They were, of course, the only people in the room.

The servant who had brought their meal had already left, so there was no one left to see them. So whose eyes was she worried about?

Just as this thought crossed his mind—

An indignant meow suddenly broke the silence.

Curled up on the arm of the sofa with its tail lazily swishing back and forth, the kitten glared at him. As though offended that its presence had been entirely forgotten, it let out another loud, disgruntled cry.

He had assumed it was a ball of wool carelessly left on the sofa.

Apparently, it was a ball of fur instead.

“Don’t tell me you’re worried about that beast?”

At Calix’s question, Lianna hesitantly nodded.

“It isn’t good for children’s emotional development to witness things between a man and a woman…”

“…”

Calix was momentarily speechless.

She had always treated that creature as though it were a person, but hearing her say it so seriously left him speechless once again.

This woman had an extraordinary talent for surprising him with the most unexpected things.

It wasn’t as though she was deliberately trying to make him laugh, which made it all the more astonishing.

“Sometimes I wonder what exactly goes on inside that head of yours.”

Calix let out a quiet chuckle.

It wasn’t mockery. He was genuinely curious.

However, it was clear that Lianna hadn’t interpreted it that way.

“I think I know what’s inside your head, Your Highness.”

Even as she shot back with a prim tone, Calix merely laughed it off.

Despite the obvious implication that his mind contained nothing but indecent thoughts, he found himself strangely unoffended.

“And what’s in my head?”

“Do I really have to… say it out loud?”

When he pretended not to understand, Lianna avoided answering immediately and looked away.

The embarrassment on her face was impossible to miss.

There was nothing improper about intimacy between a man and a woman, yet she seemed reluctant to talk about it.

Perhaps it was simply an extension of her belief that even that little furball shouldn’t be exposed to such things.

Either way, it made little difference.

They had spent enough time on pointless conversation.

Crossing the distance between them in a few long strides, Calix swept Lianna effortlessly into his arms.

Caught completely off guard, she instinctively threw her arms around his neck.

Whether it was pure reflex or not, she quickly came to her senses and began squirming in his grasp.

“Put me down!”

she protested immediately, her cheeks burning with embarrassment as she struggled against him.

“I can walk on my own.”

“Just stay still.”

Ignoring her protests, Calix carried her into the adjoining room.

After closing and locking the door, he walked over to the bed and gently put Lianna down.

Without saying a word, he began to remove the layers of clothing she had wrapped around herself, peeling them away one by one.

The thin chemise slipped from her shoulders and fell softly to the floor.

Impatient with the process, he swiftly removed her remaining undergarments.

A moment later, Calix stood quietly beside the bed, looking down at her.

His gaze settled on the slight hollow of her stomach.

She had always been slender, but today she seemed especially fragile, as though she might break if handled too roughly.

Reaching out, he lightly pressed a finger against her flat abdomen, being careful not to cause her any discomfort.

Then, lifting his gaze to meet hers, he asked —

“Has someone been starving you?”

He had not meant it as a tease, yet Lianna’s face immediately reddened.

Her long eyelashes trembled as though wounded by embarrassment.

“It’s because of you. I was waiting so we could eat together…”

Lianna looked up at him, her eyes full of grievance.

Perhaps he should have fed her before giving in to his own desires.

This thought briefly crossed his mind, but Calix simply removed the last piece of clothing in his way.

“Then I suppose we’ll have to fill you up with something else.”

“…!”

Lianna’s lips trembled as she struck his chest.

The blow was so weak that it barely qualified as an attack. To Calix, it was nothing more than an amusing gesture.

“Once the curse is completely gone… I won’t indulge this kind of unreasonable behavior anymore.”

Perhaps seeking revenge for his shameless teasing, Lianna narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

Calix let out a low laugh and drew closer.

“Save those threats until after you’ve gotten rid of that damned curse.”

Lianna looked ready to fire back with another retort, but he wouldn’t give her the chance.

His patience had already reached its limit.

As Calix lowered himself, a soft sound escaped from Lianna’s lips.

Even that small sound was unbearably tempting.

He would never be able to let her leave his arms.

***

As Lianna stepped out of the bath, she was immediately hit by the aroma of freshly prepared food, which awakened her hunger.

Several steaming dishes had been carefully arranged on a table covered with a crisp white tablecloth.

The meal that the servant had delivered earlier had long since gone cold, so it seemed that Calix had ordered a fresh spread.

Dressed in a loosely tied robe, Calix sat comfortably in a chair, leisurely swirling a glass of wine.

His relaxed demeanor made it difficult to believe that he was the same man who had been so relentless only a short while ago.

Then again, that was very much like him.

Despite everything, he showed no sign of exhaustion.

Lianna took the seat opposite him.

Her stomach was so empty that she felt it might growl at any moment.

Noticing the way her eyes lingered on the lavish meal before her, Calix smiled faintly and said —

“Eat before it gets cold.”

Lianna nodded.

She was starving.

She quickly grabbed some food from the nearest plate and brought it to her mouth.

Perhaps because she had gone so long without eating, her appetite was stronger than usual.

She put a piece of steak in her mouth; the center was still pink.

The moment the juices burst across her tongue, she felt as though she could cry with sheer happiness.

As she busily chewed, Calix watched her for a moment before speaking.

“You’re going to make yourself sick. Eat slowly.”

After swallowing what was in her mouth, Lianna replied.

“You’re surprisingly considerate.”

For a man who was usually indifferent to most things, it was unexpected.

Still cutting his food, Calix gave a small smile.

“I’ll gladly accept the compliment.”

“I wish you’d develop that same consideration in bed.”

Lianna spoke with a faintly sulky tone.

Calix’s hands never paused as he handled his utensils.

Another quiet chuckle escaped him.

“I’ll gladly accept the advice as well.”

Clearly, he hadn’t taken her words seriously.

Perhaps the reason this man lost all restraint whenever they were alone together was connected to the curse.

Lianna quietly shook her head, deciding not to dwell on it any further.

After finishing her meal, she returned to her room.

The kitten was asleep in front of the fireplace, curled up into a tiny ball of fur.

A smile tugged at her lips the moment she saw it.

Knowing that it had behaved so well while left alone filled her with an odd sense of pride.

The little creature looked surprisingly dependable.

Despite being so small and mischievous, it seemed to possess a quiet reliability that melted her heart.

“Since you’ll have to spend some time alone, you can at least keep that little one around for company.”

The unexpected remark came just as Lianna was carefully stroking the sleeping kitten.

“What do you mean by that?”

Lianna looked up.

When she turned toward Calix, who was standing by the doorway, he answered matter-of-factly,

“I have business in Regenburg for a few days.”

Regenburg was under the control of the Marquess of Schuppenheim.

She had no reason to object to his visit to a long-standing ally. Nevertheless, she was slightly disappointed to hear that he was leaving so suddenly.

In that respect, he had never changed.

Thoughtfulness was not exactly one of his strengths.

By now, she had grown accustomed to it and was no longer surprised by his abrupt decisions.

Even so, she couldn’t help thinking it would have been nice if he had told her sooner.

It was a small feeling, hardly worth mentioning, yet it lingered in her chest nonetheless.

“When will you return?”

“It won’t take long.”

She wasn’t sure whether to believe that.

She was still adjusting to life in the royal palace and would have preferred not to be left alone. But she couldn’t ask him to stay when he had important business to attend to.

‘Ah, that’s right…’

If she wouldn’t be seeing him for several days, then this was her only chance to give him the gift.

Lianna retrieved a box she had placed somewhere the kitten couldn’t reach and held it out to Calix.

“For me?”

A neatly tied ribbon adorned the box.

The somewhat girlish wrapping made it clear that Calix had not expected it to be a gift for him.

“Yes. It’s a present for you, Your Highness.”

Lianna urged him to open it with her gaze.

Calix looked as though he wanted to ask where the gift had come from, but he said nothing. Instead, he began to unwrap the package.

The ribbon slipped loose with a soft rustle.

As soon as he opened the box and saw what was inside, one of his eyebrows rose slightly.

“Gloves.”

“I knitted them myself. My skills aren’t perfect, but I worked very hard on them… I hope you like them.”

She had been quite proud of her work when she had finished making them.

But now, as she waited for his reaction, nerves were overtaking her confidence.

What if he hated them?

Anxiety filled her chest, causing her to lower her gaze and fidget with the hem of her clothes.

Lianna couldn’t bring herself to look up.

After he remained silent for a long moment, she finally spoke hesitantly.

“If you don’t like them, I can get you something else—”

“There’s no need.”

“Hm?”

Lianna raised her head and carefully studied his expression.

Still looking at the gloves she had given him, Calix said,

“I like them. Your gift.”

Only then did Lianna exhale quietly, feeling relieved.

The uneasiness that had churned inside her like a storm suddenly disappeared, as though it had never been there.

A smile spread across her face as she silently thanked her lucky stars.

Then, unexpectedly, Calix asked,

“Did you make this as well?”

He pointed to the flower embroidered near the wrist.

Lianna nodded.

“Yes.”

“A lily.”

Calix reached out and gently traced the outline of the embroidered flower with his fingers.

Lianna quietly watched her husband’s face.

When he said he liked the gift a moment ago, he seemed genuinely pleased.

“Do you like this flower?”

For some reason, Calix’s gaze had become distant and unfathomably deep as he asked the question.