Her expectation was wrong. He didn’t come.

Thinking he would surely come for dinner, she waited another half day, but similarly, not even his shadow appeared.

“……”

The dining room was filled with silence so thick you could hear the servants swallowing nervously as they watched her mood.

Even then, as though they didn’t want to give the impression of abandonment, the head butler, who normally wouldn’t serve at meals, was attending to her.

‘What should I do? Should I do as he wants?’

Saena pondered while mechanically pushing food into her mouth with her fork.

‘Go back. To your room.’

That phrase came back to her mind again. Because of it, her hand that had been mindlessly cutting the food on her plate, not even knowing what it was, suddenly stopped. Remembering the moment when the door closed in her face after he pushed her away made her heart sink coldly again.

The feeling of being rejected by him… was quite a shock. Perhaps enough to not want to experience it again.

Had she unconsciously thought he would never do such a thing?

‘Because he was different from who he was in my dream?’

Even when he saw Elizabeth’s affair right in front of him, he hadn’t shown a trace of displeasure or anger.

Forget anger, it was like watching someone else’s business… No, even with someone else’s business, wouldn’t a person show at least some interest or curiosity in such an improper situation?

Remembering that utterly dry response, she suddenly understood how formal his approach to marriage had been in her previous life.

‘…Is that what he’s trying to do with me too?’

Though she didn’t think she was special compared to Elizabeth, she thought she could at least build a better relationship with Constantine as far as he was concerned.

Hadn’t he treated her that way until now?

‘If I had an affair with someone, would he be just as indifferent?’

But making such assumptions… Saena wasn’t sure if her position was that different from Elizabeth’s.

She couldn’t imagine Constantine glaring at her with anger and betrayal, nor could she picture him trembling with intense jealousy.

Yet she also couldn’t imagine Constantine treating her with complete indifference and disinterest…

Saena found it difficult to clearly define their current relationship.

“Haah…”

Though Nadia and the servants flinched at her sigh, Saena continued to be lost in thought.

Let’s think about it the other way around.

‘If he were to have an affair…’

Given his character and mysophobia that she had observed since her previous life, it seemed unlikely, but she tried to imagine it anyway.

Him looking at some woman with warm eyes… escorting her gently… even kissing her… even more than that…

“Umm…”

Clank. The cutlery she held in both hands fell to the floor.

Nadia and the servants tensed up even more in surprise.

“Nadia.”

“Y-yes! Madam!”

Not even noticing how unusually loud Nadia’s response was, Saena asked.

“Where is His Grace now?”

“…He said he had a lot of work, so we sent his meal to his office. He should be there.”

Saena stood up abruptly.

“Madam?”

“I’m done with my meal for today.”

Saena roughly dabbed her mouth with the napkin that had been on her lap and tossed it onto the table. Then she turned and left the dining room.

‘What are you going to say when you get there?’

She didn’t know.

But somehow, she felt she needed to see him right away. Though she wasn’t sure what she wanted to say, she felt she needed to say something.

Knock knock.

A somewhat timid knock echoed on the wooden door, but there was no answer from inside. Saena knocked again with a bit more force.

Knock. Knock.

“……”

Had he perhaps left the office?

While staring at the door like she’s trying to see through it with no response from the other side, Saena impulsively grabbed the handle and opened it.

And their eyes met immediately.

With Constantine sitting across the desk.

“…Saya?”

“You were here.”

Why didn’t he answer when he was here? Did he want to be alone?

Saena observed him.

“Do you need something?”

“Am I not allowed to come if I don’t need anything?”

“……”

She stepped inside.

As the door closed behind Saena and sealed the space, his shoulders seemed to tense up.

And Saena went inside and quietly looked down at his desk, specifically at the part where she had left scratch marks with her nails.

Constantine’s shoulders tensed even more.

“You said I was precious.”

‘…You are precious. You are sufficiently– precious.’

That’s what he had said.

“You said you would treat me with consideration.”

“……”

“You said you didn’t want me to get hurt.”

“……”

“You said rather than seeing me hurt… you would prefer to wage war.”

Then why are you doing this now?

Saena looked at him with the unspoken question in her eyes.

After a moment of silence, Constantine opened his mouth.

“…That’s why.”

A quiet but firm voice.

“This is how it must be.”

His expression became more serious.

“What… So you’re saying you can’t touch me because of that?”

“……”

Either he didn’t want to answer, or he couldn’t answer.

It’s probably a secret related to the Guardian Spirit.

“What does that even mean?”

Constantine’s jawline hardened.

Those d*mn secrets.

Uncover one and another appears. It’s unfair. If it’s about the Covenant, she can’t even ask recklessly.

Even if she throws a tantrum or makes a fuss, isn’t it a forbidden area?

Saena felt a bit wronged.

“So is this how we’re supposed to live now? Continuing to be distant with each other from now on?”

In this situation, what could Saena possibly do?

There was still no answer from him, and no solution in sight.

“Ah, you should have…”

Not made me have expectations.

Just treated me like we’re a normal noble couple from the start.

If only that had been the case…

“……”

Constantine looked at Saena with trembling eyes as she sank into contemplation of what-ifs. His expression seemed to be waiting for her to continue speaking.

‘You’re the one pushing me away. Why are you making such a desperate expression?’

He wasn’t speaking. She didn’t even know what parts were secret in this situation. Therefore, what she could do wasn’t so much understanding as mere acceptance.

Whether she liked it or not.

‘I’m… sorry. For the creature’s matter too, just blame me.’

He had told her to blame himself.

As if it was natural.

As if all of this was his fault.

“Do you know something?”

But whether that was actually true or not, there was something more important than the truth.

“Yolly has woken up.”

Constantine’s expression changed.

He looked surprised. His face suggested he hadn’t expected Yolly to wake up so easily.

“If I were to blame you…”

Though she didn’t know what that secret was.

“It wouldn’t be because there’s something wrong with you.”

Saena’s will played no part in that.

“Nor would it be because you have too many secrets.”

His eyes seemed to waver at the word ‘secrets,’ but he quickly lowered his gaze to hide it.

“It would be because you didn’t give me a chance.”

His gaze rose again. It caught her violet eyes.

“A chance to choose. A chance to know the truth.”

Even when she lived through that filthy situation in her previous life, Saena didn’t blame anyone.

Because she had chosen that path.

That’s why she walked that path while enduring it.

Whatever the end was, it was her share of the consequences of her choice.

So whatever lay at the end of Constantine’s secrets, if it was her choice, Saena could handle it. She could endure it. She could avoid resentment.

What she had done while living with George Hollander, why couldn’t she do it for Constantine?

She even tried to understand the ‘office incident’ because it was Constantine. She let it pass.

But now, somehow, it felt doubly unfair and frustrating.

Saena’s gaze turned cold.

Staring at him with that cold gaze, she continued expressionlessly.

“But if it’s your ‘choice’ that I shouldn’t be able to ‘choose’…”

If you want me to know nothing.

“I won’t blame you.”

“……”

“In exchange for not blaming you, I also won’t expect anything.”

This must be as far as it goes.

“And between Your Grace and me, nothing will remain.”

Because without expectations, there would be no trust or affection.

Yes. If they were to be spouses in name only, perhaps that distance would be more appropriate.

No matter how deep and passionate those previous nights were.

No, because they were intense and passionate, they should be deliberately erased.

So that not even a trace remains. Like that.

‘Is that what you want?’

She didn’t bother voicing this question.

Instead, Saena turned away, leaving behind his seemingly wavering gaze.

* * *

The next day.

Unlike her mood, the weather was very good.

Though she had said those things to Constantine yesterday, in reality, things weren’t as simple as words.

For anyone human, it’s not easy to completely erase a line once crossed. For this reason, Saena’s mood was sensitive and her insides were churning. She felt suffocated just staying in her room.

Yolly was still sleeping.

But as if he knew she was worried, he woke up briefly in the morning to lick her forehead, tapped her nose, and went back to sleep.

Just as people sleep a lot to recover strength after being sick, Yolly slept for a long time. After staring at him for a while, Saena went outside.

She needed something to focus on to forget her troubled mind.

‘…I want to go out.’

She hadn’t felt this way before, but now she somehow felt trapped in his domain.

Perhaps that’s why she felt an urge to escape.

Though she wanted to meet her friends, this wasn’t the imperial capital so she couldn’t go. And she didn’t want to ask Constantine for a warp gate either.