The starlight of the night sky gently seeped through the silk curtains, enveloping the shimmering bedroom.

The pure white blanket atop the bed was thoroughly rumpled.

“I crave you.”

In the quiet atmosphere, only the fireplace flames danced softly, adding warm energy.

Ertel leaned into Icarus’s strong arm and felt his warm breath.

He whispered in a gentle voice.

“Ertel.”

The moment their gazes met, no further words were needed.

Icarus’s hand wrapped around Ertel’s shoulder and slowly slid down, and her eyes gently closed.

“Ah.”

Everywhere his touch passed, a subtle shiver followed. His burning body heat began to spread slowly, intensely.

Icarus gently stroked Ertel’s hair, trailing along her delicate neckline. Soon, his lips softly touched her forehead.

Smack.

The moment their breaths met, lips slowly overlapped. Like feathers brushing faintly, Icarus’s lips lightly pressed on her lower lip.

“Mmph…”

His movements were unhurried and endlessly careful. As if wanting to preserve this moment forever, he pushed and pulled slowly.

“Mmm.”

Feeling Ertel’s breath, Icarus delved deeper into her mouth as if to devour her. He gave her a moment to catch her breath, then moved again slowly, crafting a ticklish rhythm.

A kiss that seemed to stretch on as if time itself had stopped.

Icarus repeatedly bit and released Ertel’s lips, savoring the tiny tremors that escaped her.

“Haa.”

Though the weather wasn’t warm, sweat beaded on both their foreheads.

“Should I get you some water?”

The Duke of Juan raised himself and asked.

The lovely woman before him blushed so deeply, her face looked as if it would burst.

“Yes, please.”

Icarus quickly brought a cool glass of water from the kitchen, poured into a teacup. He fanned her with his hand while handing her the drink.

“My lady. Isn’t it a bit early to be sweating?”

“What?”

It was their first time kissing this long, and with her body already burning up, she thought this steamy moment was about to end.

But that was Ertel’s mistake.

“…!”

The moment she moistened her throat, Icarus immediately snatched the cup away, set it on the table, and pounced back onto the bed.

“Kyah!”

“We’re just getting started.”

Her lips, still damp and glistening from the water, tantalized the man immensely.

His firm arms caged her petite frame as he lowered himself once more.

A large, muscular body pressed down on her white and slender form like a blanket.

“Hngh…”

As Icarus came at her boldly, Ertel tightly shut her eyes once again.

‘Of course. You’re not the type to stop here.’

Now in their second year of marriage, the two had never wasted a single night together in the same bedroom.

Their nights were always filled with passion. The ever-desiring Juan never allowed his wife to simply sleep quietly.

Just looking at her made his heart pound with excitement. No matter how much he had her, she only made him thirst for more.

That’s why he kept holding and embracing her—until he reached endless satisfaction.

“Icarus…”

Ertel’s outstretched hand trailed along the man’s sweat-drenched back muscles.

She could feel clearly that every nerve in his body was focused solely on her.

“My lovely wife.”

With movements so skillful and overwhelming she couldn’t think straight, the Duke drove her to the peak.

Every time his scorching thr*sts intensified, Ertel’s toes curled, and her head tilted back.

As he looked down on this explicit scene, Icarus’s face softened and his eyes curved like crescent moons.

“So lovely.”

Her body trembled delicately, and the strange m*ans that escaped between her lips made him move all the more persistently.

In this moment, it felt as though the two of them were the only ones in the world.

“I want to do this even in my dreams with you.”

“Are you serious? When are we supposed to sleep, then?”

“We’ll sleep when we’re dead. Shh.”

Icarus’s sultry breath grazed Ertel’s ear and made her feel lightheaded.

To make sure she could never escape the bed, he pulled her waist in and pressed into her endlessly.

“I love you.”

“My Duke…”

“I love you, Ertel.”

They had already reached a point where stopping was no longer possible. They made love again and again until the night came to an end.

***

A few days later.

The Duke and Duchess of Juan strolled together through unfamiliar parts of the Aronder Palace.

It was nearing the year’s end, and they had come to seek their New Year’s fortune. They had heard that Magrid resided on the top floor of the palace.

He had once lived in a house surrounded by thick brush in Elruk, but one day, he was chosen by the king and appointed as the “exclusive priest” of the kingdom.

He had since been working as the official prophet of the Kingdom of Tiamor.

Ertel and Icarus, whose memories from before the regression remained vivid, were filled with anticipation and curiosity.

Looking back, hadn’t many of the prophecies given to them gradually come true?

Passing under high ceilings and elaborately decorated columns, Ertel murmured to her husband.

“Don’t you wonder what kind of prophecy he’ll give us in this life?”

“Rather than wondering… there’s one thing I’m really hoping for.”

“What is it?”

“If I say it, I feel like I’ll get scolded.”

“No way?”

“The construction of the Juan Empire.”

That again?

Ertel frowned at the words that no longer sounded threatening in the slightest. The tightening feeling in her chest from before didn’t return at all.

“Enough with that joke, Icarus.”

“Alright, I’ll keep it moderate.”

As they chatted idly, their destination drew near.

The room where Magrid had settled within the palace, the priest’s chamber, was all the more mystical.

The windows, draped in black cloth, blocked out the light, and only candlelight flickered gently, illuminating the space.

Ertel and Icarus, hand in hand, quietly stepped into the room where Magrid was. Their footsteps echoed softly in the stillness.

“Guests have arrived.”

Magrid sat before them, his eyes closed as if facing the heavens. Though he could not see the light of the world, he possessed a stronger spiritual power than anyone else.

With his eyes still shut, he extended his hands forward to greet the Juan couple.

“Your footsteps alone already tell me much.”

“Hello. We are the Duke and Duchess of the House of Juan.”

“The House of Juan…!”

In this life where the clock’s hands had been turned back, Magrid was seeing them for the first time. Yet, despite that, a strange sense of familiarity and warmth stirred in him.

Magrid found his own reaction to these feelings a little bewildering.

“One moment.”

Magrid gestured, gathering more energy into his closed eyes. Clearly, the gods were trying to show him something. And then, he heard a clear voice.

“These people were influenced by you in your previous life. It was through your prophecy that they were able to return to the past once more. Recall the one who once sought you out—Kaiyashin.”

Kaiyashin.

A rush of information passed through Magrid’s mind in an instant.

He furrowed his brow, puzzled.

But it didn’t take long for the truth to become clear.

That within the body of the woman sitting before him lay the legendary gem.

Magrid lowered his head with a smile. Traces of a long wait were visible on his face.

“At last, the time has come.”

“You recognize me… Magrid.”

“The god I serve has granted permission.”

“Permission… for what?”

“Your healing power can now open my eyes.”

Ertel and Icarus exchanged startled glances.

But Magrid continued calmly.

“I have waited many long years for this moment.”

Ertel hesitated briefly, but Icarus gently held her hand and nodded.

She slowly approached Magrid and looked him in the face. His eyes remained closed.

Ertel carefully reached out and touched his forehead.

From her fingertips, a soft light began to spread. Sacred power awakened.

The light gradually seeped into Magrid’s eyes, wrapping around him.

“……”

Perhaps about a minute passed.

Magrid’s eyes slowly opened.

He inhaled, feeling the light of the world for the first time.

Before him sat a woman with wavy orange hair cascading down to her waist, and a radiant, beautiful smile.

Magrid whispered softly.

“So… this is the world.”

His gaze, which had rested on Ertel, now turned to Icarus.

“To think I’d see such a perfectly matched pair right before my eyes.”

Upon regaining his sight, Magrid’s divine power grew even stronger. He had absorbed the energy of the Kaiya Stone that Ertel carried, thickening his spiritual armor.

Immediately, he spoke the energy he sensed from the couple.

“You two… are planning for a child. Soon, you shall carry a son.”