“Hahahahahahahaha! It’s been a long time!” 

As a boisterous – almost obnoxious – laugh rang out, Count Gruy pressed a hand to his throbbing head. 

“Feels like your voice has gotten even louder.” 

“It’s not just a feeling – it’s true. Oh, Father, really. You’re as strong as ever.” 

The Count rubbed his face in frustration at the Countess’s final confirmation, but the one facing the deafening laughter just smiled calmly. 

“It’s been a while.” 

The former Duke, who had not visited the capital since passing the dukedom to Curtis, nodded slightly.

“It’s been a while for you too, madam.”

“Yes, it has been quite a while. Are you still travelling as usual?”

“Hahaha! Of course I am! There are so many places to see – how could I ever settle down in one place? If I did, my darling would scold me!”

As the former Count Gruy’s words continued, Count Gruy’s head slowly dropped, and his ears turned bright red as if on fire.

“Hahaha, father still calls mother ‘darling’ as usual.”

The Countess said with a gentle laugh.

Count Gruy lifted his head gently and whispered,

“I’ll call you darling until the day I die…”

Smack!

“Well then, let’s finish the greetings here and get on with the story our children have been asking for.”

The Countess said, cutting off her loving husband’s words as neatly as a radish.

“Oh, right. See? You’re as sharp as ever. That fool definitely used up all his luck marrying you.”

The former Count Gruy chuckled.

“Of course he did.”

As the two exchanged smiles and chatted back and forth, leaving the tearful Count Gruy behind, they were suddenly reminded of why they had gathered here today.

A few days after Irvelyn’s execution, Dalia had spoken to Curtis about the regression.

But when the time came to really talk about it, there wasn’t much to say, so their conversation ended rather quickly…

“Do you think… there’s a chance that you could regress again?”

“Yes. I think we’d have to bring in the former Count Gruy for that.”

Before Dalia had finished speaking, the entire investigation team was in action, on Curtis’s orders.

This was based on Dalia’s assumption that if this was something to do with regression, her grandfather would probably know best.

Of course, both she and Curtis had long forgotten about the merchant who had complained during the Founding Festival about being thoroughly scolded by the former Count Gruy.

The Fraser family’s investigation team scoured the continent in search of the former Count Gruy.

At the same time, Count Gruy and his wife, as well as the former Duke and Duchess, were invited to the mansion.

“If we’re going to find out, we should all know! Let’s get everyone together at once!”

This was at the request of the former Count, who said he was already too busy travelling.

“So then, my daughter… no, I mean Duchess of Fraser…”

Countess Gruy also explained the outline of the regression to the former Duke and Duchess.

“Hmmm. Turning back time, you say.”

The former Duke didn’t dismiss it as nonsense, but he didn’t seem entirely convinced either. At his wife’s words, however, he quickly relented.

“Even at this age, the world is still full of mysteries.”

“Indeed it is.”

“Hahahahahahahaha! You two haven’t changed at all!”

The former earl chuckled warmly, and the former duke and duchess, a generation younger than him, gave an embarrassed cough.

“Father.”

The Countess called, skilfully drawing the former Count’s playful gaze back to the main subject.

“Ah, yes. The regression you spoke of.”

“Yes.”

“Someone I know did it.”

His tone and voice were as casual and calm as if he were simply commenting on how good last night’s stew had been.

There was silence for a few seconds before the Count suddenly shot up from his seat and exclaimed,

“What do you mean, Father?!”

“Sit down. Your father’s not deaf yet. Tsk, tsk.”

“Um, Father, could you please explain a little more?”

The Countess asked carefully.

“Yes, of course. First of all, you’ll want to know – who exactly is this person I know?”

When even the former Duke joined in, the former Count shrugged and added,

“I met him when I was travelling – his name was either Max or Maks, something like that. He claimed to be a merchant, but no matter how you looked at him, he seemed suspicious.”

This merchant suddenly said to the former count,

“You’re from the Gruy family, aren’t you?”

“And what if I am?”

“How about making a deal with me? Your family always seems to have at least one interesting child.”

“What? Do you want your head bashed in? What are you insinuating about my children?”

“No, no, I didn’t mean it like that. Anyway, your granddaughter – let’s see, hmm… Dalia, was it? She’s going to die. But I can make sure that never happens.”

It was the kind of story even a passing monkey would scoff at and walk away from.

But the former count wasn’t about to give up. After all, the history of the Gruy family was full of stories so fantastic they could be mistaken for fairy tales – just as the suspicious merchant had said.

“Tell me more about this business.”

Having said that much, the former count, now unable to hide his growing boredom, ended the conversation rather half-heartedly.

“Anyway, this merchant bastard apparently had ties to our family from long ago. I bought a return in time and gave it to Dalia as a present.”

As the former count popped five or six well-dried dates into his mouth at once, the countess asked,

“You said it was a deal, didn’t you? The price for turning back time must have been enormous…”

Her question was filled with both concern and overwhelming gratitude – enough to overshadow the concern.

In response, the former count gave a smile that made him look thoroughly ill-tempered as he finally opened his mouth to speak.

“Ah, that thing.”

***

While the former Duke and Duchess, the Count and Countess of the Gruy family were deep in conversation – telling the tragic story of Max’s unfair deal, a story so moving you couldn’t listen without tears – Dalia and Curtis were in the middle of it.

Deep inside the main building of the Fraser estate, Dalia and Curtis were intertwined.

“Ah! Mmh… Mmm…”

As soon as the wet, nasal m*an dissolved into the hazy steam, Curtis pressed his lips to her pale neck.

His searing breath slid down her skin, grazing the top of her chest before moving even lower.

As he sucked the water droplets from her smooth belly, a m*an so sweet it would melt anyone’s ears escaped her lips.

“Haahng!”

Unlike usual, her voice echoed off the bathroom tiles like a lingering reverberation, but Dalia had no room for embarrassment.

For Curtis was relentless, kissing, biting and licking every inch of her body as if determined not to miss a single spot.

Despite being enveloped in heat that spread like a shimmering haze, Dalia grew restless.

‘If only he would go deeper, just a little more…’

As if he had read her mind, Curtis planted a teasing kiss just below her round br*ast – and then stopped.

With his chin resting close to her heart, his violet eyes gazed up at her intently, silently asking:

“What do you want me to do?”

Dalia hesitated, her lips trembling as if the words wouldn’t come out, but finally she whispered softly, on the verge of tears,

“…P-please don’t tease me.”

At her response, Curtis let out a hot breath, so excited it sent shivers down her spine.

“Haa…”

He gently lifted Dalia, who was half submerged, and sat her on the edge of the tub.

Even the sound of splashing water became a stimulus, making her vision blur –

“Ahh!”

Her body was so overheated that Dalia shivered slightly as the cold tiles touched her back.

Just as Curtis was about to lift her ankle and trail kisses up her thigh towards the already soaked spot, he suddenly stopped.

“C… Curtis?”

Her voice called out to him, wondering why he had stopped.

Barely managing to hold on to his slipping sanity, Curtis gently lowered the ankle he had been holding.

Before Dalia could react – huh? – she found herself snugly wrapped in a soft towel, scooped up effortlessly into his arms.

“Let’s move to the bed.”

The desire in Curtis’s hoarse voice made Dalia’s cheeks flush.

But Curtis did not head for the Duchess’s bedroom, where Dalia usually slept alone.

Even as she fanned her burning face with her hand, Dalia didn’t seem surprised.

Soon, of course, the two of them entered the Duke and Duchess’s bedroom.

Though it had always been spotless, without a speck of dust, it was a room that had long been ignored by its owners – but for the past few days it had been filled not only with warmth, but with a palpable heat.

“Good night.”

Just as Curtis planted a soft kiss on Dalia’s round forehead and was about to leave –

“Um… if we could… together…”

She hesitated, glancing shyly around as she tugged at his sleeve.

“Yes. Starting today, we’ll be using the marital bedroom.”

Curtis wrapped his arm around Dalia’s waist as her eyes widened like a frightened rabbit and headed straight for the master bedroom.

From that night on, the two of them never slept alone again.

As always, Dalia had fallen asleep in a faint, exhausted from how far he pushed her each time.

As the moonlight crept softly through the curtains, Dalia woke suddenly for no particular reason, her eyes blinking slowly.

After a few flutters of her long lashes, the figure reflected in her emerald eyes was none other than Curtis.

Not appearing to be the least bit uncomfortable, he slept soundly, his arms wrapped around her waist and his bare legs entwined with hers.

Watching his peaceful profile, Dalia smiled softly.

For a moment she was tempted to give him a playful pat on the nose, but she resisted the urge and pushed the mischievous thought away.

Just as she was about to close her eyes and fall back asleep, she caught her breath.

It was because the man she thought was asleep had pulled her tightly into his arms.

“You’re awake?”

“I am. I could feel someone’s intense gaze on me.”

“Was it that intense?”

“Yes.”

With a soft laugh, “Ahaha,” Dalia rubbed her nose against his chest, then tilted her head up to meet his gaze.

“Because when I woke up in the middle of the night, the person next to me was you.”

She slowly brought her hand out from under the thin blanket and gently stroked Curtis’ cheek, smiling shyly.

“Because it’s me?”

Resting his face against her palm, he whispered softly,

“It feels nice.”

“Haha!”

When Curtis let out a laugh, Dalia blinked quickly in surprise.

“Why are you so surprised?”

He asked as he cupped her hand and planted a soft kiss on the back of it.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever seen you laugh like that.”

“It probably is.”

For Curtis, Dalia was the first and would probably be the last for everything in his world.

“Somehow that makes me even happier.”

As if sharing a secret, Dalia whispered softly, her voice lowered, and Curtis gently kissed the tip of her nose before murmuring in a low voice.

“Can I make you even happier?”

With a bright, clear laugh, she happily wrapped her arms around Curtis’ neck.

“I love you.”

As the heartfelt words she had just managed to say seeped into his heart, he finally let his own overflowing emotions pour out.

“I love you.”

***The End***