At first, the move to the Elsen area seemed like a complicated and time-consuming endeavour. However, once the process was underway, the move went surprisingly quickly. This was partly due to Kallian’s deliberate decision to move the manor closer to the interior, and partly due to the efficiency of Kallian’s staff, including Dylan, who managed the work quickly and neatly.

Although the land they settled on was still close to the Seor border, Elliope ended up in an area within the last line of defence of the Grand Duchy of Ilmos. The land was not as barren as she had expected. In fact, there were things here that she hadn’t even seen in the Grand Duchy.

“Madam, there’s a greenhouse in the back!” 

“Did you see the lake in the middle of the city? It’s better maintained than I expected!” 

Emma and Sien took turns squealing with excitement.

“I thought it would be a backwater, but it’s much more vibrant than I expected!” 

“Elsen has always been a proud, historic capital.”

Dylan, now steward of the viscount’s manor, remarked, a hint of pride in his tone. 

“Originally, some 60 years ago, Elsen was the duchy’s…” 

“Oh! Madam! Let me finish tidying your bedroom for you!” Emma interrupted suddenly, cutting him off.

Dylan’s grand tale of Elsen’s history was interrupted by Emma and Sien. Elliope swallowed her embarrassment and gave a small nod. 

“Go ahead.” 

After all, the bedroom had been unfinished since yesterday when Kallian had walked in while she was unpacking. The room hadn’t been properly organised. 

It was the first time in her life that something like this had happened in a room still cluttered with unpacked belongings. 

The fact that I didn’t refuse is another problem. 

Though she doubted Kallian would have ignored her refusal, the thought reminded her of something more appropriate for someone like Theodor. 

‘If I’d said no…’ 

Kallian wouldn’t have forced her or tried to take her against her will. 

But in truth, Elliope couldn’t bring herself to push him away, even though she found their intimacy overwhelming and exhausting.

Sometimes she wondered if such acts were excessive between a couple whose marriage wasn’t born of love. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse him when he held her close, trembling as he poured his affection into her. 

In those moments, Kallian seemed like a drowning man, clinging to her as if she were his only lifeline. 

Is it the opposite? 

Perhaps it was she who was drowning. 

When she was trapped beneath him, struggling to breathe, her body writhing against his weight, he would gently tilt her head back. He always did this when she was struggling to breathe. 

“Breathe, my lady.” 

“Hah… haah…” 

“That’s it. Look at me like that, and breathe.” 

‘Hah, hah…’ 

“…Elliope.” 

Every time she saw his dark, smoldering eyes when he called her name like that… 

Elliope fanned herself lightly, trying to shake off the lingering thoughts as she turned her gaze to the garden. The gardeners had just begun to tend it, and she watched as Kallian emerged from among the freshly trimmed shrubs. 

“You’re back.”

Kallian held out his hand and Elliope took it, walking alongside him towards the garden. Dylan watched them with satisfaction and let them go without a word. 

“Did everything go well?” 

“It did.”

Kallian had his work cut out for him as soon as he arrived in the viscounty. Although the transfer of power had been completed quickly, the territory had been neglected for a long time and needed attention in a number of areas. 

Fortunately, the people of the territory were quite welcoming to Kallian – or at least they had been when he first set foot in Elsen. 

As their carriage entered the main avenue, the people of the territory gathered along the roadside as if they had been waiting for this moment. 

Children and young adults cheered, believing that Kallian would protect them from outside threats, while the elderly looked at him with eyes that seemed to recall the glory of the old capital.

The children and young adults cheered, believing that Kallian would protect them from outside threats, while the elderly gazed at him as if they were witnessing the revival of the old capital’s glory. There was something in the subtly charged atmosphere of the moment that made even Elliope’s heart flutter.

“There are still a few things to be done.”

“I see.”

As they walked hand in hand, Kallian brushed the tip of his fingernail lightly across her palm as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Elliope jumped, her eyes darting to Kallian. His expression remained so calm that she couldn’t tell if he had really done it or if she had imagined the whole thing. 

“…” 

Then, as if it were all a game to him, Kallian began to fidget with her hand, absentmindedly squeezing and caressing it. Elliope felt her face heat up again, her cheeks flushing. Without breaking his calm demeanour, Kallian finally spoke. 

“There is more news to tell.” 

“Oh, is it… about Lady Rayla, the Baron’s daughter?” 

” You hear things quickly.” 

“The maids sent a letter to Emma.” 

The letter had come from her former maids, who had once pretended to stay with her after she had moved away. Now, however, they had decided to return to the capital, unwilling to go against the Emperor’s wishes. Elliope, no longer a grand duchess but merely the wife of a viscount, no longer warranted their service. 

Thanks to Emma, Elliope had managed to learn more details about the situation. 

Madam, it seems that His Grace, the Grand Duke of Ilmos…*’ 

Apparently, Theodor had threatened Rayla. Fortunately, patrolling knights had intervened in time to save her from serious injury. Still, the ordeal had shaken her to the core and sent her into a fit of hysteria. In the end, she seemed to have sworn off the Grand Duchy altogether. 

The other maids who had stayed behind out of loyalty to Rayla were planning to leave as well. It seemed that the incident had grown into something much larger. 

The Imperial Family would no doubt be furious. 

When Rayla returned, it was likely she would report not only Elliope’s actions, but also the Grand Duke’s violence. The thought of the Emperor’s wrath made Elliope feel a strange sense of satisfaction, though she wouldn’t admit it aloud. 

“I’m sorry.”

“And why should you apologise?”

Kallian asked calmly, tilting his head slightly.

“Because you may suffer consequences because of Lady Rayla’s situation.” 

If the conflict between the Imperial Family and the Grand Duke escalated, Kallian would inevitably be caught in the crossfire as one of the causes. The thought weighed heavily on her mind. 

It felt different than when she had been consumed by the simple desire not to marry Theodor and had clumsily tried to seduce Kallian. Their relationship had become much more than a mere political arrangement. 

Perhaps it was because their marriage, while strategic on the surface, now had a depth that felt very different. Their relationship had become one of intense physical intimacy, laced with passion – a connection far from cold or indifferent. 

When Kallian suddenly curved his lips into a smile, Elliope was taken aback. It wasn’t his usual calm expression, but a slightly cynical but undeniably charming smile. 

“I thought this was something you did fully prepared for the consequences.” 

“That’s true, but…” 

“Besides, isn’t it His Grace, the Grand Duke, who will ultimately bear the greatest responsibility for all of this?” 

“Is that how it will turn out…?” 

“After all, it was he who approved our relationship in the first place.” 

Even though Kallian used respectful language, it was clear that he didn’t have much respect for Theodor. Elliope, curious about something that had always puzzled her, asked cautiously. 

“…Do you really dislike His Grace, the Grand Duke of Ilmos?” 

Kallian stopped abruptly and turned to face her. The untrimmed garden shrubs around them looked harsh, almost wild, and their untamed nature reminded her of Kallian himself. 

“I was born to dislike him.” 

“….” 

“It was predestined that I would hate him with every fibre of my being, that I would despise him enough to rip out his heart and chew on it.” 

In his previous life, he had served as Theodor’s loyal vassal until the man’s death – a strange statement for someone who claimed to loathe him. Elliope struggled to understand his meaning, but his face had already reverted to a mask of emotionless detachment, rough and unreadable. 

“And so I grew up hiding my hatred so he wouldn’t feel it.” 

“I never felt you disliked him that much.”

“That’s because I didn’t.”

“…” 

“I was born to hate him, but in truth I didn’t hate him so much as I was indifferent.” 

The way he spoke made it sound as if Theodor was too insignificant for him to care about, and Elliope couldn’t help but flinch at the harsh implication. She felt a flicker of curiosity, wanting to ask more, but caution held her back. 

Before she could decide whether to press further, Kallian continued. 

“But now I can hate him freely.” 

“Why is that?” 

“Because you want to defeat him.” 

The answer did not make sense to her. What did her desire to defeat Theodor have to do with Kallian’s hatred for him? Before she could question his reasoning, Kallian spoke again, this time asking a question of his own. 

“Is that true?” 

“…I-” 

“You want to defeat him, don’t you?” 

“…” 

“Is that what you want?” 

Elliope nodded unconsciously at his question. 

“I want it.” 

She didn’t say it out loud, but Kallian smiled as if he already knew. His lips curved upwards in an elegant arc, and the sight of it made her heart tighten once more. Moments like this reminded her that he was as handsome as Theodor – perhaps more so. 

“If that’s what you want, then so be it.”

“…” 

“Let His Grace deal with his own problems.” 

“But what if the Imperial Family – what if they hold you responsible…?” 

“In the end, the most important thing of all…” 

Kallian slowly raised his other hand and gently grasped her wrist. With ease, he pulled Elliope into his arms, the movement feeling completely natural. 

Before she realised it, their chests were pressed tightly together and through the contact she could feel the steady beating of his heart echoing through her body. Kallian’s broad chest amplified the sound of his heartbeat, so much so that as she leaned into him, she felt her entire being swaying in time to his pulse. 

“That you are now my wife.”

‘But what does that have to do with anything?” she thought, unable to express her confusion.’ 

‘You were his loyal vassal, someone who dedicated your life to him.’ 

‘And now you’re saying that because I want to defeat him, you’ve decided to hate him?’ 

Or perhaps… was it because of her that he now had a reason to despise Theodor? 

What did the fact that she was his wife have to do with it? 

‘Could it be that you…’ 

Her thoughts trailed off, caught in the whirlwind of unanswered questions and unspoken feelings. 

Truly… 

Instead of voicing her thoughts, Elliope accepted his descending lips. A strange thirst burned in her throat. 

Kallian’s lips trailed down her neck, following the curve of her décolleté, and continued lower to the exposed upper part of her br*ast, revealed by the design of her dress. 

She faintly sensed the presence of the gardeners in the background, who withdrew hastily as if they hadn’t seen anything. 

As Elliope’s pale skin turned a deep shade of red with embarrassment, Kallian let out a soft laugh, the sound muffled as it came from between her flushed collarbones.