A sneer escaped between Kaius’s lips as he faced the empty bed. Unconscious strength filled his hand, causing water droplets to drip from the wet towel. He had embraced his wife without even taking the time to wash the blood from his body. He had intended to wipe clean the body he had sullied so thoroughly.

After briefly staring at the towel in his hand, Kaius threw it onto the sofa and moved without hesitation to his wife’s bedroom.

The first thing that greeted him was the cold air, followed only by a few strands of hair scattered on the bed. She was curled up asleep with the blanket pulled over her head. There was no need to lift the blanket to know. The silhouette was exactly the same as on his bed moments ago. Muttering a low curse, he approached the fireplace. A water droplet that had flowed down from his wet hair fell from his chin to the floor with a plop.

As warmth slowly rose, Kaius sat on the edge of her bed. Not even hearing her breathing suddenly made him displeased, so he roughly pulled back the blanket. Seeing his wife’s tear-stained face, his gaze grew unfathomably deep.

You, what on earth should I do with you?

Kaius could neither abandon nor forgive his wife.

Should he have taken her life according to principle? Or perhaps divorce her and keep her as a mistress to torment? As for an heir, he could remarry a suitable noblewoman. The noble princess? Well, considering the current situation, she should be grateful just to have her life spared, so she would have to accept even that.

But what was the reason for insisting on keeping this woman by his side, putting aside many better options and imposing unreasonable conditions? This woman who had deceived and insulted him.

Consideration?

If she had meant to be considerate, she shouldn’t have smiled prettily before him. Kaius, Kaius, chattering with those small lips and claiming it was for his sake while committing dangerous acts in the palace. How shameful his own image was, sighing at the gentle touch of her hand rubbing his nape, saying she would ease his headache. Damn it. His hand grasping her dazzlingly bright silver hair tightened slightly. Ariel. His insolent woman. His damnably beautiful wife.

‘You must do your utmost to save me. I….’

‘I will do my utmost to torment you.’

There was only one way to torment a woman who found bearing his child more abhorrent than death. And he believed without a doubt that this was the only thing that could take precedence over any contract.

Outside the window, white snowflakes began to fall one by one. It was a particularly snowy winter in Tris.

***

“Lord Ludvian, it seems something has happened to Ciela.”

“Find another spy. Round up those with weaknesses, review them, and I’ll visit the duke’s mansion myself to check what happened.”

“Visit… yourself?”

“Make the duke leave the mansion.”

“Understood. But if something like last time happens again…”

Kitra knew his master’s temperament but couldn’t help speaking up. If he kept doing noticeable things, it would soon be reported to the elders’ ears. Then it would be over. There was no way they would crown a demon who had fallen for a human woman as the Demon King.

“Don’t worry.”

When Ludvian answered readily instead of coldly snapping back as expected, Kitra’s expression became bewildered.

He has changed. The iron-blooded Duke Ludvian Beloas.

***

Ariel’s past ten days had been a series of ordeals.

As if to prove he was not a man of empty words, Kaius took action from that very day. The biggest change was meals together with him. Three times a day, without fail.

He acted as if he hadn’t heard her say she would rather die than bear a child.

[Eat, Ariel. You need to eat well to bear a child. You’re too thin.]

Ariel had to force down meals that wouldn’t go down in front of Kaius. He even brought documents down to the dining room. To not leave his seat until Ariel ate the food before her to his satisfaction.

After first meeting him in Letiana, they had eaten together only a handful of times. And that was only for official occasions or when there was business. Still, she had thought it fortunate, considering it time to persuade him.

But. Only after a day passed, then two, three days did she realize how vain that hope had been. Mealtime was invariably shared with Lemon, Anna, Butler Raymond, and the serving maids. If Ariel tried to say even a word to send them away, Kaius would speak first.

[If you want to eat alone in the bedroom, you’re welcome anytime. My wife.]

There was no one present who didn’t understand what those words meant. Feeling the rising humiliation, Ariel could only quietly close her mouth. Next was Hearn’s daily examination, without fail. At least during the day it was bearable. Perhaps because there were many eyes watching, he acted perfectly like a gentleman.

At night, when told to come wait in his bedroom, Ariel never wore nightclothes when crossing over. It was an expression of her will to share his bed as he wished, but not sleep together like before. Of course, he didn’t mind at all.

[Kaius. Ludvian is a demon.]

When he came out after washing, she suddenly blurted out what she had wanted to say all along but couldn’t because there was no way to prove it.

[Ariel, if you deceive me again, I might really kill you next time.]

It was a chillingly low voice devoid of emotion. He didn’t believe her at all. Ariel tried to add an explanation, but no such opportunity was given.

His time began immediately.

In the moment of being crushed under that man’s weight, Ariel laughed silently. Come to think of it, what on earth was there to explain? That she had returned alive from the past, so she knew all about the demons’ plots, who would believe such words? Even she herself sometimes doubted whether her regression wasn’t just a dream.

The next day, she tried bringing up something else.

[Please let me raise Jafaros. We’ll be attacked more for a while, but if we can get the antidote…] [Enough. I’ll let you raise it after the child is born, so stop.]

The moment Ariel tried to open her mouth again, the surrounding scenery changed in an instant. It was a day when demon beasts attacked, about every other day. Kaius quickly blocked in front of her and handed her a potion.

[Drink this immediately if you get hurt.]

Even while dealing with the demon beasts, he was carrying out all those actions leisurely.

[But isn’t this precious?]

At those words, Kaius snickered.

[Nothing is more precious than the woman who will bear the heir of Elbartan.]

A child even in this situation… He was serious. At that moment, Ariel once again made a firm resolve to never let the contraceptive be discovered. While watching Kaius with deeply sunken eyes, their bodies returned to the bedroom once more.

[From now on, come over when I call you.]

Realizing it wasn’t a coincidence when Ariel entered the barrier again, he calmly ordered. And night again. After his time ended and Kaius got off her body, Ariel tried to gather courage once more. But whenever she opened her mouth, that humiliating time repeated. To avoid provoking him, Ariel began to keep her mouth shut even at night.

The only consolation was that the dragon egg, which had grown vigorously with her life force in the meantime, seemed about to hatch. When the dragon awoke, he might change too. With such expectations, she devoted herself even more to that task, but.

During breakfast, urgent news arrived. There had been a fatal accident at the hotel construction site in the capital.

“Get ready to go to the capital, Ariel.”

“…”

Seeing Ariel silently shake her head slightly, Kaius sent everyone out of the dining room. Ariel also stood up to leave.

“Sit down.”

“I’m not going.”

She needed to focus on awakening the dragon. Besides, if he wouldn’t listen to her words like this, there was no reason to be by his side. Also, since Ludvian’s incident, the security of the duke’s mansion had been strengthened like an iron wall, so it wouldn’t be dangerous even if he left his seat for a while.

“Do you think you have the authority to make such a decision?”

Unsmiling eyes and a crooked mouth made her feel humiliated. When she glared fiercely at such a Kaius, he sneered lowly.

“I think it’s safer here than in the capital… And you’ll be back soon, right? I’ll wait for you.”

Not wanting to engage in meaningless arguments, Ariel soon persuaded him in a gentle voice, resigned.

“…I’ll be back, so wait for me.”

Perhaps because of her compliant attitude, or because he was satisfied with her words that she would wait, Kaius agreed to Ariel’s words. After all, if she went to the capital, she would have to stay alone except at night.

***

“…Take care.”

After once again instructing Sir Carsen not to receive guests, Kaius briefly brushed Ariel’s face and boarded the carriage.

He left the mansion.

Inadvertently turning her gaze to the garden at the relief and emptiness that fact gave her, a white world entered her eyes. So beautiful it looked surreal. Ariel’s head tilted slightly as she blankly watched that sight. There was no life in her unfocused eyes.

She was dying day by day, yet the world was so beautiful.

It was then that the snow piled on a tree branch scattered with a soft sound. Fine snow powder settled on Ariel’s face. It was cold and soft. It reminded her of Kaius on the day of the first snow in the past.

The desire for life was sparked from an unexpected place.

If Kaius had been sincere that day, there was no need to give up hope yet. Ariel wanted to see this white snow next year and the year after that too. So she had to live. As strength returned to her eyes, her thoughts also moved quickly. There was a carrier pigeon that exchanged messages between the duke’s mansion in Tris and the one in the capital according to Kaius’s movements.

Ariel recalled that.

Sending a note wouldn’t make him abandon his work in the capital and rush over to take her to the bedroom. If even this failed, she would have to leave the mansion to end her life, so perhaps him leaving the mansion now was heaven helping her.

If persuasion fails, leave.

Her golden eyes, now resolute, sparkled like winter snow reflecting sunlight.