His behavior had changed in a way that even a dull person couldn’t fail to notice.

The back of him that she endlessly watched as he rode away. The empty spot beside her without a trace of anyone lying there. His blue eyes unshaking in their cold expression.

“‘This must be because of the contract. We have to get married after all.'”

Her thoughts snowballed.

For some reason, her nose felt sour.

She felt a headache coming on and lowered her head slightly.

Doing so brought her forehead closer to his collarbone.

His body temperature was always higher than Brody’s, so the warmth that touched her forehead felt comforting, paradoxically easing her uneasy mind.

With her skin touching his, she muttered to him,

“‘Don’t tell me… you’ve come to dislike me?'”

It wasn’t that she was asking for a response. It was a question murmured so softly that Aiden couldn’t hear it.

Then, a sudden vibration resonated through Brody’s forehead from Aiden’s body. Simultaneously, a pleasant baritone voice spread out above her forehead.

“‘So my body and face are still to your liking.'”

“‘Wh-what?'”

Startled, Brody shook to the point of trembling.

What he said wasn’t in response to her words. But setting that aside, the statement was unsettling.

Brody, startled, tried to pull away to look at Aiden’s face.

However, because he was embracing her shoulders, she failed to distance herself completely. The distance she managed was just enough to catch a glimpse of the corner of his mouth.

Seeing his lips, Brody’s eyes widened.

“‘This guy… he’s smiling…!'”

Brody frowned at his playful expression.

“‘Ugh? I’m serious here!'”

He lightly kissed her forehead, expressing discontent, and pulled her close again.

The small distance that had opened up was closed once more; Brody’s face was pressed to his chest, and his face hovered above her head.

Holding Brody like that, he muttered,

“‘But the feeling’s mutual.'”
Brody blinked her eyes as she awkwardly clung to Aidan.

‘Same? What’s same?’

Brody tried to recall what he had said before.

So my body and face are still good, huh?

So, the meaning of what he just said is that he also finds my body and face good.

“……!”

Heat surged to Brody’s face.

‘What is this all of a sudden! Weren’t you planning to marry me? Huh?’

But that was not the end of what unsettled her.

He held Brody close, took a deep breath in and out, as if savoring a fragrance. Slowly, deeply.

Aidan’s nose caught her body scent. It was plain yet refreshing, heavy yet invigorating. Like the warm, dense air of a forest, or the cool dew of a taiga. A scent that drove him mad…

Slowly he moved his face and his instincts led him toward her skin.

Then he buried his face between her neck and hair, and didn’t stop there. He nuzzled her exposed shoulder through her loose chemise.

Though she had always been by his side, the scent was unbearably nostalgic.

Brody was startled by the sudden skinship.

“Your Highness……?”

She grabbed his shoulders as if trying to push him away.

But Aidan didn’t budge, he simply chuckled.

‘He’s laughing again?’

Why is he like this? She was at a loss due to the drastic change from his recent cold demeanor.

He muttered,

“You’re so beautiful… what should I do…”

“……!”

Was there a cell in the heart that could feel ticklish? Brody trembled in sync with her flushed face. Goosebumps rose on her arms.

Then Brody caught a whiff of a fruity liquor scent mingled in the awkward sentence.

‘Ah, could it be?’

Sniff, sniff. Brody took another deep breath. She confirmed her suspicion.

Hmm, Aidan must be drunk.

He had drunk excessively at the earlier party. She had not noticed because his expression never changed.

Brody grabbed Aidan’s shoulder, who was chuckling against her neck, and shook it.

“Your Highness, the scent of fruit liquor is strong. How much did you drink?”

“Hmm… is that so? You smell like the forest to me.”

“……Huh?”

What a random thing to say. I smell like a forest?

“That’s… because… I like it…”

“……”

Forest scent? Because I’m a plant witch?

Brody turned her head and sniffed her shoulder. Could it be her scent? She had no idea.

‘How much can you trust a drunk person?’

Sigh. She reluctantly allowed him to continue smelling her.

‘It seems he’s not drunk on strong liquor. Come to think of it, he’s similar to the time he returned from battle… back then he was also like this…’

Suddenly, a past memory came to mind.

Aidan was a man who never revealed his inner thoughts.

Even today, he had managed not to show that he was quite drunk.

‘He was more honest when we were in the south.’

But in the north…

He only clung to her… when something happened, something that would justify his feelings.

Like when they ate Meshu or returned from war…

‘So maybe… he’s been holding something back since coming to the north…’

Brody instinctively stretched out her hand to embrace his back which was sticking to her neck, and began to pat him gently.

‘Ah, I don’t know. I really don’t know anything…’

Whenever she realized that he was silently enduring, without shedding his burdens or sharing them, an overwhelming sense of pity arose.