The next morning, Idel was preparing to head to the city center from her dressing room.

As she looked around her dressing room, vastly different from the one at the Fleur estate, she held the outfit she had chosen in her hand, repeatedly exclaiming in admiration.

“This is a women’s tailored suit made by the Charlotte Dressing Room!”

Idel had chosen a tailored suit to suit the busy activities she expected for the day. She had always found it practical and comfortable when she had worn it herself.

The new suit, designed by Madame Pomfnew and sent over, highlighted the curves at the waist of the tailored jacket, and the shirt blouse had ruffles at the collar and sleeves, exuding a soft femininity.

“It looks amazing, Your Highness!”

“Indeed. The design you’re wearing today suits you well.”

Upon seeing Idel dressed in the suit, Bien exclaimed in an excited voice, and Marilyn, who was standing beside her, nodded in agreement.

It was just then that Bien was about to tie the women’s cravat that Madame Pomfnew had sent along with the suit.

A brief knock was heard and the door opened, letting in an unexpected figure into the Duchess’s dressing room.

“Duke…?”

Both the maids in attendance and Idel herself couldn’t conceal their surprise at Caeron’s sudden visit.

Caeron’s gaze went straight to Idel, who was standing in front of the mirror. He stared at her for a moment, dressed in her tailored suit.

Rather than a revealing décolletage, she wore a shirt blouse that came up to her neck.

Whether pleased by her modest attire, a smile graced his lips as he slowly approached Idel. The maid beside the Duchess glanced at the cravat in her hand, and he extended his hand, saying,

“A cravat? Give it to me.”

Snapping out of his initial stiffness due to the Duke’s sudden appearance, Bien quickly handed over the cravat politely.

“Today, I’ll tie it for you.”

“…”

Traditionally, it was the Duchess who tied the Duke’s cravat before he went out. All the onlookers were shocked, their hands covering their mouths at the Duke’s unconventional act of reversing the tradition.

Idel, too, looked at the Duke with a flustered expression. He moved closer and tenderly wrapped the cravat around her slender neck.

She felt as though she had been embraced in his large arms, and her face flushed instantly.

Ever since she had fully accepted her feelings for him, even his smallest actions made her heart race uncontrollably. Her senses of hearing and touch had become extremely sensitive to his words and touch.

Their breaths almost met. Afraid that he might hear her pounding heart, she became even more nervous.

“Do you remember what I once told you?”

“What did you say…?”

As his soft voice reached her ear, she trembled slightly.

Meeting his question with a shaky eyelid, she finally looked up at him. Observing her puzzled look, he continued,

“Why this tradition of tying the cravat came to be.”

“Ah…!”

Seeing her face as if she’d remembered something, Caeron’s eyes deepened. He lowered his head gently after tying her cravat.

“Don’t ever forget.”

He had reluctantly permitted the Duchess to go out with Prince Reinyan today, but the Duke’s heart was still far from pleased.

He had a dark desire to lock her up, bound by chains, where only he could see her.

Instead of chains, he tied her cravat, revealing his intense possessiveness to her without any reservation.

Like the significance behind the cravat, he wanted her never to forget that she was a woman who belonged only to him.

“That the Duke is the Duchess’s, and the Duchess is also the Duke’s.”

“…”
Her lips quivered weakly and exhaled a thin breath at his words that seemed to cling tenaciously. Her scent deepened as it followed her fragrant breath.

Caeron’s body naturally tensed in response to her scent, but he lessened the grip on her shoulder as much as possible. Lifting his bowed head, he locked eyes with her.

“Take care. And….”

Joy swirled in Caeron’s eyes. His expression was akin to a child about to receive a longawaited gift. His captivating lips gradually parted.

“I will be waiting for your return.”

His subsequent whispered words seemed audible only to her but struck her ears with a powerful resonance.

“Tonight, in my room.”

“……!”

(This is a time separator.)

“Your Highness, we have arrived.”

The Duke’s carriage came to a stop at the entrance leading into the capital’s center. Following the attendant’s announcement, Idel and Bien prepared to disembark.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright going alone, ma’am?”

“It’s enough with just Bien. We came to observe the citizens’ lifestyles discreetly; having too many attendants would be unnatural.”

Idel reassured the concerned attendant with a nod.

“I will take good care of Her Highness. Besides, the capital center is frequently patrolled by security forces. There’s little to worry about.”

Upon hearing Bien’s words, the reluctant attendant nodded.

“Understood. I will wait here until your return. If anything urgent comes up, use the nearby phone to contact this number.”