Like a cub in heat, he kept his c*ck *rect for her until the next day. Though he knew she had fainted, he seems to have mindlessly pounded into her tightly squeezing hole. It was such satisfying *ntercourse that he felt cheated for not having explored this body before.

Afterward, whenever desire struck, he took her without regard for appearances. There were times when he handled her too roughly, and when it reached the point of having to call a doctor, he suddenly came to his senses.

He had never been swayed by such trivial desires before, so it was unexpected. Could it be the influence of the purification….. The feeling of having his soul devoured by l*st was somewhat dirty.

Though he distanced himself again, restraining himself was torturous, and he realized his own terrible self-control.

“I feel bad.”

Maria, n*ked on the bed, whined with a sulky face.

“Lately, it seems like you’re thinking of something else.”

She seemed to have noticed that he was thinking of his wife during their intimacy. Though she was a clever woman who should have known it would be wise not to voice such suspicions, she appeared quite hurt. But since he couldn’t explain the reason himself, he answered with an awkward smile.

Around the same time, his timid wife, having heard about his relationship with Maria from somewhere, uncharacteristically confronted him.

“You can’t bear an heir anyway.”

“……”

His wife left the study without being able to say anything. If she was going to question him, she should have done it properly. It was pathetic, but her small, drooping shoulders and reddened eyes kept bothering him, and he eventually had to set aside the work he was doing.

He wasn’t sure what change of heart had occurred, but afterward, his wife became frantically busy. More often, when he went to the bedroom, he was greeted by her deeply sleeping face.

Later, he found out that his wife was handling an enormous schedule. She suddenly became passionate about education comparable to that of imperial bloodlines. Recently, she was even learning combat training.

“Who is it?”

While hurriedly walking to a meeting, he caught sight of her in the distance holding a sword.

“Pardon…? What do you mean?”

When the aide stupidly asked back, his irritation surged. It was natural that it wouldn’t enter the sight of ordinary humans, but he felt inexplicably angry.

“Who is instructing Estelle in swordsmanship?”

His wife, who had looked depressed lately, was smiling brightly. Almost as if she was in another man’s arms… It seemed like he was kindly teaching her how to hold a sword, but it wasn’t a particularly pleasant sight.

It bothered him more that the knight teaching her had a decent appearance. They looked almost like well-matched lovers, which made his stomach turn. So much that he wanted to go there immediately and cut off the man’s hands that were touching his wife.

“Ah… it’s Sir Lionel, the second son of House Harberin. He’s known as the most skilled knight in the Arthur Knights.”

“…they’re excessively close.”

He surprised himself with his own words. Wasn’t that exactly the kind of line a petty, jealous man would say? Though he knew he should look away and enter the assembly before it was too late, his eyes kept being drawn back, as if someone was forcibly turning his head, and he eventually changed his course.

“That bastard dares……”

Words unlike himself continued to betray his mind. Then he rationalized himself. No, thinking about it, wouldn’t anyone be distracted in this situation? Someone so shamelessly putting hands on what was his.

After admonishing the knight with a semi-threatening rebuke about propriety, his boiling insides calmed down.

He assigned Sir Felix to his wife with the flimsy excuse that it wasn’t appropriate for the crown princess’s dignity. He was the commander of the recently established Charles Knights and, befitting a knight who had served in the imperial palace for a long time, was quite old, with sun-tanned skin—a man far, far removed from being handsome.

“Do you want me to report everything Her Highness says?”

Felix asked with a puzzled face. Why couldn’t he understand simple instructions…

“Report what I need to know.”

He looked even more confused.

“I… I’m sorry, but what would that be?”

“Building rapport to understand what she’s thinking, things like that. For example, why she suddenly wants to learn swordsmanship, and such.”

“Ah……”

The veteran knight, whom he had thought was quick-witted due to his years of experience, finally nodded as if he understood. Though not entirely convincing, it was true that he was looking forward to glimpsing his wife’s inner thoughts.

He already received daily reports about his wife, but he wanted to know her real thoughts beyond those superficial aspects. He didn’t know why he suddenly became curious about such things, but this curiosity that had settled in a corner of his heart wouldn’t easily disappear.

Contrary to his concerns, Felix proved quite useful. He seemed to have formed a bond with her quickly, thoroughly scratching his itch of curiosity. And the reason was more absurd than expected. His wife had made all that effort because she was being disrespected in social circles due to his neglect.

Wasn’t that ridiculously trivial?

‘Just for that… you’ve been only admiring her sleeping face?’

Irritation surged up. It had been so long since he’d embraced her that the memory was fading.

But it was also unexpected. He had thought his wife was infinitely fragile and shy, but she was a woman who made considerable efforts without being discouraged.

In fact, what was more unexpected was himself.

‘Why… am I so concerned about such trivial matters?’

He wasn’t unfamiliar with the nature of social circles. Women’s positions were determined by their husbands’ wealth and status. The vanity of noble ladies was also measured by how much affection they received from their husbands.

His wife must have been good prey. An innocent crown princess with an unremarkable family background. Already viewed with disdain for ascending to that position because she was a saintess, and now even ignored by her husband—wasn’t she the perfect victim for the snake-like noble ladies to bite? He didn’t need to check to clearly see what kind of treatment his wife had received from those excessively agitated noble ladies.

Though he was the one who had left her alone, she foolishly chose the difficult path instead of the easy one.

‘She could have just asked me.’

The method to confirm a husband’s affection was simpler than expected. Sending flowers during a tea party, appearing in the middle to show his face and display affection as if on exhibition…

It wasn’t difficult. That’s why it was more pathetic. She seemed so foolish for not knowing how to employ such techniques. Though he was frantically busy, he could certainly endure that much effort to maintain his wife’s dignity.

“I heard there’s a garden party today?”

As he fixed his cravat and casually brought it up, the violet eyes reflected in the mirror widened.

“Yes…?”

“I’ll come to pick you up when it’s over, so wait.”

“Me… you mean me?”

Surprise spread across her pale face.

“Why, should we not go?”

“No, no! I’d love to! It’s just… I never imagined… Thank you……”

Though he detested such unnecessary schedules, seeing her beautifully flushed face, he thought this impulsive suggestion wasn’t so bad. After stroking her disheveled hair once, he left the bedroom, but his aide’s mood seemed unusual.

“Your Highness, Count Widro says he will no longer support the construction costs.”

That was the beginning. The period when problems kept erupting one after another. From the time when large-scale corruption scandals involving him continuously adorned the newspapers…

Even his statements at official diplomatic venues led to ambassadors’ protests, the dukes’ complaints and resistance over breaking the agreement regarding the saintess’s residence, and serious conflicts arose as the assembly openly opposed the economic policy he had led.

It was his mistake not to have detected the internal disloyal movements while being preoccupied with public opinion. No, to be honest, he hadn’t properly attended to other matters because he was focusing all his attention on his wife. He realized his error. How could he have endangered everything he had built up by being distracted by a woman…

He moved quickly to resolve the situation, but these vicious creatures, whatever had tempted them, wouldn’t budge despite any persuasion.

As his headache was worsening, his wife visited his office. Seeing her face, he realized he hadn’t spent time with her for a while.

“I waited for you……”

His wife looked at him with eyes that clearly showed her disappointment. Her large eyes were already moist and seemed ready to drop tears at any moment.

“I told everyone you were coming… I felt so humiliated……”