V. `An Unintended Twist`

The invitation arrived not long after they returned from that back alley.

“…Your family home?”

“Yes.”

Herman replied calmly, cutting his meat into a manageable size before eating. Across from him, Esina, who had been eating as well, paused with her fork in her mouth and rolled her eyes.

“By family home… you mean the Telloien Ducal Estate?”

“Do you not want to go?”

“No, it’s not that…”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to—it was just awkward.

Esina blinked, studying Herman’s expression, then carefully read the invitation he had handed her.

[To the Young Lord and Lady of Telloien.]
[With the annual banquet at the Telloien Ducal Estate approaching, the ducal family cordially invites the newlywed couple to…]

The invitation bore the official seal of the Telloien Ducal House.

Given how much the Duke seemed to have struggled over this, the letter didn’t just address Herman—it explicitly referred to them as a “couple”, extending the invitation to Esina as well.

‘No wonder the newspapers made such a fuss.’

Since she already knew the Duke was still fixated on Herman, the letter didn’t surprise her much.

‘Though I don’t get why he’s acting like a clingy ex-boyfriend texting at 2 AM.’

What did surprise her was that Herman—who she thought would flat-out refuse the Duke’s invitation—had accepted it and was now urging her to come along. It was… a little unsettling.

‘Something’s definitely off.’

Ever since that day in the back alley, when Herman had played with her so recklessly—

After passing out and being brought back to the estate, Esina had been spending a strangely intense time with Herman.

They weren’t engaging in deep conversations, but Herman had been staying at the estate almost constantly, barely leaving her side. Sure, he’d stayed home for a while after their wedding too, but this time, it was to the point where she wondered, ‘Is it really okay for him to not go out at all?’

“…Herman?”

“What is it, Esina?”

But bringing it up was difficult. Every time she spoke, Herman would stare at her lips with an oddly persistent gaze, like a man waiting for something.

“…Hup!”

And if their eyes met for too long, he’d suddenly kiss her to shut her up, then carry her straight to the bedroom and keep going until she passed out. Even when he brought paperwork to the bedroom instead of his office, the moment their eyes met, he’d roll her onto the bed without hesitation.

‘He’s been having clerks handle all necessary tasks, adjusting his schedule to mine…’

Even when buried under mountains of documents, if Esina so much as mentioned wanting to visit the estate’s opera house, he’d immediately make arrangements and take her. Spas, tea rooms—anywhere she might linger, he’d accompany her, sharing snacks and drinks like they had all the time in the world.

And then, in the next moment, he’d be consumed by desire, rolling around with her again—to the point where there was hardly a corner of the estate left untouched by their passion.

‘Hell, we even did it under the garden trees…’

Even knowing the gardeners were nearby, Esina hadn’t refused. If anything, the thrill of it felt like she’d developed some bizarre new kink.

‘It’s good, but… weird.’

If she thought back to the last conversation they’d had in that back alley—

None of this matched his words at all.

He had drawn a clear line, telling her to remember their contract—yet here he was, clinging to her side, prioritizing her schedule above all else.

Not that her “schedule” was anything more than lazing around, indulging in luxury, and enjoying a life of bedroom decadence.

‘Did I… upset him somehow?’

Esina rolled her eyes again. The way Herman kept staring at her made her feel strange. Beneath that heated gaze, she sensed something… off. Something uneasy.

But it wasn’t like he was angry—if anything, he’d been relentless in bed, dismissing the maids just to take care of her himself.

Even now, as Esina stared blankly at the invitation with her fork still in her mouth, Herman had taken her plate, cut her meat into perfectly bite-sized pieces, and set it back in front of her.

The meat, precisely tailored to fit her mouth, was arranged almost artistically.