Eloise kept her promise to herself admirably.

After their first outing, she never brought up the Baroness Surrier again. She would even push newspapers away if they contained the baroness’s name.

Thanks to Doctor Giacomo wanting Eloise to be the first patient at his newly established hospital and asking them to wait a few days, Eloise and Ryan enjoyed Bringport until he called for them.

Of course, there were some minor issues during that time.

The first problem was the sleeping arrangement.

“The same bed is absolutely out of the question! I couldn’t face the master! Aren’t you afraid of God?!”

On the first night, Emily, dressed in her nightclothes, blocked Eloise’s path with a solemn expression while glaring at Ryan. There was a sense of gravity about her, like someone protecting a lamb from a wolf.

At Emily’s words, Ryan looked at the door leading to the hallway.

“In this hotel, maids frequently enter rooms to attend to guests. What would happen if they saw a couple claiming to be married sleeping separately, with a maid in the husband’s place? Surely unpleasant rumors would spread?”

“T-that may be true, but…!”

“Mr. Surberton trusted me and allowed this trip. And I will never do anything Eloise doesn’t permit.”

“……”

Persuaded by Ryan, Emily bit her lip.

No matter how devoted she was to Eloise, she was ultimately just an employee.

In fact, being able to speak so comfortably with Ryan was already an enormous privilege. In other mansions, it would be unimaginable for a kitchen maid to raise her head to the master and express her opinions.

Nevertheless, Ryan always listened to Emily because he knew how sincerely she cared for Eloise.

Emily looked back and forth between Eloise and Ryan.

Though they hadn’t held a wedding ceremony, the two already shared the same surname by the Queen’s order. And hadn’t she witnessed their sacrificial actions toward each other in the capital?

This was ultimately between the two of them. A mere maid like herself couldn’t control it. Yet he was trying to persuade even her…

Then Emily’s gaze turned toward her mistress. Though she looked troubled, she was already holding Ryan’s hand, as if it were the most natural thing.

Seeing this, Emily recalled Ryan at Blissbury. He truly would back away at the slightest sign of Eloise’s discomfort. So he wouldn’t do anything if Eloise didn’t want it.

But what if her mistress did want it?

“Okay, but please make Lord Ryan sleep on the floor.”

After saying a final prayer for her mistress, Emily withdrew.

After the door closed, contrary to Emily’s thoughts, Ryan and Eloise just awkwardly stared at each other.

They needed to share a bed… but how exactly should they do that?

Despite having waited so long for this moment, when reality presented itself, neither knew what to do.

At first, they sat at odd places like the table or sofa, saying they would drink tea or read books, but they couldn’t avoid bedtime forever.

In the awkward atmosphere, Ryan spoke first.

“You go to sleep first. I’ll read a bit more before sleeping.”

“That book you haven’t managed to read a single page of in two hours?”

Ryan sighed and closed his book, unable to even make the excuse that the print was small.

Similarly, Eloise couldn’t focus on the words in her book either.

This situation wasn’t entirely new. At Blissbury, they often read books or conversed in the same room while in their indoor clothes.

Yet just the thought of lying in the same bed made Ryan’s mind go blank.

Of course, he had no intention of doing anything improper. He wanted his lovely fiancée to always be able to hold her head high before people and God.

While he wasn’t without the instinct to hold his beloved, as a born soldier, he could suppress his emotions more skillfully than others.

‘We have plenty of time.’

Their wedding would be held at Blissbury in spring. After that splendid day, he and Eloise would be able to share all their time together.

Without any awkwardness, they would have time to be intimately close.

So there was absolutely no need to rush. He knew this better than anyone, and yet…

Ryan looked at the bed while washing his face. The bed was large—big enough for about five people to sleep comfortably. He had mixed feelings about whether its size was good or bad.

At that moment, Eloise walked briskly to the bed and slipped under the covers.

“What are you doing? Come quickly. We need to sleep if we’re going to explore Bringport tomorrow, don’t we?”

Unaware of Ryan’s inner conflict, Eloise called to him while patting the space beside her.

Gulping, he approached her. He couldn’t refuse when his fiancée called.

Moving rather quickly for someone trying to appear calm, he lay down straight beside Eloise with as much dignity as he could muster.

The bed was indeed spacious, so their bodies didn’t touch even when lying down. They could just sleep comfortably like this…

Ryan clenched and unclenched his right hand, which was closer to Eloise. If he closed his eyes a bit more, could he touch her as if by mistake or coincidence?

While he was thinking this, suddenly a small hand firmly grabbed his.

Though not easily startled, he felt as if his heart might leap out of his mouth.

“Ryan, I have something on my mind.”

“Y-yes, what is it?”

The most foolish-sounding voice came out of his mouth. His heartbeat spread throughout his body so intensely that he couldn’t tell if his heart was in his chest or in his captured hand.

“I think we need to wake up early tomorrow. The staff said that at dawn tomorrow, large fishing fleets will arrive at the harbor. It might be similar to half-price weekend sales, but since this is a port city, they sell many seafood preserves too. Since it’s hard to enjoy seafood dishes at both Blissbury and Feltham, shouldn’t we buy plenty?”

Ryan laughed with relief at Eloise’s words, which flowed from her small mouth.

While he was so tense just lying next to her that he couldn’t think straight, Eloise’s mind was apparently filled with completely different thoughts.

“Will you buy pickled herring too?”

“Of course. I heard it’s a Bringport specialty. I received requests before coming, so I plan to grab all of those first.”

Eloise continued talking about things she needed to buy for quite some time. Then gradually her speech slowed and began to break off.

“So, after visiting the art gallery, on the way back to the main street…”

Eloise’s round eyes, unable to resist sleep, grew moist with tears. Seeing this, Ryan reached out and gently covered her face.

“Go to sleep now.”

“But…”

“Don’t worry about anything, just relax.”

At his words, the movement beneath Ryan’s palm stopped.

As he thought. At first, he believed Eloise’s mind was full of other thoughts, but she had been nervous too. That’s why she deliberately rambled on about different topics.

A breath later, Eloise’s breathing slowed. Just before falling completely asleep, a whispered murmur escaped:

“I wouldn’t… mind…”

With those final words, Eloise fell into a deep sleep.

By her side, as she breathed quietly, Ryan remained motionless for a long while, dazed. His mind kept replaying Eloise’s last words.

What wouldn’t she mind? Only after more time had passed and the lamp had gone out did Ryan reach out his hand.

In his vision, now accustomed to the darkness, he could see Eloise’s face peacefully asleep.

Unlike her tranquility, two conflicting feelings were creating a storm in Ryan’s heart.

The desire to protect her peace and the desire to overturn everything. It was hard to believe that both these opposing feelings were based on love.

After watching Eloise for a long time, Ryan moved closer and took her into his arms.

Her gentle breathing touched his chest. His firm muscles contracted deeper each time her breath reached them.

Ryan carefully stroked a strand of Eloise’s hair, placed a kiss on it, and thought:

After the wedding, he would make her realize just how dangerous her words had been.

***

“Though your husband was so desperate, honestly, I had no intention of seeing patients until the facility was completely furnished, but after hearing your story, I felt my conscience wouldn’t let me sleep.”

Doctor Giacomo had a sharp, severe appearance, but contrary to his looks, he was an extremely talkative and energetic person. He continuously shared amusing stories about patients he had treated, using the stiff academic terminology that doctors at the academy used.

Thanks to this, Eloise was able to relax during the examination.

“Did I ask? If you hadn’t agreed, we would have met again in our house’s basement.”

“Hahaha! You really are an amusing person!”

Giacomo burst into laughter at Ryan’s words about kidnapping him if he refused the examination.

Eloise quietly smiled with upturned lips beside them. That doesn’t seem like a joke…

Before Giacomo’s examination, Eloise had repeatedly reminded herself:

‘Don’t be disappointed if there’s no particular improvement.’

She had already improved significantly. Hadn’t she been able to look in mirrors without aversion? Though a slight cough remained, compared to before, it was almost embarrassingly miraculous.

Yet the persistent cough that wouldn’t go away was entirely Ryan’s fault.

When she coughed once, Ryan would look as if the world had collapsed; at two coughs, his eyes would redden; and at three coughs, his expression would be like someone about to die.

So Eloise had grown to dread her lingering cough. She no longer wanted to see Ryan wearing that guilty expression because of her.

After seeing it so many times, she too would become a little depressed if there was no improvement.

‘But we had a good time in Bringport, didn’t we?’

They had enjoyed each day in this beautiful place without any worries. They bought plenty of gifts at the morning market, enjoyed good tea and delicious pastries. They purchased many desired clothes, admired the beautiful harbor scenery, and heard much news they couldn’t hear at Blissbury.

Among all these pleasures, Eloise’s most satisfying moment was waking up in the morning.

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a firm chest revealed through an unbuttoned shirt. Looking up a bit more, she would see Ryan’s face, eyes closed, breathing softly.

Others might find him intimidating, but to Eloise, he had the most handsome face in the world.

After several days, Doctor Giacomo’s hospital finally opened. Eloise entered as his very first patient.

Watching him sleep peacefully, Eloise recalled anew the moment she first met him.

Who would have imagined that the man she once threatened with a candlestick, thinking he was a vagrant, would become someone so close to her? And even enable her to live forever in Blissbury, which she had always loved.

‘So perhaps hoping for a complete cure is asking too much.’

That’s what she thought, but…

“A complete cure shouldn’t be too difficult,”

Giacomo said with a smile, as if it were nothing special.