“It seems you had quite an enjoyable time in the wall village?”

At Ulysse’s voice, Theo’s expression turned indifferent again.

He looked at Ulysse dispassionately and spoke.

“The lemon cake?”

“Princess Letitia and Her Highness the Grand Duchess are enjoying it in their room right now.”

Before going to the wall village, Theo had instructed Ulysse to buy lemon cake in advance.

Thanks to that, Ulysse went to the plaza to buy the lemon cake.

Upon returning to the mansion, he learned that Theo had left for the wall village without saying a word and hurried after him.

If anyone had to pick the busiest person today, it would undoubtedly be Ulysse himself.

Still, it wasn’t without its rewards, thankfully.

“The people of the wall village asked me to convey their gratitude to Your Highness the Grand Duke.”

“For what.”

“They seem happy to be able to get off the theater stage.”

Ulysse said with a satisfied expression.

When academy students visited in early winter, rumors about the principality’s security issues circulated throughout the winter.

Sometimes, the Bios Empire would send letters to each region warning about the principality’s security as if the rumors were true.

Along with the academy students’ reports.

The Bios Empire’s attitude of trying to pressure and suppress the principality was too petty.

The principality was no longer weak enough to be overwhelmed by the empire’s coercion.

If an unavoidable conflict led to war, it might take days or years…

But no one could guarantee the outcome.

The empire knew this too, which is why they acted so meanly behind the scenes.

After all, the principality was independent from the empire even in the crucial management of magic stones.

But Theo told them to leave it be. Ulysse couldn’t go against his lord’s wishes, so he endured.

However this year, Theo changed his mind about following the Bios Empire’s wishes.

The Grand Duchess’s opinion must have influenced this change of heart.

Ulysse was satisfied.

This year would pass quietly without any ominous rumors about the principality.

Not to mention, the wall village residents were so grateful.

They thought Theo had come to their village with the Grand Duchess to comfort and soothe their wounds.

Though it was a false rumor, Ulysse was not one to correct beneficial rumors.

The more praise for the Grand Duke increased, the happier Ulysse felt.

He was finally hearing praise that he hadn’t heard even after winning wars.

It was a sweet reward for being late, and one he wanted to keep receiving it.

If such rewards followed even after handling all sorts of tasks and running around like today, he could work happily.

“Ah, Ulysse. I forgot to tell you something.”

“Yes? What is it?”

Ulysse looked at Theo with a broad smile.

“I’m going to marry the Grand Duchess.”

“Ah, is that so? You’re getting marr… What?”

“We’re going to hold a wedding ceremony.”

“So suddenly?”

The smile on his face slowly began to fade.

A wedding… ceremony?

Suddenly?

“So prepare for it.”

“A-a wedding ceremony?”

Ulysse’s mind became complicated.

Prepare a wedding ceremony for the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess.

That meant changing the entire banquet hall for the wedding, making invitations, calling musicians, cleaning the annex…

Just briefly thinking about what needed to be prepared required more than ten fingers to count.

“I’d like to have it before it snows.”

“?!”

The academy kids’ arrival meant early winter had begun.

It also meant it wouldn’t be strange if snow fell tomorrow.

And he wanted to have the wedding before it snowed?

From the venue to the guests, the preparations were numerous and overwhelming.

Even if they started working busily from tomorrow, he wasn’t sure if they could manage by spring…

Before it snows?!

Ulysse held back tears at the daunting task ahead.

* * *

Theo flung open the study door with a determined face.

Not today.

His crow-tit wife would lose track of time, day or night, whenever she visited Letitia’s room and wouldn’t return.

So he had no choice but to go get her himself.

Theo walked briskly through the corridor, lost in thought.

If Yuelina said she wanted to sleep in Letitia’s room, he needed to firmly say no.

But if Yuelina asked why not, he hesitated a bit.

There’s no reason why not.

But still, no.

It was an answer Yuelina would never accept.

Of course, Letitia, who would work as a future talent of the principality, would help. She wouldn’t just stand by watching her superior in an awkward situation.

Above all, perhaps because she had many older sisters, Letitia was admirably mature enough to understand the importance of a couple’s time despite her young age.

Theo smiled contentedly but then paused.

But hadn’t he promised himself to protect Yuelina until the wedding?

Was it okay to go get her like this because he wanted to sleep together?

Was his resolve crumbling?

Theo’s quick steps down the stairs slowed.

Well, you know…

It’s not like he was going to devour her, he just wants to look at her like he might.

He’d just look at how pretty her eyes were, how straight her nose was, how sweet her lips must be.

If she grabbed his hand in her sleep, he’d just hold it for a moment.

If she nuzzled her face against his chest, he’d just fix her hair.

That level of consideration could be allowed even before the wedding.

Theo deliberately pushed aside his troubled thoughts.

Without his wife who had been with him all day, he felt anxious and kept wanting to see her.

Having arrived at Letitia’s door, Theo knocked politely.

But there was no sound from inside.

It wasn’t a good sign.

Theo hesitated. She was probably sleeping…

But his hesitation didn’t last long.

If she was sleeping, he could just wrap Yuelina up in the blanket and carry her out.

She was as light as a crow-tit anyway.

Moreover, since she was a wife who slept soundly once asleep, Yuelina was destined to go up to his room without resistance.

Theo turned the doorknob and quietly entered.

The darkened room was softly lit by moonlight.

“?”

Contrary to his expectations, Yuelina was awake, leaning her upper body against the bed’s headboard.

What’s this?

She’s not sleeping but didn’t come out?

Was she pretending to sleep?

Theo walked heavily toward her with a neutral expression.

But Yuelina put her index finger to her face, signaling him to be quiet.

Theo closed his mouth and followed Yuelina’s gaze.

Beside Yuelina lay Letitia, and the child was sound asleep.

Then Yuelina grabbed Theo’s hand and pulled him toward her.

Theo stared intently at Yuelina’s face again. She looked quite flustered.

She was trying hard to pull him with both hands, but since he wasn’t budging, she didn’t know what to do.

He tried to gauge the direction of Yuelina’s arm strength while relaxing his body as much as possible.

He needed to employ subtle sensitivity to be led by her pulling.

It seemed like she was trying to pull him toward her.

Theo bent his waist with a puzzled face. Yuelina’s face, which had been tinged with bewilderment, began to clear.

This must be right.

Theo brought his face very close to Yuelina’s.

He who had been acting boldly suddenly paused.

But why was she trying to pull his face closer?

Theo felt his heart racing as Yuelina’s cute and pretty face got closer to his.

Yuelina had been moving her lips slightly all this time.

Every time her moist, red lips parted and closed, saliva pooled in Theo’s mouth.

Come on.

No way.

With a child sleeping beside them, suddenly like this?

Was she actually someone who enjoyed thrills?

Even as Theo’s doubts deepened, Yuelina kept pulling him toward her earnestly.

Theo’s face came within a span of Yuelina’s.

As he leaned his body more and more toward Yuelina, he supported himself with one arm on the bed’s headboard to maintain balance.

Maybe we should just have the wedding now.

The moonlight is even blessing us softly.

Letitia is here as a witness to our marriage.

We have a guest, a blessing moonlight, and an appropriate place…

Yuelina was enchanting.

So now, it should be okay to press his lips against Yuelina’s.

He wanted to quickly taste Yuelina’s sweet and fragrant lips.

Every time heated breath escaped from those moist lips, Theo wanted to swallow even that breath into his body.