Claire quickly nodded. She gripped the chair handles tightly with both hands while trying to slowly release her tense breath. 

 Thanks to him removing his shirt, his upper body was exposed. The veins protruding on his hands gripping the chair kept drawing her gaze. 

 His broad chest rose and fell with each breath he took. 

 “Of course, if my wife wants me to be more gentle, I’m willing to do so.” 

 Claire reached out and covered his mouth. 

 “I get it, so stop talking!” 

 Cedric seemed amused as his eyes curved into a smile. Then he raised his eyebrows and lightly licked her palm with his tongue. 

 “Eek!” 

 Startled, Claire pulled her hand away from his lips. 

 ‘He’s enjoying this!’ 

 He was definitely enjoying this situation. A mischievous smile remained on his face, apparently finding her flustered reactions entertaining. 

 “My wife, it hurts when you react with such disgust.” 

 “Stop lying!” 

 He told such lies with a face that showed no hurt at all. 

 In fact, his eyes curved even more into crescents than before, along with a languid smile hanging on his lips that raised her blood pressure. 

 “You’re right. That just now was a lie. But everything else I said was sincere.” 

 “……” 

 Cedric gently wrapped his hands around Claire’s hands that were gripping the chair handles and removed them. 

 Then he planted a deep kiss on the back of her hand while staring straight into her eyes. His blue eyes gleamed through his disheveled black hair. 

 As he said, everything except his words just now must have been sincere. Thinking back, while Cedric was gentle in bed too, he was persistently intense in other ways. 

 To the point of not letting her sleep. 

 “My wife, if you don’t believe my words……” 

 The air around them naturally grew heavy, making her hair stand on end. 

 Perhaps this is how it would feel to submerge one’s face in a blue lake and stare into it. 

 “Would you like to verify?” 

 She needed to keep her wits about her. If she nodded here, she might not be able to escape from his embrace tonight, or even until tomorrow. 

 Claire widened her eyes and shook her head. 

 “I know without having to verify, so it’s fine.” 

 “Hmm, are you sure?” 

 He let out a short sigh, seemingly quite disappointed. His eyes still wouldn’t leave her, moving busily as if trying to dig out her true feelings. 

 The cool energy enveloping her whole body wasn’t frightening though. As he said, she only needed to fear him in bed. 

 Claire chose to change the subject. If they stayed like this, she might end up offering her neck to a beast. 

 “Your Highness. Aren’t you curious about how things are going with Sir Benjamin and Isabelle?” 

 “My wife, I’m not curious about other people. What I’m always curious about is what you think each day, how you’re feeling today, and what kind of things you’ll do next.” 

 “……People will think I cause trouble every day.” 

 Well, I can’t completely deny it. 

 Cedric removed his hand from her chair. With a more relaxed expression, he walked to the partition. 

 As he put on and slowly buttoned up his shirt, he said: 

 “Has there been no reply to the letter you sent to the Imperial Palace?” 

 “No, perhaps because I said I’d visit soon, there’s been no contact.” 

 Though I said it in a tone suggesting not to come…… the lack of any action was worrying. 

 “Since there’s been no news from the friend I sent, I was thinking of sending another friend.” 

 She was anxious having heard no news from her mother since then. 

 “You don’t think Father found out I tried to contact her and harmed Mother, do you?” 

 “That won’t be the case. At least until the Emperor gets what he wants, it should be fine.” 

 Claire touched the restraints she always wore on her arm. 

 ‘Who made these restraints? If we could find out who that person is, things might become easier.’ 

 To make restraints, they would need to know about divine beasts too, right? 

 She hadn’t thought Father would tell others about divine beasts. 

 She knew nothing about the process or materials for making the restraints. However, in romance fantasy novels, holy artifacts were typically made by temples. 

 The original work did cover content about the temple. 

 The Renshad Empire has an ancient temple. After the divine beasts appeared, the temple’s power gradually disappeared, and now it’s said to no longer exist. It’s known that there are no caretakers or priests working there. However, healing priests continued their lineage as they remained useful. 

 But only priests could make restraints. Father probably secretly kept someone with holy power hidden from others. 

 Whether willingly or not, they were being used. Perhaps they even sought out Father first to survive. 

 “Your Highness, do temples still exist?” 

 “There is one in the capital, but I know it only as an old, dilapidated building.” 

 This matched what she knew from the original work. Just an old building standing alone with no one managing or using it. 

 “Could I visit the temple, just in case?” 

 “It’s not particularly difficult. However, it might be troublesome if the Emperor is keeping an eye on the temple.” 

 “That’s true……” 

 Even using the capital’s information brokers, there was a high chance it would reach Father’s ears. Especially sensitive information. 

 She considered using her friends to gather information, but since Zeno would be going where the divine beasts were, it seemed faster to ask them to inquire. 

 “Do you need something from the temple?” 

 “No. I need people, not things. I was thinking of looking for someone who could help unravel the mystery of these restraints.” 

 While Zeno would ask when he meets the divine beasts, they too might not know much. 

 “I’ll look for someone who knows about the temple. The magic stones in the Imperial Palace will likely be cut off soon after the Princess returns.” 

 “Good. We’ll disappear like people who never existed, so they won’t be able to find any traces.” 

 She wanted to see Father’s face as soon as possible. 

 “I hope Isabelle and Sir Benjamin do well.” 

 “There’s no need to worry too much. Falling in love happens in an instant too.” 

 Cedric’s attire usually consisted of a neat vest over his shirt, with a jacket of similar color on top. Over that sat a thick cloak. 

 But this time he was wearing a leather harness from who knows where. 

 Besides, leather. Leather? 

 Where did he learn such sophisticated behavior? 

 “……Your Highness? Where did that come from?” 

 “Ah, this was given to me as a gift from the tailor earlier. He said it’s trending in the capital these days.” 

 What an excellent trend. Whoever started it deserves praise. Who would have thought she’d see Cedric wearing a harness. 

 Her gaze kept drifting to his broad chest. The black harness in place made his chest look even more prominent. 

 Cedric looked at the harness he was wearing and tilted his head. 

 “Is it bad? The shape is a bit strange…… and uncomfortable too.” 

 When he made a gesture as if to take it off, Claire hurriedly waved her hands. 

 “It suits you well! Don’t take it off!” 

 “Really?” 

 Claire nodded. 

 When would she see this sight again? She should write a letter to the tailor saying such gifts are always welcome and please continue to help in the future. 

 Only after buttoning up his jacket completely did Cedric grin. 

 “But wife, aren’t you staring too intently?” 

 He spoke while adjusting his clothes. Come to think of it, she hadn’t even been aware of it. 

 That she had been staring straight at Cedric without taking her eyes off him while he changed clothes. 

 “Even though we’ve seen everything of each other, being stared at so openly makes me shy too.” 

 Lies. 

 How can someone speaking while staring so openly be shy? 

 Claire covered her eyes with her hands. 

 “Oh my, I was lost in thought staring without realizing. But that’s all Your Highness’s fault.” 

 “My fault……” 

 “Isn’t it? Having such a body and stripping so obviously, then wearing such a bewitching thing, how can I not look?” 

 Claire stood from her chair and approached Cedric. She gently stroked his chest and unbuttoned his jacket. 

 She grabbed the exposed leather harness. 

 Snap— 

 The strap clung tightly to his firm chest. Cedric’s straight eyebrows twisted slightly. 

 “So don’t wear this anywhere else.” 

 Claire put her hands behind her back and stepped away from him. Seeing Claire smiling more brightly than anyone, Cedric looked at his harness once and then headed to the desk as if remembering something. 

 With a swishing sound, a leather choker with bells emerged from a paper box. 

 “……Your Highness?” 

 He shrugged while showing the belled choker in his hand. 

 “This was also a gift.” 

 “……Surely not?” 

 You’re not planning to wear that around your neck, Your Highness? No, say you are, no…… that shouldn’t happen, right? 

 Claire stammered, unable to answer as if broken. 

 “My wife, what are you thinking?” 

 “……Yes?” 

 “This has a different owner.” 

 Claire unconsciously covered her neck with her hands.