Early in the morning, while sitting on my bed drinking the water Vivi handed me, I suddenly started coughing and hurriedly covered my mouth.
I almost spat it out.
Even after the coughing subsided, the shock didn’t fade. I stared blankly at Vivi before stammering out a question.
“T-That… story, where—no, who told you that…?”
Despite my hesitant words, like someone who had just learned to speak, Vivi didn’t seem bothered and widened her eyes as she replied.
“On my way to the main building this morning, the head maid told me!”
“…The head maid?”
“Yes! She emphasized it twice, saying I must deliver it to you right away.”
Though Vivi wasn’t one to make things up, if the head maid said it, it had to be true unless her ears had deceived her.
I barely managed to hold onto the water glass in my hand as I coughed out the remaining tickle in my throat.
“Why… why…?”
“It must be His Grace’s orders! The head maid looked so pleased she could hardly hide her grin.”
Hearing this made my head throb.
Ian’s words from yesterday suddenly flashed through my mind.
‘It’s not strange that you felt uncertain. That was my failing.’
‘I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.’
‘So that’s what he meant?!’
It was so absurd I couldn’t even laugh.
Unlike me, pale and stunned, Vivi looked as if she were about to burst with excitement, hopping from foot to foot.
“Well, you’ve been using separate rooms since you got married. Back then, it made sense since you two weren’t close.”
Vivi cleared her throat and twisted her body awkwardly as she chuckled.
“But lately, you’ve grown much closer! It was strange that you were still using separate rooms. Everyone’s been talking about it, you know?”
“Why on earth would you all….”
I stopped mid-sentence, pressing my lips tightly together.
Memories of the staff’s overly enthusiastic faces, watching us with bright, curious eyes whenever Ian and I shared a moment, flashed through my mind.
Right. They always looked at us like obsessed fans shipping a couple.
“Anyway, it’s a good thing! Even though you said it was fine, this room is smaller than His Grace’s bedroom, isn’t it? It wasn’t even meant to be a master bedroom in the first place….”
Vivi glanced around the room and shrugged her shoulders in satisfaction.
“Oh, but I can’t just stand here. What should I pack first? Let’s see, that oil lamp—Madam uses it often, so we should take it. Oh! And this vase—it’s so cheerful. You like it, right?”
“Vivi, wait. Just a moment.”
I stopped her hastily.
“Yes?”
“Just… stay put for a second. I’m too taken aback—I think I need to ask Ian—no, His Grace—about this myself.”
“Pardon?”
Vivi tilted her head, looking puzzled.
“Oh, come on, Madam. What’s there to be surprised about? It’s not like it’s the first time you’ve shared a room with him. Remember when you traveled…?”
“No, no.”
Sure, we did share rooms during travels, but back at the villa, Ian slept on the sofa the whole time. And in Nomos Empire…
“Well, let’s just say the nights married couples spend together aren’t usually this innocent.”
My face, which had just calmed down, flared up again.
Unable to sit still, I threw off the blanket and got out of bed.
“Anyway, don’t move anything for now. Understood?”
“Uh, Madam…”
Before Vivi could stop me, I hastily threw on a shawl and dashed out of the room.
When I reached Ian’s office on the third floor, I didn’t even bother knocking and burst through the door.
“Are we combining our rooms?”
In my urgency, I blurted out the question without thinking, only to freeze in place a moment later.
Ian wasn’t alone in the room.
Two pairs of eyes turned to me.
Ian, sitting at his desk, stared at me in disbelief. And across from him…
“Wow.”
Kyle, holding a stack of documents, let out a low whistle.
‘Oh no.’
This time, it wasn’t shock but sheer humiliation that made my face burn red.
Of the three of us, Kyle was the first to recover.
He glanced between Ian and me, a sly smile spreading across his face.
He set the documents he was holding down on the desk and chuckled mischievously.
“Well, well…”
His laugh was annoyingly smug.
“It seems this is my cue to leave. You two are just brimming with affection this early in the morning.”
With his hands behind his back, Kyle’s intention to tease Ian and me was blatantly clear.
That man…
Turning to Ian, Kyle wrinkled his nose playfully and winked.
“Your Grace, it seems I’ll have to postpone the rest of my report until this afternoon. It appears to be time for you to enjoy a private moment with Her Grace. Haha, I’ll take my leave now.”
Before Ian could even respond, Kyle snapped his fingers, summoning a magic circle, and disappeared on the spot.
“……”
I was at a loss for words.
How could someone slip away so sneakily?
‘He didn’t even use the door.’
Naturally, the office fell into a brief silence after Kyle vanished.
In the end, I was the first to break it.
“Well, I just heard from Vivi, and I was so shocked… Did I misunderstand something?”
Ian, who had been quietly watching me from behind his desk, finally took off his glasses and replied, “You heard correctly. I was planning to bring it up again over breakfast after my morning duties.”
Unlike me, who was fumbling over words, Ian’s expression remained utterly composed. If anything, he looked as though he found it unnecessary for me to barge in so early in the morning for such a matter.
“…Is this, perhaps, revenge because I held onto the divorce papers?”
“Revenge?”
“A retaliatory decision to share a room… something like that?”
“Why would I have any reason to seek revenge on you, Eloise?”
“If not, then why… after we’ve been doing just fine like this…”
Surely, there had to be a reason for this sudden change.
Ian, blinking slowly, rose from his seat. As he stepped out from behind his desk and crossed the room, I instinctively began to retreat.
“You can just stay there and say it…”
But he seemed intent on ignoring my muttering as he approached me in long strides.
“That’s because you told me yesterday,” he said, gently removing my hand from the doorknob.
With a soft click, the wooden door closed behind me.
“That you were feeling uneasy.”
“Pardon…?”
Before I could even process the meaning of his words, his strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me close.
The sudden proximity made me gasp.
“I-Ian?”
“As I said yesterday, if you felt that way, it was undoubtedly my failing. You’ve been patient with me for the past two years. So…”
Tilting his head slightly, he whispered in a low, velvety voice,
“I thought it was time to set things right.”
“……”
“Just like the ‘ordinary couple’ you spoke of.”
His calm tone carried a subtle playfulness that made my head spin.
‘Is he insane?!’
Was he seriously going to come at me like this all of a sudden?
No, wait—what I meant by ‘ordinary couple’ wasn’t anything like this!
“Ian, wait a second. Let’s talk this through…”
Even as I squirmed and protested, he showed no intention of letting me go, tightening his hold instead.
Whether it was the closeness of our bodies or the suffocating tension in the air, it was hard to breathe properly.
His drowsy, sapphire eyes gleamed mischievously as he stared at me.
“So, Eloise, I trust that you’ll understand my intentions.”
His lips curved into a soft, languid smile, setting off a blaring red alarm in my head.
‘…I’m doomed.’
Mom, I think I’m in serious trouble.
❖ ❖ ❖
That night.
Sitting in the bathtub with my knees pulled up, I stared at the hazy steam rising toward the ceiling and spoke.
“…Vivi.”
“Yes, Madam?”
“Should I run away?”
• • •
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