“It was brutal and savage. You must have hated it. You must have been scared. I only ever wanted to bring you joy… but I…”

Alex couldn’t finish his sentence. He turned his gaze slightly, looking out the window. He didn’t have the courage to face his wife.

“I’m sorry. I won’t let it happen again.”

“…….”

“If… if you keep fearing me… then perhaps having separate rooms… wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

The words fell hesitantly, one by one. He had forced himself to say something he didn’t want to.

The solitude he had endured might return, but if that was what it took for his wife’s happiness, he had no other choice. With a groan, Alex finished his sentence.

“If you only called me here today because of our daughter, don’t worry. Just say I was busy and—”

“That time.”

Alex’s words were cut off.

“I was scared, Your Grace.”

‘Your Grace.’

She hadn’t called him by name. It was the same title Elicity had used to address him without emotion before his regression.

Startled, he turned to her. Her gaze was as sharp as her tone. Unlike before, her eyes now held an intense, piercing quality.

As Alex hesitated in confusion, Elicity took a bold step closer.

“But Your Grace, why are you acting so cowardly?”

“Cow… cowardly?”

“Yes.”

Alex was so taken aback by her choice of words that his pupils trembled noticeably.

Elicity smoothed the sleeve of her slip for a moment, but only for a moment. Then, she took another step forward and suddenly grabbed Alex’s collar.

“It was frightening, yes, but not to the point that I loathed you. On the contrary, it seems like you are the one who is afraid of me.”

“…….”

“Am I wrong?”

Her firm grip on his collar, her sharp tone—it all felt surreal. But the way her lips quivered slightly proved that this was reality.

“Your actions were frightening, yes, but I… I…”

“…….”

“I still wanted you to stay by my side. I’ve told you that over and over again.”

Elicity bit her lip. Her voice weakened at the end. It seemed that she had exhausted all the courage she had mustered.

Alex found that sight unbearably endearing, yet at the same time, he couldn’t believe it.

‘She… wanted to stay by my side?’

As he replayed his wife’s words in his mind, it was as if fireworks exploded inside his head.

Her unexpected words and expression left him at a loss for how to respond.

Then, a feeling of relief flooded his chest.

His wife wanted him.

It was a situation entirely different from before his regression.

But at the same time, he felt guilt and torment.

Why had he never understood her feelings?

Why had he kept turning away?

‘…Because I was afraid.’

—Bella is waiting for you, my love.

In the past, she had abandoned him without hesitation and left. She had deemed him worthless.

So he had convinced himself that she would do the same in this life. That was why he had avoided facing her properly.

Like a pathetic coward.

‘How foolish I’ve been.’

Taking a deep breath, Alex slowly exhaled the remnants of his past.

“I… thought you hated me.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Her violet eyes filled with genuine confusion.

Digging up the past and confessing it was an excruciating task, especially when the outcome was uncertain. But Alex forced his frozen lips to move.

“I am… a rough man. A swordsman who kills people. I thought… you would be afraid of me.”

“That’s absurd.”

Elicity slowly released his collar. Her red lips parted in shock.

“If I had truly feared you, I never would have shared a bed with you.”

Even as her face flushed, she finished her sentence without hesitation.

That faint blush cut through his thoughts and settled atop the remnants of his past.

Suddenly, warmth surged in his chest.

Alex stepped closer to Elicity.

“But you clung to me, saying that as a noblewoman of Madonia, it was your duty.”

“T-that was… because I was embarrassed. You know that.”

Lowering her gaze, Elicity mumbled. But soon, she snapped her head up and asked,

“And what about you? I thought… you only held me to satisfy your lust.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Alex answered immediately.

“I’ve told you countless times that I love you. Did you not believe me?”

“That’s…”

This time, Elicity couldn’t answer.

Because she couldn’t tell him the real reason—

That after what happened before his regression, she simply hadn’t been able to trust him completely.

“I’m sorry.”

The apology slipped out. However, Alex neither felt dejected nor bitter toward his wife for doubting him.

Since they had both returned from the past, he understood her reasoning, and he had anticipated this from the beginning.

“Elicity.”

“…….”

“I truly love you.”

Alex softly whispered, almost like a sigh.

“You may not know this… but I have loved you for much longer than the time you are aware of.”

Alex lifted his hand and gently caressed Elicity’s cheek.

Without realizing it, Elicity slowly closed her eyes. His touch was rough yet warm.

Amidst the distant silence, her husband’s voice reached her.

“It’s not unreasonable for you to doubt me. Even if I were to split open my chest and lay my heart bare, we are but human—there’s no way to truly know someone’s sincerity.”

Each word seemed to be wrung out from deep within him.

“……But what must I do for you to believe me?”

Alex softly pressed his lips against Elicity’s forehead.

The warmth and tenderness on her forehead made Elicity’s body flinch slightly. As he placed small kisses downward, his lips gently landed upon her delicate eyelids.

“Tell me, my love. What must I do for you to trust me?”

His lips naturally trailed toward her flushed cheeks. When his firm teeth lightly grazed her skin, which glowed like a ripe peach, a faint moan escaped her lips.

Elicity arched her back slightly. That subtle movement made Alex firmly grasp her slender waist and pull her closer against him.

He was as hot as fire and as solid as stone. Elicity felt that if she leaned into him just a little more, she might burn up and turn to ashes.

Soon, his lips instinctively found hers. Her full, sweet lips had a faint scab at the corner. Alex kissed over it gently, his hands caressing her cheeks.

“Tell me, hmm?”

The ticklish, mysterious sensation made Elicity pant as she clung to her husband’s embrace. But his question cut through the haze in her mind with perfect clarity.

‘How can I trust my husband…?’

She couldn’t undo the past. Nor could she erase her memories.

She didn’t want to either—not when she had a beloved daughter.

After a long hesitation, Elicity suddenly lifted her hands and wrapped them around her husband’s neck.

“My love, always tell me you love me.”

She clung to Alex’s firm neck as if it were a lifeline and whispered into his ear.

“Every single day.”

“Aren’t I already doing that?”

“Not just at night, not just in bed.”

Elicity blushed but spoke with firm resolve.

“Kiss me on the cheek anytime, anywhere… Show me your affection. Don’t go far away. Give me love, give me security.”

“Would that be enough?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. But for now, it’s the best I can ask for.”

Elicity nuzzled her face against his neck like a small kitten.

For the first time in her life, she acted spoiled. The thrill of it sent a shiver down Alex’s spine.

He lifted her soft hair and pressed a kiss onto it.

***

The fragmented light of dawn filtering through the curtains tickled Alex’s eyelids.

For the first time in a long while, he felt an overwhelming sense of vitality. He had the confidence that, if necessary, he could march into battle and claim victory.

It was, of course, all because of the woman beside him.

Elicity, fast asleep and oblivious to the world, had given herself to him last night with passion and fire.

There had been no awkwardness, no hesitation. She had embraced him of her own accord and expressed her love without restraint.

And so, last night, he became a tyrant.

He had taken her like a predator, ruthlessly trampling upon her modesty.

Because he had told her he loved her.

He had wanted to carve that reality into her body—deep, undeniable, unforgettable.

In bed, etiquette and propriety meant nothing. There was no need for restraint. He had wanted to prove to her, ‘Your thinking is wrong’, and he had claimed her entirely.

Of course, she had been embarrassed. She had pleaded with him to stop as they explored unfamiliar territories. But Alex had ignored her.

‘I am the only man who will ever have you like this.’

‘From birth to death, I am the only one who will tangle with you like this.’

‘Your body belongs to me, and mine belongs to you.’

He had driven that truth into her mind as he held her in his arms.

Any last shreds of dignity and poise she might have had—he had obliterated them. Just as he had discarded all his own grace and refinement as a duke.

In the end, her pale skin had been stained in hues of deep rose, and she had surrendered entirely.

She had sung for him atop the sheets like a beautiful instrument.

And ultimately, she had admitted he was right. She had begged him not to stop, flipping her stance completely.

Alex felt a twinge of guilt for her sake, but the satisfaction he felt was overwhelming.

The lazy smirk curling his lips was no different from that of a satiated beast.

Just then, Elicity furrowed her brows slightly and murmured something in her sleep.

He didn’t know what kind of dream she was having, but he hoped that, even for a fleeting moment, he appeared in it.

He burrowed back under the blankets.

Wrapping his strong arms around her bare body, he pulled her snugly against him.

The softness of her skin against his firm muscles reignited the embers of last night’s passion.

—Ah, my love. I love you… Ah!

Love-drenched words had poured from her lips like a flood.

Perhaps she had been lost in pleasure, lacking reason in the moment.

But they hadn’t been meaningless words.

Because her dazed, unfocused gaze had held the undeniable shade of red—the color of love.

That gaze had carried the unspoken words she had been unable to say for so long.

The moment he saw it, he could no longer deny it.

He was certain. He was convinced. He reached his own conclusion.

She loves me.

And at that moment, Alex knew exactly what he had to do.

He pulled Elicity into his arms once more, rougher this time, as if to engrave this night as their new reality.

—I love you, Alex… Hic…

Sweet, endlessly sweet words spilled out, but the night was short.

By the time dawn approached, she had collapsed into exhausted slumber.

“……Elicity.”

Alex murmured her name softly.

“Elicity.”

It was so sweet.