After the intense moment had passed, a red hue began to fill the bedroom. Like paint spreading through water, the orange-tinted sunset faded, and soon the moonlight seeped in.

It was time to return home.

Cornelia, who had her eyes closed in a languid fatigue, sat up.

“Ah…!”

A sharp, heavy pain followed instantly. Reflexively, her body bent forward. Even with a deep breath to steady herself, the pain persisted.

‘Relax…’

That low, deep voice echoed in her memory. The intensity of earlier moments flashed through her mind.

“Ha… Crazy. That was insane…”

The problem was how she’d lost herself in the sensations Carlisle had stirred in her. The pain was so heavy, she couldn’t even lift her hand. Looking down, she saw her once pale skin now covered in red marks. Embarrassment flooded in at the sight of the densely scattered red stains.

She thought of the men at the Olsen marquisate, surely waiting with sharp eyes for her return. And of the nanny and Sophie, who always smiled knowingly whenever she insisted on bathing alone.

‘Ugh. I can’t even sleep out for one night…’

Cornelia pressed her forehead with her hand and shut her eyes tightly.

Just then, the bed shifted, and a large hand touched her slender waist. She flinched for a moment at the faintly provocative warmth but relaxed at the familiar scent.

“Are you alright?”

Cornelia turned her head to the side. It was Carlisle, who had appeared to be deeply asleep.

‘How is he still this energetic?’

Unlike her, who felt like she was falling apart, he looked just as he had when they entered the room. She had heard he hadn’t even been able to sleep properly for almost a week due to his intense workload.

The bed shifted once more.

“Wait a moment.”

As Carlisle moved, the thin blanket wrapped around him slipped off. His perfectly sculpted, unclothed body was laid bare. Cornelia’s cheeks turned crimson.

It brought back memories of the previous night’s intensity. The very person who had made her body this way— Carlisle de Rommhein.

She should’ve been shooting him a resentful glare, but the tender hand soothing her aching waist and the satisfying creation of a man before her eyes made her sharp feelings melt.

Yes, it hurt. But the fact that he was stunning? That was a separate matter.

“Lia?”

When Carlisle asked gently, Cornelia shook her head.

“Not alright at all.”

Her firm reply was followed by a deep laugh. He already seemed to have guessed what she truly felt.

Carlisle had been careful not to make her uncomfortable And while the pain had eased over time, Cornelia couldn’t shake off the uneven weight in her chest.

“I think I’ll have a lot of personal appointments coming up.”

So, uncharacteristically, she blurted out something random.

Carlisle nuzzled his face into the nape of her neck.

“Are these plans I’m not aware of?”

“They might be.”

Still holding her from behind, he spoke in a low voice.

“Something tells me I’m the reason for your sudden busyness.”

She tried to feign ignorance and brush it off. But of course, he didn’t fall for it.

“You’re quite perceptive.”

Cornelia didn’t deny his quiet probing.

“Lia. I’ll try my best to restrain myself from now on.”

Carlisle said it bluntly, without beating around the bush. If there was one thing he couldn’t tolerate, it was her keeping distance from him.

Cornelia scrunched up her nose.

“I’m pretty sure you said that the last time, too?”

Though the pleading red eyes made her waver, she mustered a stern look.

“I feel like my life expectancy is getting shaved away.”

“What?”

At Cornelia’s frankness, Carlisle doubled over with laughter, his shoulders shaking.

It had been a while since she’d seen that look on him, and she stared for a moment, dazed. Her irritation quickly softened.

‘This feels like I’m the one losing out… really.’

“Hoo. Carlisle, I mean it. I’m being serious. Judging from how our daily life’s been lately…”

Cornelia couldn’t finish, her face burning hot.

Once things started, Carlisle almost never stopped. As if to make up for lost time, their intense love-making always ended only when she passed out. And this time was no different.

Cornelia bit down on her lip. When her lips twitched and her face tensed, Carlisle immediately backed off.

Sharp as ever, he swiftly reacted to her shifting mood. His raised eyebrows relaxed, and his upturned lips curved down.

“If I’ve made things hard on you, I’m sorry. I sincerely apologize.”

In an instant, he looked like a pitiful prey. As if to prevent her from pressing him further.

“I just can’t help it. You’re too beautiful for me to leave alone.”

His sweet confession, like fruit soaked in honey, melted both her body and heart.

Watching her response, Carlisle pressed his lips to her pale, exposed collarbone.

‘Ah… I shouldn’t give in, but…’

When his lips brushed over the bruised skin, a faint m*an escaped her. Her heart ached as it tingled, the sensation spreading throughout her body, making her thoughts hazy.

“I think next spring would be perfect for the national wedding.”

Startled.

Cornelia, who had been idly listening to his pleasant, low voice, opened her eyes wide.

“Around that time, I hear your birth flower, the marigold, will be in full bloom.”

She thought she must have misheard. But no—she hadn’t.

“The national wedding?”

“Marquis Olsen said he wants to choose the wedding date himself.”

“You… met my father?”

Carlisle nodded calmly as he held her trembling body in his arms.

“Don’t worry. The Marchioness Olsen was present too.”

“Ah…”

“I had always wondered who you got your sharp and assertive nature from. But now that I’ve met her, it’s clear.”

A calm, deep voice continued softly.

Cornelia couldn’t help but ask as she listened to the composed words.

“Are you okay?”

At her quiet question, Carlisle’s lips curved upward.

“If you’re the one comforting me?”

A joke at a moment like this?

“Carlisle…”

She softly scolded him, calling his name.

Her wide eyes narrowed in disapproval, but soon Cornelia’s mouth parted, and a breathy laugh escaped her lips.

His wit was exceptional at shifting the mood.

Her heart warmed.

“Really…”

“Why? Have you fallen for me all over again?”

Carlisle leaned his head closer to her face. His lips were about to touch hers.

The gentle atmosphere took a dangerous turn with just one of his movements.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Her heartbeat pounded as if she were sprinting at full speed.

As though he had peered into her state of mind.

He breathed life into the fading embers, reigniting the heat.

‘Ah… I should’ve gotten out of bed.’

If she wanted to have a normal conversation with him, it should’ve been anywhere but the bedroom.

Too late, Cornelia closed her eyes, regret rushing in.

His lips, which had hovered above her with a burning warmth, slowly moved downward, and her breath became intermittent.

The stimulation he gave was too tempting to push away.

The deep night that had once stopped began again, and as their bodies intertwined as one, golden moonlight shimmered over them.

***

Eight years later.

Waaah—!

The child who had been splashing in the water opened their mouth wide.

The steady stream of water that had been falling onto the solid ground suddenly shot upward.

The long, continuous line broke apart, and droplets in dozens or even hundreds of colors filled the air.

It was a mystical sight, like swimming through a dream.

Maybe it felt too unreal.

The child’s mouth gaped.

“Amazing…”

The way their head leaned all the way back looked dangerously unstable, but their small body didn’t even have time to notice. They were completely immersed in the wonder before them.

Then it happened.

Thud—

With a rustling sound, something small but heavy dropped.

At that moment, the suspended droplets vanished.

As if time had stopped, the child’s mind—which had seemed free to float in a silent world—snapped back to reality.

“Wh-what is this…”

“Nanny?”

The small child sitting by the fountain spotted a familiar face and hopped down to the ground.

The middle-aged woman, frozen like ice, finally snapped back to her senses.

“Your Highness…!”

Was the scene she had just witnessed too shocking? The middle-aged woman, whom the child had called ‘nanny,’ creaked like a broken puppet.

She still hadn’t noticed the box she had dropped on the ground.

“Nanny, what’s wrong? Did Mother call for me?”

“Ah…”

The wandering eyes of the nanny fell on the little girl, who wasn’t even half her height.

The girl, with hair as dark as the night sky and clear, light brown eyes, tilted her head slightly.

When the small hand tugged at the hem of her dress, the nanny bent down to meet her gaze.

“Princess Lia.”

“Mm. What is it?”

“We must hurry back to the palace.”

“The palace?”

“Yes.”

The nanny nodded, meeting Princess Lia’s round eyes.

“Her Majesty the Empress—”

“Oh! Right! Today’s the day!”

Her head, which had been turning side to side, suddenly stopped.

Before any further explanation could be given, Princess Lia clapped her small hands together.

“Mother is giving me a baby sibling today!”

“A… gift, Your Highness?”

“Wow! Let’s go quickly! I can go watch, right?”

“Your Highness? The birth of a new life is—Your Highness—!”

The princess moved before the nanny could finish.

She let go of the dress she had been holding and dashed off, her urgency clear in her retreating figure.

“Your Highness! You mustn’t run—!”

The nanny waved her hands belatedly, but the princess was already out of the garden.

The maids, waiting at a distance, caught the nanny’s urgent glance and quickly rushed after the princess.

“Does she take after His Majesty? Her Majesty was never this lively as a child…”

The nanny frowned and shook her head as if in exasperation. Then a woman who had remained nearby stepped up beside her and spoke.

“Oh nanny, really. Don’t you remember? Before she was married, how Her Majesty was with the young master—no, the Marquis?”

The familiar, clear voice made the nanny’s face bloom into a smile.

“Sophie?”

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

As if responding to her joy, Sophie—who should’ve been at the Olsen Marquisate—winked and smiled.

“If you ask me, the princess is the spitting image of Her Majesty.”

“Well, of course, she’s His Majesty and Her Majesty’s—”

“Even the powers, too. You saw it just now, didn’t you? The water streams moving like that, oh… Okay, I get it. I’ll keep it a secret. Shh.”

Sophie, who had been chattering away, suddenly shut her mouth. She gently brought a finger to her lips and smiled kindly at the nanny, as if to assure her not to worry.