A doll. Even substituting a doll for the child’s existence was heartbreaking and felt wrong, but there was no other way.

She couldn’t say it was Kahar’s child.

“The doll broke at some point. A maid threw it away without knowing I was still looking for it. By the time I found it again, it was already ash.”

“Ah.”

Kahar hummed as though he understood. His lips relaxed.

“Did you like playing house? And that doll played the child between you and him?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Answering, Meliciel let her eyes drift around.

It was fortunate for her that Kahar misunderstood it this way. But his expression seemed to grow more meaningful, and Meliciel wanted to wrap up this conversation quickly.

“Now that your question is answered, please leave.”

“But.”

“Yes?”

“Was it really that important, important enough to surface during a sleepwalking episode?”

“What do you……”

“The dead person, I can understand. But calling out for a doll of all things, so desperately. Making someone jump to conclusions. Hmm?”

Kahar asked with a slight furrow of his brow, his voice rising at the end. Meliciel tried to look composed and gave a small shrug.

“I know. I find it strange myself. The shock of losing the doll back then must have been so great that it came out that way.”

This time she held Kahar’s gaze for quite a while without looking away. Inside the blue river of his eyes, Meliciel’s own eyes moved with quiet unease.

But to avoid raising suspicion, she had to stay composed to the very end.

Knock, knock, knock.

What broke the dense air was the sound of knocking. Meliciel quietly steadied herself.

Knock, knock, knock.

“My lady, it is Belita.”

It was already time for the maids to arrive. Meliciel looked toward the door leading to the sitting room and urged Kahar.

“Someone is here. Please get up quickly.”

Knock, knock, knock.

“My lady? If you are sleeping, shall I come back in a little while?”

Belita’s voice sounded close, almost like a whisper at her ear. Unlike Meliciel, who felt urgent like a guilty child, Kahar was perfectly at ease.

She grabbed his thick arm and shook it, but Kahar didn’t budge.

Meliciel had no choice but to crane her neck toward the door and say:

“W, wait. Come back, later, a little later?”

Meliciel raised her voice, trying to send the maids away for now.

Fortunately, the knocking stopped after that. Meliciel let out a breath of relief and pressed Kahar again.

“What are you doing, hurry up and get up.”

“Not a wink of sleep, and now you’re merciless.”

“Please go back. You can sleep in your own bed.”

She pulled at the sprawled Kahar, and in doing so, the robe already barely hanging on him slipped completely off behind him.

“Oh.”

Meliciel reached out to put it back on him, but Kahar moved faster.

Kahar loomed over Meliciel in an instant. As her body tipped backward, a large hand caught the back of her round head.

“Ah.”

She lay on the bed, blinking without immediately understanding what happened.

“……Grand Duke.”

“Yes. Here is the Grand Duke whose clothes the young lady removed.”

“It, it was an accident.”

“I told you I didn’t sleep.”

Knock, knock, knock.

“I apologize, my lady. I will just leave this and go.”

Belita was knocking again. But Meliciel couldn’t answer.

Kahar lightly gripped her chin and made her look at him.

“You said to do whatever I want. You said you’d accept all of it, so why are you running away?”

Kahar knew she was deliberately avoiding him lately.

Knock, knock, knock.

“My lady?”

Belita sounded like she might open the door any moment.

“Why? Now that it comes to it, do you prefer doing things properly after all? How should I treat you more formally than this?”

Kahar’s head kept lowering, and just in front of her cheek, those lips let out a quiet laugh.

“Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on in your head, Meliciel.”

“……I’m not quite sure what you……”

“How to tame a bad man.”

The words from Kahar’s mouth caught in her ears with a thud.

“H, how did you……”

Only then did she remember the book she left on the bedside table.

He saw it?

“A bad man, you say. As if that would be enough. Taming a dragon would be easier, I’d think.”

Peck. His lips touched her flushed cheek for just a moment, then lifted away.

She didn’t notice it while it was happening, but warmth lingered where he passed, like it would burn through her skin. It was mortifying.

“Right. Live like you do now, making as little noise as possible.”

The arrogant warning not to get on his nerves made Meliciel’s eyes sharpen.

“You really are a bad man, Grand Duke.”

“Then you should be careful.”

Kahar stared her down for a long moment, then snapped upright. He climbed off the bed, tied the sash of his now fully open robe, and walked out of the bedroom.

“I apologize. I did not know you were here.”

Belita’s voice came from beyond the wall, having found Kahar there. But Kahar’s voice was not heard.

Meliciel let out a long breath. It felt like ten years passed in that short span.

She idly thought that if she had any life left to live, she would probably use up less than half of it before dying.

***

Under the care of her kind maids, Meliciel recovered her health day by day.

Today was the day painting teacher Dafwin was coming to visit. She already had two lessons, so this was already the third.

The days were passing so quickly. The wedding was now only a week away.

The wedding dress was already finished, the result of many people’s painstaking effort.

That day was truly just around the corner. Which meant the day she would carry Kahar’s child was drawing near.

With any luck, a child might come after just one time, right?

Meliciel soothed her anxious heart and looked around. She was in the study inside the main building.

The tall bookshelves filling the wide wall of the study were packed full of all kinds of books. The room smelled pleasantly of paper.

Not quite the central library of the Grand Ducal Castle, but Chayden had proudly introduced this place on the day he said most books one could want would be here.

It was in this room that Meliciel found the novel “How to Tame a Bad Man.”

She never expected Kahar to catch her with it.

Meliciel confirmed once more that no one was around and settled into the innermost corner of the study. She sent the maids away at the entrance, so she was alone now.

She found a dark spot where sunlight barely reached. After checking several times for any sign of others, she finally took a letter envelope from inside her dress.

It was a message from Duke Dexter Chloe.

The moment Meliciel’s fingertips touched it, the wax seal on the magically sealed letter melted away without a trace.

The paper rustled and settled in her hands.

「Meliciel, I will soon be holding an exhibition under my name. Come with the Grand Duke.」

An exhibition?

「And that hasn’t been discovered, has it? The wedding is not far off, so be careful. You must keep it hidden for at least a year if you are to avoid paying damages. That said, do not neglect to keep a brush in hand.」

That must be referring to her divine power.

「And as for Yulina and Shal, you need not concern yourself. I will handle it.」

It was a letter full of Duke Dexter’s true intentions. By the time Meliciel finished reading, the letter disappeared without a sound.

When Meliciel stepped out of the study, Belita, who was waiting, came forward and delivered a message.

“My lady, Teacher Dafwin has arrived.”

“Already?”

“Yes. He always arrives early. Shall you head out right now?”

Meliciel gave a light nod. There was still time before the lesson, but there was no harm in being early.

Today’s lesson was planned to take place outdoors, so Meliciel headed to the entrance of the castle with Belita and Rose.

Outside, Dafwin was waiting, and he recognized her and bowed his head.

“Good day, my lady.”

“Thank you for making the trip, Teacher Dafwin.”

“The underground carriage makes it quick.”

The underground carriage, which used the empire’s underground tunnels to travel by magic, was a new invention that had only been in proper operation for ten years.

It was a civilization unique to the empire of Ferriland, not yet reached by other countries.

The one who invented the underground carriage was none other than the previous Grand Duchess, Kahar’s mother.

Meliciel only learned this a few days ago. She grew all the more curious about Kahar’s parents, who reportedly stepped down from the Grand Ducal seat early and went traveling.

What kind of people were they? What kind of people would stay entirely uninvolved in their son’s wedding?

Meliciel cut off her thoughts and focused on the situation before her.

Dafwin was particularly well-dressed today. A prince-like shirt with soft ruffles, a justaucorps with a pointed collar, a silk vest, and trousers with a sharp crease.

His silver hair was neatly swept back.

He looked like a stylish gentleman from the capital. Meliciel grew a little curious, since she never saw Dafwin wearing something that looked quite so brand new.

“Teacher Dafwin, you look especially dashing today.”

“Do I?”

Ahem. Dafwin cleared his throat for no reason. The tips of his ears seemed to go slightly red.

“You look wonderful, but won’t it be uncomfortable?”

Meliciel was dressed simply today. Modified riding trousers, appropriate attire for the hike ahead.

They were scheduled to climb the hill within the outer castle walls, so she deliberately wore comfortable clothes, yet Dafwin somehow looked even more sharply put together than usual.

She worried about dirt getting on Dafwin’s shiny shoes……

“Thank you for saying so, but I am fine.”

“If it is not too presumptuous, I could have different attire prepared for you.”

“My lady, it is not a rugged mountain, so this is more than sufficient.”

Offering a second time would be rude, so Meliciel accepted Dafwin’s decision.