Chapter 3

“Norma, are you happy?”

“Of course. The thought of having a niece or nephew is thrilling and exciting.”

“…Hmm. I see.”

“Regardless of who the baby takes after, they’ll be absolutely adorable. Believe it or not, Nicholas was very cute as a child.”

To Norma, Nicholas was still endearing in his own way.

‘Adorable and cute,’ Aisa thought, mulling over his words.

She didn’t argue with his assessment of Nicholas but instead found herself lost in thought. The only baby she had ever truly been around was Archie. While Archie was beautiful and sweet, he had also been sensitive and frequently cried, making him quite a handful for her younger self to handle.

Because of that, she’d always categorized babies as distant and difficult beings.

‘But looking back, Archie really was adorable,’ she admitted to herself. Despite the struggles, he had been her greatest joy, growing more and more like Roxy every day.

‘Ophelia’s child… a baby…’

If nothing else, Aisa was certain the child would be breathtakingly beautiful. Her gaze shifted to Norma, who was busy finishing his letter.

‘If the baby resembled Norma… naturally, it’d be the most precious and beautiful in the world.’

Her imagination, quick as ever, effortlessly painted a picture of Norma cradling a baby who looked just like him.

‘That’s… not bad at all. Even if they cried all day.’

She hadn’t given much thought to the idea before, but the more she considered it, the more appealing it seemed.

Then, suddenly realizing how far her thoughts had spiraled, her face burned hot with embarrassment. Her internal musings had caught fire, leaving her feeling like she had burst into silent flames.

Norma, finishing his letter, turned to find her blushing furiously. Seeing her reddened face, he smiled as if he’d been waiting for this exact moment.

“Aisa.”

“…Yes?”

“What were you thinking about?”

“Nothing in particular…”

She replied, trying to sound nonchalant despite her obvious embarrassment.

“Really? Are you tired?”

“Well, maybe a little…”

“Are you sure?”

Norma leaned in, brushing his nose lightly against her neck, his whisper teasing.

Realizing his intent too late, Aisa fumbled to check the time, her words hurried and awkward.

“Time is… uh… limited. Can you stop halfway if needed?”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Norma scooped her up effortlessly, placing her atop the desk.

“I’ll do my best, my love,” he whispered as he swept the items on the desk aside in one swift motion, his breath warm against her ear.

The next moment, Aisa felt his large hands support her waist as her back and shoulders met the hard surface of the desk.

‘Oh, heavens.’

For someone usually so gentle and composed, Norma had moments of overwhelming intensity. It left her dazed every time.

She wanted to ask if he truly intended to go through with this here and now, but before she could form the words, her skirt was already pushed up, and his head had disappeared between her legs.

* * *

His “effort” to stop midway turned out to be a lie.

After thoroughly wrecking the office, they moved to the bedroom to continue. By the time Aisa opened her eyes again, the date had already changed. At least they hadn’t broken the desk; she clung to that small consolation for the sake of dignity.

Thanks to the heavy blackout curtains, the room was still dim despite the morning light. A stray ray of sunlight filtered through the curtains, landing directly on her face and forcing her to squint. Turning over, she blinked rapidly, adjusting her vision.

“Ha.”

Through the semi-darkness, she caught sight of Norma’s amber eyes, watching her with warmth and fondness. It was as if he’d been waiting for her to wake, and his expression drew a dry laugh from her lips.

“Really… Do you ever sleep?”

It irked her that he was almost always awake before her, and she made a point of grumbling about it. Norma chuckled softly, leaning down to press a kiss to her eyelids.

“I just woke up too. Did you sleep well, Aisa?”

The way he climbed over her body, with that subtle, insinuating movement, sent alarm bells ringing in her head. If she wasn’t careful, she’d spend the entire morning stuck in bed with him.

“Hey, stop that.”

She put on a firm face, placing her hands on his shoulders to halt his advance.

Norma obediently paused, blinking at her with an innocent expression. ‘What? Me?’ his look seemed to say. But Aisa wasn’t falling for it this time. She was still sore from how early he’d started the previous day.

“No.”

Her tone was clear and decisive. For once, she would not relent.

Norma’s response was to let out a soft hum, a sly grin spreading across his lips. Without warning, he dipped his head and lightly nipped at the soft swell of her chest.

“Norma!”

Startled by his impulsive act, Aisa grabbed his head, her voice ringing out in protest. Norma’s hearty laugh filled the room, muffled against her chest.

“Haha! Don’t worry, I won’t do more.”

Still, the teasing glint in his eyes as he looked up at her made her hesitate. From that angle, he was breathtakingly handsome, and she found herself momentarily speechless.

‘Don’t fall for it. Stay strong,’ she reminded herself. If she gave in, they’d be stuck here for at least another hour.

“…Oh.”

An idea suddenly sparked in her mind, interrupting her inner struggle. Inspiration, fleeting yet vivid, struck like lightning.

“Hmm? What is it?”

Norma, puzzled that his usual tactics weren’t working, asked curiously.

“Wait! Just… move aside for a moment!”

Whether he understood or not, I urgently pushed Norma away. Suddenly finding himself sidelined, Norma helplessly shifted to the side.

“Norma, just wait for a moment.”

I grabbed the robe that had been tossed on the carpet and threw it on haphazardly. After hastily pacifying him, I sat down at the desk situated in the corner of the bedroom. With a serious expression, I picked up the quill.

It had struck me suddenly. Like the day when the name *Ophelia* first popped into my head as a child—out of nowhere, without warning.

I began moving my hand across the paper with ease, letting the thoughts flow. Once I was done, I held up the paper, letting the sunlight streaming through the curtains illuminate it.

“…It’s perfect.”

Unbidden, a smile tugged at the corners of my lips. Rarely had I felt such satisfaction.

It reminded me of that day when we sat side by side on the soft green grass, weaving bright yellow flowers into crowns. The day I shared my childhood musings about names with her.

I had a baseless but unwavering confidence that she’d be just as delighted now as she had been then.

As I chuckled to myself mischievously, Norma tilted his head curiously. He didn’t understand what amused me but smiled along anyway.

* * *

‘Well, she’s been caught.’

Ophelia, who had been hiding in the damp cave, looked deflated and resigned.

“Ophelia.”

Nicholas let out a sigh, surveying the situation. ‘A cave in the garden, of all places.’ For a moment, he seriously considered modernizing the garden despite his ancestors’ emphasis on preserving its natural state.

But Ophelia had other thoughts, already planning where she might hide tomorrow as she reluctantly crawled out of the cave.

Lately, this was how things went. Ophelia would disappear at some point, and Nicholas would track her down himself.

Ever since Ophelia became pregnant, Nicholas couldn’t bear to let her lift a finger. If it were just him, Ophelia might have found it endearing.

But the problem was that it wasn’t just Nicholas. It was everyone—from Father Milan to every servant in the castle.

Ophelia, with her free-spirited nature, couldn’t tolerate the overprotective fussing for long. She began to slip away quietly, evading those who annoyed her until eventually, she started hiding outright.

Even when a maid left briefly to fetch a change of clothes, Ophelia would vanish like smoke. She had become a new source of chaos for the Diashi estate. Her personal guard, Jack Bynes, cried daily but consoled himself with the fact that at least she didn’t leave the castle grounds.

The first time she disappeared, the entire castle was thrown into an uproar. But the commotion didn’t last long.

Nicholas had an uncanny ability to find Ophelia, so much so that even she, an expert in hiding, was left astounded. Their game of hide-and-seek became an intense battle of wits, though Nicholas always emerged victorious.

Today was no exception.

“You’re such a nuisance,” Ophelia muttered with feigned annoyance, acknowledging her loss. Yet Nicholas laughed, carefree and unbothered by her tone.

He scooped up Ophelia, who was covered in dirt, effortlessly into his arms. While she didn’t resist being carried, staying quiet wasn’t in her nature.

“Just in case you’ve forgotten, I do have legs, you know.”

“I’m aware.”

“In terms of strength and endurance, I could be the one carrying you.”

Though she had once lost an arm, her physical strength easily surpassed Nicholas’s.

“You need to be careful,” he said.

“Not this careful. Besides, moderate exercise is good for me.”

“Fair enough.”

Nicholas wore a thoughtful expression before carefully setting her down.

Surprisingly, this wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation. The words were practically a daily script by now. Ophelia shook her head, exasperated, and gave him a little shove as if to say, ‘Go away already.’ But Nicholas didn’t budge.

“Don’t you have work to do? You’re incredibly busy, aren’t you?”

Failing to shake him off, Ophelia strode ahead with large steps. Nicholas had his duties as head of the household and the upcoming wedding preparations.

“But wouldn’t you rather have me by your side?” he teased, catching up in just one step and planting a light kiss on her cheek.

She glared at her increasingly bold fiancé. Dealing with his antics was better than enduring the fawning of others, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t annoying.

“I thought I hid well this time. How do you keep finding me?”

Nicholas answered with a charming smile, dodging the question. His rare smile was something few ever saw, and it was enough to make Ophelia give up her interrogation with a soft laugh.

‘How did we get here?’she wondered. Looking back, it had all started with her.

“If I get pregnant first, those old geezers won’t dare object.”

As a western native, Ophelia had a knack for outwitting the old-fashioned eastern nobles. The bold idea of getting pregnant before marriage had been entirely her plan. Despite Nicholas’s initial protests, she had eventually overwhelmed him.

When it came down to it, Nicholas, who had screamed in objection, had been unexpectedly enthusiastic. Everything unfolded according to Ophelia’s plan. The wedding date was set, and events progressed seamlessly.

The only unexpected outcome was…

“Nicholas has turned into a complete coward.”

Ophelia glanced up at her devoted, beautiful fiancé. Now, even a gust of wind or a sneeze from pollen had him acting as if the world were ending.

“…By the way, are you sure you can handle all the preparations alone? Is it not too much?”

Naturally, Nicholas was the one handling their entire wedding.

“It’s fine. Just don’t leave without saying anything.”

The peculiar phrasing made Ophelia pause.

“If you must disappear, at least stay somewhere I can find you.”

Ophelia, who had accumulated plenty of guilt toward Nicholas, suddenly felt a deep sense of unease.