Ansi’s heart was beating a little faster than usual.

Accomplice. That rigid word coming from that man’s mouth strangely felt extremely soft and seductive.

“We’ll need to destroy the evidence too.”

Damion held out the hand that wasn’t holding the paper. Ansi, her eyes still clouded with confusion, only sent a wary gaze while keeping both hands behind her back.

Damion approached Ansi. He stretched out his arms as if to embrace her. Ansi gripped the book with one hand and moved it far away to avoid having it taken.

However, his target was not the book.

Damion took Ansi’s hand and interlocked his fingers with hers. At the unfamiliar sensation, Ansi spread her fingers wide.

“There’s an open space behind the orphanage where few people pass by. It would be best to burn it there.”

The man began walking, holding Ansi’s hand. She followed him out of the library in a daze.

“Shh.”

Damion put his index finger to his lips.

A peaceful afternoon when the children were asleep and the adults were resting. Thinking they shouldn’t make even the sound of footsteps in the hallway, Ansi deliberately walked on her tiptoes.

Like that, they slipped out the back door of the orphanage. As Ansi finally caught her breath, Damion took out a match and burned the paper he was holding.

The smell of burning wafted through the air. In contrast to how she tried not to let the book be taken earlier, Ansi quickly handed over the book she was holding to the man. He smirked as he burned the book as well.

Only then did Ansi let out a sigh of relief.

“…It’s finally over.”

“No. We might have been seen by someone on our way here, so we need to create an alibi.”

“An alibi?”

Do we really need to go that far? Ansi thought it wasn’t necessary, but Damion was serious.

“If we follow this path, we’ll come to a lavender field. Let’s say we went there.”

Before she knew it, he had taken her hand again. Without time to hesitate, they were walking along the path.

Beside the narrow path were broadleaf trees with even darker colors than the ginkgo tree from earlier. It was so densely packed that the sky was barely visible, making it somewhat dark despite being daytime.

“I don’t think we need to go all the way to the flower field. Can’t we just say we took a walk on this path?”

“We’re almost there.”

“Liar.”

Having been deceived like this before when climbing the hill last time, Ansi reflexively responded that way. Damion laughed as if he found it amusing.

In truth, Damion had agonized for a long time as he walked to the library where Ansi was. How he should treat Ansi, how he should approach her.

But the moment he saw the woman holding the torn storybook, all those worries disappeared.

Who on earth would tear up a book just because they didn’t like it? And why try to hide it when it’s already been seen?

A woman like the waves.

Seeming predictable and transparent at times, yet crashing over people with this kind of eccentricity.

In contrast to how angry he had been with Ansi that day, and in contrast to how he had worried for days, Damion just felt like laughing.

Now it even seemed like her meeting with the Duchess was nothing. It was just Ansi de Orphe, that stubborn and incomprehensible woman, pulling off something like this.

Ansi glared at Damion as if to ask why he was laughing. Damion raised his eyebrows but couldn’t hide his smile.

“Huh.”

It’s not like he said anything nice, so what was he smiling about?

Ansi let out a laugh of disbelief. Damion laughed again at that. He really was a strange man.

In the meantime, the short path truly came to an end. Clear sunlight appeared, shining upon them.

“Wow…”

Ansi opened her mouth without realizing. Pure admiration escaped her lips.

Under the clear blue sky stretched a violet field bathed in sunlight. The subtle and elegant purple lavender flowers stood tall, harmonizing with the green that supported them.

Ansi took a step towards the wide open field that seemed endless.

She soon stopped and closed her eyes.

A pleasant scent rode the wind, tickling her nose. Ansi took a deep breath. She deeply inhaled the soft yet unique fragrance that made her forget the burnt smell from earlier.

When she opened her eyes again, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. It was like a dreamlike space.

Damion, standing beside her, had been watching Ansi the whole time.

Her skin, so pale it was almost transparent, shone even brighter under the sunlight. Her sea-like eyes took in the blue sky, the clouds spread like cotton, and the beautifully blooming flowers.

Her blue eyes sparkled. It was a look similar to when she had seen the night sky painting they had made together.

Somehow his mouth felt dry. Damion’s throat bobbed as he swallowed.

He was reminded of the painting tucked away in a corner of his house. He had originally intended to show it to her right after they got married, but once they were actually married, he strangely found himself unable to do so.

Looking at her then, Damion felt his heart sink. It was an unfamiliar and unwelcome feeling. He wasn’t sure what emotions he would be immersed in if he were to see such an expression on her face once more.

But now, he was faced with that expression again.

His body stiffened. Yet he couldn’t turn his head away. He wanted to keep looking at her face.

A breeze carrying the scent of lavender blew, ruffling the woman’s hair.

Without realizing it, Damion reached out his hand and tucked her hair behind her ear.

His fingers brushed against the edge of her ear.

At the warmth on her ear, Ansi tilted her head to the side. Their eyes met.

Ansi gazed into the man’s purple eyes.

In the man’s eyes too, it seemed as if that flower field was spread out.

The two of them quietly, silently looked at each other without saying a word.

Whoosh, the wind swept across the field. The vast flower field swayed gently according to the direction of the wind. As if waves were rippling.

In the midst of it, the man naturally lowered his waist.

Soft lips touched and then parted.

It was a kiss infused with fragrance.

The sensation of his lips touching was still unfamiliar.

But it was softer than before, warmer, and…

Not unpleasant.

At a distance close enough for their breaths to mingle, Damion remained in front of her with his eyes lowered. Though his gaze was downcast, the undisguised intensity and heat that he failed to hide enveloped her.

Ansi held her breath and gripped her skirt tightly. It was disconcerting enough that she didn’t dislike kissing him, but the bigger problem right now was that she didn’t know how to breathe.

“Don’t hold it.”

“What?”

“Your breath.”

Was it that obvious? Ansi’s cheeks turned red. Damion’s hand that had touched Ansi’s ear naturally cradled the back of her head.

Ansi shuddered slightly.

“This is…”

She was about to open her mouth, embarrassed by that fact, when the man’s lips overlapped with hers again before parting.

“Hold the words for a moment.”

The man smiled beautifully.

Ansi bit the inside of her lip. She seemed almost bewitched by his damnably gentle smile. Even so, she couldn’t push him away or leave this place.

Even though she knew she was bewitched.

She closed her eyes.

The lips that touched again tenderly embraced Ansi. Ansi’s calmly closed eyelids fluttered slightly.

Damion lowered one hand to hold hers. His large hand intertwined with Ansi’s fingers. At the same time, the man’s breath penetrated between her lips.

Ansi grasped his hand as if clinging to it.

Moist breaths mingled. Her mind felt hazy and her cheeks were flushed with heat. She felt like her legs would give out and she would collapse if she didn’t hold tightly onto this man’s hand.

Did Damion de Orphe really feel ashamed of her? Or did he like her and not want her to get hurt?

Since that day, questions about the man’s true feelings had always existed in her mind.

But right now, she didn’t want to push him away. No, rather, this tender heat seemed to prove that this man was sincere, making her cling to him even more.

“Hah…”

The breath that escaped between their parted lips was rough. It was the same for the man who always seemed composed.

He was gazing at Ansi as if looking at something incomparably beautiful.

Ansi realized, for the first time.

‘This man… he likes me.’

Even though he had said countless times that he liked her, even though he had gone through with marriage for such an absurd reason, she hadn’t been able to feel it until now.

“Ansi.”

Damion embraced Ansi. At the gentle call, Ansi nodded.

“I’m sorry for unconditionally preventing you from meeting your family.”

“…!”

The man’s voice instantly penetrated to Ansi’s heart.

“To be honest, the marriage was closer to a mere announcement to my family. I didn’t arrange a meeting because I was afraid they might say something harsh to you.”

“…I know. That Damion was worried about me.”

She deliberately answered that way. In fact, she had just realized it, but she thought that Simon and Elize were really right…

Ansi realized.

She had continuously doubted his feelings, and the reason she had harbored unnecessary suspicion was because she herself was deceiving him.