Carlo kept his eyes closed with his head tilted back until the carriage crossed the moat and entered St. Berte Castle.

People were dying. Naturally, by his orders.

Of course, they deserved to die, but at the moment he ordered the purge, Lea inexplicably came to mind.

Though he maintained an attitude of casual dismissal toward the Empress’s words, he truly didn’t want Lea to hear about his cruel nature.

Perhaps he wanted the innocent girl to remain forever unaware of the brutal situations unfolding behind the scenes, or perhaps he disliked the thought of her looking at him with fear after hearing such stories.

“……”

He slowly looked down at his hands that had gripped swords countless times since childhood.

His thick fingers with calluses appeared clean, but he couldn’t deny they were hands stained with dirty blood.

There were times when those in adversarial relationships with him cast fearful and barbaric glances his way, but such things hardly seemed worth his concern.

However, if Lea were to look at him with the same eyes as them, that would be different.

He knew he absolutely couldn’t bear that—just imagining it briefly was enough to tell him so.

“You’ve arrived, Your Highness.”

Norbert, still awake despite it being past midnight, greeted him.

Carlo passed through the Grand Hall and climbed the wide stairs, briefly glancing at the Hedegen family portraits hanging on the walls.

His duty was certainly to lead the territory and business operations as head of the family, and furthermore, to do his best as a general protecting the Empire.

Since all previous Grand Dukes of the Hedegen family had done so, there was no room for question.

But sometimes, like now, he felt as if his feet weren’t touching the ground.

A feeling of stepping into empty space…

“Spies attempting to steal military secrets have been discovered.”

While receiving business reports, he got a message from the Naval Minister. People trying to cross territorial waters with information about the Northcheshire defense line construction had been found.

Given the circumstances, he didn’t need to investigate to know who was behind it.

Since the Empress had mentioned Northcheshire, it was clear how desperately she wanted to send Carlo to the front lines. The Northcheshire she mentioned would now be under strict security by Carlo’s orders, so this was likely an attempt to attack him through a different route.

Even if it meant selling imperial secrets, she must have been that desperate to send Carlo to the front.

Did she think Carlo would only station troops in Northcheshire? Both the army and navy were in his grasp.

He killed everyone except the two who confessed the Empress was behind it. It served as an example, and there were more than enough justifiable reasons to kill them.

Then as now, he had no intention of attacking the imperial palace first. It would be too troublesome, cause unnecessary bloodshed, and even provide neighboring countries with opportunities to invade, so there was no reason to attempt it.

However, it was always necessary to prepare cards that could suppress the Empress’s schemes.

Click—

As he opened the bedroom door, a familiar scent stimulated him.

In his space, usually filled with the heavy scent reminiscent of a dense forest, a fragrance like freshly bloomed flowers and sweet peaches had somehow deeply permeated.

“You’re back? Were you very busy?”

It was the most lovely and delicate fragrance among all he possessed.

Carlo’s blue eyes sank instantly, as if a layer had been peeled away when he spotted Lea.

Her presence, waiting for him, made him realize that his feet, which had felt like they were treading on empty space, were firmly planted on the carpet.

She brought his floating consciousness back to reality and made him audibly aware that she existed in the same space.

A helpless laugh escaped through Carlo’s lips.

Was it actually Lea who kept him alive?

Perhaps it was.

No, it definitely was.

“Why aren’t you asleep?”

He took off his jacket and crossed the carpet toward her—his reality and his ideal.

“I was waiting for you!”

Though he knew the answer, he asked the question just to confirm she had been waiting for him.

Could the fact that she had waited for him really be this delightful?

But it was enough to satisfy him that someone waiting for his return from death was his wife, not his friends or servants.

“Were you that busy? Did you eat dinner…!”

He grabbed her cute face as she asked questions, kissed her, and enclosed her in his arms.

The moment he embraced her, she flinched and trembled slightly. There was an inexplicable ominous foreboding from that, but he blithely ignored it.

That was the problem.

She struggled in his arms before finally raising her hands to push against his chest.

“I have something to say.”

His gaze sank coldly.

“From today, I’ll sleep in my own bedroom.”

Though I tried to speak as lightly as possible, making it seem like no big deal, Carlo’s gaze fixed on me so intensely that I felt my breath catch.

“Fixed” was the only way to describe that look.

He removed me from his arms while keeping his eyes locked on me.

“Explain so I can understand.”

“It means exactly what I said. From today, I’ll go to my bedroom to sleep…”

Though I answered boldly, my voice naturally faded at the end, seeing his expression clearly suppressing anger rather than showing understanding.

His eyes, growing fierce, looked down at me clearly.

“Why.”

His chilling voice made my hair stand on end.

“Um… I want to sleep more comfortably.”

“Did I do something wrong?”

He seemed to be trying his best to control his emotions while suppressing his growing fierceness.

“If you’re going to leave, would it be good for Carlo to keep sharing a bedroom? Out of sight, out of mind. After growing distant that way, you should show only your bad sides to increase the distance further.”

Odin’s words flashed through my mind like a kaleidoscope.

“How… exactly?”

“First, buy dresses and jewelry recklessly.”

“You mean to use them as escape funds?”

“No! You decorate yourself extravagantly with them!”

“That would just make me look pretty.”

“What? Um, that’s not it! It’s a means to make you appear as a vain woman! Do you know how much men hate vain women?”

“Ah… vanity.”

“And laugh while talking with other men. No, don’t laugh like that showing all your teeth like an idiot! Yes, that eye-smile you usually do well.”

“I think Carlo would get angry.”

“He needs to get a little angry. He’s too calm. Anyway, do as I say! You know nothing about men!”

Odin’s words seemed a bit strange, but I had to agree that being out of sight would lead to being out of mind.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just…”

“Separate bedrooms are absolutely not an option.”

“……”

“I cannot allow that.”

“We’d just be sleeping comfortably in our own rooms…”

“Am I bothering you?”

“What?”

Carlo ran his hand through his hair irritably and narrowed his brows.

“If not, then what’s the reason?”

“……”

“One day you suddenly come into my bedroom saying we need to share because of people’s eyes, and now you’re arbitrarily deciding to leave?”

His tone, restraining his fierce anger, dripped with coldness.

“…Now I know that everyone here won’t spread rumors that we have a bad relationship just because we use separate bedrooms. But I don’t want to take advantage of their kindness, and I’m not saying I want separate rooms because I’ve achieved what I wanted.”

“Then what?”

His Adam’s apple visibly moved up and down as he immediately questioned back.

It made him seem like someone whose patience was about to run out, and suddenly he looked unfamiliar to me. Though he probably wouldn’t lose his composure at any moment.

“When you come back late… I keep waking up. I’m tired because of that.”

“I’ll stop. Working until dawn.”

His immediate response left my mind blank for a moment.

“I’ll change my entire lifestyle. Will that do?”

“……”

“Well?”

As he approached, seemingly intent on pressing until he got the answer he wanted, I unconsciously stepped back.

At the same time, his eyes froze terrifyingly.

“Now you don’t even want me to touch you?”

My eyes widened as I was momentarily speechless.

“…That’s not it.”

“If not that, then what?”

“……”

“Why suddenly…”

“Because I’m scared…!”

As soon as I finished speaking, he froze as if it were a lie.

I suddenly felt drained of all energy, as if I had just said the most difficult thing in the world. Then I faced his pale complexion, and I wanted to take back everything I had said.

But it was the truth.

I was afraid of the sense of betrayal Carlo would feel after I left.

I feared the emotions this man, who seemed willing to tolerate anything, would feel—emotions I couldn’t even begin to fathom.

Wouldn’t it be better to help his heart gradually drift away?

I couldn’t say Odin’s method was right, but it could provide an opportunity for him to lose his feelings for me.

I hated myself for saying this, but I had no other way to detach emotionally in the near future.

“…Scared, you say.”

He looked down at me, repeating my words as if chewing on them.

The moment I met his hopelessly sunken gaze, a faint chill ran down my spine and my shoulders gradually grew cold.

Just as I lowered my eyes hesitantly, his voice flew to my ear.

“I won’t touch you.”

“……”

“I won’t touch you until you allow it.”

“……”

“But sleeping separately is not an option. I can’t do that.”

“……”

“I’ll try to behave well. Whatever makes you scared, I’ll fix it.”

My heart sank.

In my lowered vision, I could see his thick, red knuckles clenching, perhaps trying to control his anger.

I also saw him reach out to me as I hung my head, then stop.

I wanted to tell him he had done nothing wrong, to at least caress his face, but I wouldn’t. This would be much better for him.

When I forced myself to look up, my eyes met his deep blue gaze, seemingly swallowing his anxiety.

“Is that still not acceptable?”