Since Sikar kept touching my hand whenever I slept, I naturally assumed it was him. I never once thought it could be Grandmother.

I felt so embarrassed I wished I could crawl into a mouse hole.

Grandmother feigned surprise, widening her eyes slightly, then soon smiled gently and held my hand even tighter.

“Thank goodness, Yura.”

“Yes. I’m sorry, Grandmother…”

‘Wait. Did she just say “thank goodness”?’

“Huh…?”

I expected her to let it slide kindly, since she was always so gentle and affectionate.

But instead of saying “it’s fine,” she said “thank goodness.” I couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

“Though Sikar married you because he loves you, I worried he didn’t express affection toward you. But hearing what you said as you woke up, it seems that’s not the case. You two must show your fondness for each other quite a bit when you’re alone, don’t you?”

‘Ah, Grandmother, that’s not it at all…’

But I couldn’t possibly say I was just repeating back to him what he’d said to me.

Feeling embarrassed, I smiled shyly and lowered my head slightly.

“I should have been more careful. I’m sorry for saying something so awkward in front of you, Grandmother.”

“That’s not awkward at all. Not in the slightest. And if it was a mistake, I’m actually grateful. Had you not made that ‘mistake,’ I never would have known our Sikar could express love like that.”

Sikar loved Grandmother deeply, but he had never properly expressed it.

His naturally stoic personality, combined with the fact that after his parents passed away, Grandmother herself fell ill from shock—leaving him to spend an even lonelier childhood—only made him grow more emotionally reserved.

“Yes. The Duke treats me far better than I expected.”

“I see. That does seem to be the case.”

But Sikar and Kian were nowhere to be seen—only Grandmother stood before me.

“Oh, by the way, Grandmother—are the Duke and Kian still at worship…?”

“I sent them out for a walk. After meals, there’s no better time for father and son to bond than a stroll together.”

Grandmother was clearly putting in great effort to help them get along well…

Truly, I couldn’t help but feel deeply grateful to her in so many ways.

“Thank you for all your efforts, Grandmother.”

“You needn’t thank me for matters concerning my grandson and great-grandson. Oh, by the way—this morning, I saw Sikar in the dining hall. He was carrying something called ‘milk tea’ for you. It was such a surprising sight I wondered if he was really my grandson. I’d secretly worried he might not be a tender husband to you, but that’s not the case, is it?”

To think my attempt to tease Sikar turned out like this. Grandmother seemed completely mistaken, but since I caused it, I played along as if Sikar were indeed a gentle man.

“Yes. The Duke is generally quite tender…”

It wasn’t entirely untrue. Lately, he’d been trying to act romantic, so he had become gentler.

“He was the kind of boy who couldn’t even properly pet a puppy’s head… Every time I saw him unable to express affection even toward animals, my heart ached for him.”

It made sense—he simply wasn’t good at expressing his emotions. I could easily imagine Sikar’s expression the first time he ever touched a puppy.

It must have felt similar to how I feel when I force myself to say cringey lines like, “You’re a deer. My heart is your antler velvet.”

“Now that I think about it, perhaps because of his personality, not a single woman ever liked Sikar.”

Well, I’m saying this inwardly now, Grandmother, but there were reasons for that.

It was described in the novel that Sikar’s appearance in Lecador was so outstanding he’d be second to none.

Indeed, to my eyes, he was breathtakingly handsome. With his fine physique and tall stature, women would practically swoon over his looks alone.

But Sikar had zero interest in his own good looks. His only concern was raw strength.

The novel didn’t detail Sikar’s romantic troubles, but according to Hersia, even when women complimented his looks, he’d retort, “Did you think I’d enjoy hearing that?” Or if a woman annoyed him, he’d scowl, hand on his sword at his waist, and say, “Do you want to die?”

What woman would ever like such a lunatic?

So it wasn’t merely that he lacked popularity—he was actively avoided by all women.

Grandmother likely didn’t think her grandson, though prickly and cynical, was so ill-mannered that women would shun him.

Naturally, no sane person would dare tell the elder matriarch of the Grand Dukedom such gossip. And since Grandmother withdrew from high society after losing her son and daughter-in-law without receiving help from other nobles, she probably never heard any rumors about Sikar.

So she likely assumed his lack of popularity with women stemmed from his rough and stoic nature.

Grandmother let out a long sigh, heavy with lament she must have carried for years.

“Because Sikar was so cynical toward others, I secretly worried no one would ever love our grandson—that he might never marry and live alone forever. So when he married at such a surprisingly young age, I couldn’t have been more relieved.”

Now I finally understood clearly why Grandmother had so readily approved our marriage.

Sikar wasn’t just unpopular—he was outright repulsive to women, so she must have been deeply worried.

‘True. I did save Sikar. I changed his fate of dying at the protagonist’s hands.’

But I wanted to say something kind to Grandmother.

“No, the Duke is a good person. Even if it weren’t me, he would have met someone even better.”

Though “better” was vague, at least he’d shown me considerable consideration—so it wasn’t entirely untrue.

“Yura, I knew you’d say something kind like that. But if it weren’t for you, I think our Sikar would have remained alone forever. That’s why I consider your happiness together the greatest filial piety. And to think you came all this way just to see me—I’m so grateful. Was it you who suggested coming here, Yura?”

“I missed you, Grandmother. Without you, the ducal mansion feels completely empty.”

I wasn’t just saying that. Since Grandmother was the first person I met when I arrived here, and I’d quietly relied on her so much, I truly missed her.

Even when we drew our family portrait, I regretted that you weren’t in it.

“Does Sikar sometimes seem arrogant?”

Not sometimes—always. I smiled politely again.

“There are moments when the Duke does display that trait… Grandmother.”

“Because Sikar became Duke at such a young age, many tried to exploit the young lord. So even as a child, he had no choice but to become a fierce beast to protect this ducal mansion. Over time, he began to believe that was the right way to be.”

Come to think of it, Sikar once told me to become a villainess rather than learn the dignity expected of a duchess.

I could somewhat understand now—how lonely his life must have been, forced to bare his claws from childhood to avoid being devoured by packs of jackals eyeing him.

I too had never received proper love from my parents, so as a child I was always timid and withdrawn.

But because of my personality, I was even more ignored by others, so to avoid being looked down on, I grew up keeping my distance from people.

I only meant to protect myself, but because I became overly guarded, I unknowingly developed agoraphobia.

In that sense, I felt I shared something in common with Sikar. If he was offense-oriented, I was defense-oriented.

I could even understand why he told me to become a villainess.

“No matter how fearsome a Duke others see him as, to me, he’s just a pitiful, poor child who grew up without a single friend. That’s why I’m even more grateful to you, Yura—you gave Sikar a family. You gave him peace he might never have found in his lifetime. Today, I saw Sikar looking so serene as the head of a harmonious household. Until now, he always seemed lonely and somehow hollow. I’d hoped to gradually share these thoughts with you as we lived together, but this dreadful illness came upon me, so I’m only saying it now.”

“Grandmother… You don’t need to say so much at once. And that illness will definitely be cured. Once you’re fully recovered, we’ll return to the ducal mansion and continue our unfinished conversations. I promise.”

“Yes. As you say, Yura—if my illness is fully cured and I return home, perhaps I’ll even get to see my second great-grandchild born. But having lived this long, I’ve learned life doesn’t even guarantee tomorrow. So I have a request for you, Yura. Will you grant this old grandmother’s wish?”

“Anything I can do, I’ll gladly do for you, Grandmother.”

“Sikar, when you get to know him, is actually quite obedient—especially toward his own family. So if Sikar ever does something wrong in the future, Yura, please correct him. He may ignore others, but he’ll always listen to you.”

“Yes, Grandmother. Even if the Duke makes mistakes, I’ll understand, show consideration, and take good care of our household. I won’t do anything to worry you.”

“No, that’s not what I mean. You don’t need to unilaterally understand Sikar. Of course, if he’s wrong, he must be scolded. What I mean is—whenever Sikar is wrong, Yura, you must scold him.”

So… Grandmother is essentially telling me to fix Sikar’s bad habits?

“Grandmother, just to confirm—are you asking me to try to change the Duke’s personality…?”

Grandmother smiled gently, as if to confirm exactly that.

“Yes. Though Sikar looks like a beast raised in the wild, if properly tamed, he can become a gentle pet. Yura, you try taming him well. I believe you can do it.”

Even though I hadn’t misheard, it felt like I had.

Trainers who tame wild beasts always end up scarred.

Could I really tame Sikar without getting hurt?

Seeing me hesitate with self-doubt, Grandmother offered me one big tip.

“Don’t be intimidated. Sikar is like a child starved for love. The more you love him, the more love he’ll give you in return. I can guarantee that.”

I became certain Sikar liked me because he mistakenly believed I liked him.

Of course, he often threatened me, but recalling how he became genuinely kind to me afterward—I initially thought he saw me as some sort of pet human, but that wasn’t it.

He’d never met a woman who liked him before, so he developed strong affection for me.

Perhaps because Grandmother encouraged me, I felt confidence rising that I might actually fix that lunatic’s habits.

‘Time to put a bridle on a beast no one else could ever tame.’