Roderick didn’t answer. This made her feel even more suspicious. Only after an uncomfortably long silence did he finally speak.

“Can I tell you later?”

It wasn’t the answer she wanted, but it was enough for now. She didn’t want to ruin the good mood they were in.

“Well…”

She was about to say it was fine when—

“Erica? Are you there?”

Her mother called for her from outside the cabin.

“Oh no…”

As Erica covered her mouth, Roderick’s body overlapped with hers, and the blanket that had been pushed to the corner of the bed fluttered over their bodies with a swooshing sound.

Clunk.

It was the sound of someone rattling the cabin door. The clattering stopped after a moment, and footsteps began to approach. The two of them held their breath, listening intently to the approaching presence.

The footsteps stopped in front of the bedroom’s only window. It was less of a window and more like a hole clumsily covered with wooden planks. There was no sound, as if someone was peering through the gap to look inside.

It’s fortunate they had turned off the light. But it would be disastrous if even the slightest trace of people inside was visible.

What if my clothes could be seen? Where did I leave my shoes? Did I leave my luggage outside the cabin? Surely not?

As she anxiously retraced her memories—

“Roderick! Erica! I know you’re both in there. Come out right now!”

When the wooden planks rattled, her heart lurched.

Had they been caught?

While she was wondering what to do, Roderick seemed to have decided on the honest approach. As he tried to get up, Erica hugged him tightly and whispered.

“Wait a moment.”

And sure enough,

“Where have those two gone? I told them not to leave those two alone…”

It was just an empty threat after all.

Only after waiting a long time after the grumbling sounds had completely disappeared did they both exhale their held breath. By then, the inside of the blanket had become so hot that sweat was dripping.

When Roderick removed the blanket, cool air rushed over them. While Erica caught her breath and cooled down, he looked toward the window and said something he absolutely shouldn’t have.

“I should take you home now, ah…”

Erica covered his mouth. With her lips.

It felt like returning to childhood, secretly doing mischievous things behind their parents’ backs. Isn’t forbidden fruit always more exciting when you’re almost caught?

The two returned to being children completely absorbed in a new game. But in this adult play, thoughts of childhood soon disappeared.

And that suspicious scar was forgotten as well.

What had been awkward became natural in just one night. In exchange, her lips were quite sore.

But Roderick didn’t seem to mind at all, still focused on kissing various parts of Erica’s body.

She raised her left hand to push away the hair hanging over her forehead that seemed to be in the way. Just then, moonlight streaming through the gaps in the planks glinted off the ring on her ring finger.

As she gazed at the jewel sparkling like a star, Roderick’s lips, which had moved upward, touched her fingertips. He kissed the ring while raising only his eyes to look at Erica.

His eyes were hazily filled with a pleasant afterglow. Erica knew without looking that her own expression would be no different.

“It feels like a dream. That we’re going to be husband and wife.”

“I couldn’t have imagined it two days ago.”

“I was anxious the whole way here. What if you were already married? Actually, as soon as I met you, I first checked if there was a ring on your finger.”

As if he had only felt relieved after filling the empty space himself, he smiled languidly and kissed the ring again.

“Erica, I love you.”

“I hate you.”

It was what she had wanted to say when he confessed his love in the throes of passion. Roderick, who had been approaching for a kiss, looked surprised.

“You were the only person I ever cared about in my life…”

When the body’s locks are undone, the heart’s locks open too. Words that had been hidden inside poured out through that opening.

“I thought you had forgotten someone like me forever.”

“That’s impossible. Erica, you’re the only one for me too.”

Annoyed that he seemed both flustered and unable to hide his joy at learning she felt the same way, Erica pushed his approaching forehead away with her hand.

“I shouldn’t have taken in a black-haired beast after all.”

Roderick awkwardly retreated, running his hand through his black hair.

“Do you know how lonely I was?”

In truth, Erica only realized after his return that the dark, damp emotion that had followed her like a shadow for the past five years was loneliness and longing.

“I’m sorry. The truth is, I had circumstances that prevented me from returning here.”

Perhaps his mother had been ill.

If so, she could understand. In this world, only someone like the lord could send letters this far, so she actually understood why he couldn’t contact her.

“I’ll never leave you again. And I’ll always be a faithful and honest husband to you alone.”

“Alright. I take back saying I hate you.”

How could I hate you? When you still remember something I said in passing when we were young.

“Erica, what kind of man do you like?”

“An honest man who’s faithful to his wife.”

She meant the exact opposite of her father from her previous life.

“Isn’t that too easy?”

“Do you think so?”

She couldn’t quite remember how old they were when they had that conversation, but she recalled it was on the last day of the May Festival, while watching couples dancing in pairs.

So did he like me even back then?

Maybe that’s why he returned in time for the May Festival. Perhaps he had planned to dance with her in front of everyone on the last day.

But in the end, they enjoyed their own private festival away from everyone’s eyes.

Her whole body felt languid. She always crawled into bed exhausted, but such pleasant fatigue was truly rare.

Erica lay down using Roderick’s arm as a pillow and closed her eyes. His low voice, blending with the faint sounds of insects, sounded like a lullaby.

“I should tell you in advance… when we go to the royal capital, you’ll be really surprised.”

Of course I will. It’s the royal capital.

“Let’s leave early tomorrow.”

Okay.

Her tongue felt heavy and words wouldn’t come out. Erica just barely managed to nod her head buried in his warm embrace.

“By the way, about what you asked me to tell you earlier.”

Roderick hesitated for a moment, but there was no response.

“Erica? Are you asleep?”

There was no answer, and her breath tickling his bare chest was regular.

“Sleep well.”

I can tell her tomorrow on the way to the royal capital. Roderick kissed Erica’s forehead and closed his eyes.

* * *

“…rica.”

Hmm.

“Erica.”

“Mmm…”

“I’m sorry, but you need to get up.”

Erica, who had been in a deep sleep, slightly raised her heavy eyelids. She thought it was morning, but the cabin was still dim as the sun hadn’t risen yet.

Surely he didn’t intend to leave this early. Unless…

“Have my parents come?”

Erica sat up with a start, her eyes wide open. However, only she and Roderick were in the cabin.

‘Then why does he look like this?’

She felt anxious as soon as she felt relief.

Roderick’s face was pale. Like someone in pain, or perhaps in despair.

Come to think of it, his eyes looked familiar. Didn’t a cow being led to slaughter have such eyes?

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

Roderick roughly rubbed his face with his hands, then sighed and said something she couldn’t have imagined.

“There’s been a crisis at the palace.”

“What?”

“A summons has been issued. So I must return immediately.”

What is this about?