The bathtub, seemingly made of white porcelain, felt spacious with only Elliope in it. The moment Kallian stepped in, however, the water quickly overflowed, making the room feel much smaller.

Splash.

The floor of the bathroom was soon soaked with the fragrant bath water. The petals floating on the surface drifted gently over the edge, following the liquid as it spilled out.

“My lady.”

Kallian, now leaning lazily against the opposite side of the tub, called to her. His hands were covered in thick, foaming lather.

“Come here.”

At his gentle command, Elliope slowly turned her body over and leaned her back against Kallian’s firm, warm chest.

The heat radiating from his firm, well-built body against her back felt even hotter than the warm bath water.

“Ah…

Then Elliope realised – it was already hard. She could vividly feel its weight and hardness pressing against her bottom, even through the thin fabric of her chemise.

Just as she unconsciously reached for it, Kallian gently took her hand and stopped her. At the same time, he pressed his lips to her neck.

“Kallian.”

“You said you wanted to wash away the places he touched, didn’t you?”

Every place his breath brushed against her felt as if it were saturated with warmth. As she instinctively lifted her neck, Kallian’s fingers slid gently through her hair, lathering it with soft, foamy bubbles.

“Ah……”

His long, delicate fingers brushed gently over her soft scalp, as if giving her a light massage. With each touch, it felt as if the lingering headache that had settled in her head was slowly fading away.

Unconsciously, she tilted her head towards Kallian, like a child seeking comfort. At her movement, Kallian let out a soft chuckle and continued lathering her hair, as if combing through it with the rich lather.

As his fingers gently traced the ends of her long, loose hair, they gradually moved down, kneading and massaging the nape of her neck with gentle pressure.

“Ah, right there…”

“Here, you mean?”

His voice, thick with warmth, clung to the air as his movements became more deliberate, working deeper to ease the tension in her shoulders and neck.

His hands, which had been rubbing firmly across her shoulder blades, gradually moved down, slipping to her sides.

“Mm…”

Kallian gently pressed the underside of Elliope’s br*ast where it met her side. Her soft, supple flesh yielded effortlessly to his touch, conforming to the shape of his fingers like pliable dough.

As if to tease her, he slowly traced his fingers from under her br*ast to the centre of her chest, his touch lingering deliberately. But he deliberately avoided the most sensitive part.

Kallian whispered the words softly before slowly lowering his hand to grasp the hem of her robe.

Elliope raised her arms and allowed him to remove it without resistance.

In an instant, with a wet, slick sound, her chemise was completely removed.

Kallian reached for a nearby bottle of fragrant oil and poured a long, smooth stream of it between her br*asts, letting it run down her skin.

“Ah, hhng…”

She could clearly feel the thick, cool oil pooling and slowly trickling down her skin. It was as if the air around her was filled with the scent of flowers.

Soon a pair of large, rough hands were gently cupping her br*asts.

“Haa…”

As always, his touch was not one of mindless passion.

As he gently rubbed and kneaded the curves of her br*asts and the soft swell of her belly, Kallian seemed to be carefully observing her condition, measuring her reactions with every move.

When his fingers lightly brushed the tip of her n*pple, Elliope’s body involuntarily shivered and rose slightly.

“Ahh…”

Even then, Kallian moved slower than usual, as if hesitating, his touch deliberately tracing her body with uncharacteristic patience.

Especially when his fingers brushed over her slightly rounded abdomen.

“……”

Kallian stroked her skin with an unusual sense of caution.

Though his touch was slow, it wasn’t the kind meant to tease. Rather, it felt as if he was trying to feel and absorb the warmth of her body, carefully soaking up every sensation.

“Kallian?”

Elliope turned at that moment, unsettled by his unusually slow touch.

A warm tongue slid across her red lips, moving languidly – almost like a young puppy affectionately licking its beloved owner.

It left a strange tickling sensation in her chest. She didn’t mind, but… she wanted more.

‘A little harder…’

Just as he had done before, she wanted him to completely overwhelm her, to drive her into a dizzying, mind-numbing frenzy.

Unconsciously, Elliope placed her hand gently over Kallian’s.

His hand, more than twice the size of hers, yielded without resistance, allowing her to guide it.

Carefully, she guided his hand down to the space between her thighs.

“……”

As her lips remained pressed together, Kallian’s forehead furrowed sharply for a moment before he managed to smooth it, as if struggling to suppress the burning heat rising within him.

“…My Lady.”

Just as Kallian was about to speak, Elliope pressed her lips to his, a light but teasing kiss, as if pecking at him playfully. At the same time, she gently guided one of his fingers downward, sliding it under her most intimate part.

Had she been the Elliope of the past – before she met Kallian – she would never have imagined doing such a thing.

Her bare shoulders, exposed above the water, flushed a deep red, burning with the heat coursing through her body.

“Mm…”

His finger trembled slightly as it brushed over the barely visible soft hair.

Kallian let out a deep, harsh sigh, his breathing erratic.

Once again there was the sound of restraint in his voice, as if he was forcibly suppressing the burning desire inside him.

“Just a little more…”

Elliope didn’t stop there. Instead, she moved even more boldly, pushing herself further.

Even as her hands began to tremble with embarrassment, she continued to guide his fingers directly over her cl*t.

“Hhk…!”

Even though it was only a single thick finger pressing against her, she could already feel the heat surging through her body.

Unable to hold back, she felt the Kallian’s tongue slip between her lips.

“Mm… ah.”

The slow, deep kiss, thick with heat, only ended when her lips felt as if they were on fire.

By then Kallian was looking down at her with half-closed eyes, dark and hazy, as if he wanted to devour her whole.

Unconsciously, Elliope murmured in a pleading whisper,

“Kallian, just a little more…”

She instinctively parted her legs, anticipating the rough, eager touch that would follow.

Instead, Kallian swallowed hard and, with obvious reluctance, carefully withdrew his hand from between her thighs.

“…Kallian?”

The moment Elliope looked at him, slightly confused, Kallian planted a lingering kiss on her hair and pulled her into a tight embrace from behind.

Just as before, she could tell it wasn’t rejection – his touch remained gentle and filled with warmth.

“……”

She could clearly feel his heart pounding against her shoulder blades, but she couldn’t understand why he was pulling away now.

As Elliope shot him another questioning look, Kallian was about to lower his lips to hers –

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

Someone was knocking on the bedroom door.

Knock, knock, knock.

The knock came again.

Kallian slowly rose from the bathtub, not even bothering to dry his wet body as he headed straight for the door.

“Kallian, your clothes…!”

Elliope, left behind in the bathroom, called out in alarm, but he paid no attention to her agitated voice.

Clack! The door swung open.

“What is it?”

“Ah, um…”

The servant standing outside stammered, clearly surprised and confused.

Even though they’d sent up bathwater, the servant clearly hadn’t expected to see the princess’s husband standing there – soaking wet, still partially clothed, and with soapsuds running down his body.

“Uh…”

The voice trailed off, momentarily at a loss for words.

Elliope, meanwhile, wasn’t sure whether or not to laugh at the situation.

For some reason, a light-hearted feeling washed over her.

She slowly submerged herself in the still warm water, leaving only her nose above the surface as the sweet scent of flowers grew stronger.

However, the warm atmosphere was shattered by the servant’s next words.

“His Majesty the Emperor has ordered that the princess be summoned again…”

“……”

And from that moment on, the Emperor began to call for Elliope more than three or four times a day.

It was as if he wanted to make sure she was staying, that she hadn’t tried to escape.

His relentless summons continued until the day of the great banquet held in her honour.

***

“Are you well, my lady?”

“How could she be? How many times has she been summoned today?”

“Sien.”

Sien, who had joined them a little late due to overseeing the carriage’s cargo and the formal tribute to the palace, adjusted Elliope’s clothing as she pursed her lips slightly.

“You know, I know that sounds rather disrespectful…”

“Wait a minute, Sien-“

“But everyone would think he was actually a decent father, right?”

Emma, who had been about to stop Sien, ended up shouting silently instead.

No doubt, if anyone else had heard it, they would have considered it highly disrespectful.

Especially since it was practically a direct criticism of the Emperor himself.

Realising this too late, Emma hastily tried to smooth things over.

“I’m sorry, my lady. I’ve told Sien countless times to watch her words…”

“It’s all right, Emma.”

“My lady?”

“She’s not entirely wrong, is she?”

At her words, Emma couldn’t help but look momentarily dazed and confused.

Meanwhile, Sien simply grinned as if to say, “See?” – and despite everything, Elliope found that smile endearing.

Just as Kallian had once stood unflinchingly against the Royal Knights, his people were not afraid to speak their minds when necessary, with complete honesty.

She understood that their words came from a genuine concern for her, and that she mattered to them before the Emperor himself. She was often grateful for that – and this moment was no exception.

“Well, it’s not like I said anything untrue, is it?”

“Sien!”

“This is my first time in the Imperial Palace, but… after hearing bits and pieces from the servants, I pretty much got the whole picture.”

“The servants?”

“I had a quick chat with some of the maids who used to serve you. Ah, don’t worry, they didn’t say anything bad about you. They just mentioned that His Majesty the Emperor has suddenly become unusually affectionate.”