“Hey. Darling, could you let go? People are watching.”

I said it thinking I should at least pretend to resist once.

When I acted shy, Kashar smiled gently.

“No need to be embarrassed. We’re lovers, aren’t we?”

This sub-male. He was even smoother than in the book.

Ignoring the audience gracefully, he handed me the documents he was holding.

“Here, take it.”

As if under a spell, I opened the envelope and checked its contents.

[Kashar Bladis la Rihart volunteers to be the guardian of Louis Rihart and Evan Rihart of the Cold Palace until they come of age.]

The official imperial document bore Kashar’s emblem along with Emperor Daios’s seal approving this.

It was the guardian certificate I had been waiting for all along.

‘You really got it.’

The guardianship system requires the emperor’s approval.

For me, the emperor’s decision was a variable, so I had been tense until now.

‘It’s done now.’

The twins now had the duke as their guardian.

‘Goodbye to the abandoned prince.’

If they didn’t want to be bitten by a mad dog, the twins would have to behave well too.

‘The treatment will be completely different.’

Relief washed over me in waves.

Seeing me relax, Kashar asked.

“Not embarrassed anymore?”

He was still holding me.

‘What goes around comes around.’

Composing myself, I smiled brightly.

“Yes, darling!”

What did my embarrassment matter? If the children were okay, that was fine.

The arm around my waist was still hot, but thinking I’d enjoy this moment made it a little better.

‘It’s just an act anyway.’

When would I ever date a duke?

It was easier and more comfortable to think I was dreaming.

As I grinned, Kashar smiled back.

Now I understood his intentions a bit.

‘So he wanted me to act natural!’

There was an audience right in front of us. And they were perfect gossip birds to spread rumors.

I decided to use the maids.

“Thank you so much. It must have been hard to grant such a request.”

I looked up at him with a moved expression.

The maids’ squealing intensified.

“Oh my, what did he grant?”

“Could it be… a proposal?!”

Hey maids, don’t pretend to whisper. I can hear everything.

Kashar didn’t stop the maids from chattering.

Rather.

‘He seems to be enjoying it a bit.’

His eyes were languidly curved.

Seeing his pleased face, my judgment seemed correct.

“Kashar, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

I pitifully rested my cheek on his chest. Exclamations burst from the maids’ mouths. The more fuss they made, the more satisfied I felt.

‘I think I’m doing well.’

Without realizing it, I must have touched his chest, as the firm flesh twitched.

I glanced up at my employer.

But, his expression…

‘Ah, did I go too far?’

His lips, which had been smiling until just now, were stiff.

Thinking I’d made a mistake, I quickly tried to pull away.

“Oof!”

A strong arm pulled me in tight.

Our faces drew closer. Like that time we almost kissed.

“To be this happy.”

As if it never happened, Kashar wore a satisfied smile.

He brought his face close enough for our noses to touch and whispered low.

“If you liked it, I’d like you to grant my request too.”

An intense gaze poured down on me.

With his arms squeezing me, I couldn’t back away. His lips were getting closer and closer.

‘The pace is too fast, teacher!’

I’d decided to enjoy it, but if we kissed, my head might explode.

“I-I’ll do anything!”

I shouted, and laughter was heard.

After laughing for a while, he gathered my hands and held them preciously.

As if he’d never guffawed, Kashar was looking at me with warm eyes.

“I’m relieved. I thought you might refuse.”

“…Pardon?”

What exactly were you planning to ask?

I resented my mouth for agreeing to do anything out of shock.

But it was too late for regrets.

“Now you’ll all live together in my castle.”

“What?”

What did you just say?

“I’ve always felt uneasy. Seeing you live here in this cold palace with the princes, how worried I’ve been. Please, bring the children and stay at my castle.”

Holding my hands tightly, he really looked like a man proposing to his lover.

“Kyaaaa, he’s asking her to live together!”

“See? I told you he’d do something like this!”

While I was frozen, the maids were jumping up and down.

After squealing for a while, the maids ran off to tell their friends, superiors, and juniors about this situation.

“They’re gone.”

Kashar said with satisfaction as he saw the maids leave. I blinked blankly and asked, and he replied.

“Hello…?”

“Yes, honey.”

It was a joke that would be cheesy if an ordinary man said it, but a great line if said by a super handsome man.

Kashar didn’t stop there and hit a 2-run homer.

“I should have just proposed marriage.”

Thump thump.

Is this what chest muscles sound like right before bursting?

It was clearly said jokingly, but it had a hurricane-like effect on me.

“It would be a good proposal for you too.”

Even as I didn’t know what to do with myself, Kashar remained composed.

Before I knew it, his lips were right by my ear, whispering sweetly.

“Your princes would be safer in my castle than the imperial palace.”

I inhaled sharply with a reddened face.

‘He’s right.’

The reason I brought in Kashar was to protect the princes.

But the more attention we got, the bigger the risk.

‘We’ve caught the empress’s eye now.’

The imperial palace is dominated by the empress’s influence.

If we could leave this place, changing residences would be much safer.

‘Still, I should think about it a bit more…’

That’s what I was thinking logically, but looking at that face and body, I felt like I might nod right away.

“Ahem, ahem. The princes don’t even know they have a guardian yet.”

There was one problem here.

I hadn’t told the twins about Kashar yet, and I was worried if they could accept all these sudden events.

‘Louis would probably be fine.’

The more concerning one was Evan.

‘He seemed hurt in his pride.’

After encountering Kashar, Evan hardly tried to speak with me.

Moreover, having to move to the home of an adult who hurt his pride. He might be deeply wounded.

“You think too much.”

It was a confident statement that I wouldn’t be able to refuse.

His hand caressing my cheek was hot, and I ended up shouting.

“…I’ll try to persuade the princes! But in return!”

“In return?”

“Please come with me to the Ologe party!”

When I shouted, Kashar made a puzzled expression.

He didn’t know that the princes and I had received an invitation from the marchioness.

‘We’ll have to go eventually anyway.’

I could hide behind Kashar and refuse the invitation, but if that happened, it would be difficult for the princes to step into society until they became adults.

This party was an opportunity to widely announce the fact that he had become the children’s guardian.

Kashar, who quickly grasped the situation, smiled slyly.

“Is this a date request?”

“Ah, no. Actually, yes! It’s a date!”

I nodded vigorously at Kashar’s words.

The hand caressing my cheek and the sudden cohabitation proposal were still bewildering, but thinking about it, it wasn’t all bad.

‘It’s where I grew up, but most of the memories are bad, and there will be more people to take care of them at the duke’s castle.’

Wouldn’t it be better emotionally to move?

It’s not like Kashar and I would share a room just because we live in the same castle.

If the children were safer, that was enough.

While I was organizing my thoughts, Kashar was looking at me with an indecipherable gaze.

Our eyes met for a moment.

He dropped his hand and made an unreadable expression.

“Why do I want to be lenient?”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing.”

He said something incomprehensible and curved his eyes.

“Alright. I’ll give you time.”

It was a concise acceptance.

Just as I was relieved to have bought time again, a dark shadow fell over me.

“You’ll have to repay me for waiting.”

Our lips were almost touching. As I stiffened, Kashar chuckled.

“W-Why are you laughing?”

“It shows that you’ve never kissed before.”

My thoughts stopped for a moment. I opened my eyes wide and pushed him away.

“Duke, that’s sexual harassment!”

And I know you’re the same!

As I flushed red and huffed, he burst out laughing.

‘Who are you teasing!’

A handsome face laughing was always right, but this time it was guilty.

“You need to be more natural.”

Kashar was heading towards the carriage.

I shouted at him.

“I’ve kissed before! A lot!”

What romance.

I was a literature buff who learned about love from romance novels.

‘How did he know!’

My clenched fist trembled.

‘But I know everything I need to know.’

I had read countless sacred materials in my original world.

With this much information, shouldn’t I be a match for the smooth Kashar?

It was truly a battle of romance knowledge woman vs. born romance man.

Of course, neither had any actual experience.

While I was trembling, Kashar hopped into the carriage and said.

“Oh really? Then I look forward to it.”

Why does that statement sound so ominous?

The carriage carrying Kashar moved.

I stood still until the carriage was out of sight. My cheeks were still hot.

‘He wasn’t like this in the original!’

The Kashar in my memory was a brutal obsessive madman even to the female lead.

Somehow, I didn’t think I’d get used to that smooth personality.

And so the day passed and night fell.

I entered the room to put the children to sleep.