Luden looked at Annelia in his arms with loving eyes.

She seemed tense, her head bowed low. The warm heat spreading from his chest permeated his entire body.

Did she feel the sensation he’d just experienced? That intense feeling when they kissed.

The lingering sensation still remained on his lips. He wanted to claim her lips more thoroughly right now, but he held back for the moment.

She would need time too. He could claim Annelia’s lips next time.

He went to a cafe, organized the list with her, then escorted her back to the mansion.

He returned to the Charlot family mansion and spent a long time thinking in his room.

Annelia hadn’t rejected him. But that didn’t mean she’d welcomed it either.

An ambiguous feeling. She hadn’t fallen for him. Sad, but true.

After pondering, he went downstairs to find Andre.

“Hey, Marquis.”

Andre, who’d been waiting for him, greeted him casually.

“How was the date?”

“Just organized the list and came back.”

“Nothing happened?”

“No.”

“Then why that expression?”

At the mention of his expression, Luden’s face hardened. What kind of expression had he been making?

“Should I say you look a bit sad?”

“Ah, really?”

“What happened that made you spill emotions like that?”

Then the emotion on his face disappeared.

“The only problems that would make you spill emotions are issues with Lady Anan and Lady Annelia.”

Andre was right.

“That’s true.”

Saying that, Luden sat in a chair and leaned his back against the backrest.

“Andre.”

“Yeah.”

“What kind of man would Annelia like?”

He looked at his hands. The warmth he’d felt holding Annelia’s hand still remained on his fingertips.

“I don’t know about that.”

Andre tilted his head.

“Something happened, didn’t it?”

“A man interested in Annelia appeared.”

After Luden started trusting Annelia, he stopped monitoring her. Of course, there were times when Andre investigated independently like before, but not this time. After that incident, Luden told him not to investigate Annelia at all, so Andre didn’t know who Annelia had met.

“Who is it?”

Andre asked with curiosity.

“Sorean Root.”

“Ah, the noble we’ve been contacting.”

But for Annelia to meet Sorean at such perfect timing.

Andre spoke like it worked out well.

“We can meet that man through Lady Annelia.”

“Right.”

“But you feel off because Count Root seems interested in Lady Annelia?”

Andre looked at Luden. Shadows fell across his face.

He seemed to be killing his emotions while thinking complicated thoughts.

“Is Lady Annelia interested?”

“Even if she is, she won’t say it in front of me. She has to keep the contract terms.”

“True, even if she likes him, until you finish knight training, Marquis.”

Andre laughed.

“This worked out well. You’ll buy time until then.”

Luden frowned.

“I just… hate that she’s interested in another man besides me.”

He spoke his feelings honestly.

He didn’t want her—whom he regarded as his sanctuary and liked as a woman—to give her heart to another being.

Would the day come when she truly accepted him and loved him?

That day might never come. He’d tested her, and she thought poorly of that memory.

Luden leaned his head back and fell into thought.

He thought watching Annelia go to another man might be harder than when he inherited his father’s business.

“If Lady Rosaline ends up liking Count Root later and takes him as a lover or paramour, that would be rough for you.”

At Andre’s words, Luden couldn’t respond.

* * *

“My lady, what are you doing?”

Lella shook my shoulders. I turned my head in a daze and looked at her.

Ah, my mind is hazy.

I pressed both hands near my temples.

Last night, Luden appeared in my dream. We kissed deeply, and I, excited with passion, let out m*ans. In his arms, I sometimes craved kisses.

“Really.”

It was just a kiss. We’d hold the engagement ceremony soon, so it was perfectly acceptable skinship.

The problem was that I was reacting to it. Why did such things have to appear in my dreams!

I didn’t want to live as a pushover wife, so I even wrote a contract before marrying Luden, and because of that, he tested me.

It’s not like I completely like Luden.

I wanted to decline feelings like love.

But after kissing him, desires hidden in my heart were awakening without me knowing.

It was just a kiss.

Am I starved for men? Am I feeling affection despite the resentment? Because he cares for and cherishes me, is my heart following?

I don’t know.

I ate my salad diligently with complicated feelings.

The salad tasted especially bad today.

Without savoring the fresh vegetables, I ate mechanically and looked at Lella.

“Lella.”

“Yes, my lady.”

I was eating breakfast in my room this morning. So it meant Lella and I were alone.

I have no one to consult besides Lella.

Still, Lella is someone who truly cares for Annelia, so it should be fine to tell her.

“After kissing, I dreamed about kissing. What does this mean?”

Lella looked at me.

“My lady.”

“Yes.”

“Did you perhaps pounce on Marquis Charlot?”

At her words, I was so startled I nearly choked swallowing my salad.

“Do I look that starved?”

“Um, so Marquis Charlot made the first move…”

“I’m not starved enough to pounce on a man first!”

“But the things you usually read…”

Then I had nothing to say.

The previous Annelia only read chaste writings, but the current me sometimes read steamy 19+ novels too.

Hey, I’m a woman too. Sometimes I need to release desires!

But when Lella hit the mark, my face heated up.

Still, I’m not beast enough to pounce on my fiancé!

When I looked serious, Lella laughed.

“My lady.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t you have feelings for Marquis Charlot?”

At her words, I pondered.

Do I have feelings? I don’t know.

My heart didn’t pound when I saw him. But it was true that I felt comfortable.

Peaceful and serene. And because he trusted me, I cherished him too.

But there was nothing besides that. I saw him as a companion to live with, but not as a man.

“Not yet.”

“But you dreamed about kissing?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s the beginning.”

Lella quickly approached and whispered to me.

“The beginning of love.”

But Luden is pretty poison I can’t consume.

I couldn’t bring myself to say this. I can’t say I know the future.

“Love…”

If I love him, I’ll become unhappy.

Emotions I can’t handle.

A future where we both become unhappy.

I smiled bitterly.

“I don’t want to love.”

“My lady?”

“I like how things are now, just getting along appropriately.”

I said that and chewed my salad.

The meat I ate yesterday was delicious.

Thinking about meat made me want to see Luden.

“I think I need to write a letter.”

“To whom?”

“Count Root.”

“Oh my.”

Lella quickly brought stationery and an envelope. It was pink stationery with fragrance.

“Seems too forceful.”

“It’s being sent from a ducal family, so it should be at least this much.”

Lella spoke firmly.

“My lady is not only a duke’s daughter but will soon be Marquis Charlot’s wife!”

“I’m just worried he’ll think I have feelings.”

It wasn’t the fanciness that was the problem, but that Sorean might get the wrong idea.

“Still, it should be at least this much.”

“Really?”

Well, I’ll be meeting with Luden anyway, so he won’t get the wrong idea.

It was certain Sorean was interested in me. But I had no intention of accepting those feelings. I couldn’t accept them either.

I told him I wanted to have dinner and talk together with Luden.

After sending the letter through Lella, I lay on the bed.

But the lingering sensation of the kiss with Luden tormented me and I couldn’t sleep.

Ugh!

I let out a breath as I touched my lips with my hand.

At this rate, something big might happen. I need to pull myself together.

* * *

Sorean looked at the letter addressed to him. It was from Annelia.

“No way!”

He opened the envelope.

The fragrant stationery said that if he had time, they should have dinner together with Luden.

It wasn’t a dinner for just the two of them. He felt disappointed.

“Is it because of Marquis Charlot?”

He could guess what this was about just by looking.

Marquis Charlot was approaching his family about the diamond mine bidding.

He was choosing among families pressing in from all sides.

Still, the conditions proposed by the Charlot family were better compared to other families. So he’d been leaning toward them.

‘Hmm.’

While he was pondering, the butler Camelon entered.

“What are you worrying about?”

At her words, Sorean smiled and said.

“I got a dinner invitation from a lady I’m interested in.”

“Oh my.”

“But she wants to eat together with her fiancé.”

“Um, are they important people by any chance?”

“Right. It’s also related to business.”

Then Camelon swept her long blonde hair behind her ear and said.

“Accept it. For the business.”

“I should, right?”

“Yes.”

Camelon smiled and looked at his face. His face was excited at the thought of meeting the lady he liked.

He looked very happy writing the letter.

* * *

The letter arrived safely. He said there was an opera in two days, so they should meet there, watch the performance together, and have tea.

“Opera?”

I’d occasionally gone with Luden, but to go with another man. Of course Luden would be there too, but if I had to meet alone, it would have been burdensome.

I confirmed two tickets arrived and was about to write a letter to Luden. But suddenly Lella came in and told me.

“Marquis Charlot has arrived.”

“Luden?”

It was rare for him to come without notice like this.

I was about to quickly put on a dress, but thinking he’d be waiting, I just went downstairs. Luden was waiting in the drawing room.

“What’s the matter?”

“I was just going to deliver something and leave.”

Luden sighed.

“But the maid ran off before hearing what I had to say.”

“Oh dear.”

No wonder. If he’d wanted to meet, he would have contacted me first, but today he had no intention of meeting me from the start.

Besides, this was the first time seeing him since that day. Remembering the kiss with him, my face heated up.

Why are my cheeks getting so hot?

“What did you want to give me?”

Luden held out a bouquet.

“This is?”

“I just bought it on the way.”

The flowers Luden brought were a bouquet made of yellow roses.

“Did Luden pick them yourself?”

“Ah, that.”

Luden hesitated to speak.

“I asked my subordinate which flowers would be best and put them together. I didn’t pick them all myself, and they don’t have any special meaning.”

At his words, I nodded.

He was speaking vaguely, but ultimately it meant he’d spent some time picking them.

“They’re pretty.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”