Arkle’s white silk shirt gleamed softly in the moonlight.

For his lower half, he wore pants that clearly revealed the contours of his legs, and even from a distance, one could tell his lower body was excellently trained.

Moreover, his black hair fluttered whenever he moved… everything seemed to be happening in slow motion.

Perhaps that’s why he appeared to be dancing.

Thud—!!

A dull sound of something falling brought me back to my senses.

Looking closely, one of the wooden dummies set up for training seemed to have been broken.

More precisely, Arkle seemed to have broken it.

Only then did I truly realize he had been practicing swordsmanship.

And my purpose for finding him…

‘I’ll ask him to watch the movie together and probe what’s wrong.’

I was determined to find out why Arkle had been acting strange since returning from Kelston.

I opened my umbrella and walked into the garden.

Pitter, patter—

The sound of heavy raindrops hitting the umbrella filled the air.

The rain must have muffled my footsteps, as Arkle didn’t seem to notice me approaching.

“Ark—”

“Come no closer. What do you want?”

Just as I was about to call his name, a firm and emotionless voice interrupted me.

Arkle spoke without turning around.

That’s when I realized.

‘Ah… he didn’t fail to notice me; he was deliberately ignoring me.’

He must have mistaken me for an employee.

“Do you remember when I said we should watch the movie together?”

When I spoke with a small laugh, Arkle finally turned around.

“Lize.”

He looked slightly surprised to see me.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“I’m fine. Why are you here…?”

“I told you. The weather is perfect for watching a horror movie. Would you like to watch it together?”

“By ‘movie’… you mean the drama set in Kelston.”

I nodded with a smile.

“You helped me so diligently. I just finished it completely. It would be an honor if you became my first audience!”

At my words, a faint smile appeared on Arkle’s lips.

“I see.”

As he lowered his eyes and spoke softly, I felt dazed once again.

‘He can even give off this kind of impression…’

His black hair, wet from the rain, created a somewhat melancholic feeling.

Through his deeply open shirt, I could see his clean collarbone and firm chest, and perhaps due to his snow-white skin, it felt like I was seeing a forbidden secret.

Moreover, his rain-soaked bare skin gleamed softly in the moonlight.

Normally, I would have stared with wide eyes to observe more closely, but for some reason, I felt guilty and unconsciously cleared my throat.

“Ahem, ahem.”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, um… you look cold! Let’s share this.”

I then raised myself on tiptoes to cover Arkle with the umbrella.

However, he was so tall that even when I stood on my tiptoes and stretched my arm as high as possible, I couldn’t hold the umbrella over his head.

“…Just a moment.”

As I was stretching with all my might, I heard a soft, whisper-like laugh.

Arkle was looking down at me, covering his mouth with one hand, laughing.

“…Pfft, hahaha….”

The gentle laughter tickling my ears somehow made my face feel flushed.

“Must be nice being tall.”

When I said this teasingly, he smiled and took the umbrella from me.

Then he came closer and held the umbrella over my head.

Thus, Arkle and I stood close together under one umbrella.

“…Arkle, isn’t your back getting wet?”

Somehow it seemed like he was tilting the umbrella much more toward me, but Arkle gently shook his head.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m already soaked anyway.”

“Ah, you’re not just saying that to be polite.”

I looked up at him, giggling.

“I prefer when you’re honest, so I don’t mind.”

“……”

“So Arkle, won’t you honestly tell me? Has something happened since we returned from Kelston?”

“……”

“I know you’ve been subtly avoiding me.”

“……”

Arkle silently lowered his gaze.

His long eyelashes cast small shadows beneath his eyes.

I waited tensely for his answer.

Arkle slowly opened his mouth.

“…I… almost hurt you.”

He must be referring to when he lost his senses due to the magical resonance in the Kelston cave.

‘He’s been thinking about it all this time.’

I was about to reassure him that it was fine since I wasn’t actually hurt, but Arkle seemed tormented by the very fact that he had been a threat to me.

I decided to hear more about his feelings first.

“It made me think.”

Arkle continued in a low voice.

“What effect living as my wife, being close to me… would have on you.”

“……”

“Cayenne is certainly not a good place for a married life.”

Arkle raised the corner of his mouth slightly in a bitter smile.

It seemed he was trying to make a joke of sorts.

I looked up at him quietly and thought.

‘He’s improved a lot. He’s even able to make jokes now…’

Arkle continued solemnly.

“In short, it’s dangerous. All of this. Cayenne’s hostile forces, me… dangerous for you.”

“……”

“I’m not good at expressing myself, so I don’t know if I’m conveying this properly, but….. haah…. What I mean is, I’m worried about you….”

“I understand.”

For some reason, seeing Arkle speak so awkwardly made me want to reassure him.

It was a sincere desire to comfort his heart, not just empty encouragement.

I reached out and stroked his cheek.

Though it was his cheek rather than his heart, somehow I felt like I had truly reached his heart in that moment.

“Let me tell you what effect staying at Cayenne has on me.”

“……”

“You’re right. Cayenne isn’t a good place for married life.”

“……”

“But that’s why I like it.”

I smiled mischievously.

“While staying at Cayenne, no two days have been the same. Every day has been different. You might call that dangerous… but I felt alive.”

“……”

“The anticipation of what might happen tomorrow… this is exactly what I needed, Arkle.”

His gaze trembled slightly as he looked at me, hearing my confident voice.

“And Cayenne, you, gave me what I wanted. That’s why I want to stay by your side. Is that okay?”

“…What if… like that time, again….”

Arkle’s eyes darkened.

“I….”

“Then I’ll knock you down.”

“…Pardon?”

“I promise. If you go berserk like that again, I’ll knock you down and stop you.”

When I spoke seriously, Arkle’s eyes widened as he looked at me.

Then once more, he laughed with that pleasant sound.

“…Haha. That’s an unexpected answer.”

“I’m not joking. I have a bit of a sadistic personality.”

It wasn’t a lie.

“I see.”

But Arkle was looking down at me with an amused smile.

“If it’s you… Lize.”

He gently grasped my hand that was resting on his cheek.

Then he brought it to his lips and lightly kissed it.

“I might truly not be able to win.”

It was essentially a declaration of surrender.

Saying he would no longer push me away.

“……”

“……”

We stood silently looking at each other for a moment.

The rain was gradually becoming heavier.

I was thinking we should go inside, and Arkle seemed to have the same thought.

“Let’s return to the mansion. You’ll catch a cold.”

Indeed, without realizing it, my clothes were already soaked.

Even with an umbrella, the wind had caused me to get drenched with rainwater.

‘…Am I really going to catch a cold at this rate?’

Just as that ominous thought crossed my mind, Arkle’s soft voice reached me.

“I remembered.”

“What?”

“Your invitation to watch the ‘movie’ together. I remembered it. …I was waiting.”

He added the last part shyly, as if embarrassed.

And I smiled brightly at him.

“Let’s go! To watch the movie.”

“Yes.”

“A day like this is perfect for watching a horror movie.”

“I don’t really know, but….. it seems like some kind of ritual.”

“It’s an essential ritual for modern people.”

Arkle still didn’t seem to understand what I meant, but I smiled confidently, telling him to just trust me, and took a step forward.

Thus, we returned to the mansion through the heavy rain.

❖ ❖ ❖

Inside the mansion.

Seeing Arkle completely soaked, I burst into a small laugh.

“We should change clothes first.”

“…Yes.”

Arkle answered while turning his head away for some reason.

I had a feeling his ears were turning red.

‘What’s that about?’

Though a bit puzzled, I told Arkle to wash up and change clothes, then meet me in my room.

“I’ve made something special for movie viewing!”

Even at those words, Arkle kept his gaze averted and just nodded silently.

So we each headed to our rooms.

As I wiped myself with a large towel given by a maid, I happened to glance in the mirror and realized that my dress had become slightly see-through from the rain.

‘…So that’s why he turned his head away.’

The image of Arkle trying hard to avert his gaze flashed through my mind.

I felt a bit embarrassed, but…..

‘Come to think of it, I’ve seen Arkle’s body too, so what if Arkle sees mine!’

With that thought, I no longer felt bothered.

‘And Arkle probably doesn’t care much.’

He had turned his head away out of consideration for me, but that impassive man probably wasn’t stirred at all inside.

I believed that as I finished my preparations.

❖ ❖ ❖

Knock knock—

A maid pulling a tray knocked on Arkle’s door.

“I’ve brought cold water.”

“……”

The door opened, and Arkle, having changed his clothes, looked at the pitcher placed on the tray.

After finishing sword training, he always drank cold water.

After silently looking down at the tray for a moment, he abruptly picked up the pitcher.

“Ah, here’s a cup… Oh my!”

The maid hurriedly tried to hand him a cup, but before she could stop him, Arkle poured the water from the pitcher over his head.

The surprised maid stared in bewilderment at Arkle, who had doused himself with cold water.

Water dripped from his hair that had just been dried.

“M-Master… are you alright?”

“Ah… yes.”

With a water-soaked face, Arkle answered impassively.

Unlike his expressionless face, his mind was in complete chaos.

The image of Lize laughing right in front of him kept appearing.

‘This is maddening…. If I can’t cool down… I’ll die.’

It was the first day he had completely malfunctioned.