118.

However, imitating Norma’s fluid movements with his hands proved far more challenging than Archie anticipated.

“This is harder than I thought. Am I doing it right?” Archie asked, frowning as he tried to braid a section of Aisa’s hair.

What had seemed effortless now felt impossibly complicated. Norma glanced at the tangled mess Archie had created and couldn’t help but laugh out loud, making Archie’s fleeting confidence plummet.

“Oh dear. Let me show you again—take these four strands and move the second one underneath,” Norma explained, his voice patient.

“…At this rate, Auntie’s going to wake up, look in the mirror, and yell, ‘Archie, you little rascal!’”

“She might actually say, ‘You little rascal,’” Norma agreed cheerfully, nodding along to Archie’s prediction.

Archie couldn’t help but think that no matter what Norma said, it always sounded sweet. Despite his enthusiasm, Archie’s clumsy hands were anything but delicate. As he tugged at a knotted strand of hair, Aisa’s eyelids twitched.

“She’s awake,” Archie whispered, his eyes wide with alarm. As Aisa’s violet eyes slowly opened, Archie quickly abandoned her hair and began plotting his escape.

Norma, noticing Archie’s retreat, stifled a laugh. He leaned closer to meet Aisa’s gaze, ready to cover for the boy.

“Aisa,” he said warmly, his voice laced with affection.

Aisa’s unfocused eyes darted toward the familiar sound. Recognizing Norma, she visibly relaxed. Still, her brows knit slightly in confusion as her hand instinctively reached for her hair.

“Your braid got a little messy while you were asleep. Archie and I were fixing it,” Norma explained.

“Archie?” Aisa’s sleepy voice carried a hint of suspicion.

She frowned deeper, the implication sinking in even in her groggy state. Meanwhile, the clever child had already snatched up Antoinette, tucking the cat under his arm as he scurried behind the servants for cover.

“Yes, so you should rest a little longer. Your aide isn’t here yet,” Norma coaxed her, his tone gentle and soothing.

“Hm. All right…”

Trusting his reassuring words, Aisa closed her eyes once more. Norma smiled softly, his gaze lingering on her peaceful expression.

The sunlight warmed his back as she lay, small and serene, within the shelter of his shadow. Knowing she trusted him enough to nap so freely by his side filled him with a profound sense of contentment.

Nothing in the world seemed amiss at that moment—until it was rudely interrupted.

“Sir! A message from the imperial palace has arrived. Perhaps you should wake the Lord…”

A knight came rushing over, breathless as he announced the arrival of the Emperor’s envoy. The news earned him an array of cold glares from those nearby. Though it wasn’t his fault, the knight couldn’t help but sweat under their disapproving stares for disrupting the couple’s idyllic moment.

Norma’s expression betrayed his disappointment. Of all unwelcome guests, the Emperor’s emissary was the worst. There was no ignoring a summons from the imperial family.

With a reluctant sigh, Norma resigned himself to waking Aisa. But not without a touch of mischief.

‘Still, it’d be a shame to let this end without a little fun,’ he thought, signaling the nearby servants.

Recognizing the gleam in his eyes, the servants quickly averted their gazes, feigning ignorance. Even Mrs. Seymour, who had grown accustomed to these signals, hurriedly covered Archie’s eyes.

With no one watching, Norma leaned down, gently cradling Aisa’s chin as he pressed his lips to hers.

A fleeting thought crossed his mind: once, he would never have dared kiss her while she slept. Now, that hesitation was gone, replaced by a deep satisfaction he couldn’t contain. Unable to hold back, he kissed her more fervently, the force of his affection making her stir beneath him.

Aisa twitched, and Norma felt a rush of amusement even as he drew back. Their faces hovered close, their noses nearly touching. Aisa’s violet eyes blinked open, dazed and confused. Her pale cheeks burned a furious red.

How does she always react even cuter than I expect? Norma thought, struggling to suppress a grin as his face muscles rebelled against him.

Aisa, now fully awake, clamped her lips shut, glaring at him with the indignation of someone wronged in their sleep. Her expression was so pitifully exasperated that Norma knew it was time to stop teasing her. Any more, and she might grow genuinely upset, something he couldn’t bear.

Offering his most charming smile, angled just how she liked it, Norma tried to ease her frustration. As her gaze softened, focusing on his face, he found himself falling for her all over again.

Overwhelmed, Norma let out a sigh, pressing his forehead to hers.

Aisa winced and let out a soft, startled noise, more confused than angry. Even though she protested faintly, Norma could tell she wasn’t truly upset. She had never hesitated to shout her displeasure when she meant it.

‘Really, the one who needs restraint is me,’ Norma thought, grateful she couldn’t read his mind. If Aisa knew he’d considered trying to “devour” her in a single breath, he doubted she’d take it lightly.

“Good morning. It’s time to wake up,” he said, his tone cheerful and light, masking his earlier thoughts.

* * *

With the Crown Prince’s coming-of-age ceremony approaching, it was expected that an envoy from the Emperor would soon arrive. Yet, the timing was nothing short of exasperating. Why, of all times, did the ceremony have to coincide with Nyx’s presence in Baghdad?

Moreover, with rumors of discord between McFoy and the Crown Prince circulating, it was all the more crucial for McFoy to attend the ceremony. I had recently received word from Ektra that the Emperor had ordered Billinent to remain confined, making it the perfect time to dispel the whispers surrounding him.

Billinent, as always, was a handful in more ways than one. Yet, the true shock came from an entirely unexpected direction.

“It would be best if only one of you went to Baghdad. After all, the Founding Festival is just around the corner,” Erika announced.

Embarrassingly, I didn’t grasp her meaning immediately.

“Why are you looking at me like that? You attended the festival in the capital last year for the tournament. This year, you need to make an appearance in McFoy. If you go to the Crown Prince’s ceremony, you won’t return until after the festival concludes,” Erika explained patiently.

The thought of only one of us going to Baghdad hadn’t crossed my mind. Perhaps I unconsciously assumed we’d go together, recalling how Norma once said that couples should share everything.

“We can’t skip the Crown Prince’s ceremony. So, one of you should stay in McFoy, while the other attends the ceremony,” Erika continued with her usual clarity.

I understood her logic, but agreeing to it didn’t come easily.

“I’ll go to Baghdad,” Norma declared without hesitation.

For someone who believed couples should do everything together, his decisiveness was startling. It almost felt as though he and Erika had conspired before coming into my office.

“I’m worried that if you’re near Nyx, it might react. Its seal is unstable and could break with even a small provocation,” Norma said, his expression unusually serious.

“Which is why you shouldn’t go to Baghdad.”

His firm tone reminded me of a conversation we had during a quiet moment by the lake. Overcome by the mood, I had impulsively shared a secret with him—a secret he hadn’t let go of easily.

That night, he had pressed me relentlessly, and by dawn, I had revealed the details of Ophelia’s divine power. Norma, who had only known that Ophelia had resurrected me, was visibly shaken to learn that my life was still precariously tethered to that power.

Thinking about it now, my situation wasn’t far from carrying my heart outside my body. The realization had made me feel like I’d unintentionally deceived him into a marriage under false pretenses. Never did I imagine I’d feel self-conscious in my own home, yet here I was.

“Baghdad is still infused with divine energy. You can’t control it, so the risks are too high. I’ll handle this alone,” Norma said, putting an end to the debate.

He was right. I hadn’t used Ophelia’s power since Tartaros—not because I didn’t want to, but because I couldn’t.

When Ophelia appeared in my chambers, she had said that calling her was the condition. Yet, no matter how often I called her name afterward, there was no response. My best guess was that her divine power would only activate in truly life-threatening situations, though I had no proof.

“I agree. It would be best for Lord Diazi to go. The rumors of your close relationship will suffice as a gesture of goodwill,” Erika added.

Today, my aide and husband seemed to be working together so seamlessly that I couldn’t help but suspect they’d coordinated this in advance.

“If I travel on horseback with a small entourage, I can return in just over a month,” Norma said gently, as if trying to comfort me. His expression was full of concern, his voice akin to a mother leaving a child behind.

But the mention of “a month” drew an involuntary sigh from me. The thought of a sudden separation left me feeling restless, unable to mask my unease.

“Damn Rodensi,” I muttered, silently cursing Nyx even more vehemently.

In the end, I had no choice but to agree to Norma’s departure for Baghdad.

A month—perhaps a little more. The thought of being apart from Norma for that long was almost unfathomable. Over the past three months, he had been the person I spent the most time with, the one always by my side.

And more than anything, there was something I still hadn’t told him.

As the weight of that realization settled over me, I felt a gnawing anxiety, like a child scrambling to complete an overdue assignment.