* * *

Creak. The sound of the door opening was heard.

Rublier sat leisurely, casting his gaze around.

The faint sound of footsteps approached stealthily, then faded away. It was amazing how there was no sound of footsteps, as if she was a ghost.

Rublier’s lips curled. Ever since he had provocatively responded to Satin’s reason for divorce, she had been playing hide-and-seek with him in the house.

It didn’t really matter, though. As compensation for his long business trip, Rublier had received a three-day leave. Of course, it was far too short for a newlywed couple. But as a Paladin, he couldn’t be away from the Holy Knights for too long.

Surely, she didn’t think they wouldn’t run into each other even once during those three days?

Satin used the excuse of oversleeping to skip breakfast. Naturally, Rublier knew that Satin, who had lived a disciplined life at the academy, wouldn’t oversleep. In a country ruled by faith and the Pope, all students had to pray at the temple every morning.

She must have a lot on her mind. But unless she planned to survive on just soup and fruit all day, she would have to come out of her room for lunch.

Rublier decided to wait patiently without rushing.

* * *

“Madam, you need to eat.”

Larie poked her head in.

“Right…”

Satin let out a long sigh.

After hesitating for a moment, Satin got up. If she avoided the dining table too, her intentions would become too obvious. Constantly running away might lead to her being blamed as the one at fault for the divorce, as Rublier had said. That was something she absolutely wanted to avoid.

I’ll just eat quickly and leave.

Resolving herself, Satin walked to the dining room.

Rublier would already be there, so she just needed to sit opposite him, pretend to be calm, and eat. She was rehearsing in her mind how to face Rublier and how to act, but then she heard his voice from behind.

“Satin.”

Satin stopped abruptly in the middle of the hallway.

“Where are you going?”

It was a casual question.

Her mind suddenly went blank. Her mouth malfunctioned, and an unintended response came out.

“…To, the bathroom.”

She found herself looking for the bathroom in front of the dining room. Satin hastily made up an excuse.

“I overslept and can’t wake up, so I thought I’d take a bath.”

Even after answering, Satin was dumbfounded.

Oh no, what am I saying?

Rublier tilted his head, looking down at the much smaller Satin.

“The bathroom is that way.”

“Oh. I got confused.”

Satin avoided his gaze as she answered. If he weren’t there, she would have shaken her head in disbelief. She wanted to punch herself for saying something so stupid.

“You’ve lived here for three months and you’re still confused?”

Satin responded in desperation.

“Seems like it.”

She pretended not to notice Rublier’s smirk.

“Alright, come in and eat first.”

With Rublier standing behind her, urging her, Satin muttered to herself quietly.

“…Why aren’t you going to the Holy Knights?”

She couldn’t tell if the food was going into her nose or her mouth. Satin ignored Rublier’s gaze fixed on her and ate quickly. Whatever she ate didn’t taste right.

I’ll just finish my plate and get up.

Satin kept her eyes glued to her plate, not moving an inch. She roughly cut the meat, ate the garnishes with the steak, and was about to cleanse her palate with some refreshing fruit.

“Satin.”

“Yes.”

“I’m on leave.”

“Yes.”

Satin, responding absentmindedly, finally looked up.

“…What?”

Rublier repeated.

“I’m on leave.”

“Why?”

Her true feelings slipped out. Rublier chuckled at her straightforwardness.

“Why do you think?”

The Pope must have given him leave out of consideration for their honeymoon. To stay together from morning till night. Most newlyweds would find twenty-four hours a day insufficient. But for Satin, this was not a welcome gesture. Instead of a honeymoon filled with sparks, she was praying for the next three months to pass quickly.

“…I’ll be going now.”

Satin quietly put down her fork.

She needed a plan. Having gotten used to the freedom of a house without Rublier, the thought of running into him at any time was overwhelming. She wanted to take a vacation herself.

But there was nowhere to go. If she started visiting her parents, they would worry something was wrong. Meeting people seemed unwise with the scandal still fresh. The rumors caused by Gjorn and Delilah had likely died down due to the chaotic wedding.

When scandals collide, the one involving the more powerful and famous person tends to linger.

How are things going on that side?

Cutting herself off from people had made Satin unaware of the outside world. Thinking briefly about Gjorn and Delilah, she shook her head.

“Well, they must be doing fine.”

Her scandal was just a temporary measure to salvage the wedding. Gjorn and Delilah, who had even fought a duel to prove their love, were the real deal.

Gjorn, who had been hesitant about swordsmanship, had picked up a sword to rescue Delilah. Whether it was because the swordsmanship he learned at the academy was effective or because their opponent was intimidated by Sel Wio’s power, Gjorn had thrown her aside for his first love.

First love. Gjorn’s first love wasn’t her. The same was true for Satin.

That’s why Gjorn had pursued it so fervently. Because it was his first time feeling such emotions. Because he didn’t want to lose it. Thinking of the two made her feel both indignant and envious. Knowing it was a contradictory feeling, Satin couldn’t deny her true feelings.

What is love? What is it about love that blinds people and makes them deaf? That erases self-control and incites impulsiveness?

She didn’t know. It was bittersweet, but Satin accepted her future. Surely, she would remarry and have children with someone else…

But love.

That was something she would never feel or should never feel as the heir of Del Mare.

* * *

“…This is driving me crazy with anxiety.”

Satin took a box out from under her pillow.

Who would have ever imagined that she would end up sleeping every night with Del Mare’s heirloom under her head?

It was an extremely important item. It was part of Caldeblanca’s history, something that shouldn’t be stored so carelessly, but there was no other place to hide it, so she kept it under her pillow.

The only maid who frequently entered Satin’s bedroom was Larie, and the servants who looked after the house were trustworthy people sent by both families, so there was no risk of it being lost. As expected, the box was always safely in its place.

Satin hesitated before opening the box.

The last fragment of the shattered holy relic. The treasure and symbol of Caldeblanca. Despite the immense burden of its significance, there was only one reason she couldn’t order the servants to store it in a safe.

Because it would reveal to everyone that she was under pressure as an heir.

The items placed in the safe were meticulously documented and managed. As soon as its name appeared on the list, the information would quickly reach Rublier. Naturally, he would realize what it meant for Satin to be entrusted with this box. She couldn’t bear that. She absolutely didn’t want to reveal this to Rublier.

Knock, knock, knock. Someone knocked on the door from outside. Satin responded casually.

“Come in.”

She thought it was Larie. It was always Larie.

The door opened.

“Satin.”

At the same time, a voice completely different from what she expected was heard. Satin finally jumped.

It was Rublier.

Satin hurriedly closed the box. But it seemed Rublier had already seen it. It was in a position impossible to miss. Rublier was also a man from Ka Dillon. Just as Satin had, he must have grown up seeing the heirlooms of Ka Dillon.

A rush of heat made her face flush. She could feel it without touching; her cheeks were burning. It felt like they might explode any moment.

“D-don’t mind it. It’s… it’s nothing.”

She stuttered and inadvertently spoke informally. It was an old habit.

Rublier, who had come to Satin’s room without much thought because she had been out of sight for so long, quietly laughed to himself.

Satin looked as if she didn’t know whether she had spoken formally or informally. When they were younger, Satin would respond in kind when Rublier spoke informally and teased her. Satin’s competitive nature was as strong then as it was now.

But when they reunited as adults, she intentionally used formal language and called him ‘Sir Ka Dillon’ without fail. Formal language and ‘Sir Ka Dillon.’ They were expressions that revealed the distance in Satin’s heart.

Rublier felt a sense of nostalgia for the old Satin that had slipped out.

“It looks like Del Mare’s heirloom.”

Rublier acknowledged it.

Whatever she said wouldn’t come out right. Satin fidgeted with her toes, trying to hide her anxiety.

As far as she knew, Rublier had not yet inherited the heirlooms of Ka Dillon. Between the two families, Del Mare was the one feeling the urgency about an heir. Rublier had two younger siblings. Compared to Del Mare, which had only one daughter, they had plenty of leeway.

Satin bit her tongue.

Of all times, why did it have to be now? It’s so humiliating…

Rublier approached with an interested expression.

“Can I take a look?”

Satin immediately refused.

“No.”

“But I’m already part of the Del Mare family as your husband.”

“…That’s not something you need to worry about. We’re only a couple with a time limit.”

Rublier interrupted her feeble excuse lightly.

“But we agreed to fulfill our responsibilities as a couple in the meantime.”

Satin remained silent.

“Didn’t you hear the Cardinal’s sermon? The vows between a bride and groom are a promise to continue loving each other beyond their immediate feelings.”

The fault of divorce that Rublier mentioned hovered before her eyes like a ghost.

“But…”

Even though she wanted to argue, Satin was cautious not to give him any reason to hold it against her. Meanwhile, Rublier remained calm.

“I asked if you were willing to try.”

‘…We can’t have physical contact, can we?’

‘Shall we see if it’s really impossible?’

The question she couldn’t answer and had run away from came up again. And now, with the pressure of producing an heir revealed.

The box slipped from Satin’s hand. Just before it hit the floor after bumping against her knee, Rublier caught it. Even though Del Mare’s heirloom was now in Rublier’s hand, Satin couldn’t bring herself to ask for it back.

Rublier leaned over Satin.

Satin, trying to maintain the distance, pushed herself backward. Suddenly, she lost her balance. Her vision tilted.

Next thing she knew, Satin was lying on the bed.

Rublier placed the box near Satin’s head. With one arm propped near her head, he looked down at her pale, tense face and whispered in a low voice.

“Answer me clearly. I am willing to try.”