The yellow eyes came closer and closer. Her whole body felt like it was burning under those eyes that seemed to have swallowed the sun. Yet Belita met those blazing eyes with her own wide-open ones.

“If these eyes show fear of me again, then you’d better be prepared.”

His smile, showing his teeth, was chillingly creepy, as if setting the rules for a new game. As she met the man’s eyes that were boring into her own, Belita struggled mightily not to show any sign of trembling.

As if waiting to see how long she would last, Rian kept staring at her persistently. Even as her breath was becoming blocked, Belita clenched her fist hidden under the blanket and didn’t avoid Rian’s gaze.

Then, for a fleeting moment, Rian’s eyes seemed to lose their light before lighting up again. Suddenly frowning, he shook his head from side to side. Then, chuckling as if dejected, he muttered quietly.

“You’re lucky. But I’ll see you again soon. This bastard has gotten quite weak.”

With those final words, Rian’s face, still wearing a smirk, fell onto her face. Startled, Belita reflexively turned her head, fortunately avoiding a head-on collision.

What? Did he fall asleep?

At that moment, a ray of light appeared before her eyes. Dust motes danced like fragments in the light seeping through the curtains. And soon, she heard a calm voice groaning in her ear.

“Ugh…. Did I drink too much?”

The man, who had been pressing his temples as if his head hurt, raised his head again. Then, when his eyes met Belita’s, Rian’s pupils shook wildly.

“Wi, wife…?”

“Did you sleep well?”

Her husband Rian had returned.

Just as she was about to let out a sigh of relief, Belita’s expression crumpled. It was because Rian, after alternately looking at their two n*ked bodies, suddenly covered himself with the blanket and stared at her with shocked eyes.

Hah! What are you thinking now? Why are you looking at me like that!?

* * *

A yellow gaze rolled around in the chilly silence that had descended. In this awkward situation, Rian could only watch Belita’s reaction uncertainly. Though his wife was drinking tea as if nothing was different from usual, her dry eyes had settled even more coldly than the current atmosphere.

It seemed like the first time he had seen such an expression on Belita. Suddenly, he remembered the day he first met her.

Before bringing her, Belita’s relatives had said she was a bright and clear-hearted lady. But the Belita he saw was completely opposite to what they had described. A soulless corpse. That was his first impression of her.

When he first saw the woman trembling while looking at him with lifeless eyes, Rian felt cheated. Not only was she timid, but she would also startle at the slightest word — there was no trace of brightness or clarity anywhere in her demeanor.

Knowing his own brusque personality, Rian had wanted a wife with a somewhat brighter disposition. Though he had ended up in a situation where he had to buy a wife with money, he wanted someone he liked by his side if possible. After all, they would have to spend their lives together, so he couldn’t have just anyone beside him.

A woman who wouldn’t demand love and would stay by his side like a friend. A quiet but intelligent woman. Above all, a capable woman who could lead this Grand Ducal residence well even in his absence. That was the kind of wife Rian had wanted to bring in.

However, Belita didn’t fit any of these criteria. Far from being a friend, she looked too gloomy to even approach for conversation, and while she was quiet, it wasn’t just quietness — she was almost mute. She had a pretty face, but since he wasn’t looking for someone to love, that didn’t particularly move him either.

If asked why he brought her anyway, honestly, he still didn’t know. Perhaps it was because finding another woman would have been troublesome. Maybe it was because he had already paid the money, and her relatives had disappeared without a trace, so they wouldn’t appear at his house to cause trouble using her as an excuse.

But fortunately, she gradually improved after coming to the residence. She would smile occasionally, and life returned to her empty eyes. Though she hadn’t become bright, she did appear clear. Sometimes he would find himself absently watching her rare smiles, finding them fascinating.

She was quite perceptive, and she managed her role as the mistress of the residence to some extent. She didn’t demand love, and though not quite a friend, she was becoming more and more like the wife he had been looking for, to the point where they could have decent conversations. She had definitely changed.

But then suddenly, one day, Belita became worse than when they first met. It probably started from that day.

He had searched everywhere for the woman who suddenly disappeared. Then after sleeping and waking up, she was beside him. Even now, it baffled him to think about it.

No matter how much he asked where she had been or what had happened, she only trembled and said nothing. Her eyes became empty again, and she feared him. And like in the beginning, she closed her mouth.

Though time heals all wounds and she fortunately improved bit by bit, the look in her eyes when she saw him remained the same. A terrible gaze, as if looking at a monster. He felt wronged. She was the one who had entered his room without permission, so why did she look at him that way?

So for the first time, he arranged a drinking session. Because appropriate alcohol would help ease the tense atmosphere. If there were any misunderstandings, he wanted to clear them up, and he wanted to convey how his feelings had changed from the beginning. He wanted to start anew with her. As friendly companions. Above all, he hoped she would regain her former self. Like when she used to smile, even if just a little.

But why did it turn out like this?

His memory had completely vanished, and she was lying beside him again like that day. This time, completely n*ked, no less.

However, today he couldn’t blame her. Not only had he fallen asleep first while drunk, but when he opened his eyes, he was in Belita’s bedroom. Yet he had looked at her with suspicious eyes, so it wasn’t unreasonable for Belita to be angry.

‘Hah…… crazy bastard.’

Still with cold eyes, Belita stared at one spot, lost in thought. Either way, he needed to apologize. For doubting and suspecting her. Rian repeatedly clenched and unclenched his sweating hands before finally seeming to make up his mind and looking straight at her.

“Wife.”

Her dry eyes slowly moved to face Rian. Her emotionless gaze made Rian’s heart sting for a moment. Seeing her cold response, it seemed he had made quite a serious mistake.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“……”

“I must have had too much to drink yesterday. I never thought I would make such a mistake—”

“Your Grace, you didn’t drink a single drop yesterday.”

A monotone voice without inflection. Though her eyes held no emotion, she didn’t seem to be lying now. Rian’s pupils trembled slightly.

“We didn’t drink a single sip.”

“Wh-what do you mean……”

Rian was taken aback by Belita’s dry words, his sentence trailing off.

‘I didn’t drink but came to my wife’s room and took off my clothes?’

Watching the clearly confused Rian, Belita let out a sneer. Her bizarre smile made Rian’s heart beat faster.

“Is it this weekend?”

“……Pardon?”

“The regular meeting.”

“Ah, yes, it is.”

Rian answered dazedly at Belita’s sudden change of topic. But this time, Belita’s brows furrowed. Knowing why she made such an expression, Rian let out a small sigh.

“Wife, about the meeting—”

“I’ll handle it myself. As always, Your Grace doesn’t need to worry about it.”

“……”

As always. Yes, just stay there as always, that’s what you’re saying. Just don’t stupidly let your body be taken.

Belita let out a hollow laugh at her husband sighing while looking at her. In the past, she might have trembled at his sigh, fearing she would be thrown out of this house. But now, she desperately wished to be thrown out, so there was nothing left to fear.

Not knowing what she was thinking, Rian merely moved his lips, swallowing back his firmly cut-off words. Today especially, this unfamiliar side of Belita was difficult to handle.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

“……Well, yesterday……”

“You must have been very tired. You suddenly fell asleep, so I had no choice but to bring you to my room. It was too difficult for me to carry you to your room. You probably took off your clothes while sleeping because you were hot. I was hot too. So don’t worry too much about it. We just slept n*ked because we were hot, nothing happened between us.”

Rian’s eyes widened at Belita’s words, which poured out as if she had been waiting to say them.

‘When did this woman become so talkative?’

“Then that’s a relief. In any case, I apologize. I’ll make sure this never happens again.”

Belita’s eyes narrowed at Rian’s genuinely apologetic expression.

This man really doesn’t remember changing at all. But how does that man remember everything…?

A strange suspicion entered Belita’s gaze.