Chapter 25

“I’ll trust you.”

After a reconciliation that wasn’t quite a reconciliation, Ellie suddenly realized how strange it was for the two of them to be alone in the bathroom. On top of that, Ellie was completely undressed.

Their eyes met, and Ellie, feeling embarrassed, swallowed dryly. At that moment, Cal’s face drew closer and their lips touched.

“Hnn….”

The gentle kiss quickly deepened, as Cal parted Ellie’s lips and sucked on the inner mucosa. Cal alternated between her upper and lower lips, sucking hard, and pushed his tongue between her teeth. The thick tongue gently scraped her palate, making Ellie’s waist tremble so she couldn’t stay still.

“…Hng!”

Ellie forgot she was in the water and turned to cling to Cal. The water in the tub splashed and overflowed onto the floor, but Cal didn’t let go of Ellie. By now, Cal was soaked as well, making his clothes meaningless.

Cal pushed his tongue deep, teasing her mouth until Ellie was breathless. Her rough breaths were swallowed by Cal’s mouth, and their noses bumped as the kisses continued, making Ellie’s face flush bright red.

“Ha, haa!”

“Haa, Ellie, just a little more…”

Cal’s eyes quickly glazed over as he desperately tried to kiss her more, but when the water in the tub splashed loudly, Ellie came to her senses and pushed him away.

“…Stop, stop.”

“Haa, Ellie… please? Just a little more…”

Cal held Ellie’s head with both hands, keeping her from moving, and couldn’t get enough of kissing her. The sound of his lips smacking echoed through the bathroom as he kissed her face everywhere. Ellie, too weak to push him away, had to let Cal kiss her for quite a while.

Much later, after finally sending Cal out first, Ellie was able to call Susan. Susan, who came into the room to help Ellie get ready, was surprised to see Ellie’s flushed face.

“Was the bathwater too hot? Your lips are swollen, too.”

“N-no, it was just right!”

Ellie couldn’t possibly tell what had happened in the bathroom with the young master of the house, so she just blushed again.

***

Ellie, who had spent the afternoon resting in her room under the pretext of travel fatigue, came down to the first floor after hearing news of the Grand Duke’s return. With Cal, she descended the stairs, and the Grand Duchess, already waiting, greeted Ellie warmly.

“Thanks to you, I rested well. Thank you, Your Grace.”

“Your Grace? That sounds so distant. You can call me Anne. Or, you can call me Mother, if you’d like.”

“What?”

Ellie was flustered by the sudden suggestion, while Cal just smiled brightly beside her. Then, Phil came running down the stairs with a clatter, grabbed Ellie’s hand, and shook it.

“Princess! Did you rest well?”

From the first time they met, Phil had called Ellie “Princess” and followed her around. Not understanding why, Ellie smiled at Phil and glanced at Cal for an explanation.

“Ellie, in the North, there’s a fairy tale called ‘The Winter Kingdom,’ where the prince of winter marries the princess from the land of spring. And that spring princess looks just like you.”

Cal explained that Ellie’s golden hair, like sunlight, and green eyes, like new leaves, matched the princess in the story. He said he’d thought of the spring princess when he first saw Ellie.

Understanding why Phil called her princess, Ellie crouched down to meet his eyes. The child’s sparkling eyes and flushed cheeks were so adorable.

“Little Prince, I like being called Ellie even more than princess.”

“Okay, Princess! I mean, Ellie! I’m Phil!”

“Thank you, Phil.”

She lifted the hand he was holding and kissed it, making Phil’s already red cheeks turn even redder. Cal, seeing this, couldn’t hold back. Without considering Phil was his younger brother, Cal pulled the two apart and warned Phil.

“Phil, you can’t call her Ellie. You have to call her Sister-in-law.”

“Yes, Brother!”

“Cal, what are you saying!”

Ellie was frustrated that Cal was saying such things in front of his brother, but with his mother present, she couldn’t complain further.

“Ellie, you mustn’t kiss other men so freely.”

Cal even called his own brother “another man,” and as the two bickered, news came that the Grand Duke’s car had arrived at the gate. Cal and Ellie finally stood properly to await the Grand Duke.

Soon, the front door opened and a tall man in a long winter coat entered the house. After handing his hat to the butler, he turned toward them, and Ellie was so stunned she lost her composure.

The Grand Duke of Hairos was a handsome, dignified middle-aged man. Ellie thought Cal would look like him in twenty years.

Faced with the Grand Duke, who was even more handsome than Cal, Ellie froze. Cal, noticing this, quickly frowned and covered Ellie’s eyes with his palm, teasing her.

“Ellie, you’re not allowed to look at other men so passionately.”

Now Cal was treating his father as “another man,” and the Grand Duke reacted before Ellie could.

“You’ve become cheekier since I last saw you, Cal.”

“Welcome home, Father.”

The Grand Duke chuckled at Cal’s belated greeting, then spoke to Ellie, who stood beside Cal, embarrassed and blushing.

“I am Edward, Grand Duke of Hairos. Welcome to the North.”

“I am Elysia Nord. Thank you for welcoming me, Your Grace.”

“Hmm, that title is too stiff. You should call me Father.”

“…What?”

Like husband, like wife, Ellie thought.

***

“Ellie, let’s go to our lake.”

“To skate?”

The next day, Cal invited Ellie to go out and see the lake. He said it had been cold for days, so the ice would be thick enough for skating.

Phil wanted to go with them after hearing they were going out, but he pouted and stayed behind after Cal promised to play with him later.

Just as when they went to see the sea, Cal drove himself, and before going to the lake, they stopped by the market. The market scene wasn’t much different from the South, except for the cold-weather tents set up because of the chill.

“Ellie, aren’t you cold?”

Cal asked as they walked through the crowd. Ellie found the question a bit ridiculous. Cal was only wearing a coat and gloves, while Ellie, bundled up in a fur coat, scarf, and earmuffs, thought she should be asking him instead.

“You look colder than I do.”

Ellie wrapped her arms around Cal’s waist and leaned on him. Cal hugged her shoulders and kissed her forehead. As they showed affection in the middle of the street, passersby glanced at them, but the lovers who only saw each other didn’t mind.