Would his wife be happy to see this, or sad? He was curious, but part of him didn’t want to know the result. In case it was the latter. Because he had no talent for consoling her if she became depressed.

However, Gideon had one more of Tatiana’s magic stones.

His wife had been much more honest with her feelings when she was in her early teens, and would throw the magic stones on the ground every morning while sniffling.

She probably didn’t know then that one of those magic stones was worth several years of commoners’ living expenses.

Gideon had been getting annoyed by the magic stones that kept getting in the way whenever he sparred with Sir Bloom.

Then one day it happened.

Tatiana, who had occupied the training ground before him, threw the unresponsive magic stone as usual, and she was strong even as a child.

The magic stone that was rolling powerfully across the grass ended up hitting the tip of Gideon’s shoe with a thud.

Who was really at fault here? Was it Gideon who came and went from others’ homes as if they were his own, or was it Tatiana who dared to hit a prince with a stone and didn’t even apologize?

Her face turned bright red, and she glared at Gideon for no reason before hurriedly leaving.

She took such a roundabout way that Gideon thought he might have caught the plague. 

 ‘What did I even do wrong?’

It still feels unfair and bewildering even now.

But Gideon had quietly picked up that magic stone that couldn’t emit any light and brought it to the castle.

Back then, he just thought Tatiana was a very strange girl, but maybe he was the one doing stranger things.

A reflection of the past brought on by a single pendant.

While it’s clearly a memory for him, it might not be everything for Tatiana.

Gideon handed the necklace to his subordinate.

“Replace the chain. With something lighter.”

Not only did he dislike the weight of the gold chain, but the necklace bore traces of that day’s catastrophe. There had been arson at the scene right after the murder.

Gideon decided to make some slight modifications rather than deliver it in its original form.

It was to minimize the painful parts in his wife’s memories and leave only the good ones. 

 Tatiana received word that the prince had passed through the castle gates and was waiting outside with her maids.

Soon after, a group of men on magnificent war horses rushed into the Prince’s Palace.

The black horse stopped in front of Tatiana as its master guided it, then snorted and shook its head roughly.

Tatiana stroked the horse’s bridge of nose and black mane once while greeting Gideon.

“You came back faster than I expected? I suppose the talks went well.”

“Well, rather than that, I used a gate to return. That helped shorten the time.”

Tatiana made an “oh” sound, forming her lips into a circle. She thought the travel expenses must have been enormous.

She now knew that one magic stone was worth several years of living expenses for commoners. She also knew that it took dozens of magic stones to transport one person through a gate.

Of course, if Valter’s First Prince had to worry about such things, there would be no one on the continent who could use those passages.

People thought the first greeting between newlyweds who had been apart for nearly two weeks was too dry.

While they hadn’t expected a passionate scene from the prince, his wife was equally composed. The two were conversing as if they had just parted last night and met again today.

However, contrary to what others thought, Tatiana was currently feeling quite strange emotions inside. She felt somewhat moved.

She was relieved that his work seemed to have ended well, happy to see him after so long, and pleased to see his good expression.

Tatiana finally understood today why couples who lived apart due to unavoidable circumstances felt such yearning.

It’s when you realize that the presence of someone who seemed as natural as a piece of your daily life wasn’t actually natural at all.

Of course, she had seen and heard of cases where such brief separations led to affairs, but she planned to disregard those. Those people were already not thinking straight.

Wouldn’t normal thinking be to find ways to meet your spouse when you miss them? If someone uses that as an excuse for an affair, they’re weak and sick, using the piercing loneliness that all humans experience as if it were uniquely theirs as a shield.

Best to throw such thoughts away quickly before getting entangled and sick together.

But Gideon seemed to be feeling the same unfamiliar and strange sensation while looking at Tatiana.

He kept narrowing his eyes and tilting his head as if something felt increasingly odd the more he looked. Then he brought his face closer to Tatiana’s and asked as if unsure.

“Is there something on your face……”

“……”

“Did you put on makeup?”

Even couples with the worst relationships tend to feel tender toward each other when meeting after a long time. But there are many cases where that tenderness doesn’t last even five minutes.

Tatiana’s moved expression was gradually turning sour.

Nothing’s worse than asking someone who just washed if they’re going to wash. She hadn’t just put on makeup today.

However, she couldn’t say Gideon was entirely wrong. Today’s makeup hadn’t been done by her maids.

“Her Highness Scarlet seemed to want to play dress-up.”

“……”

“She came this morning saying she was bored and did it for me.”

Gideon had noticed that subtle difference.

While he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was different, this showed far better observation skills than the princess’s husband who just repeatedly parroted how pretty his wife was.

“Though it’s a bit sad to say to the maids, Her Highness the Princess has quicker hands than the maids.” 

 “……”

“I like it, but do you not?”

“……”

“……Wait, do you hate it that much?”

However, Gideon just stared intently at her lips without answering. Now even his brows were furrowing as his expression grew serious.

Tatiana was starting to feel both embarrassed and annoyed. She understood that it felt different from usual, but was it really so hard to say it looked fine?

The man who hadn’t even once told his bride she looked pretty at their wedding was indeed difficult in every way.

Gideon kept frowning before suddenly looking around as if realizing something. He casually gestured to his staff. It meant they should leave now.

But seeming to think that wasn’t enough either, he grabbed Tatiana’s wrist and led her somewhere. 

 Tatiana found herself following him into a building, away from people. As she blinked at him with questioning eyes, Gideon asked.

“What did you say to me earlier?”

“What?”

“Who’s a doll? You’re a doll?”

Tatiana asked back, wondering what this novel nonsense was, and Gideon suddenly started chuckling. Even he found it absurd.

“I couldn’t hear anything you said outside.”

“……What?”

“It was too distracting.”

“What was?”

“Your lips kept moving and I couldn’t focus on anything else. What did you put on them?”

Though it was different from usual, she hadn’t really put on anything extra. Gideon blamed the innocent makeup. Then he bent down and devoured the plump flesh that had been disturbing his eyes.

Tatiana blinked with a dazed expression before laughing in disbelief. And as the kiss deepened, she quietly wrapped her arms around Gideon’s firm waist.

He immediately seized her nape with one hand as if he’d been waiting, while pulling her body close with the other.

It’s difficult to describe the feeling of sharing each other’s flesh inside their mouths while their waists pressed together.

It feels like becoming an incredibly sensual person, wanting to become endlessly erotic. Wanting to fall off a cliff with the other person, yet also wanting to leap higher.

She wants to let people know that this man can be affectionate sometimes. Though he may look cold as ice, he can actually be warm at times.

But she absolutely doesn’t want to let anyone know that he can sometimes be as hot as heated iron.

‘That’s for me alone to know.’

The two separated while catching their breath, and they laughed together seeing the silver thread connecting their lips.

Tatiana thought his smile, with one eye slightly crinkled, was very attractive.

That’s when Gideon asked.

“Is the jinx broken now?”

It was a continuation of the conversation they had before he left for the north.

“Hmm, maybe?”

Tatiana playfully agreed that it seemed so, but Gideon asked with a smirk.

“Then can I go again?”

At this shameless question, Tatiana clicked her tongue in pure amazement. Asking if he could leave again, right after returning?

Along with that, the voice in her heart that should have been kept private slipped out unfiltered.

“……Wow. You’re really something else, seriously.”

Gideon found it so absurd yet amusing that he chuckled while holding his forehead. Then he soon growled threateningly while furrowing his brows.

“What did you just say to me?”

Tatiana pretended not to know. He seemed to want to hear it again and kept pressing her to repeat it before overlapping their lips.

As she gladly responded, Tatiana thought that with his return, she had found the missing piece of her daily life.

Therefore, today was a perfect day. 

* * *