Edmund and I sat facing each other in his office.
After the maid served tea and left, a long silence followed.
Edmund did not rush me. He simply waited, watching me quietly. Since I had stopped him while he was on his way out, I needed to finish quickly. But I couldn’t bring myself to speak.
I fidgeted with the teacup and approached the topic indirectly.
“What happened to the coachman when I was kidnapped?”
“The new coachman was being threatened by a guild member hired by Devon, with his child held as a hostage. We resolved it peacefully, so don’t worry about it.”
“I see. Oh, by the way, you heard that the charges were dropped, right? That’s a relief.”
“Yes.”
But he simply raised an eyebrow, as if he had never been concerned about it in the first place. I felt a bit empty, but knowing I hadn’t caused him any trouble was enough satisfaction.
As I nodded absentmindedly, Edmund spoke with his usual blank expression.
“Did you request this conversation just to ask that?”
“That’s part of it…”
Thanks to him bringing up the topic first, it became easier to talk. I took a deep breath, organizing my thoughts before speaking.
“As you know, my memory of that day is blurry because of the fever.”
“That day…”
Edmund’s gaze drifted for a moment before returning.
“I see.”
“Yes. But I do remember grabbing your shirt sleeve in my sleep. Is that right?”
“Yes.”
As I got closer to my real question, my heart began to race. I took a deep breath and asked.
“I’ll ask directly. Did something (?) happen between us?”
Edmund frowned slightly, tilting his head in confusion.
“Something?”
“Um, I mean… did we sleep together?”
I asked hesitantly, then glanced at him nervously. His face looked as if he had just heard the most ridiculous question.
Oh no. Was that too blunt? Just as I was about to rephrase, Edmund calmly responded.
“We did sleep.”
Oh no… I squeezed my eyes shut.
Had I really lost control over myself and caused a mess? When I opened my eyes again, Edmund still looked confused.
Why does he look so calm? Normally, he would be flustered. Did he even understand what I meant? I was about to ask again when he spoke.
“Countess, did you really ask so cautiously just for that?”
Just for that… So he thought I was overreacting? My face grew hot.
Fine. Edmund was right. Whether he understood my question or not, why was I getting so embarrassed? We were both adults who had seen and experienced things. Feeling a strange sense of defeat, I held my head high.
“Yes, I made a fuss over nothing. But unfortunately, I don’t remember anything—”
“Why does it matter? It’s not like it was anything good.”
“…It wasn’t good?”
That was a bit of a shock. Well, I had been drugged at the time, so it definitely wasn’t a good memory for me.
And for Edmund too… He probably hadn’t enjoyed spending the night with someone who wasn’t even conscious. But still…
‘That kind of hurts…’
I frowned slightly, and Edmund noticed.
“…Why that expression?”
“That’s a bit rude, don’t you think, Edmund?”
“It’s not an opinion, just a fact.”
I smiled faintly, though I was seething inside.
“Oh, sure. I respect that. It doesn’t have to be good.”
After a brief exchange of glances, Edmund nodded as if he understood and lifted his teacup.
That seemed to be the end of the conversation—until I put my cup down loudly.
“But I don’t think I’m that bad. What exactly was so terrible, Edmund?”
Edmund froze mid-sip. His beautiful golden eyes flickered with surprise.
“Are you mad at me?”
“Me? No, I’m perfectly calm. I could fall asleep standing up.”
I took a deep breath, trying to control my emotions. Edmund, still looking confused, rubbed his forehead before leaning back in his chair.
“Are we even talking about the same thing?”
His question startled me, and I blinked in confusion.
“What do you mean? What were you talking about?”
“What were you talking about?”
We spoke at the same time.
“That we spent the night—”
“That you had a nightmare and slept peacefully—”
A long silence followed.
Ah. I let out a deep sigh, and Edmund shut his eyes tightly.
Taking a deep breath, he pressed his fingertips against his temples.
“Why do you always twist normal conversations into something weird…”
Realizing the truth, my face burned with embarrassment.
‘Is he mad?’
Feeling nervous, I leaned forward to check his expression.
His face and neck were red, and he was biting his lip. He seemed to be suppressing his emotions. He really did look upset, so I quickly apologized.
“I’m sorry. I misunderstood.”
“You had a nightmare and grabbed my sleeve, so I stayed by your side for a while. Did you really think I would do something so dishonorable? Or do your thoughts always go in that direction?”
I felt a little wronged. Lilien had asked me to check, after all. Though, I had agreed too easily, so I was partly to blame.
“I’m sorry. The maid saw something and misunderstood, so Lilien asked me to check. I didn’t think my wording would cause such confusion.”
“Don’t let Lilien play you. She’s always trying to set us up.”
“I won’t.”
At that moment, Edmund suddenly stood up and opened the office door.
“You can leave now.”
His face was still red, but thanks to the mention of Lilien, I avoided making things worse. In times like this, it was best to retreat.
“Alright. You must be busy.”
Smiling awkwardly, I stood up and walked to the door. The moment I stepped out—slam! The door shut behind me.
I stood there, blinking.
‘Just when I thought we were getting a little closer…’
Instead of seeming harmless, I had become a woman full of improper thoughts.
‘And now I have to go on vacation with this awkward atmosphere…’
Regret and embarrassment overwhelmed me. Why had I asked such a question? And why had I even argued about whether it was good or not…
I sighed deeply, trying to cool the heat rising inside me.
As I considered apologizing again, a maid walking by widened her eyes at me.
“Countess, are you alright?”
“What?”
“Your face is really red. Are you feeling sick again?”
“…I’m fine. It’s just hot because it’s summer.”
I forced a smile. The maid glanced around in confusion before tilting her head.
It was June, and the mansion was cool at night. No wonder she was suspicious. Smiling again, I quickly walked away.
A beam of pure white light burst from the portal of the Mipedian Ducal estate, and a carriage emerged.
It was Edmund who stepped out of the carriage.
As he arrived at the cave-like portal entrance, Tale, who had been waiting there, noticed him and quickly approached, bowing his head.
“You’ve returned, my lo—”
Tale lifted his head with a smile, but then froze mid-sentence.
“Did… something happen?”
“What would’ve happened?”
Edmund replied coldly and brushed past him.
Tale tilted his head, puzzled. That didn’t seem right. Edmund had said he would arrive immediately through the portal, but he was thirty minutes late.
His master was the type to keep to a schedule with near-military precision.
Tale had even begun to wonder if something serious had occurred…
And yet here he was—arriving with his ears tinged red.
But it wasn’t his place to pry, so Tale suppressed his curiosity and trailed after Edmund.
“Tale, once today’s schedule is done, prepare for a sparring match at the duchy.”
“…With me, sir?”
Edmund nodded without hesitation.
Tale’s jaw dropped.
His master never held back in sparring. He would press forward so intensely that his opponent would be left gasping for air—until they passed out from exhaustion.
It was so dreadful that, back during their time with the knights in the forest, anyone not on guard duty would be chosen as his sparring partner by losing a punishment game.
Now pale as a sheet, Tale hurried to catch up to Edmund, who was already a few steps ahead.
“D-Did I do something wrong…?”
Edmund glanced over his shoulder with a slight frown.
“Do I need a reason to spar? I’ve been holed up in the office too long. My body’s getting stiff.”
“…Understood, sir…”
Tale answered with clear reluctance.
No, something’s definitely bothering him.
Back in the forest, whenever Edmund suddenly demanded a sparring partner, it was always because he couldn’t sleep or had something weighing on his mind.
The knights would all avert their eyes, pinching each other’s thighs or pushing someone else forward.
“Y-Yes, sir… I understand…”
Tale accepted his inevitable muscle aches the next day with tearful resignation.
Eventually, the two of them arrived at the Central Temple.
Towering in the heart of the forested mountain, the Central Temple exuded a majestic and solemn aura with its arched doorway flanked by massive stone columns.
“It is an honor to meet the hero of the Empire.”
A priest who noticed Edmund quickly bowed in greeting, though his gaze kept flicking toward Tale behind him.
Edmund gestured for Tale to stand back, and only then did the priest’s expression relax as he guided them inside.
They soon arrived at the exhibition hall chronicling the lives of all the Saintesses throughout history.
This hall was strictly off-limits to anyone except members of the imperial family and high-ranking priests.
However, under a special imperial ordinance, individuals who inherited or were granted a noble title were allowed to visit as a ceremonial rite—meant to reflect upon the legacy of the Saintesses who had protected the Empire.
This was one of the reasons Edmund had sought a ducal title.
It gave him the opportunity to investigate the demonic beast that had killed his parents nine years ago.
