Mrs. Ballon prepared a sumptuous meal for the commemorative first meal with the Duke and his wife. 

The meal began with smoked salmon and onion soup, a favorite of both the duke and the duchess, with a salad filled with fresh fruits from early winter and roasted sirloin in red wine sauce with seasonal vegetables.

Redross only calmly moved the food that he usually eats to his mouth, but 

Brelin, who was sitting in front of him, showed a much richer expression than usual.

‘Delicious’, ‘Oh my God’, ‘Have you tried this?’ Repeating the same words, she was busy exclaiming in between.

‘You must have eaten the same thing every day since you came to the Duke’s Residence, how can you be so admiring?’

Finally, watching her eat the chocolate mousse with an ecstatic expression, he even felt that the sweet thing that got into his mouth was somehow sweeter. 

He usually hated sweet desserts.

He shrugged his shoulders and looked at the butler and Mrs. Ballon, with a proud look on their faces.

“We have to attend a banquet in the capital. Will you be okay?”

After finishing the meal, Brelin laid down the tableware neatly, and opened her eyes wide.

“Oh my, already?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, You don’t like going to banquets. Because many women keep sticking to sleep with you once.”

‘How can you say something so straightforward? (Redross)

He frowned lightly. 

Indeed, now her face showed only the slightest favor towards him.

‘Where did that maddening love go?'(Redross)

Redross replied with a sigh.

“I’m not really interested in that. And now that I’m married, there’s no need for that to happen.”

Brelin smiled sweetly.

It was true that there were not many men with a good physique and a handsome face like Redross, but in reality,he is also a duke with unparalleled honor in the Kingdom of Brighton.

Even if Redross was a little more resourceful and knew how to bow his head to the king, it might have been easy for a loyal family like the duke’s to make up for this ruined finances with the royal family’s money.

Besides, Redross is smart, uses swords well, and is good at horseback riding and hunting. 

The most part that stimulates the desire to conquer, is that he doesn’t pay attention to women easily.

There must be a woman next to him, right ?

There aren’t many women who stick to men right after they get married, but that doesn’t mean there is no flirting. 

After all, everyone knows that this marriage is almost like an arranged marriage.

But I didn’t mind the girls who cling to him like the swarms of flies.

To negotiate with others, you must come to the negotiating table. There are a lot of things to be negotiated in advance to earn money in this duchy.

And shouldn’t this man enjoy life too?

After all, he couldn’t possibly be his wife’s ‘eternal’ man.

She nodded.

“Okay… good. Take this opportunity to earn your share.”

We’re going to a banquet, what do you want to earn?

It was difficult to understand what she was saying. But Redross  felt like giving it away when he saw her brightly shining face, so he just kept staring at her green eyes.

***

Brelin woke up feeling the warm body temperature she had become accustomed to.

As she rolled her eyes without moving her head, she could see the handsome, sculpted face of Redross, who had fallen asleep, glowing. The blonde hair shining in the morning sunlight she didn’t seem to get tired of looking at it, and the eyebrows that fell into a deep sleep were beautiful.

But no matter how much I think about it, it’s embarrassing to be held in someone’s arms like this since morning.

She twisted her body back and forth trying to get out of his arms, but as her body got closer, her face flushed, and she sighed a little.

Didn’t they make a wall out of blankets between the two when they knew they were sleeping? Wasn’t that the setting?

Where did you learn  to go and hug a person like this in your sleep?‌ ‌

Of course, he may not know. Every time I whine and push him away, Redross seems to wake up.

But put yourself in my position. 

The partner that he will spend the rest of his life with should be in his arms not me.

In the first place, I have to do something about the contract to sleep under the same blankets as soon as possible.

Really, how should I go about doing that?

After a lot of grunting inwardly, she managed to get out by squeezing out between his muscular arms.

I’m out, finally!

Either way, it’s an overkill.

I shouldn’t have made him look like a masterpiece.

Since I added all of my preferences, the duke, who became the male protagonist, with muscular, smart, workaholic, and athletic hobbies, has become my eye candy .

It’s nice to see a body with shoulders the size of the Pacific Ocean and abs with tight muscles … .

Brelin swallowed her saliva as she looked at his well-formed body seen through the flowing blankets, then quickly turned away.

Ugh. It is my fault for the excessive setting of the characters.

Stepping on the soft carpet and stepping away from the bed, she approached the window.

As always, she liked to start the day by opening the window and getting some fresh air.

When I looked down at the brown roofs and smelled the faint smell of wood in the cold air, it was strangely sweet, and I felt that I was living in ‘here’.

While I was staring blankly at the shape of the coniferous trees, I heard the sound of Redross waking up. I thought he was going to put on a robe and go straight out, but I felt him come and stand behind my back.

Brelin turned around.

Then a small smile was drawn.‌

He’s so neat that it’s hard to believe he just woke up.

 ‌

But it was funny that there were some pillow marks left on his cleanly handsome face

“Did you sleep well?”

“I slept well. You woke up early today.”

The man standing right behind was about to close the window, and Brelin looked at him and turned around.

While we were talking, I couldn’t shake the thought that our bodies were too close to each other.

Brelin rolled her eyes in a strangely uncomfortable sense of distance, then realized that he was staring at me languidly.

Suddenly, I felt a bit of tension in his strange gaze.

My heart was beating fast.

What is this feeling?

She and he didn’t say anything for a moment and continued to look into each other’s eyes.

It was Redross who opened his mouth first.

“Brelin.”

“Yes?”

He seemed to glance at her lips, but then met her gaze again, and spoke drooling.

“The plan is to have an heir.”

Oh, I see, I got married under those conditions. 

Brelin nodded blankly.

“I feel like I have to fulfill the contract. Haven’t you been eating all the time? Now that I think of it, how are you feeling ?”

“… Yes?”

Brelin asked back blankly, and realized that my body had been lifted into Redross arms. No, what… .

The moment the soft blanket on the bed that had just come out of touched her back, Redross’ words were understood again in an instant.

No, this person. No, now? No, rather with me? No… .