“Yes, you’re not allowed. So I’d like you to leave this place as well.”

Kyron finally tried to drive Louie away completely. This was a friend I hadn’t seen in so long! I felt stifled by Kyron’s resoluteness.

Why did he have to block me from even meeting my friends?

As always, Kyron was the one who tried to stifle every bit of breathing space I had.

After all, it was he who held the key to giving Ekette some room to breathe.

If only he had ever looked at Ekette warmly, even once. If only he had pretended to love her before the nobles could dismiss her. If only he had ever spoken kind words to Ekette, who had given up her previous life entirely to come to the Duke’s manor.

Did he even know that he held that key in his hand? Even if he knew, he probably wouldn’t have cared.

He had never shown me even the smallest kindness, so why was it that he couldn’t stand to see me sick?

Why couldn’t he even let my friend call me by my name?

In the end, Louie turned and left. He couldn’t win against the Duke.

Louie paused briefly, seemingly to glance at me, but soon walked out of the booth completely.

Kyron watched Louie leave and then stepped back inside the booth, coming to where I was.

“Ekette, I think it would be best to move to another location and get some rest.”

And whose fault is it that I can’t rest right now?

Kyron’s hand lightly brushed my cheek. Startled by the sudden touch, I instinctively pulled my face back.

What is he doing?

I couldn’t understand his actions, and they made me feel wary. Kyron withdrew his hand shortly after.

“I’ll help you. Let’s go somewhere else. This place is too shabby.”

***

The place Kyron took me to rest was none other than the Imperial Palace.

It was certainly the closest place in terms of distance, but… Could we really just enter the Imperial Palace like this? I was dumbfounded.

“It’s fine. His Majesty has already granted permission.”

As it turned out, Kyron had sent someone to the Emperor beforehand, and the Emperor, who happened to be inspecting the festival after the event, had immediately approved it.

Kyron supported me as we slowly walked through the Imperial Palace. To an outsider, it would look as if this were his own home.

We were guided to a small room within the palace. It seemed to be an unused room without any specific purpose.

I lay down on the bed in the room, and Kyron sat beside me.

“His Majesty the Emperor said he would come by to check on you. He’s worried about your condition.”

I nodded lightly.

“….”

I wished he would just leave me here and go.

A heavy silence filled the room.

I stared at the ceiling fresco, wondering what position the artist might have been in while painting it. I thought it would be better to distract myself with such thoughts.

It was the only way to avoid feeling burdened by Kyron’s steady gaze.

It was rare for him to look at me like this, and I didn’t know how to react. I assumed he was only paying attention to me because I had been unwell a moment ago. I decided to ignore it.

“…Were you close to Louie Keyes?”

Unfortunately, my husband opened his mouth, and I failed to ignore him.

“We grew up in the same area, so yes, we were close.”

“I see.”

His voice sounded oddly bitter.

Should I tell him not to treat a close friend so harshly like he did earlier? But I doubted it would make a difference, so I decided to say nothing.

The silence that filled the room again was soon broken.

“I’m sorry. I can’t fill the longing you have for your hometown.”

My eyes, which had been fixed on the ceiling, inevitably turned toward his crimson ones.

“But that man is not acceptable.”

When news came that the Crown Prince had summoned him, Kyron said he wouldn’t take long and left the room, leaving me behind.

After he left, a knight entered the room. As usual, I assumed he was here to guard me.

Until I saw the strange white object in his hand.

The knight was holding something large and white, like a fluffy ball of cotton.

“What is that?”

At my question, the knight approached, holding the white object.

“It’s a stuffed animal, Madam.”

A stuffed animal…? Why a stuffed animal?

“A knight… carrying a stuffed animal?”

What an unusual sight. But wouldn’t a stuffed animal get in the way of guarding someone?

“Oh, no, Madam. It’s not mine. Absolutely not!”

The knight waved his hands frantically, reacting as though I had said something absurd. He even blushed, appearing genuinely offended.

“This is something His Grace dropped earlier!”

“His Grace…? You mean my husband…?”

I almost burst out laughing. What a joke. Was this meant to cheer me up while I was sick?

Kyron carrying a stuffed animal? That was even more ridiculous than a knight carrying one.

But the knight was completely serious.

“Yes, he was holding it before you started coughing earlier. Since it belongs to His Grace, I brought it here to leave in the room.”

Pulling off a joke this seriously is unfair. I wanted to tell him to stop being funny, but the knight’s next words left me speechless.

“His Grace received it as a prize after playing darts. He hit all five targets.”

Oh?

I had forgotten about the dart game prize. Come to think of it, with Kyron’s skills, he would have easily hit all the targets.

Suddenly, I became interested in the stuffed animal.

“Can you give me that stuffed animal?”

“Of course.”

The stuffed animal I received from the knight was a white rabbit. Its size matched the ones I had seen hanging at the dart booth earlier.

“I’ve already brushed off all the dirt it had, so you don’t need to worry about that, Madam.”

“Oh, okay.”

I didn’t care about any dirt that might have been on the stuffed animal. What surprised me was the fact that Kyron had bothered to take it in the first place.

It didn’t suit him at all.

“What an unexpected taste.”

I muttered to myself as I examined the stuffed animal.

“Could he have taken it because he liked it?”

“Perhaps.”

Though I was speaking to myself, the knight answered.

“That’s unexpected.”

“I think so too.”

“It doesn’t suit him.”

“This isn’t the lord I know.”

“This isn’t the husband I know either.”

“Could there be something wrong?”

“There’s definitely something wrong.”

We came to a single conclusion.

Kyron was acting strange.

***

The Emperor came to visit. Kyron returned to the room at the same time.

For now, I placed the white rabbit stuffed animal on the bed. Kyron seemed to notice the stuffed animal upon returning to the room, but he didn’t say anything about it.

The Emperor was much the same as he had been at the last banquet. His tone was warm, like that of a grandfather speaking to his grandchild’s friend.

“Duchess, I am troubled to hear that you are still unwell.”

“I am fine now, Your Majesty.”

“You were unwell at the banquet last time due to similar symptoms. You said you were fine then, too, but are you just going to say you’re fine again this time?”

The Emperor looked at me with pity in his eyes. Then, he suddenly turned his head sharply to glare at Kyron.

“And you, what are you doing? Not even holding your sick wife’s hand!”

The Emperor scolded Kyron sharply.