Chapter 6

“…Do you want to use separate rooms?”

Letina had assumed that after the first night, of course they would use separate bedrooms, so she was surprised.

“Um… No, if you’re okay with it, I’m fine too.”

If they used separate rooms, the servants might gossip that their relationship had fallen apart right after marriage. Letina didn’t want to be the subject of rumors from the start, so she quietly agreed.

Kiaros, unaware of Letina’s odd thoughts, secretly felt relieved.

“How about meals?”

Letina asked Kiaros.

‘He’ll probably say we should eat together once or twice a week at most.’

That was even an overestimation.

But Kiaros suggested they eat every meal together.

“We’re… married now.”

He said.

As if it was obvious, as if even asking was silly.

‘Why is he acting like that again?’

Feeling dismissed as foolish, Letina bit her lip. She knew that normal married couples lived that way. But their relationship wasn’t normal, was it?

‘Still… this is a big improvement.’

In the past, he would ignore her words or avoid her entirely. Now, even if he was curt, he responded.

And he even suggested they never skip meals together.

‘Just one wedding, and our relationship has improved this much.’

If someone had told Letina during her academy days that this day would come, she never would have believed it.

‘It’s almost like… I’ve tamed him?’

She felt proud! Letina smiled brightly.

‘…Why is she smiling?’

Kiaros saw her and took a breath. It was as if flowers were fluttering around Letina.

‘Too much…. Ha. If you’re not going to kill me, don’t smile like that…. No, actually, please smile….’

At first, Letina had approached him warmly, but gradually she only showed cold expressions in front of him. It was a smile he had kicked away without realizing his own feelings, so he couldn’t blame anyone else.

But seeing it now, he was surprised and happy.

‘What did I just do?’

He thought over it, but no matter how much he tried, it didn’t seem like she was smiling because of him. Right now, he was Kiaros, not Liri.

‘…Even in this form, I want to get close to Letina and see that smile every moment.’

However, things did not go smoothly.

When it was time to sleep, the two of them lay far apart at opposite ends of the large bed.

Letina, who had a habit of moving in her sleep, sometimes clung to Kiaros thinking he was Liri, just like on their first night.

But on those days, things were much more awkward between them after waking up.

During meals, the clinking of dishes was sometimes the only sound, and there wasn’t much conversation, making things quiet.

Still, any sense of disappointment in Kiaros melted away.

“I’m heading out.”

“Mm. Have a good day.”

Every time Kiaros left for work at the Imperial Knight Order, Letina always saw him off.

Kiaros thought he was satisfied.

Until this situation had gone on for three months.

***

“Where are you taking me, as Liri, for a walk tomorrow?”

Kiaros started bringing up Liri during meals.

It was the perfect topic to get a conversation going.

“It’s a day off, so I was thinking of going for a walk on the outskirts of the capital.”

As promised, Kiaros transformed into a duck once a day and went for walks with Letina. Strangely, Letina always looked forward to those moments each day.

“Let’s do that.”

After that, Letina would ask about his work at the Knight Order or about his health.

After Kiaros responded, the conversation usually ended.

‘She smiles and chatters away when it’s about Liri, but as soon as it’s about us, the conversation stops….’

Kiaros had always been jealous of Liri, but now it was getting worse.

‘Jealous of myself.’

What a ridiculous situation.

He felt disillusioned.

But in fact, Letina was trying in her own way to get closer to him.

‘When we first met, I just bulldozed my way into Kiaros’s life even though he pushed me away.’

These days, when she was determined to try again, she found it hard to act the same way.

Living in the same house with Kiaros, Letina saw many new sides of him. Sharing the same bed, she sometimes woke up in the middle of the night and saw Kiaros sleeping soundly.

‘His face looked so gentle, I stared at it for a long time.’

His eyelashes were so long.

His nose was high and straight, and his lips looked soft.

‘He looked striking in his Knight Order uniform, too.’

She’d only seen him in academy uniforms, so the uniform felt quite different.

But even more than that, seeing him in casual clothes felt strange, perhaps because they’d never been involved privately before.

And when they ate together, he ate so elegantly and without fuss.

Facing Kiaros made all those things come to mind.

‘So I start thinking he’s cool, and I get a little embarrassed….’

She could feel her body stiffen. She knew she needed to act naturally to get closer, but it was hard.

‘If Kiaros finds out I’m thinking like this, he might despise me.’

She tried to restrain herself.

“…Is there anything you want?”

Trying to focus on her meal, Letina looked down at her plate again, but Kiaros kept the conversation going.

“Not really…. Oh, wait. There is.”

Letina shook her head, then clapped her hands.

“A necklace—no, a bracelet would be better.”

“You want a bracelet?”

“I think it’s best to visit the store before tomorrow’s walk. Let’s go together.”

“…Me too?”

“Yeah, I need your opinion.”

“…Okay.”

Kiaros’s ears turned red without Letina noticing.

The next day, Letina and Kiaros browsed a jewelry store.

“Madam Gatiel, how about this one?”

The clerk showed her a bracelet with a shining blue sapphire.

“Hmm…. The stone is big, so it might be heavy for everyday wear.”

Kiaros nodded to himself.

‘Letina’s wrist is so slender.’

That could be a problem.

The clerk enthusiastically recommended several more bracelets. Among them, a bracelet with a heart-shaped charm caught Letina’s eye.

‘A heart… That’s a bit embarrassing.’

But it looked the best.

“Kiaros, what do you think of this?”

“If you want it, buy it.”

“I think it’s nice, but your opinion matters most.”

“…Mine?”

Was she worried about what he’d like to see her wear?

‘…Is there hope?’

Kiaros imagined it with excitement. He thought the bracelet would look perfect on Letina’s fair skin.

“Want to try it on?”

“Huh? Me?”

At Kiaros’s suggestion, Letina hesitated a bit, then picked up the bracelet and wrapped it around her wrist.

“It’s… not working.”

He helped Letina, who was struggling to put it on.

In the process, he inevitably touched the soft, delicate skin of her inner wrist.