When Derek opened his eyes, he was riding a boat on a moonlit lake.

His nerves instantly heightened at the unfamiliar scenery.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“……”

“Hmm? Is there something on my face?”

Dodori was sitting across from him.

He immediately realized this was a dream. Because Dodori was smiling brightly.

‘…She’s never smiled at me like that before.’

His tension instantly melted away.

If this was a dream, that was fortunate. It would be nice to see Dodori’s face to his heart’s content, even while sleeping.

“I’ll do it.”

“Ah.”

Coming to his senses quickly, he gently snatched the oar from Dodori’s hands.

Then he began rowing himself.

Even in a dream, he didn’t want to make Dodori work hard.

Splash.

The boat carrying the two of them glided peacefully across the serene lake.

Dodori, finding something so delightful, beamed with joy while looking at the starlight reflected in the lake.

Derek found more joy in watching her.

“Derek, look at this. Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Beautiful.”

“Oh come on. Not me!”

“…Ah, the stars. The stars are beautiful too.”

“Really now.”

“……”

Dodori shook her head as if he were hopeless. Derek was still only looking at her face.

‘She smiles so adorably.’

He wanted to take in all he could of this sight that he wouldn’t be able to see once he woke from the dream.

Before long, their boat reached the middle of the lake.

He set down the oar neatly and enjoyed the peaceful tranquility.

“Oh? There’s a flower over there.”

Suddenly, her gaze turned somewhere. Derek felt somehow uneasy.

It was because Dodori was shifting her body as if trying to grab the flower.

“You’ll fall in.”

“Is it a lotus?”

“Be careful-!”

“Hehe, got it.”

“…Haa.”

Dodori really had no fear.

What was so important about a mere flower that she would lean her body outside the boat? So dangerous.

Even knowing it was a dream, his heart sank.

“You’re too careless.”

“But this is my first time seeing a lotus flower. I’ve only seen them in books before.”

“If you want to see them that badly, I’ll fill the greenhouse at the ducal mansion with them. So you can see them whenever you want.”

“If I could see them every day, they wouldn’t be this exciting.”

“……”

Was it because this was a dream?

Even Derek, who usually became awkward in front of Dodori, conversed more comfortably.

Then his attention was caught by a strand of hair that had fallen across her face.

‘That must be quite itchy.’

Dodori, holding up the lotus flower toward the moon, was too busy admiring it to notice.

She didn’t seem to realize her cheek was itchy.

Derek slowly raised his hand so Dodori wouldn’t notice.

Swish.

And just as he was about to carefully brush away her hair, their eyes suddenly met.

“……”

“…!”

Derek froze in place.

At the same time, his world stopped. Everything fell silent except for his rapidly beating heart.

‘This is a dream.’

Dodori’s clear eyes seemed to control him.

Derek rose to his feet like someone entranced. It was beyond his own will.

‘No. I can’t.’

He tried to stop somehow, but the Duke Frith in the dream devoured Dodori’s lips.

Just like a scene from the novel he had read.

“Mmph.”

Dodori’s eyes widened.

At the same time, Derek was devastated. This was behavior that deserved a slap with no excuse.

“…!”

But far from pushing him away, Dodori instead embraced him warmly.

Somehow his heart swelled.

‘A dream. Is this really a dream?’

Derek thought hazily.

They say you can’t feel any sensations in dreams, but this was strange.

Dodori’s lips were exceptionally sweet.

A sweetness like peaches, cherries, and strawberries all mixed together took his breath away.

Was all of this just an illusion created by his imagination?

But everything surrounding them felt too vivid for that.

The creaking sound of the carelessly placed oar. Followed by the thud as it hit the water’s surface.

The faint sound of crickets.

Even the light breeze touching his nape.

‘Well. What does it matter.’

Derek gave up on thinking.

He didn’t want to forget the soft, tender sensation against his lips.

Though he still didn’t know how to kiss properly, the Derek in the dream simply moved according to instinct.

Skillfully, as if he had become someone else.

“Mmph!”

Each time he couldn’t hold back and dove in forcefully, the boat rocked precariously under his weight.

At those moments, Audrey clutched his collar, not knowing what to do.

Creak. Squeak.

The boat tilting back and forth, threatening to flip over at any moment, kept them on edge.

But Derek didn’t care.

Instead, he wrapped his large hand around Dodori’s nape and pulled her closer.

Their lips locked together like perfect puzzle pieces, sharing warmth for a long time.

Thud.

“…!”

A dull resonance spread throughout the boat.

The boat that had been gliding across the lake had reached the dock.

“Haa.”

“Ha……”

Their lips, which had seemed inseparable, reluctantly parted. The two caught their breath after a very long time.

Derek gently caressed Dodori’s flushed cheeks.

Her cheeks, as soft as her lips, kept provoking his instincts.

Was kissing, which he had only experienced through books, this pleasurable?

‘…A dream. Yes, because it’s a dream.’

Derek, having made up his mind, pushed the dock pillar forcefully with his other arm.

The boat carrying the two began moving back toward the center of the lake.

“Mmph!”

Simultaneously, Derek stole Audrey’s lips.

This time it was by his own will, not anyone else’s.

It didn’t matter where they were.

Whether in the middle of the lake or at its edge, or even somewhere beyond the universe, it didn’t matter.

What mattered was that they were together. And that he didn’t want to wake from this dream yet.

The boat carrying the two continued its precarious journey, rocking for a long time.

***

“Your Grace.”

“……”

“Your Grace? Are you uncomfortable?”

“…No. It’s nothing.”

Derek belatedly came to his senses.

Audrey and Lucas tilted their heads, clearly finding him strange.

Lucas in particular, was especially observant.

‘Did he have a nightmare? Or was his sleeping place uncomfortable?’

If he had known the atmosphere would be this ominous from the morning, he would have confessed everything yesterday.

Duke Frith urged them with a somewhat dazed face.

“…Let’s depart quickly.”

“Yes. Ah, here comes the carriage!”

However, there was something Derek had overlooked.

The carriage they would be riding in had very narrow seats, requiring them to sit pressed against each other.

‘I forgot to have the carriage changed.’

This was all because Lucas hadn’t properly reserved the accommodations.

“Just a moment.”

“…!”

Derek couldn’t bring himself to look at Dodori and just stared at distant mountains.

‘Damn it!’

While Dodori, oblivious to everything, was merely trying to find a comfortable position, he was dying every time their warmth brushed against each other.

The sensations from last night’s dream kept coming back to life.

‘This cursed body!’

Never had he resented his massively developed body in all directions so much.

If he had been even slightly smaller, he wouldn’t have experienced such an unfortunate incident!

No, more than that, he couldn’t understand why he, who had lived his entire life in purity, had such a dream.

‘…Could it be? Because of that book.’

The only suspicious thing was the romance novel Lucas had lent him.

Derek, who had crumpled his body as much as possible to avoid touching Dodori, glared at his assistant with fierce eyes.

The back of his head, checking the itinerary while sitting next to the coachman, looked so carefree.

While someone else felt too troubled to face Dodori all day!

‘It’s already been an hour since I properly looked at Dodori’s face.’

What kind of joke of fate was this? The 13-night, 14-day schedule had hit a major hurdle from just the second day.

Meanwhile, Audrey, unaware of what was happening, was being transported like luggage.

Somehow, the seat felt even wider than yesterday.

The only problem was… that made her more exposed to others.

“Mom, is that lady the Duchess?”

“Roki! You should refer to her properly! And don’t point your finger!”

“Duchess! Over here, over here!”

“……”

A skinny, dark-tanned child waved at her.

Seeing the face smiling so innocently, Audrey couldn’t ignore it and waved back slightly.

“Mom! Mom! Did you see? The Duchess waved at me!”

“I want to greet the Duchess too!”

“What? The Duchess? Where?”

“…!”

But people who had thoroughly misunderstood began to gather.

At first, Audrey had waved her hand out of goodwill, but by now, she was becoming flustered.

‘Are they really mistaking me for the actual Duchess…?’

A crowd had gathered along the path the carriage was taking.

They held up their most precious possessions and waved enthusiastically toward Audrey.

“Wow, it’s the Duchess!”

“Look over here, too!”

“Duchess! Duchess!”

Completely flustered, Audrey didn’t know what to do and reflexively waved her hand.

She couldn’t just ignore someone who was greeting her.

But the more she waved back, the louder the cheers grew.

Some even began chasing after the carriage.

Lucas, finding this scene interesting, jokingly teased Audrey.

“Wow, you’re already quite popular, aren’t you?”

“Ha, ha, ha.”

“Already”? That was somehow a meaningful remark.

Audrey forced a smile and quickly thought. This clearly wasn’t a simple territory inspection.

Wasn’t this a case of all the territory’s residents collectively pushing her to become the Duchess?

‘I should have noticed from the carriage…’

The cream-colored, dainty carriage pulled by snow-white horses.

The two people riding in it looked every bit like newlyweds on a wedding parade.

Moreover, Duke Frith was wearing an ordinary tuxedo today.

Even the clothes he had prepared for Audrey were a snow-white, flowing dress reminiscent of a wedding gown.

Could this really be coincidence?

‘He said I wouldn’t need to bring clothes…’

Audrey’s mind became hazy from Duke Frith’s seemingly deliberate schemes.

The escape route she had seen in the distance seemed to grow more and more blurry as time passed.

Somehow, an indescribable anxiety welled up inside her.