“When His Grace arrives, I’ll tell him myself. Inform him that I am ready and he can come to the room.”

Idel’s expression was calm and her smile faint, as usual… but somehow Marlin felt uneasy.

“Alright.”

As she walked out of the Duchess’s room, Marlin looked back at Idel once more.

Idel nodded, as if to reassure her. Marlin bowed her head and hurriedly walked out, trying to leave the room.

As the door to the Duchess’s room closed, the smile vanished from Idel’s face.

Idel walked over to a table and sat down. She reviewed the clauses of the marriage contract that she had been pondering since returning from the ball.

‘Clause 10, Section 1 of the Marriage Contract: The Duchess shall do her utmost for the lineage succession of the family.’

Spending nights with him was part of that duty, yet… the time spent with him was agonizing for her emotionally, separate from physical pleasure.

She needed time to heal so that the wounds wouldn’t deepen further. It was awkward to discuss this with him, but it had to be done.

‘I have to make my intentions clear.’

With a determined resolve, Idel tightened the strap of her nightgown. Just then, the door connecting to the Duke’s room began to open slowly.

“He’s here.”

Idel stood to welcome Caeron as he entered the room. She gestured to the empty seat in front of her, inviting him to sit.

“I have something to say.”

Caeron moved toward the table at Idel’s words. As he approached, tension stiffened Idel’s cheeks.

Likewise, Caeron felt his own heartbeat accelerating as he approached her. The moment he stepped into the Duchess’s room, her scent enveloped him. In response, his muscles tensed up.

“What is it that you want to say?”

Caeron sat down across the table, leaning back in the chair and feigning ease. He wanted to take Idel to bed immediately, but maintained a gentlemanly gaze.

“I’d like to amend the terms of our marriage contract.”

“The marriage contract, you say?”
Caeron let out a hollow laugh, seemingly flabbergasted at Idel’s sudden request to modify the marriage contract.

“Do you not think it’s late to discuss the contract? It would be better to talk about official matters when the sun is up.”

“…No. It needs to be done now.”

Idel’s voice was firm. She wasn’t a woman who would easily assert her own will. After pondering for a moment, Caeron nodded moderately, as if he understood.

He seemed eager to conclude the conversation. Caeron’s patience was gradually reaching its limit. He took a deep breath.

“Alright, speak. What clause are you talking about?”

“Section 10, Article 1. It’s about the obligation to produce an heir.”

Idel interlocked the hands that were laid on her lap, lowering her eyes. She couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact with him. She had steeled herself, but this conversation was awkward.

“The obligation to produce an heir?”

Caeron’s eyes widened slightly as Idel mentioned the clause about heir production. She was avoiding his gaze, her expression serious. A vague anxiety crawled up his spine.

“I’d like to add a supplementary clause to the obligation concerning heir production.”

“…And that supplementary clause is?”

“A clause that states we only share a bed when mutually agreed upon, outside of the established cohabitation days.”

Caeron was momentarily at a loss for words at Idel’s unexpected request. The relaxed expression that had been on his face vanished, replaced by complete bewilderment. He then furrowed his brows as if displeased.

“What’s the reason for this sudden request?”

He couldn’t comprehend why Idel would make such an outoftheblue demand.

“That is…”

Idel hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Because the reason you came to see me today is because of that obligation.”

She took a deep breath and clearly stated her position.

“I… do not wish for a cohabitation I don’t desire.”

It felt as if Caeron had been struck on the head by her words. He pressed his throbbing temples.

“You don’t… want it…?”

He repeated her words, almost like a mantra. The more he did, the more something hot rose up from the pit of his stomach. His jaw clenched.

He had been looking forward to enjoying her scent, which he hadn’t been able to do for several days. His impatience to return home even before the royal banquet had partly been because of her, but also because of the presence of the rebellious prince.

His mind was in turmoil. Had she finally realized that he had used the contract to get what he wanted from her?

The clause she had pointed out was inherently vague. Normally, creating an heir through cohabitation between a husband and wife is a given, so there had been no need to explicitly state it.

Caeron had used this loophole to get what he needed from her. As a result, his naive duchess had consented to cohabitation with him.

While there had been a misunderstanding in that she had not fully comprehended the purpose of producing an heir, he had thought she had agreed because she ultimately wanted him.

But now she didn’t want to? For him, who wanted to quickly resolve his inexplicable desire for her, this was a setback. He needed to reconfirm her intentions.

“So… are you saying you don’t want to tonight?”

This was the first time. The first time the chief justice was so anxious while waiting for someone’s verdict.

Yet, the eyes of the judge who sat quietly in front of him had no trace of wavering. Idel, keeping her gaze fixed on the table, slowly nodded her head.

It was an unequivocal rejection from a duchess to her duke.