***

At some point, the room had grown dark. Yuis slowly opened her eyes and realised that she had fallen asleep.

The warm glow of the lamp lit the table, and her books were stacked neatly in perfect order.

Feeling the blanket draped over her, she assumed that Laura must have come by while she was asleep.

But as she sat up, she caught sight of Edric. He was lying diagonally across the sofa opposite her, having also fallen asleep.

The soft light from the lamp cast a gentle glow over his face.

After folding the blanket neatly, Yuis found her gaze lingering on him.

She noticed the platinum strands of hair that had fallen naturally across his forehead, his thick, orderly lashes, the sharp bridge of his nose, and his faintly tinted lips.

No matter how she looked at him, he was undeniably beautiful.

It was the first time she had seen Edric like this — completely unguarded.

Without his usual sharpness, he even appeared gentle.

Fascinated, Yuis continued to watch him quietly, gradually scooting closer.

Reaching out, she was about to brush back the hair that had fallen across his forehead — a movement she couldn’t quite explain.

At that very moment, Edric’s eyes fluttered open.

“Ah…”

Even as he awoke, a languid air still surrounded him.

Lifting only his gaze, he met her wide, startled violet eyes.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he tilted his head slightly, allowing her hand to slip more easily through his hair and push it gently aside.

Caught off guard by his reaction, Yuis cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink.

Seeing her embarrassed expression, Edric couldn’t help but laugh quietly again.

Yuis found it hard to imagine Edric quietly adjusting her posture, covering her with a blanket, organising her books, and lighting the lamp while she slept.

The thought that she had shown him such an unguarded side made her cheeks flush once again.

Still, she did not forget to express her gratitude.

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

At her words, Edric nodded slightly and finally spoke.

“For our honeymoon, I plan for us to go to Hetar.”

“Pardon?”

The announcement came as a surprise.

Immediately, Terian’s words, spoken shortly before she left Haneder, echoed in Yuis’s mind.

“The Duke was originally promised to a princess from Hetar. You were only brought here because Darec begged him to take you instead. You’re nothing more than a tribute, Yuis. The true duchess was always meant to be the princess of Hetar – don’t forget that.”

Even if she were truly Lady Johannes, she would undoubtedly pale in comparison to the mighty Duchy of Descartes in Kalang.

After all, Hetar was one of the most renowned kingdoms on the continent, alongside Kalang — a land that remained wealthy and formidable even after its defeat in the war.

‘But why Hetar, of all places?’

Although his words sent her thoughts racing, Yuis struggled to keep her composure. She forced a smooth, practised smile onto her face and managed to speak barely above a whisper.

“I see. It will be my first time visiting Hetar.”

“You’ll enjoy it.”

But the question gnawed at her.

‘Why had he chosen Hetar, the home of the princess he had once been engaged to?’

‘Did he want to see her?’

Once the thought had surfaced, it quickly pulled Yuis down into a whirlpool of unease.

Edric was watching her closely. The moment he mentioned Hetar, she had stiffened all over, her fingers trembling faintly, her gaze lowering and her lashes fluttering slightly.

These were all signs that he had come to recognise too well.

Whenever Yuis Descartes tried to hide her emotions, it was these small habits that always gave her away.

“Do you dislike Hetar?”

He recalled that she had displayed the same symptoms every time before: trembling hands when he told her about inviting Lady Johannes; a faint flicker in her eyes when he asked her to fulfil the role of Duchess; and beautifully drawn smiles that lacked warmth.

Yuis was not good at hiding her feelings.

Edric could now tell how she felt just by looking at her face. If she disliked something, she could have just said so. But the woman in front of him clearly had no intention of doing so.

When he asked her a question, her violet eyes darkened faintly.

The question on her lips — about the princess of Hetar — remained trapped inside her.

After all, in Darec, both men and women enjoyed affairs freely. Marriage was nothing more than a transaction between noble families.

It was common for nobles to keep lovers and consorts, and no one thought it strange. Ruined noblewomen like Yuis often hoped to become a wealthy nobleman’s mistress and live in comfort.

Even Yuis’s own father, Viscount Everett, had brought other women into their home despite already being married.

On such nights, Yuis would bury herself under her blankets and cover her ears to block out the sounds. She had grown up watching such things her entire life, her father enjoying them shamelessly, as if it were perfectly natural.

Compared to that, even if Duke Descartes were to meet Hetar’s princess, she had no right to question him. After all, Yuis was nothing more than the forced gift that Darec’s king had offered Edric in desperation.

Even as his wife, she could not dare to consider herself his equal.

“No, not at all.”

She finally answered, forcing a smile.

“I’m looking forward to it, as it’ll be my first time there.”

Yuis smiled as she spoke, but hiding her true feelings had never been her strength.

Watching his wife’s forced composure, Edric silently exhaled.

“If you have something to say, speak it clearly.”

Yuis answered only with silence. In moments like these, the urge to confess her true identity would swell within her.
What if she simply confessed that she was Yuis Everett? What if she admitted everything and asked for his forgiveness?
Foolish thoughts, of course.

She couldn’t.

This wasn’t just a personal mistake on her part — Darec had deceived Kalang.

The matter could escalate into a political issue between nations.

Lifting her head, Yuis met his gaze. His clear blue eyes felt as though they were pressing against her chest and tightening around her heart.

Her husband stared at her, puzzled by her silence. Still, she could not bring herself to speak.

As Yuis remained quiet and offered no answer, Edric’s gaze narrowed.

After a brief pause, he looked away, turned to leave the study and walked out, his sharp presence trailing behind him. She didn’t know what he wanted to hear from her.

Once his heavy presence had disappeared, however, the weight on her chest lifted slightly and she found herself exhaling a long, quiet breath.

Yuis slowly raised her eyes and stared at the empty space where Edric had stood only moments ago.

She remained seated for a while, until Laura entered the study to fetch her. Laura had been waiting patiently for some time for her mistress to wake up.

***

Yuis finally entered the bedroom late at night, fresh from her bath. Since their wedding night, Edric had not set foot in their marital chamber even once.

Tonight would be no different. Lying in the cold bed, Yuis glanced around the softly lit room.

Inevitably, her thoughts wandered back to Edric.

Was it the influence of alcohol that had made her body react that night?

Until then, the only man she had known was her father, Viscount Everett — a man who could embrace a woman without love and discard her without hesitation.

The noblemen she had seen in the household of Duke Johannes were no different. She had seen the vile desire flickering beneath their gazes when they looked at her.

None of them had ever loved or wanted Yuis as a person. All they wanted was a woman to spend the night with.

Was Edric just like them?

The idea of travelling to Hetar to see the princess, who had once been betrothed to Edric, flashed through her mind.

‘No.’

She shook her head, cutting off the dangerous spiral of her thoughts. Leaving the lamp glowing softly, Yuis forced herself to close her eyes and surrender to sleep.

Following a restless night, Yuis remained shut away in the Duchess’s chamber, refusing to eat the light meal that Laura had brought her.

“If only I had been calmer when I spoke with Edric…”

The regret came late, but it came nonetheless.

She spent the entire day either flipping through the noble lineage registry, which she was almost beginning to memorise, or simply staring blankly out of the window, lost in thought.

It was only when Laura knocked gently on the door that she realised that night had fallen.

“My Lady, I’ll begin preparations.”

When Laura entered to prepare the bath, Yuis forced a small smile for her.

She wanted nothing more than to sink into the warm water and clear her mind.

Turning to Laura, she softly spoke.