Alex openly scoffed and then roughly stood up from his seat.

“Lowen, where is my wife?”

“She is probably in the dining hall since it’s dinnertime. She must be having her meal.”

“I should go see her. Get ready in the meantime.”

Alex headed toward the dining hall where Elicity would be. However, he couldn’t quite figure out how to bring up the topic. 

Just yesterday, he had promised himself not to make his wife anxious, yet now he had to leave the ducal estate once again. The closer he got to the dining hall, the more his brows subtly furrowed.

When he stepped inside, he saw Elicity stirring her soup absentmindedly, seemingly deep in thought. Alex deliberately made his footsteps louder. Hearing the sound, Elicity looked up and met his gaze.

“Alex? What brings you here? I didn’t ask them to prepare a meal for you.”

“Well…”

Seeing Elicity brighten and rise from her seat, Alex felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He gently pressed her shoulders down, guiding her to sit back, then casually leaned against the chair beside her.

“…A summons has arrived, instructing me to return to the palace.”

“Oh…”

The smile that had been lingering on her lips gradually faded, stirring conflicting emotions within Alex. On one hand, he felt gratified that his wife would miss his presence. On the other, he felt sorrow at the thought of being apart from her for a while.

Pressing his fingers against his brow, he murmured an apology.

“I’m sorry.”

Elicity shook her head with a faint smile.

“No, there’s nothing for you to apologize for. You have to go, after all. When are you leaving?”

“As soon as possible—at least, that’s the vague and irresponsible message they sent. But after reading the letter, it didn’t seem like an urgent matter, so I decided to spend the night with you and leave tomorrow morning.”

She briefly wondered if that was really acceptable, given it was a royal command. However, her husband’s expression remained completely nonchalant, so she simply nodded.

“Do you have something on your mind? You hardly touched your meal.”

“Well, I’m hosting a tea party soon and inviting a large number of noblewomen. I want to make sure everything goes well, but I can’t help feeling nervous.”

“If you’re handling it, what could possibly go wrong?”

Elicity looked slightly surprised by Alex’s immediate response, but he was being entirely sincere. Before her regression, she had been widely regarded as the perfect duchess. Now that she had returned to the past, if anything, the guests would be astonished, not critical.

Of course, there would be those who spoke ill of her out of jealousy, but he trusted that Elicity could easily discern empty slander from genuine remarks.

“In any gathering, there will always be those who are dissatisfied. It’s impossible to please everyone. So just do your best and don’t dwell on regrets.”

Elicity smiled at his kind words.

“You’re right. Thank you, dear.”

However, there was a more pressing matter Alex needed to discuss. After a moment’s hesitation, he straightened his posture and pulled his chair closer.

“Elicity, actually, before I leave for the palace, there’s something I need to discuss. It’s about Salita’s—”

“Are you talking about Salita’s princess?”

Elicity cut him off before he could even finish speaking. This had been one of her concerns as well.

“No. Absolutely not. I will never allow it.”

Her words came out colder than she had intended, startled by the very notion. Feeling a bit flustered, she waited for her husband’s response.

“I don’t want that either.”

Fortunately, Alex was of the same mind. Elicity unknowingly let out a sigh of relief, smiling in reassurance.

“I could never send our beloved daughter to a land that was once our enemy.”

“I completely agree. Even if Salita’s royal family appears friendly toward us, there are bound to be those who aren’t.”

Alex gazed at Elicity’s delicate, fair face. Her amethyst-colored eyes shimmered with emotion as she looked at him, filled with unmistakable joy.

Ignorance could be a sin. She had no idea how alluring those damp eyes of hers were. There were moments when Alex felt as if his heart might drop just from looking at her.

He had come to discuss not only the matter of Salita’s princess but also the management of the ducal estate. Yet, all those thoughts had long since vanished from his mind.

His crimson eyes glinted with mischief. The corners of his lips curved into a teasing smile as he slowly stood up.

“It’s already evening, and yet you’re trying to seduce me?”

“Huh? S-Seduce you? What are you talking about?”

Elicity blinked in confusion at his unexpected words.

But instead of answering, Alex closed the distance between them and leaned down, his arms caging her in.

A shadow fell over the crown of her head, causing her to instinctively lift her gaze. At that moment, their eyes met. As she locked eyes with those burning, intense crimson irises, Elicity finally had a rough idea of what he was thinking.

Soon, Alex unbuttoned one or two buttons on his shirt and commanded, “Everyone in this space, leave immediately.”

At their master’s low and rough tone, not a single servant questioned his order and quietly exited the room. Only Elicity was left feeling uneasy.

“Alex, um, why are you sending the servants out?”

Without a word, Alex raised his hand and caressed Elicity’s cheek. She barely had time to register the sensation of his large, firm fingers before he began to tease her lower lip.

Startled, Elicity immediately tried to rise from her seat to escape from her husband. But, of course, Alex did not allow it. He lightly pulled her waist, securing her firmly against him.

“Dear?”

“Shh.”

Alex brushed his fingers over Elicity’s lips, which had formed a perfect circle in shock. As his hot fingers traced over her soft skin, Elicity’s mind became clouded with confusion.

This was the dining hall—a place where meals were eaten. A place she visited every day.

“Dear, please stop. Someone might see.”

However, Alex ignored her words, instead stroking the small of her back that had tensed up with anxiety.

As the thin fabric brushed against her sensitive skin, an inexplicable shiver ran through her. Her mind screamed that she needed to stop this. With great effort, Elicity raised her hands and grasped Alex’s hand.

“Alex. Just a moment.”

At the almost tearful voice, Alex halted his movements.

“Why?”

“This is a place where we eat.”

“I know.”

Elicity was taken aback by his shameless tone.

“Then… h-how could you do something so improper here?”

“Improper? All I was trying to do was kiss my wife, to whom I am lawfully wed.”

Through his tousled hair, she could see his darkened eyes—eyes filled with longing.

Just as she licked her dry lips, trying to maintain her silence, her cheek was suddenly cupped, and her lower lip was seized.

Startled by his wild action, Elicity groped at the table, knocking over a fork, knife, and wine glass, which clattered loudly to the floor.

Yet none of that seemed to matter.

Instead, as if irritated by the obstruction, Alex roughly pushed the table aside and effortlessly lifted Elicity, seating her atop it.

Good heavens.

For a moment, Elicity wasn’t sure if she was even breathing. Her chest felt as if it might burst, her head spinning.

Her vision blurred so much that it wouldn’t have been surprising if she collapsed right then and there.

Alex’s shirt was now half-unbuttoned, the fabric hanging loosely, revealing glimpses of his deep collarbones and well-defined abs.

The masculine scent that enveloped her made it seem as if he could press her down onto the table at any moment.

Alex pulled Elicity into a tight embrace and pressed his lips against the nape of her neck.

“Ah…!”

A searing heat spread over her collarbone, accompanied by a tingling sensation that sent shivers down her spine.

Elicity bit her lips with all her might. She knew that just beyond the door, a few servants and guards were likely standing by.

Instead, she grasped Alex’s shoulders with her feeble hands and pleaded,

“Alex, dear. Not here—this isn’t the place. If… if we must continue, let’s go to our bedroom. Please?”

At her words, Alex slowly lifted his head. His red eyes gleamed like those of a predator, causing Elicity to squeeze her eyes shut in response.

***

She had no recollection of how they made it to the bedroom.

By the time she regained her senses, she was still in her dress, lying on the bed, while her husband was on top of her, shirtless.

Alex once again pressed his lips against her delicate collarbone. His fingers naturally moved toward the buttons of her dress.

It was then that Elicity, eyes tightly shut, let out a desperate cry.

“T-turn off the lights!”

Her voice rang loudly throughout the bedroom, causing Alex to momentarily freeze in surprise.

It wasn’t a rejection, but in all the times they had been intimate, his wife had never raised her voice like this before.

Steadying his ragged breath, he asked,

“…Why?”

For a moment, Elicity couldn’t answer Alex’s question.

Because the truth was too embarrassing: The chandelier’s light is too bright, and I can see your young face too clearly.

She had no choice.

All of their previous encounters had taken place in complete darkness, in a dazed state of pleasure.

The predatory expression he wore in those dim moments had felt almost dreamlike, as if it weren’t real.

But this time was different. Under the glow of a hundred candles, her husband’s youthful face became too vivid, too tangible.

It wasn’t that she disliked Alex. She simply wasn’t used to the stark reality of his youth—she wanted the darkness to obscure it just a little.

As she wordlessly turned her head to the side, avoiding his gaze, Alex slowly reached out and touched her cheek.

“Elicity.”

At the touch of his fingers, Elicity flinched, her body trembling ever so slightly. Alex, sensing her reaction, quickly realized the truth.

After a moment of silence, he slowly sat up, lifting himself away from her.

The flames that had once danced in his eyes subsided into a calm stillness, as if they had never been there at all.

“Alex?”