Facing my personal physician, I naturally felt tense. Even though I kept telling myself there was no way I could be pregnant, the mere possibility stirred something inside me.

Soon, the physician who had been examining me shook his head.

“You are not pregnant.”

With those words, the tension instantly melted away.

“So I’m not. I somehow thought that might be the case.”

Yet strangely, a faint sense of disappointment lingered. Though I’d never seriously considered having a child, had I secretly hoped for his child deep down? Perhaps that was why I’d once answered, at a gathering of noble ladies, that I wished for one daughter and one son.

“Then please, Your Grace, let go of the lady now.”

The physician seemed to be looking at us with an oddly frightened expression. And it wasn’t my imagination.

After all, Yezar had kept me tightly embraced in his arms throughout Ditvan’s examination. He refused to let me go even slightly, as if afraid someone might take me away—so much so that anyone might have thought it excessive.

“Shall we go now, my lady?”

“Your Grace, are you pretending not to hear me?”

Yezar cheerfully ignored Doctor Ditvan once again.

“Wouldn’t the lady feel more comfortable nestled in my arms? Or, if not for her sake, wouldn’t she stay close to me just to spare my feelings—since I hate being apart from her…?”

He gazed at me with such shamelessly affectionate eyes. How could anyone possibly refuse him? Unconsciously, like someone enchanted, I nodded. Yezar smiled beautifully. I could see the wrinkles deepen further on Ditvan’s forehead as he stood before us.

“I don’t know whether I should be happy or worried… It seems the attachment has only intensified…”

Ditvan’s muttered comment, spoken almost to himself, resonated with me.

***

After this brief incident, Yezar resumed his usual behavior. Aside from refusing to let me go and constantly flirting with me in his playful way, everything else remained much the same as before. Yes, life continued just as it had since we first acknowledged this was a contract marriage.

“Now that I think about it, I didn’t realize it back then. But had Yezar been making moves on me all this time?”

When I put it that way… It did sound like he’d done something improper. Advances? Seduction? Flirting? Well, in any case, I had noticed a few times that he gave off that kind of vibe.

Moments when I’d dismissed his actions simply as kindness now flashed quickly through my mind.

“I must’ve been an idiot. How could I have brushed it off as mere wishful thinking?”

Looking back now, I realized I’d been as oblivious as a carefree bear. I shook my head sharply. Honestly, I wasn’t usually this dense.

“I’ll just ask Yezar directly—that’ll clear things up. Since I’m already thinking about it, I might as well.”

Of course, reading the letters from Weaslet and my eldest brother Valentino should come first.

“I suppose I should read this letter this time…”

I usually didn’t read the letters from Brother Valentino, simply storing them away in the inner drawer. But now, I hesitated—maybe I should read it this time.

My eldest brother might be under some misunderstanding. As I hesitated, preparing to unfold the letter, I suddenly felt foolish.

“He’s never shown any concern for me before. Why am I about to do something that might make me regret it again, just because I worry he might be concerned?”

It felt as though the lingering attachment I’d tried to shake off was now clinging heavily to me. In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to open the letter and simply placed it back into the drawer.

I shut the drawer with a thud and let out a deep sigh.

Truthfully, the fact that I hadn’t thrown them away, but instead kept collecting these letters, might itself be piling layer upon layer of lingering attachment.

“I’ll stop dwelling on gloomy thoughts. Let’s just read Weaslet’s letter.”

Considering his highly temperamental nature, I wouldn’t have doubted it if he suddenly stormed into the Ferhaem Duchy. Worried about the possibility, I quickly opened the letter.

But the contents were unexpected.

— Julietta, I keep telling you—you need to be more careful with your actions. What on earth did you do this time? Divorce? At first, I didn’t even trust my own ears! The rumors are so detailed and vivid that it doesn’t seem like someone is maliciously spreading false gossip. Did you two have a marital fight?

I expected you to come barging into the Ferhaem Duchy demanding answers right away. But today, you’re strangely calm. Did you eat something strange?

Thinking that, I carefully continued reading.

— You’ve been married about a year now. Of course, you’d have fights. But argue in private. You’re the Duchess of Ferhaem, after all. You need to be aware of your position. Do you have any idea how many rumors follow your every move? Don’t make me hear about your well-being through someone else’s mouth. And you should also realize how much effort I’ve put into making sure these rumors don’t reach Father’s ears. Your brother worries about you a lot too. Stay well. Reconcile smoothly. Of course, if you truly want a divorce, then file for separation from the Duke of Ferhaem and return to the Orbetian estate. I always wish for my sister’s happy married life.

The tone in the letter was rough and grumpy, yet it contained a surprising amount of rambling—clearly written out of concern, despite him not usually writing so much.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. I quickly wrote back, saying we’d already reconciled well and inviting him to visit the Ferhaem Duchy soon. Then, I almost added that there had only been a brief quarrel with my eldest brother and that everything was fine, but hastily erased it.

Because Weaslet, sharp as ever in these matters, would’ve known something was off between me and my eldest brother even if I said nothing. If I’d added that, he’d definitely tell me to go explain it in person.

“Never mind… I won’t add it.”

Thinking of Weaslet’s worry, I wrote my reply as quickly as possible and sent it off. Knowing how impatient he was, I couldn’t risk him suddenly showing up at the Ferhaem Duchy unannounced.

***

“I sent the reply as fast as I could. I hope it reaches him safely. You know how hot-headed my younger brother can be!”

That night, I naturally told Yezar about everything that had happened. He smiled and replied.

“Hahaha. At least he won’t point a sword at me like he did the first time he came.”

Would he? He’d visited the ducal estate often, gradually becoming close to Yezar by chattering endlessly about my embarrassing past. Honestly, Weaslet had always been a bit of a brother-obsessed fool.

Still, there was no telling what he might do if he lost his composure and charged in blindly.

“I don’t know. My younger brother’s a fool who acts before thinking. Better be careful—you never know.”

“I understand, my lady.”

With that, Yezar pulled me toward him and lifted me onto his lap. Instinctively, I leaned against his body.

When I poked his arm—wrapped around my waist—for no good reason, he flinched, apparently ticklish. Yet the arm around my waist didn’t loosen; he clearly didn’t want to let go.

“It’s like turning into a teddy bear.”

And the problem was—I didn’t mind at all. As I rolled my eyes in the quiet stillness, I cautiously asked him.

“Yezar, I have a question.”

“What is it? I’ll answer anything, except about divorce.”

“We’re not getting divorced, so why the lack of trust…?”

It seemed he still wasn’t ready to confess his feelings.

“It’s not about divorce. You said you loved me, right?”

“Yes… I do love you.”

He’d said it so confidently back then. But now, when I asked for confirmation, he seemed suddenly shy and loosened his grip around my waist.

“Then, after realizing you loved me, did you ever try to seduce me in any way?”

“Seduce, you say?”

“Yes. I thought, since you’ve always been so kind to me, and because we’d promised to do our best as contract spouses, you were simply treating me like a real wife.”

When I looked up at him as I spoke, his expression somehow seemed utterly deflated.

“…Have you truly never found anything strange at all?”

Well… I had thought it seemed odd sometimes, but I always dismissed it as my imagination. Would saying that disappoint him?

“Um…”

Unable to find the right words, I fell silent. I could see the light fade from his eyes.

“You really… didn’t notice a single thing…”

If he’d had a fluffy tail right then, it would’ve drooped all the way down. I quickly tried to explain.

“No, it’s not like that! I—I knew you had someone you loved when we got married! I never expected you’d come to love me instead…!”

“It’s my fault. A man who changes his feelings so suddenly—how could you possibly trust him?”

Now he was blaming himself. Watching his expression grow infinitely dark, I panicked and blurted out.

“I do trust you!”

“My lady?”

“I’ve been by your side. I know you. You’re not someone who changes your feelings so easily. And you said you fell in love with me gradually, like spring rain soaking into the earth.”

I knew better than anyone how I’d helped him completely let go of his lingering feelings for Bertisha and overcome the pain of heartbreak. And his answer—that he hadn’t fallen head over heels at first sight, but slowly opened his heart as he got to know me—felt genuine. I was happy. That answer, which I hadn’t believed at first, kept returning to me more and more as time passed.

“It means you grew to love me as you learned more about me. It means I brought you peace, comfort, or some other good feeling. And that makes me happy.”