I couldn’t help but open my eyes wide and swallow hard.

What should he do to win me over?

Ugh, I’ve already fallen for you long ago!

Not just fallen—I could roll head over heels for you!

“Answer me.”

As I forcibly kept my mouth shut to swallow the truth that nearly burst out, looking up at him, he raised one eyebrow as if displeased.

“Nothing to say?”

His arrogant gaze scanned my face, and sigh. The fact that I now found even this attractive made my face flush—I truly was a hopeless woman.

I wanted to say, “You don’t need to seduce me. I’ve been captivated by your handsome face and s*xy physique for ages! Of course, I really, really like your tremendous power and wealth too, hehe.”

“……”

But I couldn’t answer.

Even though I didn’t know much about romance or marital relationships, I knew enough not to say such things in this situation.

This man had finished showering before me and come to my bathroom, while I was n*ked in the bathtub!

Though I knew my body was covered with bubbles and couldn’t be seen, this wasn’t a situation to feel safe. It was precarious—a powder keg!

One wrong answer and I’d cross a line I shouldn’t.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Sure you don’t.”

“Really… though…”

I tried to answer as innocently as possible while pinching my thigh hard under the bubbles.

Ugh, my cheeks kept growing hot without my control, and my eyes kept trying to return to this man.

“Anyway, barging in while someone’s bathing seems… illegal.”

“Illegal…”

“Probably… yes.”

“You’ve been avoiding eye contact with me. Running away constantly. It’s maddening.”

Have I been doing that?

Looking back, I might have unconsciously avoided him a bit, using busyness as an excuse.

Because when I see him, my heart races, I want to be held in his arms, and I want to chatter about everything.

“So I had no choice but to come find you like this?”

“I’ll see you when we go to bed, won’t I?”

“I wanted to see you sooner than that.”

This man clearly had a knack for leaving me speechless.

It felt like my heart was swelling uncontrollably, showing off: “Hey! I’m right here! Amazing, right?”

My entire body was so filled with heartbeats that I couldn’t think straight.

“T-try a little harder.”

You liar! If you were Pinocchio, your nose would have already pierced through that wall!

“You’re still… far from winning me over…?”

I spoke reluctantly, subtly avoiding his gaze.

He tilted his head, following my downcast gaze.

With a pleasant scent pouring over my face, eyes like a bluish dawn lake peered into mine.

“Still?”

My heart dropped like a falling apple.

Beneath his composed gaze lay hunger.

A massive emptiness that seemed ready to devour anything appeared to surge strangely and intensely beyond those blue eyes.

I stared at him blankly before suddenly coming to my senses.

“No, you can’t.”

What do you mean “can’t”? Just embrace him right now, okay?

Another self in my mind was shouting with all its might, but I desperately clung to my reason.

“Ah!”

Just then, as if throwing a tantrum, he pressed my face firmly between his palms like making a sandwich.

This automatically compressed my expression, making my lips protrude like a carp’s.

“Even now?”

He briefly kissed my protruding lips and stared at me.

“Even like this?”

Grinning, he bent down and slowly kissed along my neckline. Soon he was repeatedly kissing everywhere his lips could reach—my forehead, eyelids, lips.

“Ha…”

Just as my unconsciously trembling body was about to grab his arms!

“S-still no!”

This really is dangerous.

Carlo is more dangerous than I could imagine.

I removed his hands and quickly hid deeper into the bubbles.

Heat rose to my shoulders, and my entire body was obviously redder than a scalded tomato. If he saw me like this, he’d discover my true feelings.

“Hmm…”

He looked down at me through narrowed eyes and sat on the edge of the bathtub.

Though I liked him, I shouldn’t cross the line.

If I was going to run away anyway, sleeping with him just because I liked him would be truly wicked and unconscionable!

Besides, Lady Mariette’s words also troubled me.

Most people I’d spoken with in December seemed to expect a child between Carlo and me.

“Give up and leave quickly.”

As I prepared to splash bubbles, raising my eyes, he let out a laugh as if exasperated.

Then he gently ran his fingers through my wet hair.

“Who said I’m giving up.”

After slowly brushing back my hair, he moved toward my neck submerged in the water, parting the bubbles.

“I’ll keep seducing you?”

He casually rubbed my neckline and traced my collarbone precariously, then looked into my widened eyes.

“Until you fall for me.”

He placed a bubble on my nose, smiled faintly, and stood up. In the end, until he left the bathroom, I could only watch his back without saying a word.

“Sigh, can I keep refusing?”

Looking at the closing bathroom door, unable to express all my feelings, I sank completely underwater with a gurgle.

I, Odin. Based on my excellent intuition and lightning-fast ability to read situations, the atmosphere between Carlo and Lea seems unusual.

Yesterday I was uncertain, but today it’s clear.

Lea has been avoiding Carlo throughout the charity event!

Tsk, this unnecessarily kind and pretty child.

She’s probably doing this because she thinks she needs to leave, or wants to be a good person for Carlo?

For whatever reason, Carlo should step in at times like this, but he’s calmly watching Lea and leaving her free.

These fools…!

“Where is Carlo?”

“His Highness the Crown Prince came looking for him, so they’re probably still talking.”

“I wonder why that guy keeps looking for Carlo.”

“The Crown Prince has visited three times, but Carlo is only meeting him now, so it seems the Crown Prince is the one pleading.”

“Of course! He seemed like a half-wit yesterday!”

“It seems like you consider everyone except Carlo to be half-wits?”

“What nonsense!”

I think everyone except you and Carlo is a half-wit!

“Ahem. But are you really planning to run away? Just stay, I tell you.”

“You saw the letter Lily gave me before? If we collect more evidence related to the Empress, it will prove how those people have been plotting evil deeds. I need to give that to Carlo and run away. I must be involved in that incident too, so if I stay, I’ll be caught.”

“That’s why I’m saying, don’t give him that and let’s just cover everything up?”

“Then the Empress or Count Azanie will plot to kill Carlo again, won’t they? I want those people to be punished!”

Ah, this innocent one. As if Carlo can’t protect himself!

I wish you could just live as a naive Grand Duchess who knows nothing…

What else can I do now? I’ll have to step in.

“Yes, looking at it any way, that seems right?”

I approached the child, pretending to agree with her words.

“Ah, are these for Count Maximus Greatroyson?”

“Yes.”

It seems Brandon, whom this child saved, turned out to be Count Maximus Greatroyson, and Lea was preparing to send him off.

Peeking at the documents she was looking at, I saw she had carefully selected medical opinions and examination charts from Greatroyson’s stay in December.

Since he had limped when he first came to December and underwent rehabilitation, she seemed to be thinking about things he should be careful about.

Sigh, why is everything this child does so lovely?

This is why I don’t care whose child she is—which was a huge decision for me, as I’ve always valued bloodlines above all—and just want her to live in St. Berte Castle. Very safely.

“I’ve been thinking?”

I looked at Lea, who was busily organizing documents.

“If you must leave, shouldn’t we prepare Carlo to let you go? How much would my descendant be hurt.”

As I lay down glumly, resting my chin on my front paws, Lea quickly raised her head.

Hahaha, this kid. When my spirits drop, her eyes widen and she looks like she might cry any moment.

“…Hurt?”

“Yes, hurt.”

I sighed, emphasizing the word once more to stimulate Lea.

“Sigh… Actually, I’ve been worried about that too.”

“Right?”

I should use Carlo’s potential pain to stimulate her into staying here.

“Yes, so I’ve decided. I’m going to find a better woman for Carlo.”

What?

“It’s something I’d decided from the beginning, but I didn’t know how to go about it, so I’ve been pondering it all this time. But fortunately, the social season is approaching, so let’s find a good woman for him together before I leave. Okay?”

This was a completely unexpected direction. Finding him another wife besides herself?

“Do you really like Carlo? How could you think of another woman…!”

“It’s because I really like him! I’m more worried about the shock Carlo will receive than my own pain. Would I have thought this far if I didn’t like him? Would I?”

Hmph. Seeing Lea pout and look ready to cry, my nose tingled in sympathy.

As our faces twitched together, I quickly covered my mouth with my front paw.

Since becoming a baby lion, I’ve become prone to crying too. D*mn it. Pull yourself together!

“Yes, so you’re such a big-hearted child. Then you need to tell Carlo. He might listen.”

“Tell him what…?”

“What you need to tell him is…”

I told Lea what Carlo needed to hear, and also explained at length why she should do it.

Lea looked half-convinced, but when I persuaded her that everything I said was to prepare for the shock and hurt Carlo would receive, she began to listen with a rather serious face.

It was so fortunate that this child had never experienced romance!

“Got it?”

If Lea wants to leave, Carlo must somehow prevent it!

That guy has never felt anxious before, which is why he’s so relaxed now. He needed to feel some sense of crisis.

“Will this help Carlo prepare emotionally?”

The strongest emotion a man expresses when dealing with a woman he loves is just one.

“Of course!”

That emotion is jealousy.

I wagged my tail happily, smiling broadly.

‘Rise, Carlo’s jealousy! Kyahahahaha!’

Of course, I didn’t know then. It was because I had never seen Carlo jealous with my own eyes.

I had no idea what kind of ripples it would cause.