Aaron seemed to have bathed not long ago.

Humid, hot air lingered inside. A faint floral scent permeated the room.

Had he floated petals in the bathtub?

It was a scene that didn’t match the man who would cruelly swing his sword covered in blood on the battlefield.

The moment she imagined it, a laugh escaped her.

The fear of spending her first night with him subsided, if only momentarily.

She moved her legs while scanning the bedroom’s structure.

Immediately after crossing the threshold, she first encountered a reception room with a bleak atmosphere.

The scene with just one long sofa was monotonous to the point of emptiness.

Despite the glossy material of the sofa, it looked so desolate that sitting on it would feel like frost settling on her entire body.

It certainly wasn’t fulfilling its role as a reception room and had been abandoned.

As she widened her view, she saw a door connecting to the bedroom. Today, it was wide open.

Once she crossed that threshold, Aaron would be waiting.

With each step she took, vibrations began to rise from the soles of her feet.

Even though she tried to plant her feet firmly on the floor, she couldn’t control the trembling.

Her steps, seeking a husband who didn’t come to greet her, ultimately couldn’t overcome the obstacle.

Suddenly timid, Lucilia stood against the doorpost, puffing and deflating her cheeks.

The bedroom was darker than the reception room. It looked like a hungry beast waiting to devour her with its mouth wide open, making her limbs crumple.

Still, she couldn’t delay too long.

Lucilia gently pressed her chest and carefully spoke.

“…Are you in there?”

“Come in.”

Though it was too dark to see clearly, his voice came from quite close by.

Gathering her courage and passing the doorpost, Lucilia discovered Aaron engrossed in something with only one lamp lit, a little distance from the bed.

Aaron’s attire wasn’t much different from hers.

He had loosened his robe collar and was scanning documents. Only his eyes, focused with cold precision, were not relaxed, creating a rather discordant impression.

That made it difficult to approach him.

It seemed better to wait quietly without disturbing him.

Eventually, her innocent eyes turned toward Aaron.

Was it because the flickering light dyed the room red? Their faint breaths escaping into the air felt unusually sensual.

She thought that if the energy flowing between them had a temperature, it would be hot enough to cause mild burns.

His appearance, revealing his wild nature, also contributed to the heat.

From his protruding veins, thick and solid chest, thick thighs, to his large feet—there wasn’t a part of him that didn’t emphasize his masculinity.

She felt anxious because she couldn’t predict Aaron’s next action.

Would he pounce on her fiercely, or would he compose his emotions through conversation?

But the latter seemed unlikely.

She closed her eyes as soon as she looked down at her snow-white nightgown. The pink buds protruding through the thin fabric were so explicit that her scalp tingled.

As she crossed her arms to subtly cover her chest, his head lifted slightly.

Lucilia stopped her movement and awkwardly lowered her raised arms.

“I have something to examine, so please go to sleep first.”

“Sleep… first?”

“Yes.”

As her firm resolve became useless, all the tension in her body drained away at once.

The rapidly spreading sense of emptiness was unbelievable.

Hiding her agitated state, the rejected Lucilia approached Aaron.

“If you’re not busy, why don’t you rest for today? You must be t-tired.”

Her words, which had been flowing smoothly, became tangled with just one puzzled look from Aaron. Sitting in the wing chair, he raised only his eyes to stare at Lucilia’s lips.

“I am busy, but I’m not tired.”

Aaron had an excellent talent for silencing others. His skill at dismissing was also outstanding.

The courage she had painstakingly built up crumbled so easily it was laughable.

Lucilia only wiggled her curled toes as embarrassment washed over her.

But it wasn’t as if she could comfortably fall asleep alone either.

She could only end her day with peace of mind once her husband went to bed.

Although it was extremely awkward to speak to someone who didn’t want to talk, she tried to converse again.

“Still, you need to sleep.”

“I’ll manage on my own, so please rest first.”

Earlier at the banquet hall, he had rushed out like someone desperate to consummate the marriage.

Now it was clear he had escaped to handle accumulated work.

He had reluctantly brought her along because he couldn’t leave his newly wedded wife in a place crawling with dark men.

No amount of persuasion would work, so there was nothing she could do.

She hesitantly turned around and stood facing the bed.

Perhaps because of Aaron’s size, the bed was very large. It seemed like five adult women could lie side by side.

The enormous bed was perfect both for Aaron, who was uncomfortable with skin-to-skin contact, and for her, who provided discomfort.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Lucilia grabbed the blanket, which seemed newly replaced with its soft, lively texture. Then she quietly slipped her body under it without making noise.

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

A bed devoid of human warmth was as chilly as a winter field.

That would have been fine, but her attire, which had no warming function, absorbed the cold directly.

She shivered, trying to shake off the goosebumps, and pulled the blanket up to her chin.

Though she forced herself to sleep, all her nerves were focused on Aaron, making it difficult to settle down.

Her closed eyes opened drowsily. Lucilia peeked at Aaron through half-closed eyes.

He seemed so stubborn. Aaron, who had been nothing but cold until just now, looked warm.

The rough ice pillars protruding from the ice wall had been bluntly chiseled away.

His eyes, reading down the documents while comfortably leaning back on the sofa, were neat and intellectual.

The side profile dropping from the bridge of his nose to his lips and chin was like viewing a work of art.

Though he was close by, he was an existence that couldn’t be grasped, like a painting captured on canvas.

‘I don’t know how to treat you. Staying still like a wooden statue feels shameless, but stepping forward might annoy you. Will time resolve this?’

Whether to expel her or not, and if so, when—Aaron had said he would decide.

Even leaving Tudra would be determined by his authority.

Considering this point, Lucilia closed her blurring vision.

* * *

Only when dawn approached and the moon was waning did the body that seemed unlikely to leave finally move from the sofa.

The sound of putting down documents broke the silence.

Aaron rose from his seat, turned off the light, and cautiously narrowed the distance.

After delaying for this long, it seemed acceptable to climb into bed.

Indeed, the blanket rose and fell evenly.

It was also good for leisurely observing her sleeping soundly.

However, in that moment of carelessness, Aaron suddenly stiffened.

The blanket had somehow slipped down to below her chest, and through the loosely opened collar, her fair br*asts were exposed.

He had thought it would be fine since he could hear her even breathing, but…

Who could have known that the plan proceeding smoothly would be disrupted by such an unexpected situation?

He couldn’t even take a step, let alone lie down beside her.

Though he knew he should avert his gaze like a gentleman, his eyes followed instinct like a young beast.

He felt the urge to grab the open collar and pull it apart. Desire pushed up from the soles of his feet, wanting to delve inside and s*ck greedily.

It took quite a while for the branches of his divided thoughts to merge again.

Only when she stirred, creating a breathtaking moment where her intimate flesh almost became visible, did he hastily step away.

He had already committed dirty sins in his mind, but he had to end it here.

Aaron barely managed to cover her with the blanket before sinking deeper into the pit of sin.

After covering even Lucilia’s face, he gave up on lying beside her.

Honestly, he could have taken her, citing marital duty, but he didn’t feel like it.

Right now, perfectly executing the situation he had set up was more important than quenching his thirst.

He needed to be faithful to his role of monitoring her to prevent her from using dark magic. For that, the situation of mistreating his wife was inevitably necessary.

If rumors spread that he cherished Lucilia, the Pope wouldn’t move rashly.

He needed to neglect her, brand her as an evil being in the hearts of the kingdom’s people, and use that to sweep away his competitors.

A witch outside her husband’s protection would easily become their prey.

Unaware that Aaron was struggling with his instincts all night, Lucilia opened her eyes as the dawn began to break.

‘I wonder if he’s sleeping beside me… I should have waited until the end, but I fell asleep.’

With feelings half apologetic and half anxious, she looked to the side.

She naturally expected his sculpture-like profile to fill her view, but the place where he should have been was empty.

Was he angry because they couldn’t consummate the marriage?

For a moment, her heart sank.

Lucilia abruptly sat up and stretched her legs out of the bed.

Just as she was about to put on her shoes to go look for him:

“You’re up early.”