Her pure eyes shone clearly.

As if understanding the word marriage, fourteen-year-old Melissa Grey blushed peach-colored and took out a gift box from her handbag.

Wondering what it was, he lowered his head, and the girl seized that moment to plant a quick kiss on Selheim’s cheek.

“Happy birthday, Selheim! When we get married later, I’ll give you an even prettier gift.”

Selheim looked surprised before quickly meeting her gaze with curved eyes.

“Yes, definitely. I’ll look forward to it.”

The way she fidgeted with both hands not knowing what to do from embarrassment, how her shoulders would curl up tightly when nervous…

Even though as they grew older they came to exchange only formal words devoid of emotion, Selheim could tell what Melissa was thinking, what she was trying to do, what she wanted to do just by looking at her eyes.

Because he had been watching and remembering Melissa since she was very young.

She was a woman he had naturally thought to place beside him someday.

He had never thought about the future with anyone else. After all, wasn’t the Grey ducal family like an iron fortress that seemed it would never fall?

The imperial family was wary of Grey’s reach, but Selheim alone was glad of that fact. Because.

“Mel…”

Because of you.

He closed his eyes while gripping one sleeve. Melissa from his memories smiles brightly at him.

He wanted to go back to that time.

Three years ago, to when we naturally held hands and entered the ballroom.

He wanted to reclaim their promised life of living as an ordinary Emperor and Empress, and his bride.

Even if he had to kill all of that child’s husbands.

***

“Variable…”

Melissa murmured while feeling the empty bed. The man who had kept her side warm until just now had to leave because urgent business came up.

Near dawn.

Though he knew it was rude, a knight named Erich came saying it was urgent.

She had wondered why there were no guards in front of the door today, but they were all collapsed on the floor.

The knight wrapped in black cloth looked more like an assassin than an ally.

He was rather short for a man, just slightly taller than Melissa, and though his build was thin, he was strangely strong.

Melissa was inwardly surprised to see him easily lift the large men stationed at the door and prop them sitting against the wall.

Erich.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t a completely unfamiliar name. She seemed to have heard the name a few times from what Whilton said…

When he removed the cloth covering his head, black hair was revealed.

The Asian man had a cold impression without a hint of smile. The cloth was soaked as it was still raining outside.

“Your Highness.”

He was about to continue speaking but closed his mouth upon seeing Melissa. Then Reizen stroked Melissa’s back as she sat on the bed and nodded that it was okay.

“It’s alright. Speak.”

“They are preparing for forced arrest tomorrow on the other side. Since there’s so much evidence.”

He was someone with dark shadows under his eyes. The very tired-looking man wiped his rain-soaked mouth and muttered.

“There is clear evidence that Your Highness called in merchants to take profits, and the one sent to Count Kelly…”

“Ah, wait. Wait.”

Reizen suddenly covered both of Melissa’s ears with his hands. Erich slowly objected with a face about to pass out from exhaustion.

“You told me to speak.”

“I didn’t know you’d talk about past events.”

Melissa’s pupils gradually dilated as she looked up at the man trying to awkwardly smooth things over with a smile.

Fear suddenly rushed in. Forced arrest. And if Reizen had really been involved in what she thought was all Selheim’s doing, then perhaps…

“Did you kill them?”

Considerable shock struck Melissa’s mind.

Until now she had believed Reizen was innocent, so she thought everything would somehow be resolved well.

But if it was true that he was involved in murder and he would be arrested tomorrow, he would be backed into a corner.

The questioning done with the purpose of revealing the truth would turn to torture if the desired answers didn’t come out, and then… he would end up confessing the truth.

Melissa’s eyes gradually filled with pain.

“Your Highness.”

Why did you do it?

A reproachful gaze reached him. Reizen smiled faintly in the darkness.

“I didn’t kill them.”

“But you knew they would die.”

When Erich chimed in from the side, Reizen hushed him with a “shh” to quiet him down. Yes, let’s say Maidos was killed by Selheim for whatever reason.

“Then Count Kelly…”

Reizen quietly met the eyes of the confused-looking Melissa. Blue eyes held strength as they gazed at her without wavering.

“It was definitely suicide.”

But if he had sent someone to ruin him and there were witnesses, that would also work against Reizen.

Seeing the woman frowning gloomily, Reizen asked.

“…Are you disappointed?”

“No.”

“Then are you still worried about me…?”

Melissa bit her lip. The look in Reizen’s eyes that she suddenly met seemed to hope she wouldn’t be disappointed.

“We don’t have time for this. Hah.”

Erich urged with an exhausted sigh. It was rudeness on par with Sion. But Reizen showed no sign of minding whatever Erich said.

Reizen carefully stroked Melissa’s hair to reassure her.

“I’ll be back by morning. I’ll tell the butler before I go, so don’t worry and get some good rest.”

Watching the back of the man as he left the room wearing light clothes with a robe, Melissa sighed silently.

It was nearly a month after marriage that she could see the man’s closest aide. And the truth she heard was not as pleasant as she thought.

If Reizen hadn’t married her, he would have had nothing to do with her ex-husbands.

There would have been no reason to be falsely accused of murder and have his name spread around amid public criticism like now, no need to suffer from high fevers every night because of her, no need to take more headache medicine than necessary.

But despite all that, far from blaming Melissa, Reizen tried to reassure her, and rather than hastily trying to embrace her, he watched her condition.

Every time he touched her, the way he carefully observed how she reacted, what expression she made, and bit his lip to hold back instead moved her.

She felt a strange thrill whenever he showed that he wanted her. Heat just past the boiling point left a thirst in her throat.

Suddenly she realized she had gotten used to falling asleep beside the man. Reizen’s presence that had felt uncomfortable at first now left her feeling so empty when absent.

“I’ll be back by morning.”

When exactly would this morning he said he’d return be?

Looking at the outside where dawn was still far off, Melissa had to endure what felt like an eternity of time.

***

She couldn’t sleep at all, truly not at all.

She realized that rather than endlessly waiting, keeping busy with something made time pass better. She came to understand why Reizen would wake up so early every dawn and focus only on work.

He had wanted to make time pass quickly.

The rain continued to fall without stopping. The room was full of moisture making the blanket damp. Morning came like that and she greeted the sun in a dazed state.

It felt like there was fog in her head.

When she opened the window and went out to the terrace, outside was the same. The fog was thick. Everything was dark and hazy to the point even the mountain usually visible couldn’t be seen.

“My lady. You’re up early?”

Perhaps due to lack of sleep, her stomach felt heavy. As she blinked like a sick chicken feeling acid reflux and a burning sensation, Laila came over and felt her forehead.

“Do you have a fever?”

To think even staying up one night had become difficult. She realized how much her body had deteriorated.

“You do have a slight fever. You should take medicine and rest more. I’ll bring some warm tea too.”

Laila firmly drew the curtains so sunlight wouldn’t come in and laid Melissa down in bed. She suddenly felt sad at the thought that she couldn’t even properly wait for his return, let alone help him.

I wish he would come back soon…

Melissa curled up into a ball as her lower abdomen felt a stinging sensation. After taking the medicine Emerson made and lying down, her heart slowed like a lie and sleep came.

‘What if His Highness gets arrested while I’m sleeping?’

Her body trembled at such anxiety. She hoped he would quickly appear before her and soothe this cold and emptiness. The bed she had been used to being alone in felt surprisingly empty.

After falling asleep like that for a while and waking up, it was past lunch time.

“You’re awake?”

Laila, who was taking away the teacup given early in the dawn, acknowledged her. Melissa slowly raised her heavy body and asked.

“His Highness…?”

Her voice was completely hoarse. As she raised herself, she felt a wet sensation near her hips.

Carefully lifting the blanket just in case, blood had spread. Her period that had stopped for 3 years had returned.