Philip, who moved to sit next to Ellen, gently wrapped her shoulders with his arms.

“You can lean on me.”

“Yes?”

Ellen’s face turned red as her body tensed up. Philip also felt tense at her genuinely surprised reaction.

‘Not long ago, we used to share a bed, and now even this kind of embrace feels awkward.’

Probably because they had formally divorced.

Philip, realizing how much his relationship with Ellen had changed, felt melancholic, but he calmly spoke.

“I also felt a bit chilly just now.”

“…”

Ellen’s blue eyes trembled.

Philip, hoping Ellen wouldn’t push him away, spoke with a voice that tried to sound nonchalant.

“Since you lean on me, and I receive warmth, isn’t it good for both of us?”

“My lord, won’t it make you uncomfortable?”

“It’s fine. We’re already familiar with each other.”

Ellen pressed her lips for a moment, then nodded with a reddened face.

“Then, excuse me.”

She slowly released the tension in her body and leaned her head against Philip’s chest.

‘Hmm…’

Philip hoped his heart wouldn’t beat too fast.

Joy and a sense of relief simultaneously filled Philip’s heart. Philip, who had taken a quiet breath, soon realized the sweet scent of Ellen at the tip of his nose.

‘I want to kiss her.’

Gulp. Philip’s Adam’s apple involuntarily moved.

Now, Philip’s mind was filled with Ellen.

He wanted to kiss her lips, and he wanted to bury his face in her soft embrace.

Although he knew it was not a suitable place to share affection, Philip desired it with Ellen. He also hoped that his actions would be a comfort to Ellen.

However, Philip soon became aware of his own state and was enveloped in self-loathing.

‘Why am I acting like a beast?’

His past self would never have behaved like this. He always had high self-esteem and received praise from others for being gentle and elegant.

But why lately did he often feel this way?

Then Ellen leaned a bit more weight onto Philip.

Whether she understood his feelings or Ellen herself felt the same way, Philip hoped for the latter. If both wanted each other, they could confess their hearts again with a light kiss and resolve any misunderstandings.

‘Even if the King doesn’t approve.’

Having prepared his heart to endure any trial, Philip calmly polished his voice.

“Ellen, I want to say something about our divorce.”

But Ellen didn’t respond.

“…My lady?”

Philip observed Ellen’s condition. She had leaned on him and fallen asleep, her breathing steady.

“…My lady, are you already asleep?”

Philip gently shook Ellen’s shoulders to wake her up. However, she remained motionless.

Watching Ellen sleep soundly, Philip gave up on everything he had imagined.

“There were many events today.”

So, now was not the time for that.
When Philip turned off the lamp, pitch-black darkness immediately enveloped the surroundings.

“I’m sorry for surprising and tiring you; my desire was excessive.”

Philip, who had just kissed Ellen on the head, also closed his eyes.

When Philip warmly wrapped his arms around my shoulders, my heart pounded like crazy. Perhaps, it carried an expectation that he might kiss me.

Even though our hearts might not match, our bodies were a well-matched couple.

‘Even after the divorce, can there still be an attraction?’

However, Philip’s expression was composed, and his voice was calm.

‘It’s just a misunderstanding.’

Philip’s choice was merely to maintain body temperature because the forest at night was cool.

My solo delusion became embarrassing. I quietly buried my face in his chest and closed my eyes.

‘I hope I fall asleep quickly.’

I meant it sincerely. If not, my flushed face and a heart that beat rapidly with an inexplicable anticipation would surely reveal everything to Philip.

Beep, chirp, clunk.

As I opened my eyes to the full bird sounds around, the outside was bright.

‘When did I fall asleep?’

It seemed I fell asleep facing down. As I tried to get up, I noticed a firm muscular sensation when my hand touched something.

I had my hand on Philip’s broad chest. Philip, who had leaned against the carriage wall, was holding me in his arms and was still asleep.

‘Perhaps he didn’t wake up fully.’

In Philip’s princely appearance, sleeping like a prince in the forest, I lost my mind for a moment. His slightly parted lips became more alluring, and the more I looked, the more my heart was drawn.

‘If we hadn’t divorced, I might have closed my eyes and tried kissing.’

At that moment, Philip half-opened his eyes. The light in his violet eyes was faint, probably because he was not fully awake.

“Ah, is it morning?”

Meeting his gaze, I remembered the fantasy where I leaned on him and kissed him yesterday.

‘I should have fallen asleep quickly.’

I quickly moved away from him, ran my hand through my hair, and combed it.

“Yes. Go, good morning, my lord.”

“Good morning, my lady. But then…”

He greeted me with a vague smile and a drowsy look.

“It’s clear what ‘my lord’ means when you call me that, but when I call you ‘my lady,’ the meaning is a bit confusing.”