“Your Highness, Sir Alec has arrived.” 

 “Oh? Then guide him to the garden! Rien, bring tea and refreshments with a maid.” 

 “Yes, understood.” 

 Claire immediately turned toward the table set up in the garden. 

 “Help me prepare quickly since we have a guest coming.” 

 “……Woowoowoo.”(Here we go again.) 

 “This is all part of the plan.” 

 Zeno looked uninterested but transformed into human form. As he laid the tablecloth, birds flew in carrying flowers in their beaks and dropped them around. 

 Claire decorated the table brightly with flowers from the garden and wore a satisfied expression. 

 “Your Highness, I’ve brought the tea and refreshments.” 

 Rien, who came pulling a tray, began setting up on the well-decorated table. 

 ‘Good, this is romantic enough.’ 

 Now all that’s needed is some soft music……. 

 Claire turned her head and spotted an oriole sitting on a branch and made a request. 

 “You know what to do, right? Just sing from the tree above the table.” 

 “Tweet tweet.”(Don’t worry. Let me sing for you.) 

 “Whee, wheeoroolong wheek.”(What are you saying. My voice is the most beautiful.) 

 A thrush that came running at the mention of singing took its place next to the oriole. The two birds boasted about who sang better. 

 Claire clapped her hands. Everyone returned to their positions. 

 “Your Highness, His Highness is calling for you.” 

 “For me?” 

 Could it be because Benjamin came? He must be busy with the tailor who came earlier for measurements. 

 Claire nodded and went inside the mansion. Zeno stayed in the garden with the animals, saying he would watch something interesting. 

 ‘Looking at him like that, he’s just like a child.’ 

 He seemed excited about the thought of teasing Isabelle. 

 When she went to the room where Cedric was, a servant opened the door. 

 “Your Highness. What’s the matter?” 

 “I thought it would be good to have my wife take a look.” 

 “……Ahem. I see.” 

 He was looking at her with his shirt buttons not fully fastened. His fingers slowly buttoned them one by one. 

 “It seems Your Highness’s body is more than average…… It might be difficult to have it ready by the Harvest Festival.” 

 Claire nodded as she saw Cedric who had finished buttoning up, just as the tailor had said. 

 The shirt was crying for help. 

 “But I thought you ordered custom-made clothes. Isn’t that ready-made?” 

 “I asked for some clothes that might be needed while we’re here. Though it seems wearing the clothes I brought would be better……” 

 Altering ready-made clothes seemed impossible. If he moved even slightly, buttons would seek freedom here and there. 

 “Will you be able to make the tailcoat in time?” 

 “Of course! Leave it to me!” 

 The tailor was burning with enthusiasm. 

 “I really want to make clothes worthy of such a perfect body. One suit is possible within the timeframe.” 

 “Then I’ll leave it to you. Ah, a servant will show you the way out.” 

 If he happened to go toward the garden and see Benjamin and Isabelle together, all plans would be ruined. 

 Though her friends would make sure they didn’t run into each other, she couldn’t help feeling anxious. 

 Claire pulled the bell cord to call a servant. 

 “Guide him through the back door. Make sure he doesn’t run into the Princess.” 

 The servant nodded at her whisper and left with the tailor. 

 “You could have told me if you needed ready-made clothes. Then I would have looked around while I was out and had them sent to the mansion.” 

 Claire approached Cedric. She couldn’t just watch as the shirt might tear if he tried to unbutton it. 

 “It gave me an excuse to go out with my wife.” 

 “Really, sometimes you’re just like a child.” 

 “I like being childish.” 

 “……Why?” 

 “Because my wife will take care of me more often.” 

 “Really!” 

 Claire lightly hit his chest and frowned. He must be someone specialized in teasing her. 

 He was clearly enjoying this situation. 

 “I’m happy that my wife takes care of me, but my wife seems to be in an even better mood.” 

 “……No, I’m not.” 

 “Your lips haven’t turned down once since earlier. And your gaze is heated.” 

 “Don’t move.” 

 Claire forcibly pulled down the corners of her mouth that had been turned up. Well, how could one not be in a good mood looking at this body? 

 Just looking at it makes endorphins flow naturally, okay? This isn’t my fault but because Cedric’s body is too good. 

 Claire carefully began unbuttoning. He obediently watched her undo the buttons as she had told him not to move. 

 She first unbuttoned his chest which looked uncomfortable. After unbuttoning up to his neck, she finally removed her hands. 

 “You can do the rest from here, right?” 

 “Please finish it for me, wife.” 

 Cedric took her hands and brought them to the remaining buttons. 

 “It’s uncomfortable to move.” 

 “……You seem capable enough to hold my hands though?” 

 “It would be troublesome if the shirt rips.” 

 “What’s there to be troubled about? We can just buy another.” 

 “……” 

 It’s not like they can’t afford to buy a shirt. 

 “I don’t have money to spend on shirts that will tear.” 

 Liar! 

 He even set an unreasonable amount for my allowance. 

 “I’m not foolish enough to buy shirts just to tear them.” 

 “……” 

 “Just because one has money doesn’t mean they should throw it away foolishly.” 

 “That’s true.” 

 He wasn’t wrong. His blue eyes shone shamelessly. 

 Claire ended up unbuttoning all of his shirt buttons. 

 “Is that good now?” 

 He nodded and undid the buttons at his cuffs. 

 “I heard Sir Benjamin came. Is he meeting with the Princess?” 

 “Yes, they should be having quite a romantic meeting. Ah! Did you know?” 

 Claire excitedly shared all the stories she had heard with Cedric. 

 From the ring, to how he draped his jacket over Isabelle when she got caught in the rain. She gushed about how it must be fate and such. 

 Cedric naturally guided her to sit in a chair as he listened to her story. 

 “Let’s sit while you talk. Those two will have a long conversation anyway.” 

 “But the problem is Isabelle didn’t wear the ring! Even though he gave it to her with such a gentle voice and gaze.” 

 “Gentle voice?” 

 “……That’s what a friend told me.” 

 Cedric’s eyes narrowed. I quickly changed the subject while subtly moving the chair back. 

 “That’s not what’s important. If those two appear before His Majesty like this, they’ll be found out.” 

 “That won’t happen.” 

 “How can you be so sure?” 

 “Just looking at Sir Benjamin’s and the Princess’s gazes tells me. When those two go before the Emperor, it will work out well.” 

 His tone was full of conviction. Well, if I just looked at Sir Benjamin, I would say the same as Cedric. 

 But Isabelle still seemed confused. If this was her first time feeling such emotions, it would make sense. 

 ‘……First, could it be her first?’ 

 Claire covered her mouth. 

 Even in the original work, Isabelle had never fallen in love with any man other than Cedric. And even with him, she fell in love at first sight. 

 The very situation of sharing emotions and empathizing with each other was a first for her. 

 “Don’t tell me Your Highness noticed?” 

 He might have known that Isabelle would be slow to realize her feelings. He must have thought Sir Benjamin would be the one to draw out those emotions. 

 “Your Highness. Sometimes you frighten me.” 

 “Why do you think that?” 

 “Just, how should I put it…… I often think you’re amazing.” 

 “Just by observing until now, one can tell the Princess has never truly cared for anyone. Since the Emperor oppressed her, romance would be no different.” 

 “That’s true, but she might have met others at balls, right?” 

 “The Princess wouldn’t have done that. She clearly distinguishes between actions that would displease her father and things she shouldn’t do as a princess.” 

 Is this where the Northern Grand Duke’s obsessive madness comes from……? 

 He must use his persistence and sensitivity to see through people, dig into their weaknesses, and create opportunities. 

 “She is proud and selfish, but she also knows the power that comes with her position.” 

 “That’s true.” 

 She had never acted in a way that would lower her dignity as a princess in front of others. 

 “Above all, she must not have found a man suitable for her. So I thought she never had proper meetings or gave her heart to anyone.” 

 Claire nodded blankly as she listened to his words. She hadn’t known he had such a good grasp of Isabelle. 

 “Having been on battlefields and needing to consider others’ feelings often, I developed a habit of observing and understanding people. That’s all.” 

 “……Mmm. I see.” 

 But can one really see through people’s essence to this extent just from that? 

 His frost-like blue eyes shone sharply. He grabbed the chair I was sitting in and pulled it closer suddenly. 

 “My wife, do I really frighten you?” 

 “……A little when your eyes sparkle like this?” 

 Like the gaze of a beast standing in pure white snow. 

 Cedric pulled the chair even closer. Claire pressed her back firmly against the chair’s backrest. 

 Her neck instinctively shrank as she swallowed hard. He spoke while prettily curving his blue eyes. 

 “My wife. The only time you should fear me is in bed.”