Leticia swallowed back the question “Why?” that almost escaped her throat.

The excuse of being a married couple only applied in the capital. There was no need to act like a married couple where Mathias’s eyes couldn’t reach.

“Mathias’s persistence is as relentless as a hunting dog’s.”

Even though Mathias was targeting Leticia, there was no reason for her to share a room with Callius. Leticia couldn’t understand why Callius, who had assigned Christine to protect her from Mathias, now acted as if he had forgotten about it.

“I have Christine, don’t I?”

Hadn’t he said before that there was no need to doubt her skills?

“Are you going to keep Christine posted outside the door all night?”

“Is Christine the only knight you have?”

Leticia retorted without backing down. At that, Callius stood up. When he rose, the candlelight flickered violently, and shadows danced chaotically.

“Of course not.”

“Then…”

“Why do you think I want to share a room with you for your sake?”

Sharing a room wasn’t just about protecting Leticia from assassins. She understood the underlying meaning in his words.

“I’m not going to run away.”

“Anyone can say that.”

Although she felt embarrassed for misunderstanding his intentions, she was still angry. He was judging her without knowing her well.

It also annoyed her that he seemed so certain she wouldn’t pose a threat to him.

“Don’t even dream of harming me. Not that I think you’d succeed.”

Leticia was growing increasingly exasperated. Her disbelief was written all over her face. The distance between her and Callius had somehow shortened.

“Well, I suppose you need me too, so you wouldn’t kill me, would you?”

The atmosphere surrounding Callius Maxis was different now compared to when they were in the capital.

Though he called Mathias a persistent hunting dog, he now acted as if he had completely shaken him off and was at ease.

When he spoke earlier, it even seemed like he was lightly teasing Leticia.

Leticia, still unaccustomed to his changed demeanor, fell right into his provocations.

His confidence provoked her.

“Why are you so sure?”

Why was he so certain about something Leticia herself wasn’t sure of? She demanded an answer, though her voice trembled slightly at the end.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous at all.

Leticia didn’t avoid him, even as the man, taller than her by a head, leaned closer.

Eventually, he closed the distance as much as he had on their wedding night.

“My title is not yet inheritable. His Majesty always prepares for contingencies.”

This was the first time she had learned this.

In other words, if Leticia killed him, she wouldn’t inherit his title but would instead return to being a nameless nobody.

“Have you now decided that killing me isn’t a viable option?”

He was right, but Leticia didn’t respond. Instead, she took a step back.

The surprisingly refreshing scent faded away into the distance.

Leticia stood facing Callius, still holding her ground.

She spoke to Christine, who was surely watching everything unfold from behind her.

“Christine, if I die, kill Callius.”

She didn’t actually believe Christine would do it. But given that she was now sharing a room with Callius Maxis, having some kind of contingency plan didn’t seem like a bad idea.

“Of course, madam.”

Callius looked at Leticia and Christine incredulously as they casually discussed plotting his murder right in front of him.

Christine’s response was completely without hesitation.

“If you don’t kill me, you won’t have to worry about being killed yourself.”

“Well, that’s… comforting.”

Though his tone was clearly sarcastic, Leticia pretended not to notice.

—

The bathwater was sufficiently warm.

Despite the chill in the night air, the room wasn’t cold.

It was undoubtedly the largest room in the inn. The fireplace had been stocked with enough firewood to last all night without needing to be checked.

Leticia soaked in the tub until the fatigue from the journey melted away.

It might have been the first time in months that she had enjoyed such peace and quiet.

Leticia closed her eyes and got out of the tub before she could fall asleep, drying off.

The inn’s maid had come in to assist her, but Leticia had sent her away, finding the fuss unnecessary.

After wringing the water from her hair, she changed into the nightdress laid out in front of the fireplace.

Sleep overtook her soon after.

—

How much time had passed?

Leticia had dozed off but woke up again. The fireplace still radiated warmth.

Callius Maxis was nowhere to be seen.

Perhaps the idea of sharing a room had been nothing more than a way to scare her.

He still hadn’t appeared, even though the moon had long since risen.

As she tried to go back to sleep, she realized she was thirsty.

She opened her eyes slightly and looked around, but there was no water in sight.

Leticia sat up.

‘Is he still drinking downstairs?’

The last time she saw him, he had been sharing drinks with the innkeeper.

Holding a small candlestick, Leticia walked over and slowly turned the doorknob.

The hallway was unexpectedly quiet.

There was no noise from downstairs either.

After a moment’s hesitation, Leticia decided she was too thirsty to go back to sleep.

As she stepped forward, the floor creaked beneath her.

“Why are you up?”

A low voice startled her, and she almost dropped the candlestick.

When she turned around, she saw Callius standing there with a grim expression.

“…Why are you standing there?”

That wasn’t all.

As Leticia looked at him in surprise, she noticed something in his hand reflecting the candlelight—a blade.

Realizing this, Callius quickly hid the dagger behind his back, as if he had only just remembered it.

It felt as though alarm bells were ringing in Leticia’s head.

‘Why is he holding a dagger outside my door?’

Leticia had to admit she had been far too confident in the idea that he “wouldn’t kill her yet.”

“I asked why you’re up.”

His cold voice made Leticia tighten her grip on the candlestick.

“…I was thirsty.”

“Then I’ll bring you some water.”

She wanted to tell him it wasn’t necessary, but the atmosphere he exuded was terrifying.

Leticia gave a small nod and stepped back.

He stood there, watching as she fully closed the door.

Through the crack, his sharp eyes gleamed.

Once the door shut, Leticia released the breath she had been holding in tension.

“…Ha.”

She couldn’t move, as though she had been caught in his gaze.

The mere thought that he might have been planning to kill her made all traces of sleep vanish.

—

Christine pressed her lips together tightly, though no sound had escaped.

When Leticia opened the door and stepped out, Christine had been so startled she felt her hair stand on end.

But she wasn’t the only one surprised.

Callius had clearly been caught off guard as well. Otherwise, he would have hidden the dagger much sooner.

“The madam will misunderstand.”

“I know.”

Callius’s voice was frighteningly calm, as though he didn’t care if Leticia misunderstood him—or perhaps he thought it was only natural.

Christine couldn’t guess what he was thinking.

His mind was as incomprehensible as it had been when he first brought her here.

The assassin, struggling in Christine’s grip, looked at her with a mix of frustration and despair.

All he had done was step into the inn.

Yet somehow, Callius had discovered him, found the dagger and poison he carried, and cornered him.

And then, Leticia’s door had opened.

“Shouldn’t you try to calm her down?”

“There’s no need.”

His tone was so resolute that it was almost hurtful.

Callius knew exactly what he needed to do and what he didn’t.

At least for now, calming the frightened Leticia wasn’t something he considered his responsibility.

Her fearful gaze lingered vividly in his mind.

‘How utterly tiresome.’

Even as he thought that, he knew that if that were all he felt, he wouldn’t have come this far.

Christine’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

“What should I do with this one?”

“Deal with him.”

At his curt order, the assassin thrashed one last time in a desperate struggle.

Christine pressed down on the pulse point in his neck, rendering him unconscious.

From there, it was easy.

As Callius’s figure disappeared into the distance, Christine clicked her tongue.

“Honestly, I’ll never understand him.”

If it were her, calming the madam would have been the first priority.

Christine concluded that Callius Maxis would never become a gentleman.