“Do not regret it. You spoke as the Duchess should. It was not something you shouldn’t have said.”

“…Is that so?”

“It is.”

Alex let out a low chuckle and lifted one of Elicity’s hands. Elicity tilted her head in curiosity.

“Dear? What are you doing…?”

“The first waltz is about to begin. The leading figures must go dance.”

“Alex, you must dance the first piece with Princess Yurea. She was invited as royalty from Madonia.”

“I got permission.”

“What?”

“I was given permission to dance the first piece with you.”

‘Permission’? Elicity stared at her husband in disbelief, finding his words almost childlike.

“Alex, are you saying you’re disregarding Madonia’s traditions? You know very well that the first dance of a banquet must be with a royal.”

“The king here is me.”

“My goodness!”

Elicity turned pale and quickly covered her husband’s mouth with both hands. Through the white silk gloves, she could hear his hearty laughter.

“You think this is funny? You just said something that could wipe out an entire family! Bella has such a promising future ahead of her!”

Still chuckling, Alex gently pulled down Elicity’s hands with one of his. Seeing the two lace gloves resting neatly on his single hand, a smile naturally formed on his lips.

“Were your hands always this small?”

“Alex… Is this really the time for that?”

Elicity’s gaze narrowed in exasperation, but Alex simply grinned.

“Elicity, Princess Yurea is set to marry the King of Hazaki soon. She wanted to be mindful of her conduct and agreed with my opinion. Others will, too.”

Then, he pressed a kiss onto the back of Elicity’s hand.

The sudden and rather bold display of affection startled Elicity, causing her shoulders to jolt upward.

“D-Dear. People are watching.”

“What wrong have I done? We’re a married couple.”

“Ah…”

That’s right.

Because of what happened in the bedroom last time, even the smallest things were making her overreact. Feeling embarrassed, Elicity’s cheeks turned red.

Her flustered and frozen state was endearing, but the growing crowd around them was starting to feel overwhelming.

Alex smoothly lifted her arm and looped it around his own, then whispered quietly into her ear.

“Well then, shall we really go dance now? Do you remember the waltz?”

“Of course. What do you take me for? I may not have danced in a while, but I raised—no, I intended to raise my daughter to be a queen.”

“That’s good. Actually, I had to practice because I couldn’t remember.”

“Hmph.”

Elicity scoffed like a cat but obediently followed his lead.

The first piece was exactly what she had planned—composer Morette’s In Praise of Midwinter.

***

The victory banquet in Zeroden traditionally lasts for three days.

On the first day, the invited royals present rewards to honor the achievements of the Zeroden knights, followed by a ball for socializing.

On the second day, men typically fish at Lake Rahim, which belongs to Zeroden, while women go on outings. In truth, by the second day, the only nobles still at the estate are either close relatives or very close friends.

On the final day, a light garden stroll or meal is shared, and parting gifts are exchanged.

“The first day has ended without trouble.”

Seeing off the last carriage, Elicity let out a sigh of relief.

Of course, a few nobles still remained in private rooms, but the banquet was essentially over.

Tomorrow would be a day of hosting friends in a more relaxed manner. Though, she couldn’t afford to be too relaxed.

“Yes, congratulations, Madam. Every lady was raving about how perfect you were.”

“Olivia, don’t flatter me.”

“I’m not! It’s the truth. Honestly, even I was surprised. Your skills keep improving.”

It was simply because she had lived this before.

Unable to voice the real reason, Elicity could only let out an awkward cough. That was when she noticed Olivia looking at her with a meaningful gaze.

“Olivia? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Madam, you should head to your bedroom now.”

“Oh, right.”

Elicity naturally began walking toward her room, but Olivia let out a loud cough.

“Madam, that’s not the way.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Don’t you share a bedroom with the Master now?”

Gasp.

Realization hit Elicity like a wave, making her let out a short breath.

‘T-That’s right. I completely forgot amidst the banquet. Celon said I could start using it today.’

Recalling how excited the chamberlain had been, her face gradually grew warm.

“Y-Yes. I should go…”

Olivia, wearing a subtle smile, adjusted their course.

Following the nanny, Elicity could feel her heart pounding far too loudly.

‘Why on earth am I like this? Come now, Elicity Zeroden. You’re past the age for this nonsense…’

She scolded herself firmly, but the ripples of her emotions wouldn’t settle. Even her vision felt unsteady.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Whew.”

As they reached the chamber doors, Elicity let out a deep breath.

Several attendants standing by the door widened their eyes at her.

“N-No, I was just…”

“Was it really that difficult to get here?”

Just as she was flusteredly waving her hands, a voice tinged with laughter came from behind her.

“Ah, Alex.”

“You haven’t changed yet.”

He had already changed into his nightwear.

Since she hadn’t helped him change, she wondered if he had received assistance from a servant, as he had previously mentioned being ‘fed up’ with them. However, before she could ask, Alex grabbed her arm.

The two of them smoothly stepped into the open doorway.

Elicity’s eyes took in the immaculately clean bedroom, devoid of a single speck of dust, and the one massive bed in the center. Beside it were their respective dressing rooms.

Alex pointed toward Elicity’s dressing room and spoke.

“This time, is it my turn to help you change?”

“What?”

Elicity, flustered, turned her head.

“You know that women’s clothing is much harder to put on and take off than men’s.”

“Well, I suppose. If I get impatient, I might just tear them.”

“…What?”

A heavy silence filled the room.

“You would… tear my clothes?”

Elicity parted her lips in disbelief.

But then, she suddenly recalled how urgently he had approached her just a few days ago. Her face instantly flushed red.

Though he hadn’t torn them, her clothes had been roughly removed and discarded onto the floor. His large hands had then wandered over her bare skin without hesitation…

She could feel her face growing impossibly hot.

If she dwelled on it any longer, she was certain she would die of embarrassment. Quickly fanning herself, Elicity rushed to change the subject.

“I-I’ll take that as a joke. That must be what you meant, right?”

“……”

Alex remained silent, but Elicity didn’t wait for his response.

“In any case, a woman’s changing process is quite complicated. So why don’t you lie down and try to sleep first? I’ll change with the maids and be back shortly.”

She rattled off her words like a machine gun and darted into the dressing room.

***

Though his wife had told him to sleep first, Alex did not.

Sleepiness crept over him, but he kept himself occupied with a stack of documents while waiting for Elicity.

Soon, three shadows flickered under the candlelight.

The two maids quickly disappeared, leaving only his wife standing in the bedroom.

Alex tossed the unreadable documents onto the table and got up from his seat.

“Elicity.”

“…Alex, you’re still awake?”

He wanted to tell her that he had been waiting for her, but the words wouldn’t leave his lips.

It had been a long time since he had last seen her in nightwear.

Of course, he had seen his wife at night many times. But she was always in the study due to work or their daughter, always wrapped in a thick nightgown.

Because of that, seeing Elicity now, dressed in a thin, pure-white nightgown, felt like a sight he hadn’t seen in a hundred years. Not that he was actually over a hundred years old.

As she walked toward him, startled by the scattered documents, the delicate lace hem of her gown fluttered around her ankles.

Alex’s gaze unconsciously fixated on her fair, bare ankles—just as white as her nightgown.

“My goodness. You were still looking through documents? You should have gone to the study or your office instead. It would have been much more comfortable.”

“These weren’t urgent. Besides, there’s a banquet tonight.”

“Then why didn’t you just sleep first? Why wait for me?”

“Why do you think?”

Elicity was too flustered to respond. Alex walked over to the bed, sat on the edge, and lifted the blanket.

The golden-embroidered quilt was pulled back, revealing the pristine sheets beneath. His veined hand ran smoothly over the fabric.

“Come here. The night is short.”

Perhaps it was the moonlight, but his crimson eyes gleamed with a strange, unfamiliar light.

Elicity met his gaze, biting her lip nervously. Tonight was the night of the victory banquet. Tomorrow and the day after, there would be more banquets.

‘There’s no way… It’s the night of the banquet… The esteemed guests are still here. There’s no way my husband would…’

Although the guests were in their own rooms, if anything urgent arose, the hosts would have to wake up and attend to it immediately.

As she had been taught—though it seemed unnecessary—proper etiquette dictated that couples should refrain from intimacy when guests were present. They were even expected to sleep in separate chambers.

With that in mind, she hesitated but ultimately reassured herself. Surely, the duke wouldn’t disregard such a basic rule of etiquette.

Elicity cautiously approached the bed he had smoothed down and sat lightly beside him.

The moment she did, he stretched out his long, firm arm, wrapping it around her waist and pulling her in.

“Oh, oh my—”

Her startled voice rang through the bedroom.

But she quickly silenced herself, pressing her lips together as her body tensed.