Two days later, the three of them found themselves together again.

Aneta, exhausted from helping with Vernon’s wedding preparations, was resting in her bedroom instead of the drawing room when Carlos came to see her. As usual, Rodion somehow sensed it and followed them, taking a seat.

Carlos glanced at Aneta, who approached him in her thin robe over her nightgown. Although she rested until late afternoon, she still looked tired.

“Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard? I heard you finished all the remaining tasks yesterday,” Carlos said.

It was obvious where he had gotten this information. Aneta recalled Vernon’s concerned expression from the day before. He had acted as if she might collapse at any moment.

“You heard from Vernon?” Aneta asked.

“He seemed sorry about it. He said you looked exhausted.”

Aneta nodded. Giving orders meant she had to move around, which drained her energy faster than when she handled documents at her desk.

“I thought it would be better to get everything done quickly rather than dragging it out another day, even if it were a bit of a stretch. Since it’s an outdoor wedding, there were more details to attend.”

The one saving grace was that there weren’t too many guests. Considering it was a hastily arranged wedding, they had limited the invitations.

“At least it’s all done now so that I can rest today. You two should rest before the wedding,” she sighed with relief.

“It feels like you’re putting more effort into this than you did for our wedding,” Carlos teased.

“I won’t deny it, but don’t be upset. It’s a different situation now,” Aneta replied, recalling how indifferent they had been about their wedding preparations. She held no regrets, though. What mattered was that things were going well now.

“Though, back then, it was almost too extravagant. Even for a royal wedding, I don’t think it would be as grand as that was,” Aneta said, remembering the expenses from that time.

She had signed off on the reports without much comment, but she and Carlos had both known the cost far exceeded that of an ordinary wedding.

Aneta thought back to the day. From the massive crystal chandeliers that nearly overwhelmed the venue to the gem-encrusted dinnerware and decorations, nothing had been ordinary.

And that wasn’t all. At the reception, they had launched fireworks for several minutes. Looking back, she was amazed she hadn’t run away.

‘Then again, I was too desperate to even consider escape,’ she mused.

Now, life felt so peaceful and happy that it almost seemed like a dream compared to those days.

Her father’s and Erez’s deaths, the dissolution of her former allegiances, and the divergence from the original storyline led her here. Despite everything, she knew she would have made the same choices repeatedly.

She felt neither regret nor guilt. The fact that she was happy without them only confirmed how much they had tormented her.

Carlos brought her back to the present as these thoughts darkened her expression.

“Turns out the Emperor had a hand in it,” he said.

“The Emperor?” Aneta asked, surprised.

“Since he was arranging the wedding, he didn’t want anything to be lacking or ordinary, so he gave a few orders. The fireworks were one of them.”

“Now that you mention it, those fireworks were so embarrassing.”

The reception was in a garden lit with lanterns, meaning every guest had witnessed the fireworks display.

Just thinking about it made Aneta’s head spin.

“I agree. I couldn’t say anything back then, though. I just thanked him for the special attention.”

Carlos’ agreement made Aneta laugh, her face finally brightening with a smile that eased Carlos’ concern a little.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

“My Lady, I’ve prepared the tea.”
“You may come in.”

Upon receiving Aneta’s permission, the maid entered, carrying a tray with a tea set. Once the door was closed, Aneta resumed her conversation with Carlos.

“I thought you didn’t feel anything back then. I thought it was just me.”

“No way. I just didn’t show how flustered I was.”

As they exchanged smiles and continued their conversation, the atmosphere between the two was warm and friendly. However, in contrast, Rodion, who was quietly observing them, became more and more stiff.

Rodion hadn’t interrupted their conversation like he usually would, because they were talking about his brother’s wedding.

But the flow of the conversation soon shifted to their own wedding. Rodion was displeased with the situation.

The child clenched their small hands tightly. But that sight went unnoticed by the two, who were reminiscing about the past.

Aneta and Carlos continued talking on the same topic, and Rodion, unable to hold it in any longer, abruptly stood up.

Unfortunately, the timing wasn’t great.

“Oh!”

The maid, who had been pouring tea and placing cups in front of them, was startled by Rodion’s sudden movement and accidentally dropped the cup she was holding.

Since Rodion was standing close by, the teacup was about to fall directly onto his head.

Seeing this, Carlos quickly got up. His hand darted out just in time, knocking the cup away before the child could get drenched in the hot tea.

The teacup shattered with a sharp sound as it hit the opposite side, where no one was standing. Even as the loud crash echoed, the startled Rodion stood frozen in place.

“Are you okay?”

The child’s senses returned only when Carlos’s voice reached him.

Rodion nodded unconsciously.

“Thank goodness.”

“What’s there to be thankful for?”

Aneta, who had also jumped up in surprise, grabbed the hand Carlos had hidden behind his back.

The sleeves she grasped were wet, and the hand underneath was red and swollen.

“Lia, take care of Rodion. And you, come here.”

Aneta hurriedly tugged Carlos’s other hand.

“I’m fine. This is nothing, Aneta.”

“I’m not fine. So hurry up.”

There was no way Carlos could disobey Aneta’s firm tone, so he finally gave in to her urging and moved.

It was at that moment that he made eye contact with Rodion, who had been staring at his reddened hand with a shocked expression.

‘I’m okay.’ He silently mouthed the words before being led into the bathroom by Aneta.

Aneta immediately turned on the cold water and guided Carlos’s hand under it. Even as the chilled water cooled his reddened hand, the tense expression on her face didn’t relax.

“I did it because I knew you’d worry if the child got hurt.”

Carlos spoke as if making an excuse, answering a question that hadn’t been asked.

“If you were worried about that, you should’ve been more careful yourself. You deliberately didn’t use your power, didn’t you?”

“Did I get caught?”

“Yes. In that situation, you would normally use your power of the sky instead of moving your body.”

There had to be a reason he hadn’t done so.

“I thought maybe it would help him open up to me a little. And maybe you’d worry about me more too.”

Aneta’s guess was right. Carlos readily admitted to his intention.

Aneta sighed, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but be impressed. While she had barely managed to stand up in surprise, he had not only made a quick judgment but also knocked the cup away.

Though it hurt her to know he had deliberately injured himself when he didn’t need to, she had to acknowledge that his abilities were exceptional.

“I understand that you want to win Rodion’s heart, and I also get that you want my concern. I understand your intentions, but please don’t do anything that harms your body.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why? Are you asking because you don’t know?”

“I know, but I’m asking because I want to hear you say it.”

“I worry about you getting hurt, and I hate it. To me, you’re as precious as my own life now.”

With a troubled expression, Aneta carefully rolled up his tea-soaked sleeves. The skin underneath was just as red and swollen.

Aneta studied Carlos’s face. Despite his injury, he was smiling brightly, as if something had made him extremely happy.

“Why are you smiling when you’re hurt like this?”

“I’m happy. Because you’re worrying about me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Carlos bent down and quickly kissed Aneta’s lips before pulling away. His gesture, as if to say “stop being angry,” made Aneta chuckle.

Once she felt things had calmed down, Aneta pulled Carlos’s hand from under the stream of water and examined it thoroughly. Fortunately, no blisters were forming, which was a small relief.

“I’m going to call a doctor, so ensure you get a proper checkup. Even if it doesn’t look bad on the surface, burns need proper care. Got it?”

“Got it.”
Aneta gently blew on his hand. Her breath, brushing against the wet skin on the back of his hand, made Carlos flinch.

“Aneta, that’s a bit dangerous.”

“Carlos, you can function normally in daily life, right?”

“I can, but sometimes you make things really difficult. This is one of those times.”

Knowing exactly what Aneta’s question implied, Carlos laughed playfully and lifted her hand.

As droplets of water that had transferred to her hand trickled toward her wrist, he leaned down and kissed them away.

A strange sensation traveled up her spine when his soft lips touched the hollow of her prominent wristbone.

“Enough. You’re injured right now. There’s no time for this.”

As Carlos subtly let his lips glide across her skin, Aneta pulled her hand away from his grasp. Soon, she fetched a towel and gently began drying his hand.

As they exited the bathroom, several maids and a doctor, likely called by Lia, were waiting for them.

After handing Carlos over to the doctor, Aneta glanced around.

“Where’s Rodion?”

“He seemed quite shaken, so I took him to his bedroom.”

“You did well.”

Aneta thought it wouldn’t be too late to check on Rodion once Carlos was cared for. Just then, Lia knelt before her.

“It’s entirely my fault. I deserve to die for this.”

“Get up. It’s not your fault.”

As Carlos calmly showed his hand to the doctor, he looked at the maid, who seemed on the verge of tears.

He wasn’t just saying this to make a good impression on Aneta.

In his view, Lia wasn’t at fault.

“I’ll accept any punishment you see fit.”

“You won’t be punished. I feel the same as Carlos.”

Aneta easily agreed with Carlos’s sentiment. It was no one’s fault—just bad timing.

With their master speaking up, Lia finally seemed to calm down.

Aneta sent Lia and the other maids away, instructing them to comfort her. Once the maids had disappeared beyond the closed door, Aneta turned her attention back to the doctor, who placed a cold towel on Carlos’s hand.

“How is it?”

“Other than the redness, there are no significant issues.”

“That’s a relief.”

For someone like Carlos, who wielded swords, such an injury might be nothing, but it wasn’t the same for Aneta.

She breathed a sigh of relief.