While Sig was losing control of his body to the spirit, Britia was carefully slicing cucumbers with great concentration.
Each slice was thin and precise, but her forehead was dotted with sweat—not just from her focus, but also because of the pale yellow sweater she was wearing. She would’ve preferred to take it off, but the emperor had insisted she wear it. It was all part of his plan to tease his son, who hadn’t received a sweater from his wife.
“Hurry up, will you?”
The emperor, lounging on a sofa, was growing impatient and made no effort to hide his boredom. Britia glanced up at him with a look of frustration.
“Why are you so slow?”
“But, Your Majesty, the knife is too big and heavy.”
If you want me to slice cucumbers, shouldn’t I be using a small kitchen knife? How am I supposed to cut quickly with the long sword Esther used?
Her rebellious expression made the emperor’s eyebrow twitch.
Is this how she repays me for teaching her to be bold? By defying me?
“Your Majesty, Duke Turas has returned,” a servant announced just as the emperor was about to scold her.
“Duke Turas?”
At the mention of Turas, Britia, who had been cautiously slicing cucumbers, froze and accidentally dropped the knife.
“Phew.”
Esther, who had been anxiously watching the knife nearly fall on her foot, quickly caught it.
“Oh.”
“Wow.”
Bippy and Perry clapped for Esther, impressed by his quick reflexes. Britia thanked him and turned to the servant.
“Did you say Duke Turas is here?”
The servant nodded at Britia’s question.
“But he was supposed to arrive tomorrow! Oh no, I’m not prepared at all!” Britia wiped the sweat from her brow, starting to panic. The emperor, watching her fluster, let out a scoff.
“Prepare for what? You’re not going anywhere until those cucumbers are all sliced.”
He pointed to the basket full of cucumbers.
“I have to slice all of them? Me?”
“Who else would do it? Should I slice them for you?” the emperor snapped, scolding Britia for asking such a ridiculous question.
Britia grew more anxious. Sig would likely head straight to the emperor. Which meant she’d have to meet him in her current state. It had been so long since she’d seen him, and she wanted to check how she looked in the mirror. But the emperor showed no signs of relenting.
“Go on, Britia,” the empress spoke up, noticing her discomfort. The emperor turned to glare at his wife, clearly annoyed.
“The emperor will finish slicing the cucumbers for you, so don’t worry and go,” the empress added, completely unfazed by his irritation.
“Says who?” the emperor growled, clearly frustrated.
“Why should I roll up my sleeves when she can just slice them herself?”
“Oh, come now. These cucumbers are for my face. You won’t help even with that?” the empress said, rising confidently to her feet. The emperor didn’t have a comeback, so he just glared at her silently.
“You can glare all you want, but I know you’ll do it,” she said with a small, knowing laugh. Moving the cushion she’d been resting on aside, she scooted closer to him.
“Am I wrong?”
“Your confidence is something else,” the emperor muttered.
“Are you really unsure where I get my confidence from?” she teased, placing a hand on his leg and letting out a soft laugh. She watched as a frown deepened on his forehead, then laid her head down on his leg.
“If you help me first, I’ll return the favor. Now, go on,” she said coyly, closing her eyes. She waved her hand at Britia, gesturing for her to leave quickly.
“Go on. You’re eager to see him, aren’t you?”
Grateful for the empress’s kindness, Britia hurried out of the room, fearing the emperor might change his mind.
Finally, she was going to see Sig!
As Britia stepped into the hallway, she suppressed the urge to scream with joy, instead stomping her feet excitedly in place.
Her heart was pounding with anticipation.
First thing when she saw him, she’d throw herself into those broad arms of his. Even if the hug left her a bit breathless, she wouldn’t complain. It had been so long, and she couldn’t wait to touch that soft, fluffy tail of his again.
Her mind raced with all the things she wanted to do when they finally reunited.
But more than anything, she wanted to tell him how much she’d missed him. And then, she’d smother him with kisses—her Sig!
As soon as she spotted a tall, dark figure down the hallway that was unmistakably Sig, Britia’s smile spread wide across her face.
She held back the urge to call out his name and turned to Esther instead.
“Esther, does my face look okay? How’s my hair?”
She nervously patted her cheeks, worried there might be some out-of-place strands. Once Esther nodded in reassurance, she double-checked with Bippy and Perry too.
Taking a deep breath, Britia turned back toward Sig.
“Sig,” she called softly, but her voice didn’t carry far enough for him to hear. Feeling slightly embarrassed under the watchful eyes of the guards, she cleared her throat, pretending it was no big deal.
“Sig!”
This time, she called louder. But still, he didn’t turn around.
“He must be too far to hear you,” Esther said, trying to comfort her as her disappointment became obvious.
“Too far? Duke Sig has excellent hearing…”
Before Perry could finish his thought, Bippy quickly covered his mouth. Britia, feeling a bit deflated, started walking toward Sig.
As she got closer, she noticed his hair had grown a bit longer. The sight of him made her heart race again, shaking off her earlier disappointment.
What does it matter if he didn’t hear me right away? He’s so handsome… and he’s standing right there in front of me!
Britia quickened her pace.
Wait, why wasn’t he wearing his blindfold?
Puzzled, she noticed Harty and Brian standing next to him. Sig was engaged in conversation with them.
Oh, so that’s why he didn’t hear me.
At that moment, Britia had no idea what was about to unfold.
“Hey, beautiful.”
Beautiful? Who was calling someone beautiful? Did Sig just say that to Count Harty?
Britia couldn’t believe her ears. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that after five long months, she would witness Sig calling Harty Slanford “beautiful.”
She couldn’t trust what she’d heard. Maybe she was so excited about seeing Sig again that her ears were playing tricks on her.
Swallowing nervously, Britia moved a bit closer.
“Where are you rushing off to, huh?”
The more she listened, the more it sounded like Sig was flirting with Harty, telling him to stay and hang out.
Who? Sig? With whom? Harty Slanford?!
Britia’s mind went blank for a moment. She couldn’t process anything. She just stood there, dumbfounded, watching Sig try to charm Harty.
“You look beautiful even when you’re surprised,” Sig said, licking his lips as he spoke. The sight made Britia’s skin crawl, and she could no longer hold back.
“What… what do you think you’re doing?”
Her voice broke the tension, drawing everyone’s attention to her. Sig, who had been smiling slyly at Harty, finally turned to face her.
“You and Count Slanford… No, even Brian is here. What on earth is going on…?”
Britia’s words trailed off as she stood there, mouth slightly open, staring at Harty, whose surprised expression was—oddly enough—particularly attractive today.
Harty, on the other hand, felt a strange familiarity with the look Britia was giving him. It was the same look he’d seen from men who, driven by jealousy, would challenge him to duels for speaking to their women.
Usually, he could easily guess what was going on, but this time, it was different. He had no clue. And he was innocent!
“I didn’t do anything!” Harty exclaimed, feeling the need to defend himself. He truly hadn’t done anything to Sig. He was just on his way back after meeting with Kyla, and then, out of nowhere, Sig approached him and started calling him “beautiful.”
Even Harty thought it was absurd. But here they were, living in this ridiculous reality.
“How can you say you didn’t do anything? You’re standing there, tempting me with that gorgeous face of yours,” Sig said, his words becoming more unbelievable with each passing second.
“You’re really Duke Turas, right? Not someone else?” Harty asked cautiously, his voice tinged with uncertainty. The spirit possessing Sig crossed his arms and let out a low chuckle.
“I like that confused, suspicious look on your face.”
The spirit muttered to himself, licking his lips as though savoring the moment. Britia, watching this unfold beside them, slowly blinked and turned to Harty.
“Did you… seduce him? Sig…?”
Britia’s voice was hurt, her eyes flickering back and forth between Harty and Sig. Harty frantically waved his hands in denial.
“No! No, I didn’t! You know me, I used to be the kind of guy who could seduce anyone without even trying, but that’s all in the past! I swear!”
Harty’s face was desperate, pleading for her to believe him.
“Someone as beautiful as you only has to breathe to be tempting. I fell for it, hard.”
Harty nearly popped his eyes out of their sockets at Sig’s words.
He’d heard plenty of cheesy lines from countless people, but hearing something like that from the Duke of Turas himself?
It didn’t matter that it was his revered idol Sig speaking—it still made Harty feel gross. In fact, it was even worse because it was Sig.
Sig was never the type to flirt or behave like this. He’d always been calm and detached, especially around Harty, never showing more interest than necessary.
And Harty had liked that. Sig’s indifference allowed him to remain on a pedestal, to be admired from afar. It let Harty maintain a respectful distance, even as he secretly wished to get closer.
What Harty really wanted was the reassurance that he wasn’t the only one chosen by the goddess.
But now… now this?
“How are you going to take responsibility for this, beautiful?”
Harty felt like his entire world was crumbling. The man he had admired so deeply, Sig Turas, had changed into someone unrecognizable.
As Harty’s mind spiraled into shock, Brian stepped between him and Sig.
“We didn’t realize you were back, Duke, but it’s good to see you. However, the Crown Princess is expecting us, so we’ll be on our way now.”
Brian, sensing something off, gave Sig a wary glance and grabbed Harty by the arm, pulling him away. They were supposed to have just met with Kyra and be heading back, but Brian clearly felt it was time to leave.
The spirit, seemingly oblivious to Harty’s distress, waved cheerfully as he was dragged off.
“I’ll see you later, beautiful.”
Again with the “beautiful.”
Britia’s face twisted in irritation as she glared at Sig.
“Sig, what was that just now?” she asked, her voice sharp once Harty and Brian were out of sight. The spirit turned to face her, smiling.
“Britia?”
“I asked you, what was that about?”
Her tone was accusing. The spirit gently grabbed her chin, moving closer as if to kiss her, but Britia pushed his face away.
“Sig,” she said firmly, her eyes narrowing, signaling that she wasn’t going to let this slide.
“Why do you look so angry?”
“Answer me,” she demanded.
“Oh, that? It was just a joke. You know you’re the only one for me.”
The spirit tried to brush it off, his tone condescending as if trying to calm her down. But the more he spoke, the deeper the frown on Britia’s face became.
It felt like watching a man caught cheating, brazenly trying to talk his way out of it while pretending to still be in love.
How could Sig treat her like this? How could he even dare?
