With just five steps remaining, Dion fell into a hole hidden by the bush and lost his grip on Clementina.

Thudududut.

Darkness engulfed Clementina’s vision. She could neither see nor feel anything.

Even the warm sensation in her hand that she had been holding tightly was taken away by the rough tree trunk, making her feel as if she would be alone forever.

The hole was narrow and winding. In the fleeting moment of falling to the bottom, an unfamiliar fear overwhelmed her.

Rough vines scratched Clementina’s soft face while forcibly pulling her feet endlessly downward.

The hole gradually narrowed, fortunately reducing the speed of her fall. But rocks and small mounds mercilessly pounded her buttocks.

Thudududuk thudududuk.

“Ah! Ah! Ah! Kyaaah! Ugh—”

After falling into the hole for quite some time, Clementina’s body finally reached the bottom. Despite screaming like that, when she actually reached the ground, she was so breathless that not even a groan escaped.

Clementina had her eyes open, but the surroundings were pitch black without a single ray of light.

Still, once she escaped the dangerous place, her breathing eased. Only then did she feel other senses except for sight.

A cool, damp, unpleasant smell stimulated Clementina’s nose.

Only then did she realize that her body was screaming in pain all over.

“Ow, ow, ow. Oh my, it hurts.”

Clementina massaged her wrist and shook her head from side to side. It should have been enough time for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but there was still only blackness before her eyes. She opened and closed her tingling hand, waving it left and right.

When there was still nothing to grasp, she began to feel around the invisible places by touching the floor. She felt something hard yet warm and flat.

“Miss Clementina.”

The now familiar gentle voice echoed inside the cave.

“Huh? Duke? Where are you?”

“You don’t intend to have our wedding night here again, do you?”

“What are you talking about? Did you hit your head?”

“Me? Is that so? I feel fine though.”

Clementina felt upward from the floor. When something caught in her hand, she hurriedly shook it left and right.

Then, from within the darkness came the sound of Dion giggling.

“I’m really not hurt.”

“I-I knew you weren’t hurt at all. But I was still surprised.”

“How can you be so sure? That I’m not hurt? I could just be saying that. I might actually have a torn chest. Or a broken back. Can you tell that just by hearing my voice?”

“You seem like you wouldn’t bleed a single drop even if stabbed with a sword right in front of your face. You were swinging around quite well earlier.”

“No, I would get hurt if stabbed right in front of my face. I was fine against those demonic beasts earlier, but I think I’m a bit hurt now.”

“What?”

“Are you really not going to get off?”

Dion muttered softly. Light appeared in the previously pitch-black cave. Just like when they shared their contract, Dion’s left arm illuminated the surroundings. Only then did Clementina discover Dion looking up at her from beneath, pinned under her buttocks.

“Aack! I-I’m sorry!”

As Clementina frantically removed her hands from Dion’s chest and struggled, she lost her balance and rolled off his chest.

Dion quickly rose and barely managed to cradle the back of her head before it hit the floor.

“Are you okay?”

“……Yes.”

The once calm eyes and the frightened eyes shook as they faced each other in the darkness. Dion helped Clementina sit up and then stole a glance at her appearance.

Even in the dim light, her figure was clearly visible.

Despite the demonic beast attack and the sudden fall that must have been quite frightening, Clementina only panicked briefly before quickly regaining her composure.

Moreover, she looked dignified as she brushed the dirt and dust from her hair with her fingers. It was hard to believe she was a woman who had spent her entire life confined in a Count’s castle, behaving properly.

“Where are we?”

Dion couldn’t shake the feeling that he had married a woman far more special than he had thought.

While he was accustomed to bloody swordplay, it was fascinating to see a well-bred lady trying to act brave. Any other lady would undoubtedly have annoyed him with dramatic screaming and fussing.

Clementina, now fully upright, turned her back to Dion and began dusting off her skirt from the bottom up.

Dion moved his hand toward her body to bring the light closer. His hand followed the movement of her hands, rising together.

Their hands paused at Clementina’s waist.

Clementina’s golden eyes wavered from side to side, and Dion unconsciously froze.

“Ahem!”

At Clementina’s fake cough, Dion quickly turned away. Then, remembering he needed to provide light for her, he hurriedly turned back toward Clementina, only to swiftly turn away again.

The consistently composed man was, unusually, flustered.

Clementina’s velvet cloak had disappeared, and her dark green dress was torn from the waist, across just below her left br*ast, and extending to her back. Judging by the visible skin, her underdress had clearly been torn as well.

Vines were caught in the tear of her dress. The vines and tree roots must have torn her dress during the descent.

“Hmm!”

Dion, who had been clearing his throat, quickly took off his jacket and extended his hand behind him to give it to Clementina. As Clementina hesitantly took his clothes, Dion put his hands behind his back and illuminated her with the light.

“I’m done.”

Clementina turned Dion around with a composed voice.

“You look quite a mess.”

As Dion scratched near his temple while looking at Clementina’s attire, she grumbled needlessly.

“You’re the same, Duke. You probably think you still look handsome.”

Despite her words, surprisingly, Dion looked beautiful even with dirt on his face. If anything, he exuded a wild charm that left Clementina perplexed.

“Still? You think I’m handsome?”

“I’m saying you’re not handsome.”

Clementina glared at Dion with wide eyes before turning her head away.

“Haha, I didn’t mean that you looked bad, Miss Clementina.”

“Is this perhaps the preference you mentioned?”

Dion looked around casually, pretending not to have heard Clementina’s rebuke.

“Well, we’ve succeeded in entering the Siara Mine.”

Clementina, who had been adjusting herself in the dim light, frowned and straightened Dion’s jacket on her shoulder.

Dion lowered his left arm to illuminate the ground. A faint golden light flowed from his prosthetic hand, said to be made with dragon magic.

“That’s fascinating. So dragon magic can be used like this too. Can’t you make it brighter?”

“It does have dragon magic on it, but I can’t adjust the brightness as I please. There’s a limit. This is quite bright already. It must be nearby.”

“What is?”

Dion answered with silence, lowering his arm to illuminate the area ahead. All that was visible were uneven rocks, with no path suitable for people to walk on.

Dion extended his right hand to Clementina. She stared at his hand blankly before smiling at him.

“It’s okay. I can go by myself.”

“I’d prefer if you held on. It would be more troublesome if you got hurt while walking.”

Clementina pouted as she took Dion’s hand.

Only then did Dion notice that her cold hand was trembling. Looking at her now, her face was beyond pale—it was ghastly.

“You’re holding my hand because you’re worried I’ll be a burden.”

Dion firmly grasped her hand, which had merely been resting in his.

“Such a light burden is hardly a burden at all.”

Clementina found some stability in the warmth that firmly held her hand, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the demonic beasts’ eyes were still following her.

“Where are we going?”

“I thought we’d head toward the cave entrance. Without dragons, we can’t reach our destination, and without me, they won’t be able to find their way.”

“Aren’t we too far away?”

“Well, I’m not familiar with this area either, so I’m not sure where we are. We’ll find a path as we walk.”

“You’ve been here before, right?”

“It’s not my property, but it’s not a restricted area either. Once when Leon was here, once before our wedding, and a few times in between to check for demonic beasts.”

“And you need me to get what you want?”

Dion, who had been walking ahead, stopped and turned toward Clementina.

“I do need you, Duchess. But it’s not a difficult task. And I’ll compensate you adequately.”

“I know. I was just confirming. It’s just—”

“Just that you didn’t expect to have your life threatened like this. I didn’t expect that either.”