Rain poured down without pause. The man sitting in front of me didn’t seem to understand how healing it was to watch the rain through a window from inside. 

 “Why are you staring like that?” 

 Don’t people usually get all soft and emotional when it rains? Why were his eyes burning so intensely? 

 “I have a plan. When it rains, people’s emotions become richer, right? So I’m waiting for those feelings to soften.” 

 “Through the rain?” 

 “Come here.” 

 I pulled Cedric’s hand and positioned him in front of the window. Then I went to the table and grabbed a chair. 

 ‘It’s heavier than I expected.’ 

 Unable to lift it completely, I barely managed to raise it off the floor and walked backward, dragging the chair. 

 I had barely taken a few steps when suddenly the chair lifted up. When I turned my head to look behind me, Cedric had reached out and lifted the chair, looking down at me. 

 “Wife, let me do things like this.” 

 He carried the chair effortlessly and strode to the window. 

 “Where would you like me to put it?” 

 “Um……” 

 I scurried over and pointed to a spot with a good view of the window. Cedric brought another chair and placed it next to the first one, then gestured toward me. 

 I stood before him as if enchanted, staring at the tips of his long, elegant fingers. 

 “Ah, one chair would be better. For softening up.” 

 “What?” 

 Cedric kicked one chair over. Then he sat down and pulled my hand. 

 “Um……?” 

 His actions made me feel like an idiot who could only say things like “um?” and “what?” 

 As I tried to stand up after sitting down, something hard like a stone touched my bottom. My whole body froze for a moment, feeling something that wasn’t a leg. 

 “No need to be tense. We’re just watching the rain. Or did you expect something else?” 

 His breath hit the back of my neck. Mixed with the sound of rain, his moist breathing faintly reached my ears. 

 All I could see were the raindrops breaking against the window. 

 “Close your eyes, as you suggested.” 

 “……” 

 Cedric’s breathing became slower than before. Focusing on his deep inhales and exhales, I unconsciously matched my breathing to his. 

 “Listening to the rain……” 

 I listened carefully to Cedric’s voice as he spoke slowly. Tap, tap. His voice mixed with the endless sound of falling rain. 

 “It seems good for deepening emotions.” 

 My whole body tensed at his low chuckle. Though he was just holding my waist from behind to keep me from getting up, my breathing quickened. 

 “And even better for falling in love. Don’t you think?” 

 “Y-yes, I suppose so.” 

 I tried to break free from him before things got more dangerous. Cedric’s embrace was like a wide swamp, pulling me deeper and deeper. His warm body temperature and the steady arms holding me. 

 Not to mention the firm chest against my back. Every time he breathed, I could feel his ribcage rising and falling greatly, making me slap both my cheeks. 

 “So we should get going!” 

 “Wife, don’t move like that.” 

 “……What?” 

 Cedric hurriedly grabbed my shoulders and pressed them down. 

 “Moving like that on top, it makes things difficult for me.” 

 “……” 

 I seemed to be in more trouble than Cedric. That massive twitch I felt earlier had increased. 

 “I think it’s time to go. Maybe it’s the rain, but it’s hot in here.” 

 I stood up abruptly, fanning myself. Fortunately, this time he didn’t hold me back from getting up. 

 “Romance — we need romance to fall in love, shall we get moving?” 

 “Actually, I’m not keen on this.” 

 “Why?” 

 “Artificial romance won’t have much meaning.” 

 “Oh my, how would those two know that?” 

 Since I won’t be moving directly. Benjamin already seems to have feelings for Isabelle, so we just need to sway her. 

 “Wait here for a moment. Don’t come out!” 

 Cedric sat in the chair with his arms crossed and tilted his head back. He watched me heading toward the door in that position and smiled broadly. 

 His hair that had been covering his eyes fell to the floor, completely revealing his blue eyes. 

 My steps toward the door stopped abruptly at his playful appearance. Without time to think, I walked to Cedric and held his cheeks. 

 Then I kissed his lips. 

 “Sometimes artificial things leave stronger memories.” 

 I tried to leave the room after giving him a light kiss, but fingers dug into the back of my head. Our lips overlapped again by his large hand that had slipped between my hair. 

 Hot breaths exchanged through lips that parted in surprise. Under his tilted head, I could see his Adam’s apple protruding through widened eyes. 

 Tap, tap. 

 The sound of rain hitting the window intertwined with the beating of my heart. 

 ❖ ❖ ❖ 

 ‘Why did it have to be rain.’ 

 Isabelle hated rain. Though Claire had suggested making it rain to make Father anxious, she hadn’t used her ability. 

 Yet the rain had started falling. 

 Feeling stifled, she had come out of the mansion for a short walk. Even after Benjamin had left, he kept lingering in her thoughts. 

 Isabelle found herself unconsciously dwelling on Benjamin. 

 Brown hair and vivid green eyes. When their eyes met as he quietly looked at her, she somehow wanted to avoid his gaze. 

 The rain falling on her head gradually grew stronger. 

 That aside, why was this one here? 

 “Why are you here?” 

 “In case you try something else.” 

 Zeno tilted his head sideways and grinned. 

 “I signed the contract. As a princess, I don’t make such lies.” 

 “……That’s unexpected. Actually, don’t you just want to get back at the Emperor?” 

 “Is that wrong? Father backstabbed me too.” 

 Though her personality was still somewhat twisted, something felt different from before. 

 “I thought you were running away, but you’re just taking a walk. Enjoy the romantic atmosphere with the rain.” 

 “What? You’re leaving me in this rain?” 

 Isabelle let out a hollow laugh as she looked at Zeno. Having transformed into a wolf at some point, Zeno shook his fur demonstratively. 

 “Kyaa! Are you crazy?!” 

 She tried to block the flying water with her hands, but the water falling from his large body was enough to soak her clothes. 

 “Woowoo.” (Well, I’m off.) 

 “You, you! Heartless beast!” 

 Despite Isabelle’s shouts, Zeno disappeared leisurely. Finally left alone in the garden, Isabelle wrapped her arms around herself and hurried her steps. 

 She stopped abruptly when she reached the door. 

 “……Huh?” 

 It was rare for uninvited guests to enter the mansion at such a late hour. It could cause misunderstandings if seen by others and spark useless rumors. 

 Yet Benjamin was standing at the mansion’s door. His eyes widened slightly too, as if this meeting was unexpected. 

 ‘Why did he come back?’ 

 She stared blankly at Benjamin, forgetting about the rain. His rain-soaked hair was pushed back by his hand. 

 Only his hairstyle had changed, but the atmosphere he gave off was completely different. 

 Drip, drip. The raindrops falling on his face ran down his straight nose. The rain caught on his long eyelashes fell in drops every time he blinked. 

 “Your Highness.” 

 After they had been staring blankly at each other for a moment, he suddenly took off his jacket. He walked over on his long legs and draped his jacket over Isabelle’s shoulders. 

 “You’ll catch a cold. You should go inside quickly.” 

 Isabelle blinked at his gentle voice. 

 “Why did you come back?” 

 She hadn’t meant to ask. The question she’d been curious about just slipped out. 

 “I forgot to give you this. Since we’re engaged, I thought we should have rings……” 

 Benjamin pulled out a box from inside his clothes. Inside the opened box was a ring with an emerald. 

 “Since we’ll be busy from tomorrow, I thought I should give it to you before then, so I came back.” 

 “……How strange. You seem like a very strange person.” 

 “Why do you think so?” 

 “This is just a passing scandal, yet you seem to be putting your heart into it.” 

 That couldn’t be the case. He had said he too was getting something out of this, and it was just an alliance formed out of mutual need. 

 “Don’t overdo it. You and I are just meeting to deceive Father.” 

 Isabelle nervously took the ring and knocked on the mansion door. 

 After entering without looking back, she looked at the ring in her hand. 

 Though she felt chills throughout her body from the rain, her face somehow felt hot. 

 “Ah……! The jacket!” 

 She belatedly realized Benjamin’s jacket was still on her shoulders, but when she opened the door, he was already gone.