye first was the cobaltblue sea and the white sandy beach. The gentle waves were softly coloring the smooth sand along the convexshaped beach.

The seawater surrounding the beach was clear enough to see into. The beach lined with date palms and the transparent colored sea presented an untouched view of beautiful wild nature.

After a moment of being entranced by the amazing scenery, Idel noticed something slightly strange.
For her, who was on her first journey, everything about the sea she faced directly was unfamiliar and mysterious… it was so different from the scenery she had seen in Maris.

‘What could be the difference… Ah…!’

The moment she realized the difference, Idel’s eyes widened and her mouth slightly opened.

“You look surprised.”

“Where is this…?”

“This is a private island owned by the Duke’s family.”

So, it was a private island… That was it.

The difference from Maris was that there were no people to be found. Here, apart from the Duke’s party that had just arrived, no one else could be seen.

The only human touch in the island’s center was a white building. The villalike building was perfectly harmonious with the surrounding nature.

She had guessed that the honeymoon location would be somewhere by the sea, but she didn’t expect it to be an island completely surrounded by the sea… But that wasn’t the only thing that surprised her.

“Your Highness, we’ve moved the luggage to the villa.”

The servants who had moved all the trunks to the villa in the island bowed their heads and respectfully greeted the Duke couple.

“We hope you have a comfortable time. We will visit again tomorrow morning.”

The faithful servants of the Duke’s family, following prior instructions, prepared to return to the mainland by the boat they came in.

They moved swiftly and had already started to lift the anchor of the Napoleon.

Idel was so surprised by the unexpected situation that she just blankly stared at their retreating figures.

She slowly turned her head to the side. Her disbelieving eyes were now directed at the only remaining entity on the island.

Meeting her trembling gaze, Caeron gave a lazy smile.

The sight of him smiling, who usually didn’t, was enchanting enough to steal anyone’s heart… But Idel now knew well that his smile was the expression of a beast luring its prey.

“Don’t tell me… we’re here…”

No way…

As Idel desperately wanted to deny the reality in front of her, Caeron’s smile deepened.

“Yes, we’re here…”

He reached out and tucked her windtossed hair behind her ear.

“Now, it’s just the two of us.”

His words, affectionate yet cruel, bringing her back to reality, made Idel dizzy.

On a comfortable paradise, perfectly isolated from the outside world with nowhere to run and no one else…

It was just the two of them.