“Ugh.”

I barely opened my eyes to the dazzling sunlight.

As I came to, memories of last night flashed through my mind.

Where had the Ascan who initially refused me gone? Even though I didn’t have the strength to lift a finger after repeated peaks, he wouldn’t let me go.

His hoarse voice whispering, “Just one more time,” still lingered in my ears.

No, it wasn’t just his voice.

There wasn’t a single part of me his touch hadn’t reached.

My body was now filled with the marks Ascan left behind. Perhaps that’s why the heat from last night still seemed to linger.

I slowly regained my senses and turned my head. The first thing I saw was Ascan’s face.

He was leaning on one arm, staring intently at me.

“Are you awake?”

“Uh, huh? You were already up?”

My voice cracked slightly. It was because I overdid it last night.

My hazy mind snapped back to clarity. Seeing Ascan’s face the moment I opened my eyes made it sink in that we were waking up in the same bed.

Ascan was completely bare. Only his lower half was covered by the blanket, leaving his toned chest fully exposed.

For a moment, I didn’t know where to look and pulled the blanket up to my chest, my face flushing.

“You could’ve woken me up if you were awake.”

At my words, Ascan let out a silent laugh. I’d seen him smile countless times, but this relaxed smile was a first.

“I couldn’t bear to wake you. You looked too beautiful sleeping.”

He stroked my hair with a languid, satisfied expression, like a contented predator. Then, with a hint of concern, he continued.

“Are you feeling okay? How’s the wound on your arm?”

“Oh, it’s fine.”

I briefly moved my injured arm. Honestly, last night, I’d completely forgotten I was even hurt.

That’s how intense the night with him had been.

Ascan opened a first-aid kit he’d placed on the bedside table at some point. As he unwrapped the bandage on my arm, he said,

“I didn’t want to disturb you in case you woke up. Now that you’re awake, let me take a look.”

Ascan carefully examined my wound, applied fresh ointment, and rewrapped it with a new bandage before speaking again.

“Fortunately, it hasn’t gotten worse. I was pretty worried about it last night.”

“…Liar.”

I looked at Ascan with disbelief in my eyes.

I couldn’t exactly remember how I fell asleep last night. I’d passed out in his arms, unable to hold on any longer.

If he was truly worried about my wound, he wouldn’t have pushed me so hard.

Ascan, looking a bit sheepish, said as if making an excuse,

“I made sure to keep it to positions that wouldn’t strain your arm. Don’t you remember?”

Now that he mentioned it, that did seem to be the case. As last night’s memories grew clearer, my face flushed hot without me realizing it.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I let out a small cough and changed the subject.

“By the way, what time is it? I should get up soon.”

Last night, Carter had led masked assailants in a massacre in the Lazent Empire. I needed to check how things were unfolding.

Plus, I wanted to see with my own eyes how badly Jen was hurt.

Ascan glanced at the clock with a reluctant look and answered,

“It’s noon.”

“What? It’s practically midday! I slept that long?”

“Don’t worry. I gave Carlton all the important instructions this morning, so you can rest a bit more. Let’s have lunch slowly.”

I looked at Ascan in shock. I’d been out cold, and yet he’d been up since morning handling everything—it was surprising.

“How long have you been awake?”

“I couldn’t sleep. I was afraid if I did, all of this would feel like a dream.”

His unexpected words left me momentarily speechless.

He gently stroked my hesitating face and gave me a charming smile.

“I kept looking at your sleeping face, and no matter how much I looked, I couldn’t get enough.”

“My sleeping face must’ve been a mess.”

“No way.”

Ascan said firmly, pressing his lips to my forehead as I lay there.

It was a morning kiss. A light touch, but it felt special since it was our first morning together.

“I can say with certainty that it was the happiest night of my life.”

At Ascan’s candid words, a smile slipped out of me.

I loved his unreserved expressions of affection. They always made me feel loved.

I wrapped my arms tightly around Ascan’s neck. Then I kissed him hard enough to make a smacking sound.

“Me too. Seeing your face first thing in the morning feels nice.”

At my words, Ascan’s face lit up like a blooming flower. He gave a deep smile, looking at me with eyes full of affection.

Despite almost being killed by Carter yesterday, my heart felt thrillingly happy.

Ascan lifted me up in his arms. The blanket I was holding dragged on the floor, but he didn’t seem to care at all.

“I’ll help you wash up. I could only wipe you down with a wet cloth last night.”

“Oh.”

I had no memory of Ascan wiping me down with a cloth. It must’ve been after I passed out.

No wonder I didn’t feel as sticky as I’d expected, despite sweating so much.

The thought of him seeing every part of me made me shy. Even though there was nothing left to hide, my face grew hot.

“I-I can wash myself.”

At my words, Ascan glanced at me and gave a meaningful smile.

“I don’t think so.”

“What?”

“You won’t be able to stand on your own.”

“No, I can—”

“I won’t let you.”

I belatedly noticed the desire in Ascan’s eyes. For some reason, he continued with a dangerous smile.

“We’ve got unfinished business from last night.”

“Again?”

I looked at Ascan with startled eyes. It was hard to believe that the man who once seemed so restrained had changed overnight.

He was as greedy as a child tasting chocolate for the first time.

Ascan pressed his lips to mine, whispering devilishly sweet words.

“You just stay still. I’ll take care of everything.”

“As… mmph!”

Before I could respond, Ascan’s lips silenced me.

Unable to resist the beast he’d become, I once again surrendered to the ecstasy he offered.

Unlike the wild frenzy of last night, this time it was soft, like melting into him.

And so, joyful moans echoed in the bathroom for a long time.

By the time I managed to peel myself away from the tireless Ascan and came out to eat, it was too late to call it lunch.

Ascan pushed all sorts of delicacies in front of me and said,

“Eat. You need to eat a lot to build up your strength.”

To my ears, it sounded like he wanted to fatten me up to devour me.

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I picked up my fork. Everything was my favorite food, and I could tell he’d put effort into preparing it.

It wasn’t just the meal. Since I couldn’t wear last night’s soiled dress again, a new dress had been delivered to the inn.

And that wasn’t all.

A doctor was waiting in the lobby, summoned at some point.

Ascan had mentioned giving important instructions to Carlton in the morning, and it seemed he’d arranged all this while I was asleep.

Thanks to his thoughtfulness, I could spend a comfortable time, almost as if last night’s attack had been a dream.

As I ate, I asked in a calm voice,

“Now, tell me. How are things being handled from last night?”

At my question, Ascan gave a wry smile. The situation we were in wasn’t easy enough to just bask in sweet moments.

We both knew it was time to step out of this dreamlike reality.

Ascan said,

“Once everything’s settled, shall we go on a trip?”

“A trip?”

His sudden suggestion reminded me of a conversation we’d had before.

—“Someday, I want to go to a place where it’s just you and me. I want your face to be the first thing I see when I wake up, to spend the whole day together, and to fall asleep by your side.”

Those were words Ascan had said before he regained his memories.

Back then, I’d been reminded of the trip we took ten years ago when we were attacked by Lazent Empire soldiers.

He didn’t know why I felt uneasy about the idea of a trip back then, but now he did.

Ascan took my hand, which was resting on the table. His large hand enveloped mine completely.

“Once everything is settled, nothing like the past will happen again. I want to experience things with you that we couldn’t before.”

Looking back, the first thing I’d suggested to treat him well was to go on a trip.

—“Our family owns a lot of villas, don’t they? Should we take some time to visit one? The sea, the mountains—tell me where you want to go. Actually, no need to choose. We can go to both.”

Though a long time had passed, we still hadn’t gone on a trip to the sea or the mountains.

—“Do you know how to swim? Oh, if you don’t, I’ll teach you. It’s not that hard. Why are you so surprised? Life’s about enjoying it, right? What’s the big deal?”

I naturally recalled the bold promises I’d made to him back then.

Perhaps Ascan was thinking the same thing, as he smiled faintly and said,

“Teach me how to swim. I’ve never properly learned.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his words, as they reminded me of what I’d said before.

Ascan, with his memories restored, knew even things I’d forgotten. I felt a wave of nostalgia.

—“From now on, I’m going to start a project to live happily and enjoy life for a long time. If you want, I’ll let you join.”

That was the first promise I’d made to Ascan.

“Alright, let’s do it. Once we make Dekain emperor and the Lazent Empire forms an alliance with the Arwen Empire, let’s go on a trip. We’ll start the project to live happily and enjoy life for a long time.”

At my words, Ascan gave an even deeper smile than before.

And so, leaving behind the passionate night that felt like a midsummer night’s dream, Ascan and I returned to reality, facing each other seriously.

Ascan pulled out several sheets of paper from his pocket and handed them to me.

I read through the papers he gave me one by one.

[The Lazent Imperial Family has confirmed that assassins were sent from the Kalua Empire to kill the Brellof heiress. In the process, it was discovered that Lazent citizens were injured and killed.] [Upon learning the full story, the Lazent Imperial Family was thrown into chaos.] [Given the already strained relations between the Lazent Empire and the Kalua Empire, it’s unclear what consequences will arise.]

The papers contained real-time reports.

I was surprised by how extensive Ascan’s intelligence network was in the Lazent Empire.

But what mattered now wasn’t how the information was obtained—it was how we could turn this to our advantage.

After all, our goal was to make Dekain emperor.

I fell into thought, reviewing the detailed reports on the current situation.

The Kalua Empire had sent assassins to kill me as soon as they learned my location. But as a result, Lazent Empire citizens were injured and killed.

The proud Lazent Imperial Family would never let this slide.

“They’ll definitely want to hold someone accountable. It might even be me, since the Kalua Empire sent assassins because of me.”

I had to act before all the blame turned toward me.

If my reputation in the Lazent Empire fell, it would greatly undermine Dekain, whom I was supporting.

After some thought, I made up my mind and spoke.

“It seems we need to make the person who caused this mess take responsibility.”

At my words, Ascan’s lips curled slightly. I could tell, without saying it, that he was thinking the same thing.

“I agree. Since Lazent citizens were hurt because someone revealed your location, naturally, Marquis Dante’s wife should take responsibility.”

Marquis Dante, David, was the leader of the emperor’s faction. And his wife was none other than Reiana.

The fact that Reiana leaked information to the Kalua Empire carried many implications, depending on how it was interpreted.

The Lazent Empire and the Kalua Empire were already on bad terms.

If the Kalua Empire had cleanly targeted only me, it might’ve been different, but harming Lazent citizens in the process made it a bigger issue.

I had no intention of letting Reiana, who sold me out, off the hook. But bringing her down would mean the fall of the Dante Marquisate as well.

The emperor’s faction was the biggest obstacle to making Dekain emperor.

If handled well, we might be able to use this incident to corner the emperor’s faction.

I smiled lightly, picking up some of the food spread out on the table, and said in a bright voice to Ascan,

“If luck’s on our side, we might take care of Reiana and bring down the emperor’s faction too.”

Ascan, putting more food in front of me as if urging me to eat, responded,

“Let’s come up with a plan.”

And so, Ascan and I locked eyes in the air, smiling confidently.