On a night so deep that not even the crickets sang, she lay sprawled, unable to fight the drowsiness spreading through her body. A faint sigh escaped her lips. Fingers wandered over her unmarked skin—skin untouched by sunlight or blemish, as pure as porcelain.

“…What are you doing right now?”

“Mm, playing the piano.”

“I’m not a piano.”

Her voice came out sharper than she had intended. But who could blame her? His sudden whims were nothing new. One moment he would be enjoying the afterglow, and the next he would be idly stroking her hair. Sometimes, even the way she read a book would draw his hand towards her with unspoken intent.

How long had it been since she’d had a moment of peace? This time, she did not want her brief respite stolen by Delphius’s desires.

“You’re right. A while ago, maybe—but not now.”

He let out a low laugh as his hand traced the curve of her hollowed spine.

“Delphius—ah, nn…”

Her voice during their union was more beautiful than at any other time. To him, the pitiful cries that trembled beneath his hand were no different from an orchestra conducted by him alone.

Perhaps next time he would sketch out the keys of a piano. Ink might sink too deep into the skin to fade quickly, but it would disappear eventually. A fairly good idea, he thought. Or he could mark them one by one with his teeth, each bite a crimson note.

“If I divide them by bruises, it would look quite convincing, don’t you think?”

As expected, Ilenia’s expression twisted in horror. She turned her head sharply away, as though she had heard something she wished she hadn’t.

“Why? Then it would look very much like a piano.”

“So this is your way of declaring you intend to bite my back?”

“If you’ll allow it.”

Her pink eyes, always searching for a chance to slip from his grasp, wavered cautiously toward him.

“…You have tastes like that?”

Her uncertain voice, her questioning gaze, made Delphius burst into laughter.

“What has happened to all your boldness? Just moments ago, you were speaking so fearlessly that you dropped the formal speech pattern altogether. Now, however, you have once again taken on the role of the innocent wife.”

“That was only because you kept pressing me.”

“And you didn’t like it?”

“That’s—!”

Since it hadn’t been unpleasant, she lost her words. Yet she could not bring herself to admit it either. When she stayed silent instead, his large hand pulled her tightly into his arms.

“Speak to me freely, Ilenia. We’re husband and wife.”

…Husband and wife. She mouthed the words quietly, then turned her body to face him.

“…Nobleman.”

“What?”

“When I was little, I called every noble that. No matter their rank, they were people we dared not look in the eye; people whose gaze we could never meet.”

If one provoked the nobles, no one could know what punishment might follow. Worse still, the mistake of a single person could bring disaster upon the entire village. That was why the elders always clutched their children close, warning them again and again.

“That’s why it feels strange to meet a noble’s eyes.”

“Even now?”

She felt his fingers play with the hair behind her ear and a warmth spread through her whenever they brushed her earlobe.

“Is it difficult for you to look at me now that you’re a noble yourself?”

After hesitating for a moment, Ilenia slowly lifted her head. She was lying completely n*ked, and so was Delphius. They lay side by side in a way that she could never have imagined.

She knew. The specter of nobles that had terrified her as a child no longer existed. The man before her was not just the noble spoken of in rumors anymore. It was time to step out of the wary, fearful hours of the past.

“I…”

She must have raised her head bravely, but Ilenia felt her tongue stiffen. She hadn’t expected a particular reaction, but Delphius’s gaze, when he looked down at her, was completely devoid of emotion. It was as though nothing that happened before his eyes could affect him.

“I…?”

“Ah…”

The instant her lashes fluttered, that cold look was gone. With a quiet smile, he brushed along the curve of her ear.

“…Not as much as before.”

“Really?”

His touch and expression were as they had always been. Realizing that she had been mistaken, Ilenia allowed the tension to ease from her shoulders.

“And besides, I’ve already shown too much for it to feel awkward now.”

He immediately understood what she meant by ‘too much’, the curve of his mouth deepening as he did so.

“I liked it.”

“I didn’t. If I could go back, I would have found a way to escape this room.”

“As if you ever could.”

His sharp words left her speechless, as they often did. Although he was never truly indifferent, he had a way of prying at her heart and reminding her that, above all, he was a shrewd businessman.

And yet, she could never truly hate him for it.

“Tell me the truth, Ilenia. Did you truly hate it?”

“…If you had done it fewer times, it might have been bearable.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, my wife.”

In the end, realizing how easily he could cheer her up, Ilenia smiled quietly to herself. Delphius’s face, much gentler now than when she first met him, lingered in her vision. Perhaps she appeared the same way in his eyes. Or perhaps even more foolish than that.

Things were no longer as they had been at the beginning. Escaping Hildebalt’s despair and arriving in Lukehardt had been far better than she could ever have imagined. Not because she had joined a noble family. Nor because her social status had improved. Nor because hunger no longer plagued her.

It was because she now had a family with Delphius. After losing her own family, when her life had become so uncertain, he had been the one to steady her.

If only a child would come.

Without thinking, she slipped her hand beneath the blanket to cradle her stomach, a faint smile softening her lips.

······ ✦ ✧ ✦ ······

Ilenia’s hand trembled faintly.

“There’s no need to be nervous.”

Tender words were spoken above her pillow. A large, steady hand closed over hers, which was gripping the end of a ribbon. His fingers slid between hers as if they had always belonged there, calming her down.

The brief storm had passed. The night, ruled wholly by instinct, was over. Sunlight slipped calmly through the curtains, casting a sense of morning simplicity across the room.

Ilenia looked uneasily at the dress draped around her. It seemed twice as expensive as anything she had ever worn in Hildebalt. Deciding not to consider its value any further, she simply blinked in quiet discomfort.

“It’s fine.”

“…Doesn’t it feel strange? The clothes. The atmosphere.”

“It’s all fine.”

She brightened at his words, as she realized that he had no one to dress him. However, the elaborate ribbons of the gown in front of her soon dampened her spirits, leaving her feeling lost.

The ribbons seemed to be worth far more than any garment she had ever owned. No matter how she twisted and tied them, the ends seemed endless. She managed to fasten them all, but it still felt unsatisfactory.

Yet Delphius’s gentle reassurance was enough to calm her. With a calmer expression, she turned her gaze towards the door.

Beyond that door lay a life entirely different from the one she had known. Not the life of a farmer, but that of a noble. It was as if her days at the Hildebalt estate were about to begin again.

The tension returned to her face, tightening the muscles that had only just relaxed. His hand, clasped firmly in hers, squeezed back.

“The moment we step through that door, you and I are truly husband and wife, Ilenia.”

His murmured words, warm breath grazing her ear, sent a shiver down her spine. That voice, half-chilling, half-gentle, brought back memories of the nights they had shared.

“I won’t force you into being the ideal wife, but I will do everything I can. That much, you need not worry about.”

A sting ran through her lower belly as his words from those endless nights came back to her.

“There will never be another woman in my life. No illegitimate children. I won’t take a mistress in secret years later.”

Countless times, through the intimacy of their union, Delphius reminded her of her place. Sometimes tenderly. At other times, he had pressed her down by the throat with ruthless dominance.

“So you must have only me. Now, and for the rest of your life.”

Nobles could never be trusted. That conviction had never wavered. She had seen them riding in fine carriages and on fine horses, leaving scars on the land they claimed to treasure.

But perhaps her husband was different. Maybe he was the one she could believe in — if she bore his child.

If she bore his child. If she gave him the family he longed for. Then maybe—just maybe—she could live free of those cold, judging eyes.

There was no escape. In this unfamiliar land, she would have to adapt. To endure. To live.

When the doors opened, those waiting for them bowed as one. Their flawless precision made Ilenia’s back go rigid with tension.

So she kept her eyes fixed forward, fixed only on Delphius. As long as she followed the broad, unwavering line of his back, her heart found a fragile sense of calm.

However, this proved to be a useless thought once she reached the entrance hall. Delphius was about to leave, which meant Ilenia would be left alone in the vast mansion.

“I won’t be too long.”

He slipped on the gloves handed to him by the butler with practiced ease. The black leather only made the ridges of his knuckles stand out more sharply.

“When I return, let’s have dinner together.”

“Yes. Please go safely.”

For a moment, Delphius’s expression wavered into something unreadable, before he drew his lips into a satisfied smile.

“I’ll be back.”

He tilted her chin up and brushed a light kiss against her lips. Performed in front of everyone, it was enough to set her cheeks ablaze, making it feel like their wedding night all over again.

After casting a fleeting glance over his shoulder, he turned and left.

She watched his figure from the garden until he disappeared completely, before turning away.

“Ah…”

The weight of countless eyes fixed solely on her twisted her stomach. For the first time, she found the respectful, downcast gazes frightening, and it was a feeling she never wanted to experience again.

She clasped her hands together so tightly that her knuckles turned white, then finally drew a shallow breath.

“I was told there’s someone who will teach me what I need to do.”

If she was to survive, she could not afford to shy away from these people. Slowly, she raised her gaze and looked them in the eye, one by one.

“Who is it?”