‘Thankfully his eyes were closed, oh my goodness!’

Though these feelings were natural, it was terribly embarrassing for scenes of passion to unfold freely in her mind with her husband right in front of her.

“You should get some sleep now.”

He rejected Lucilia’s attention remarkably well, as if his eyes were glued to his eyelids.

It was simply amazing how he knew she was staring so intently at him.

How heightened must his senses be from the battlefield to detect such subtle changes?

Lucilia caught her breath with a face mixed half with wonder and half with embarrassment.

If he noticed, perhaps she had been unconsciously breathing heavily. The thought made her dizzy.

Feeling preemptively caught, she bit her lip, hoping he wouldn’t open his eyes.

As she was trying to get accustomed to the silence, Aaron’s lips suddenly parted.

“The holy knight.”

“Did you find out about Sir Blio?”

“He disappeared for a while but has reappeared and is now back with the Holy Knights Order as before.”

“I see. He must have had a hard time, but it seems he’s recovered and returned.”

Aaron’s eyes twitched as soon as she showed concern for Raphad, but Lucilia didn’t notice.

* * *

The journey by carriage to the capital took just over two weeks again.

Still, with the banquet two days away, there was ample time to rest.

On the first day of arrival, Aaron was so busy that there was no chance to face each other. The King, who had begun to recognize the promising Aaron as his own man, summoned the mere young baron to the palace.

Only after arriving in the capital did Lucilia realize how much the King trusted Aaron.

It was also new information that Aaron supported the New Religion, an emerging power. Having taken an excommunicated saint as his wife, he would need the strength of the New Religion even more to stand against the Pope.

The next day, Aaron also kept a busy schedule.

Nevertheless, he allowed Lucilia to visit a café near the villa, thinking of her.

He gruffly said it would be a waste not to wear the specially made dresses often, but she knew his intention was to give her some breathing room.

When Aaron went out, Lucilia also headed to the café, accompanied by guards.

Since most cafés and shops used by nobles were concentrated in the central streets, she could move relatively freely in this outskirts area.

No one recognized her as the former saint. She realized that she had been unable to look down from her high position all this time.

As if giving her a chance to make amends, she spotted a child in shabby clothes begging.

Lucilia gave a brief nod to her guard following a few steps behind, indicating for him to wait.

After seeing the guard stop in place, she approached the child and fumbled to take out the money she had brought.

“Have you eaten breakfast?”

“…”

“Do you live alone? Where is the rest of your family?”

“…”

The child’s bare feet were covered in dirt.

She wanted to buy new shoes and put them on the child, but she remembered that Aaron had only permitted her to visit the café.

She smiled at the child who didn’t want to talk and put money in the tin can.

“It’s not much, but it should cover meals for a few days. Make sure to eat well.”

Just as she reached out to pat the child’s head, the little one shoved Lucilia hard.

“Ugh!”

Fearing being caught, the boy quickly fled, clutching the tin can to his chest.

“Are you alright? Please wait here a moment.”

The guard who helped Lucilia up from her fall grabbed his scabbard.

He looked ready to chase after the child immediately.

Lucilia quickly blocked the guard’s path and smoothed her distorted expression.

“I think I startled him by speaking to him. I’m fine, so I’d prefer not to make a big deal out of this.”

The guard agreed that drawing attention wouldn’t do any good. However, he seemed frustrated that he couldn’t check her body for injuries.

Lucilia fixed her disheveled hair with her hand and pointed to the café with a nonchalant face.

“A warm cup of tea will make me feel much better.”

Since her will was firm, the guard had no choice but to comply.

While he waited outside the building, Lucilia had tea alone at a window seat.

Her forearm had been stinging terribly since earlier.

She waited until the guard wasn’t peering into the café and secretly lifted her cloak.

When she moved the fabric aside, bloodstains that had seeped through her sleeve became visible.

The child’s movement was so swift that she didn’t even realize he had cut her with a small blade. It was so seamless that anyone watching would have thought he merely pushed her.

If even the guard couldn’t notice, that said it all.

Although she was struck by misfortune while trying to help, she was glad the child had escaped.

If she hadn’t immediately covered the wound with her cloak, the little one would have been beaten.

The maid who helped her bathe would likely report to Aaron, but since the child had already fled, she thought she could handle it on her own.

She didn’t know if Aaron would search the area, but she hoped the child would hide safely.

However, Aaron didn’t show his face that night either.

Only the next morning did she hear that he had returned home.

Since it was the day of the banquet, the couple needed to go to the palace together.

Lucilia started her day with a warm cup of tea.

She organized her thoughts while drawing her finger through the white steam rising from the teacup.

Today she would finally meet her father.

She felt uneasy, thinking he might despise Aaron along with her.

But her worries were brief, as she found hope in the fact that Aaron’s position wasn’t so disadvantageous.

The King and Aaron had already built a cooperative relationship to check the Pope’s power. Perhaps her father had also quickly decided to side with the King.

Maybe determining which way the scales of power tipped was more important to him than saving his daughter.

“Anyway, it means the young baron has more power than I thought.”

Though not yet among the high nobility, he had earned the King’s recognition through his latent abilities.

Realizing such a person was her husband, her low spirits lifted a bit.

Even if Aaron and her father were politically in the same boat, they were complete strangers legally because her father had cast her out.

“As the young baron said, I should first play the role of wife well.”

Around the time she was vaguely imagining what might happen at the banquet, servants entered the bedroom to help with preparations.

Since no dedicated maid had been assigned during her stay in Tudra, there were no servants who had come with her from there. However, the process went smoothly with just the staff working at the villa.

The maids, who couldn’t stop admiring the beautiful Lucilia, styled her hair in the fashion currently popular in the capital.

They braided her fine hair elaborately, let it hang long, and decorated it with jewels.

While busy hands worked all over, Lucilia just stared at the mirror.

Watching her appearance gradually transform, she couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration when it was complete.

“Wow… It doesn’t look like me.”

The deep blue dress, reminiscent of the deep sea, was notable for its volume.

Red jewels inserted between the knots of her braided hair looked just like wild strawberries fallen on a white snow field.

Even Lucilia was captivated by her own appearance, which exuded a fresh yet mysterious atmosphere.

If only Aaron would like it too…

Aaron was drinking tea in the downstairs reception room until Lucilia came down. When he heard footsteps at the entrance, he casually turned his head.

The saint who once radiated a pure light like a lily appeared more alluring than anyone, completely breaking down his defensive walls.

“Alluring” was a nice way of putting it—she was beautiful enough to make his eyes roll.

He wanted to taste those red lips, place his hands on the curves that occasionally revealed themselves, kiss her fair shoulders.

If he cupped her cheeks and kissed her, could he alone appreciate those sunset-like eyes?

A desire rose to experience a deep sense of unity while looking into each other’s eyes.

Though startled by the gloomy fantasies that rushed in during that brief moment, he pretended not to be affected.

When he showed no reaction, Lucilia pinched her innocent lips.

“Is the lip color too… flashy?”

“It, suits you well.”

Aaron continued hesitantly.

Lucilia blushed at Aaron’s compliment. Though embarrassed, she smiled with pleasure at being seen as beautiful.

Aaron moistened his throat with tea and straightened his posture.

Given the significance of the day, he planned to escort his wife as a husband today.