Maxim was dumbfounded when he entered the room late after the banquet ended.

He leaned against the door with his arms crossed, watching her with an expression that said,

“Seriously?”

Slowly, he approached the bed.

It seemed she had collapsed the moment she entered. Still wearing her dress, she was sprawled out on the bed, fast asleep.

“Does this woman even realize tonight is her wedding night?”

Maxim couldn’t help but feel both exasperated and amused at the sight of her lying there so carelessly.

“Well, I suppose you would be tired.”

Sighing, he stripped off his stifling ceremonial attire and climbed into the bed shirtless.

The bed shifted under his weight, but Rosé didn’t so much as twitch.

Amused by her childlike slumber, Maxim lay on his side, propping his head up with one arm, and stared intently at her.

“Why are you marrying me?”

Her desperate question from earlier at the ceremony flashed through his mind.

Had she heard his answer, would she have felt less conflicted?

Lying flat on his back with his arms behind his head, Maxim gazed at the ceiling, lost in thought.

“To stand against Solstern, we must ally with the other tribes!”

“The Kaikar tribe is the largest. If you marry my niece Aila, you’ll secure the Kaikar and Yank alliances.”

“That’s unacceptable! You mustn’t marry a foreigner. Choose a noble lady from Hellevant instead.”

“Whoever it is, you need an heir as soon as possible! Your Majesty! There’s no time for idleness!”

When Maxim reached marriageable age, debates among the elders and nobles erupted over who he should marry.

Relentless, bothersome demands clung to him like leeches, driving him to madness.

And then, out of nowhere, she appeared before him.

He couldn’t believe his ears that stormy night in the underground chapel.

“When are you going to marry me?”

Though clearly trembling, she stubbornly lifted her chin and clenched her fists in front of him.

That small woman had even threatened him—saying she’d rather die here than leave without marrying him.

He had never once considered marrying a Stern woman. He hated the people of Stern, who looked down on the North and treated them as savages. He especially loathed his Stern-born mother, whose choices had led to everyone’s misery. He’d rather kill Rosé than repeat his mother’s fate.

No, he had expected her to end things herself—either by taking her own life or getting lost in the wilderness and eaten by wolves. After all, she had probably been dragged here against her will, crying all the way.

Although he pitied her circumstances as a political pawn, he had no sympathy or mercy for her. He couldn’t stand Stern’s hypocrisy—the way they sent women in the name of alliances while continuing to look down on them.

But what was this woman’s game? What was her true goal?

Despite his doubts, he felt intrigued.

Perhaps… she was the savior who had appeared just when he needed her most. He would use her just as much if she wanted to use him.

With that decision, he had rushed the marriage before anyone could object, silencing his dissenting ministers by threatening to brand them as traitors.

“Mm…”

Feeling the chill in the air, Rosé curled in on herself, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

Maxim lost in thought, was drawn back to the present by her movement. He looked at Rosé, who was tossing and turning beside him.

Her eyes… her nose… her lips…

His gaze stopped at her small, delicate mouth. He thought back to the smile she had shown Jansen not long ago—a smile so innocent and pure that it was almost childlike.

It was a smile she had never given him.

Before he realized it, his fingers drifted toward her lips. They looked soft, like two pieces of cherry pressed together. Her lips twitched slightly, and their warmth traveled through his fingertips.

The memory of their kiss at the ceremony flashed in his mind—the soft press of her lips and her tongue’s gentle, damp touch.

He brushed his thumb lightly across her lower lip.

“Mm!”

Rosé’s brows furrowed, disturbed by the intrusion into her sleep.

Maxim chuckled and pulled his hand away. He gently touched a strand of her red hair that had fallen over her cheek and let it slide through his fingers like silk. Twisting it lightly, he tucked it behind her ear.

“Mm…”

This time, Rosé’s lips curled into a small, content smile.

Despite coming to this cold, foreign land of so-called savages, she was trying to put on a brave front. But deep down, she was still the cherished daughter of the Etoile family—their precious jewel, loved and coddled by her parents and brothers.

It was as if, in her dreams, she had returned to being that innocent young girl.

Feeling the warmth from Maxim’s body, Rosé unconsciously scooted closer to him, pressing herself against his side as if seeking a warm fireplace. She wrapped her arms around him.

Her sudden movement left Maxim stunned.

“Well, aren’t you full of surprises,” he muttered.

Her soft form clung tightly to his bare skin, leaving him frozen in place.

“Mm…”

Like a baby dreaming sweetly, Rosé nuzzled her soft cheek against Maxim’s neck. Her warm breath brushed against his skin, tickling his neck and making his face harden.

But it wasn’t just his face that had gone stiff.

“Ha…”

He let out a strained sigh toward the ceiling, his expression troubled. He hadn’t intended to touch her or take advantage of the situation, but his self-control was being put to the test.

***

“Huh? What’s this…?”

Rosé stirred in her sleep, feeling something strange.

What her hands were touching wasn’t a pillow or cushion. It wasn’t soft at all—it was firm and smooth. An ominous feeling crept over her.

Her eyes snapped open.

“Ah!”

She shot up like a fish thrown out of water.

Maxim was the one who had been peacefully lying down only to be attacked, yet Rosé glared at him as if he were some sort of perverted beast. Maxim was dumbfounded.

“What? What’s going on?”

When Rosé tried to climb off the bed, Maxim grabbed her arm and instantly pulled her back down onto the bed. He climbed on top of her with a sly grin.

“Do you always seduce men like this?”

The flickering candlelight and his piercing gaze in the darkness left Rosé breathless with shock.

“D-don’t be ridiculous!”

“I’m not joking. If that was seduction, then it worked.”

“I didn’t even know you were next to me!”

“So when you were rubbing against me, clinging to me, and wrapping yourself around me, that didn’t count?”

His blunt words made Rosé’s face turn bright red.

Maxim began unfastening the satin buttons on the front of her dress, one by one.

Click. Click.

With each button that came undone from the top down, her peach-colored skin seemed ready to burst free from the dress’s restraints.

“Ha…”

As Rosé’s breathing grew ragged, Maxim paused to look at her before pressing his lips to hers.

Perhaps the alcohol from the ceremonial wine was still in her system because the moment his tongue slipped between her lips, her mind spun.

“Mm.”

He kissed her lightly, then more profound, and then even deeper still, intensifying the kiss with each move.

“Ah… nn…”

Even from just the kiss, Rosé’s body twisted slightly.

Maxim lowered his head and traced his tongue along her neck, from the base to just under her ear.

When his hot lips pressed down on her carotid artery as if leaving a mark, her back arched involuntarily.

His solid, muscular weight pressed her down so firmly that the mattress sagged beneath them, leaving her unable to move. She tried pushing against his forearm, but even that was captured, and their fingers interlocked tightly.

‘I made a vow earlier. Now I must fulfill my duty to my wife.’

Maxim growled in a low whisper into her ear. His voice was dangerous, but the playful curl of his lips made it seem like he was enjoying himself.

At that moment—

“Your Majesty!”

A frantic knock came from outside the door.

Both Rosé and Maxim turned their heads toward the door at the same time.

“What’s going on?” Maxim asked.

“There is urgent news to report!”

Sensing something profound in the soldier’s tone, Maxim immediately stood up. He moved to the edge of the bed, grabbed the disheveled blanket, and draped it over Rosé.

‘What’s happening?’ 

Rosé thought uneasily, lifting her head to see what was happening beyond the door. But Maxim’s broad frame blocked her view completely, and she couldn’t make out any conversation.

“Damn it! Bastards!”

The one thing she did hear was the angry curse that came from Maxim’s mouth.

Maxim quietly shut the door as if nothing had happened and turned to Rosé.

“I won’t be long.”

‘What’s happening? What’s going on all of a sudden?’

He had promised not to take long, but Rosé had no idea how long “not long” actually would be.

Clutching the partially opened front of her dress, Rosé hurried over to the window.

“What…?”

Her eyes widened in shock at the sight outside.

While she had been tangled up with him in bed, soldiers had gathered en masse outside, preparing their ranks for deployment. Even Tullio—who had been drunkenly fooling around earlier—was now fully armored and sitting upright on his horse, looking serious.

At the front, Richard spoke with the other knights in hushed but tense tones, seemingly waiting for Maxim’s arrival.

‘What’s going on? Did Solstern launch a sudden attack?’

The anxiety in her chest made it impossible for her to sleep, and Rosé spent the entire night wide awake.