Reynard bit her lips apart and slipped his tongue between them.

In an instant, his tongue began to explore every corner of Evelyn’s mouth.

As their tongues tangled in a ticklish dance, Evelyn suddenly flinched and pushed his shoulder away.

Reynard obediently drew back from her. Evelyn, who had been holding her breath during the kiss, now gasped for air.

Beneath her trembling eyelids, her eyes looked up at Reynard. Her lips, wet with saliva from the kiss, glistened, and through the slightly parted lips, two white front teeth peeked out.

With every breath she took, her chest rose and fell visibly. Seeing this, Reynard spoke with a sly grin.

“Are you scared?”

“…I can’t say that I’m not.”

Her fear was evident, and her voice trembled slightly.

“I can’t promise it won’t hurt. But I’ll be as gentle as I can, so don’t worry.”

“……Yes.”

Though she responded, Evelyn couldn’t erase her worry. Meanwhile, Reynard leaned in toward her once more.

***

Evelyn awoke with a faint pain in her lower back and blinked up at the ceiling. Her body still aches in several places from what had happened the night before.

It all felt like a dream. But she knew with certainty that it wasn’t. It wasn’t just the lingering soreness in her body that proved it. It was also because Reynard, looking just as he had the night before, was lying beside her.

“You must be tired. Why not sleep a little more?”

“No. I’m fine.”

When Evelyn insisted she was fine, Reynard quickly agreed. Then he got up and changed into a new set of clothes that had been prepared nearby.

“You’ll be uncomfortable with me here. Take your time coming out.”

“Okay.”

When Evelyn nodded in reply, Reynard left the bedroom. Not long after he left, a knock came at the door, followed by Joy’s voice.

“Your Majesty the Empress, the bathwater is ready. May I come in?”

Startled, Evelyn looked around. Unlike Reynard, there weren’t any clothes prepared specifically for her.

“Mm… Come in.”

In the end, Evelyn pulled the blanket up to her chin. She had nothing on, and her body bore traces too embarrassing to show.

She knew that hiding under the blanket was only a temporary solution, but she couldn’t bring herself to shamelessly expose her body in front of someone else.

Joy entered the room.

In her hands were a white dress and a shawl for Evelyn to wear. Because of what had happened the night before, Evelyn would have preferred to dress herself.

But more than anyone, Joy, who was a maid, knew that wasn’t appropriate for a princess. So Evelyn waited until Joy approached and then stood with her help to put on the dress.

Fortunately, Joy didn’t show any particular surprise upon seeing Evelyn’s bare skin or the marks on her body.

Evelyn, guided by Joy, headed to the bath.

After rinsing herself off once, she finally soaked in the warm water. The waiting maids attended to her bath.

Evelyn worried that they might speak up after seeing the marks on her body, but fortunately, nothing of the sort happened.

Of course, she knew her worry had been unfounded. Regardless of their personal thoughts, Evelyn was now Ophelia, princess of Hesta, and also Empress of Bait.

The maids had no right to comment on the marks left on her body.

After bathing, Evelyn changed into a high-neck dress that covered her neck entirely. The next place she went was the dining room.

Reynard, who had arrived first, turned to look at Evelyn as she entered. His eyes lingered for a moment on her collarbones, hidden beneath the high neck, then met hers.

Soon, breakfast was served for the two of them. Without much conversation, Evelyn and Reynard began eating.

Evelyn was conscious of Reynard the entire time, constantly gauging his mood. But Reynard acted as if nothing had happened and maintained a calm demeanor.

Truthfully, Evelyn was overly conscious of him. But she couldn’t help it. After all, in their conversation yesterday, he had told her that he already loved someone else.

Even with someone he loves, is it possible to sleep with another woman out of necessity? That reality confused Evelyn.

Besides, last night, Reynard had been more gentle and tender than she expected.

He had been incredibly cautious and gentle during the act, even though it was something he was obligated to do with her.

If he were to share a bed with someone he truly loved, he would surely be far more affectionate than he had been now.

Evelyn suddenly felt a surge of jealousy toward a woman whose face she didn’t even know.

And the moment she realized that the emotion was indeed jealousy, she couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

Her position was a matter of duty.

She had accepted Reynard’s proposal out of necessity, had become his wife because of it, and as a result, she had no choice but to share a bed with him on the designated night.

Emotions were never meant to be involved. In such a situation, how absurd was it to be jealous of a lover of Reynard’s—someone she had never even seen before?

***

Just as Evelyn had spent the morning rushing about, trying to clear her mind, Martin came to see her.

“I’ve already mentioned this once, but starting today, Her Majesty the Empress will begin her education. Your etiquette and dancing skills, as demonstrated until yesterday, were quite poor. Fortunately, however, the general opinion is that your shortcomings stem from being a native of Hesta.”

‘Is that really fortunate?’

Evelyn stared into Martin’s eyes, wondering if he had a different intention in saying that. But his gaze remained calm, without so much as a flicker.

“…I see.”

Evelyn responded, reluctantly nodding.

Regardless of Martin’s intentions in saying it, the end result was that she would have to receive the lessons as planned. 

Even if the period was predetermined, now that she was Empress, she couldn’t afford to become a burden to Reynard.

“There will be five types of lessons. Etiquette, cultural refinement, dance, horseback riding, and internal affairs of Bait.”

Martin raised five fingers and folded them down one by one as he explained.

“Etiquette, refinement, and dance will be taught by Baroness Amelie Hermann. She’s one of His Majesty’s close aides, so there’s no risk of information leaking. Still, there’s no need to inform her that you’re a fake. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

While answering, Evelyn briefly wondered if Amelie was Reynard’s lover. The kind of secrecy surrounding the task she’d been given didn’t seem like something born from mere acquaintanceship.

“These three lessons will begin after lunch, so please be aware of that.”

“Understood.”

“And I’ll be the one to teach you about Bait’s internal affairs. Lastly, as for horseback riding…”

Martin trailed off unexpectedly, his displeasure obvious. Evelyn remained silent, careful not to provoke his mood, and waited for him to continue.

With a small sigh, Martin finally spoke.

“His Majesty the Emperor will be instructing you in horseback riding himself.”

“…What?”

Evelyn’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit at the unexpected news. As if anticipating her reaction, Martin let out a soft groan and nodded.

“His Majesty insisted on doing it himself. He enjoys horseback riding, so I imagine he simply wanted a moment to clear his head.”

“Ah… I see.”

Only after hearing his explanation did Evelyn manage to accept it. Without that reason, there would be no justification for Emperor Reynard personally teaching her.