“After the divorce, I’ll guarantee you a life that won’t make you envious of others. Both you and your family.”

Stella stared blankly at the document placed in front of her.

Divorce after three years, not to have lovers while the two were married, during marriage 200 gold coins monthly as dignity maintenance fees, after divorce Kalian Rochester would pay Stella Ambrose 100 gold coins monthly, to House Ambrose the territory and mansion in Melwin region, however not to reveal this contract to anyone, if revealed then Stella Ambrose’s side would……

Clearly during the day she had written her name on a pledge saying they would live happily while respecting and cherishing each other for life.

Now she had to sign a contract saying not to cross each other’s boundaries.

‘What kind of situation is this?’

Laughter slipped out between her lips at the reality she was in.

And her heart felt at ease.

If the period was set, it would rather be easier to endure.

“Your Grace.”

Kalian met her gaze as if telling her to speak.

“Was your visit to our mansion before the marriage because of this?”

Taking a sip of alcohol, he lightly nodded.

“I wanted to show you the documents then and give you enough time to review them, but I saw that sight.”

“I see.”

It was indeed an unseemly sight. Stella smiled and understood.

“If you need time, I’ll give it to you. If there’s compensation you want, tell me.”

“No.”

Stella shook her head.

“The compensation is more than enough.”

After divorce, 100 gold coins monthly, and to House Ambrose the territory and mansion in Melwin region.

One gold coin was money that could pay the rent for the old house where the family lived together and still be used for two months’ living expenses.

Moreover, wasn’t the Melwin territory that Kalian promised, though small, good land that produced many medicinal herbs?

Far from being insufficient, it was so generous that she wondered why he was offering so much compensation.

“However, there’s one thing missing.”

Stella pointed to the very bottom of the contract, the part where nothing was written.

“Children. There’s nothing about children.”

“Children?”

Kalian asked back as if incredulous. He got up and leaned his upper body toward Stella while pressing his hands on the table.

Stella’s small figure was buried in Kalian’s shadow.

“Are you saying now that I’m going to make children with you?”

“Yes.”

Looking straight at the blue gaze looking down at her, Stella nodded.

“We’re married, and between married couples, anything can happen, can’t it?”

“Ha.”

One end of his lips pressed in a straight line curved up crookedly. Kalian’s large hand stroked Stella’s face.

“Just a moment ago you were acting like a modest virgin, and now you’re talking like a courtesan from the back alleys.”

As if telling her not to lie, Kalian’s thumb pressed down on Stella’s red and soft lips.

“If I said no, would you believe me?”

Stella asked back while still keeping her gaze fixed on Kalian.

“If I said everything Your Grace knows is all a misunderstanding, would you believe my words?”

No answer to the question came back. Kalian just smiled and gave a different answer.

“Fine. I’ll write about children and give it to you later.”

However, the shadow cast over Stella’s body came closer.

“It seems we need to check now whether we can make children or not.”

“……!!”

Their lips met just like that.

As if telling her to open quickly, his tongue swept over her soft lips. When the surprised Stella parted her lips to swallow her breath out of habit, his tongue entered through that gap.

“Mmph!”

The hot tongue rubbed against her small tongue. Saliva mixed and wet sounds filled her ears. Her head tilted back and Stella couldn’t handle the sounds she was making unconsciously.

The large hand that had been holding Stella’s hand during the day was now slowly stroking over her clothes.

The clothes she was wearing now were clothes for the wedding night.

When Stella first saw this, it was made of silk so thin that she shuddered with embarrassment, and the attached ribbons came undone so easily she wondered if they were just decorations.

Feeling hot touch over the cold clothes made her unconsciously shrink her body. The ribbon made of satin came undone silently.

Dizzy.

Cold, hot, and wet. There were only unfamiliar sensations everywhere, so she couldn’t tell where to focus. Stella kept her eyes tightly shut and panted for insufficient breath.

Dizzy, confusing, and scary.

“Haah……”

Pop, lightly biting and releasing her lips, Kalian looked down at Stella and smiled.

“If you’re going to make such a face, you shouldn’t have mentioned children.”

The body heat that had been pressing down on Stella suddenly moved away. Kalian, who had turned around and retied his robe, left the room without a word.

Stella, left alone in the room, stared blankly at the closed door for a moment before hurriedly fixing her half-undone clothes.

Only after tying the undone ribbon tight enough that it wouldn’t come undone again did she have the leisure to look in the mirror.

“Ah……”

Her complexion reflected in the mirror was pale and haggard.

⁕⁕⁕

“Ha, now I feel like I can live.”

Egbert, who had stretched his body as if leaning against the luxurious sofa, put a cut cigar in his mouth.

“I’m sorry to the two deceased princes, but people need to enjoy some amusement, don’t they?”

The mourning period, long if you called it long and short if you called it short, had ended.

The shops that had closed their doors during that time now opened their doors wide to welcome customers, and the social club that Egbert mainly used was one of them.

Thanks to that, after a long time, Egbert was feeling as comfortable as if he had returned home.

The finest alcohol and cigars, luxurious furniture tailored to nobles’ tastes, long-trained staff and carefully selected customers.

Each one was starkly different from the places he had gone during the mourning period.

Honestly, that place was only a social club in name — what difference was there from a back-alley tavern?

Yes, this is it.

A satisfied smile bloomed on Egbert’s lips.

“Egbert.”

A friend who had likewise been sipping alcohol beside him suddenly opened his mouth out of nowhere.

“Do you know why Kalian suddenly got married?”

“Now that he’s become second in line of succession, he couldn’t delay it.”

Egbert replied while putting down his cigar.

“Honestly, wasn’t it strange that he didn’t even have a fiancée until now?”

Not all nobles were like this, but someone in Kalian’s position would typically have a fiancée arranged from childhood and hold a wedding ceremony upon becoming an adult.

But Kalian wasn’t like that.

He did have a fiancée when he was young, but it was brief, and even after becoming an adult, he had refused everything, saying his position wasn’t yet secure.

Then somehow he got His Majesty’s permission and entered the military as an officer.

Because he only showed his face briefly after social seasons ended, didn’t he burn the hearts of unmarried young ladies and their mothers?

But suddenly marriage, marriage.

Both suddenly entering as an officer and this marriage.

It was enough to raise questions.

“Of course, he could do it since his succession rights increased…… But it still feels unsettling. The way he obediently agreed to marriage too.”

The guy who had first brought it up added one more question while stroking his chin.

“And why Miss Stella Ambrose of all people?”

Even Egbert couldn’t answer that question. There had been no particular connection between Kalian and Miss Ambrose.

All he knew was that she had briefly come up as a conversation topic at that low-quality social club.

‘No, wait a minute.’

Egbert’s head tilted to the side.

‘Didn’t that guy Kalian talk as if he knew Miss Ambrose?’

When asked what he thought of her as wife material, didn’t he say exactly this:

“Pretty, but now she only reeks.”

Even then, he had joked about whether he had seen her before and let it pass.

But thinking about it again, there was one more thing that bothered him.

‘Now?’

Didn’t that sound like he had known her even before she started reeking?

When on earth did they meet?

He and Kalian had been stuck together since childhood because their parents were acquainted, and of course they had attended the same school.

So surely if the two had met, there was no way he wouldn’t know about it.

‘Wait, wait a minute.’

Egbert’s face turned white as he realized something.

The Miss Ambrose about whom he had spoken those lowly rumors was now the Duchess of Rochester.

“……”

Ah, if only he could take back the words he had spilled.

It wasn’t long after being tightly bound in deep regret and self-reflection that Egbert’s eyes snapped open.

“Kalian?”

“Why are you here?”

It was because Kalian, who should have been spending his wedding night, had appeared at the social club.

“What about the Duchess of Rochester!”

“Shut up.”

Kalian sat down after lightly crushing his friend’s question.

He filled his glass full of alcohol without even adding ice and drank it all at once.

“Ha.”

Just one glass of alcohol couldn’t soothe his boiling insides.

Such a face.

That trembling appearance as if her purity had been forcibly taken with just one kiss.

Wasn’t it as if he had forced himself on her?

If one of them had to refuse, it should have been him.

It should have been himself, not Stella.

“……”

His insides began to boil again. Kalian drank another full glass straight down.

But no matter how much strong alcohol he drank, Stella’s pitiful appearance wouldn’t leave, as if it had stuck to the inside of his eyelids.