Tag: I Became the Obsessive Male Lead’s Ex-Wife

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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Fervin’s body was overflowing with tension. His whole body heated up, and he couldn’t continue to maintain the sweet expression that he had unconsciously made. 

It was because all he could feel was Irwen’s burning lips in his embrace. Although there was a thin shirt acting as a barrier between them, it seemed worse than having nothing there.

He clenched his teeth hard enough to break them. 

His large hand pushed Irwen in the other direction, but she muttered in her sleep and burrowed her head back into his arms. There was a mixture of sleepy breathing and the deep breaths of someone trying their best to control themselves on the bed.

Fervin decided to just seal the restless lips in his embrace with a tighter hug. He held Irwen tightly in his arms and whispered in her ear, “How can you sleep so comfortably while I’m here? Am I not attractive? Am I not your type?”

She wrapped her hand around his waist, as if in reply to his question. It was clearly just an unconscious sleeping habit that she had unconsciously done in her deep sleep. But all of this was a temptation for him.

“Yeah, well in any case, I was the one who fell in love first, and the one who wanted this in the first place was also me.” He stroked his wife’s soft hair and buried his lips in them for no reason. 

He closed his eyes in an attempt to sleep. It was a calculation that tried to bury his current time of anxiety with sleep, since he wasn’t able to endure staying awake any longer.

That was when Irwen let out a deep sigh and rubbed her face against him.

“Mmph…”

It was the moment the instinct he had tried to put to sleep woke up again.

Fervin decided to just give up on trying to sleep. Since it didn’t make sense for someone to fall asleep when someone they loved was there in the first place.

. 

. 

. 

Just how many hours had passed already? Fervin lay there for a long time with Irwen in his arms. Naturally, he couldn’t sleep. 

The cottage in this place had become a hideout for him to escape several times from Irwen’s verbal harassment, but it had now turned into a lover’s hideout. His whole body was burning with heat and was feverish. 

He released Irwen from his embrace momentarily and unhesitatingly took off his shirt. His scorching hot body was then exposed to the cool air that came from the rain. Although he had already exposed his upper body which was like a sculpture, it was still hot enough for him to frown. 

“Hnng…” Irwen curled up, as if she were cold. 

Fervin grabbed the quilt in his hands to cover her quickly and then abruptly gathered her into his embrace. 

Irwen seemed to be warmed up by the heat radiating from his body. She mumbled in her sleep with her eyes closed and slept soundly. 

Fervin smiled unwittingly at her figure. Thinking about it now, he didn’t know how many years it had been after their wedding since he hugged her like this.

Irwen, who seemed to be as cold as ice, was quite warm. Was her heart also this warm? He thought it’d be good if what he knew about what she was like on the inside could be the amount as how much he touched her. He couldn’t figure out what she was thinking inside, ever since she had woken up after collapsing. 

Even though she used to have a bad temper before, she would at least be honest and spew out whatever she was thinking on the inside, but despite being kind now, he couldn’t figure out what her true thoughts were.

Naturally, there was also something else he wanted to hear from her. It was his secret wish from the moment he first saw her. 

Gently sweeping her hair with his hand, he whispered, “I love you.” That was what he wanted to hear. From when they first met, until now.

At his touch, she clung to him, as if it were an unconscious sleeping habit. A soft and squishy sensation was pressed against his chest. Fervin bit his lip at the soft flesh that was felt beneath the thin material of the dress.

It wasn’t just his face burning anymore. Fervin felt his whole body flaring up as he tried to stifle his groans. He tried to endure it by biting the middle finger on his right hand. His body reacted to everything she did. 

He took his lips off his innocent finger and headed toward her face. His lips that seemed to almost burst with heat, seemed to be descending on her lips, but then went further down. He kissed her collarbone which seemed to shine like ivory reverently, as if he were worshipping the most noble thing in this world.

He had barely held back from kissing her loveable lips. It was because of his own conscience that refused to allow him to kiss her without her consent. So he could only continue to endure it. 

However, he wasn’t sure how long this would last. Irwen seemed to have complete faith in his self control since she could even show such a defenceless appearance to him, but he could no longer believe in his own self control. 

Although he had managed to refrain from doing so today by resorting to the pain brought about by self harm, if he managed to win Irwen’s heart by the time appointed by the elders where they were meant to sleep together, then… 

Fervin bit his finger once again upon finding himself heading toward her lips.

“Oh.”

There were red teeth marks clearly engraved on his hand. And throughout the night, he continued to try and tamp down his desires with pain. The blood from his hands splattered onto the white bedsheet. 

* * *

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

The next day.

I woke up from the morning sunlight that was shining strongly through the windows. This place was my bedroom, with ivory wallpaper covered with lily of the valley and roses, red carpet, and silky duvets that made a rustling sound. It was the couple’s bedroom that I occupied and used by myself, to be more precise.

“Madam!”

Mrs. Tilly, who had swept open the curtain and dusted it off, came running toward me when she discovered me. The expression on her face was so happy it could’ve been mistaken for someone who had just found the most precious treasure in the world.

“You’re awake! It would’ve been even better if you had woken up when Master had left earlier though.”

“W-Wait…” I interrupted Mrs. Tilly’s chattering. “Why am I here? I was definitely in the cottage last night, so how did I wake up in my bedroom?”

“Oh, just look at my mind right now. You were asleep when you came here, so naturally you wouldn’t know the situation at that time.” Mrs. Tilly clasped her hands together with an ecstatic light in her eyes. “Master came to the mansion this morning with madam in his arms. He was the one who brought madam here! He handled you so carefully it was as if madam was as fragile as freshly fired porcelain made by the master himself!”

“Really?” A voice full of doubt slipped out of my mouth. I couldn’t imagine Fervin treating me as gently as freshly fired porcelain.

Mrs. Tilly added excitedly, “Master said he would come and sleep here on the appointed day where you have to sleep together from now on. Although the master said that he’d sleep somewhere else if you preferred another place, this is the couple’s bedroom though?”

“Sleep together…”

“We will do our best to help the two of you not feel uncomfortable in the future when you sleep together, madam. I’ve already informed the elders of the Carlisle family, but they’re very happy with the atmosphere between the two of you, and are already retrieving the day that you’ll sleep together from the astrologer! My word, something’s finally happening!” Mrs. Tilly trembled violently, clearly overwhelmed with emotion. 

Reality seemed to weigh heavily on my shoulders. Since I had said that I would fulfil my duties, I had no choice but to follow through with the day of sleeping together. 

“Only sharing a room on the day of sleeping together…” I let out an unintentional sigh.

But Mrs. Tilly seemed to have misunderstood me. With an insidious light in her eyes, she said, “Madam, don’t worry. Don’t tell me you think that Master will leave you alone in this lonely place every night? He will come and stop by often to see you once he’s finished with the state affairs, madam.”

My eyes flitted in every direction in a fluster. But I soon regained my composure. He wouldn’t touch me recklessly since we had already made an agreement. Although I hold respect for fulfilling my duties, having children was clearly a separate matter from fulfilling my duty. Yeah, at least I can be relieved in that respect.

Mrs. Tilly chatted busily while she attended to me. It was the first time I had seen her so excited like this.

“By the way, did you have a good night last night, madam? Well, I didn’t expect for you two to spend the night in the cottage, but I think it’s very romantic in its own way! Oh, also, did the musk pouch have any effect at all? That pouch of musk is so rare that there are only three in the empire, and was a special gift from the elders of the family to the master. Its effectiveness is also extremely rare. Apparently this can make a couple’s affection for one another surge like a waterfall, even if they’re a couple that’s cold towards each other or one that’s on the verge of a divorce… Has the relationship between the two of you gotten better at all?”

Mrs. Tilly’s eyes seemed to be glistening in anticipation, as I turned my head away from her burdensome eyes. The musk pouch, perhaps brought back by Fervin, was wrapped in leather and was placed on the table. 

Just how hard of a time did I have because of that thing! Fervin even thought I was trying to seduce him because of that! I had a lot of things I wanted to say, but Mrs. Tilly’s eyes made me swallow my complaints.

“I’m not sure about anything else, but don’t use the musk pouch from now on. It was too excessive.”

“Oh, I guess that’s true.” Mrs. Tilly had that peculiar expression on her face once again. “That’s true, the master wanted you so much even without that musk pouch, it was my mistake.”

“Aunt, Aunt Tilly!” Mrs. Tilly’s niece, Marianne, rushed to the door hurriedly, out of breath. 

Upon seeing her expression as if the world were collapsing, Mrs. Tilly asked worriedly, “What is it, Marianne? What sort of news did you receive for you to make such a fuss?”

Marianne looked at me and reported excitedly, “Master is coming back early today as well. He will come back around two o’clock this afternoon and go to the boutique with madam, so should I get them to prepare dinner a bit earlier?”

Mrs. Tilly looked at me in a fluster. “It’s probably for the dress you’ll wear to next week’s ball… Did you hear about this from the master, madam?”

“No.”

I was in such a strange situation yesterday, so I naturally didn’t have time to talk leisurely about these things. 

“There’s a letter here as well, madam.” Marianne handed me a letter that had been written on a high quality piece of parchment paper. 

The letter, which seemed to have been cautiously written, had traces of smudged ink everywhere, with the following words.

I’ll be back at two in the afternoon today, so be ready, since we’re going straight to Madame Vertain’s Boutique.

“Madame Vertain? Goodness!” Mrs. Tilly cried out in delight. “To think it’s a dress from the arrogant Madame Vertain, who only deals with the imperial family! To think it’s the boutique that has to be booked a few months in advance, even for the Empress! Madam, I’m sure the master has fully prepared for your appearance at next week’s ball!”

I was also rather bewildered by this goodwill of Fervin’s. Although we said we’d fulfil our duties to one another, I had no idea why he was doing this kind of favour to me. Despite being flustered, the ticklish feeling on one side of my heart, however, didn’t feel too bad though. However, I still wondered why he had suddenly changed up his ever-consistent attitude in front of me. 

That was when Marianne sneaked up beside me and asked, “But madam, did the two of you perhaps fight last night, or did you enjoy a night of conjugal bliss… Ouch, it hurts, Aunt Tilly!”

Mrs. Tilly pulled Marianne’s ear and glanced at me in embarrassment, lowering her head. “My apologies, madam. I will firmly re-educate her on proper etiquette.” 

I waved a hand at her to release Marianne. I was curious about the cause of curiosity leading up to Marianne asking me such a question. “No, it’s fine. What exactly were you curious about, Marianne?”

“There were blood stains all over the bed sheet, and not just one, but several.”

I swept a look over my body with a flustered heart. Although it was a reasonable suspicion to have of me since she said there was blood, I shook my head. I slept too well last night for that doubt to be true. All my muscles and the fatigue that had been piling up in my whole body were completely relieved due to the good night’s sleep I had last night.

Mrs. Tilly, who was next to me, cast a probing glance toward me and said quickly to Marianne, “Just what in the world did you see? That wasn’t a blood stain, but a wine stain. I personally washed it myself, so why couldn’t you tell the difference?”

“Master was the one who spilled the wine? But the master was the one who caught the wine glass I was about to drop when I carried it the other day.”

“He probably made a mistake while he was drunk. That’s how all sorts of strange things happen in the first place.”

It was a tone that seemed to be putting an end to the topic.

* * * 

Fervin Carlisle woke up an hour earlier than usual, but ended up coming to work an hour later than usual. It happened after he moved Irwen into her bedroom and ended up admiring her visage long after the morning sun had already risen. 

He was someone who was always punctual, so everyone he met in the palace ended up urging him, asking him what happened for him to do such a thing.

“What happened, Duke Carlisle? Did something happen at home?”

“You’re even an hour late. Are you sick or something?”

“No, it’s nothing like that.” Contrary to Fervin’s curt answer, a faint smile formed on his face. It was quite novel to see a hint of warmth grace his face, which was normally always as cold as an ice box. 

People quickly noticed. Something good had happened!

“Although I heard that you and the Duchess got along well these days, now it seems like the rumour really is true, huh?”

“Oh, well…” Fervin’s lips twitched, as if he valued his words like gold. However, the back of his neck was already red. At the appearance of the atmosphere becoming softer, people continued to speculate.

‘Just how much had changed for us to see a smile on the ‘Duke of Carlisle’?’

News of the change in the Duchess of Carlisle had begun to come in from all over the place after her sudden collapse and recovery. There was also news that not too long ago, she had invited several other nobles and members of the imperial family to perform moving songs as well.

The Emperor liked her singing, the Duke of Sibelom praised her for her beauty, and the social butterfly of high society, Marchioness Celestine, had openly said she had fallen in love with her sophisticated stage presence and wanted to have tea with her. 

Everyone was curious. Just how much had the Duchess changed to the point where everyone wanted to get along with her?

“Everyone who attended the party that was held at the Duke’s mansion praised the Duchess’s beauty, singing skills, and class, without leaving out a single compliment. So when will we also be able to see your wife?”

Fervin’s eyes crinkled beautifully at their interest in Irwen. Even his brilliant platinum blond hair seemed to shine more, as if reflecting his refreshing mood. “You’ll be able to meet my wife at the imperial palace’s ball next week.”

“I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be the first time everyone’s seeing your wife at the imperial ball, right?”

“That’s right. I’ll definitely look out for the both of you and say hello then.”

Fervin’s face would’ve stiffened in the past if there was such a hot interest in Irwen, but now, he only had a subtle smile on his face. Just thinking of her was a good thing. 

In the soft atmosphere that was different to how he was usually, the people around him continued to converse pleasantly. Seemingly drunk on the atmosphere, one of them brought up the topic everyone was curious about without any hesitation.

“Now that the relationship between the two of you is quite good, can we expect any news of a successor soon? Hahaha!” Seemingly unaware that Fervin’s face had turned cold momentarily, he continued to speak, “The two of you must be healthy, so it’ll only be a matter of time before you have a baby. Later, I’ll have my wife send some quality medicine that’s good for pregnancy.”

“That’s a matter for us as a couple to take care of. And…” Fervin’s warm face disappeared and instantly transformed into a chilly face. Seeing that there were some people who seemed to be at a loss, he added firmly, “I won’t tolerate anyone putting any pressure on Irwen either.”

His oppressive tone made them all stiffen. Lowering their gaze from his cold eyes, they nodded simultaneously upon spotting an injury on his finger in the shape of a tooth mark. 

He seemed to be able to see rumours of, ‘Oh, seems like his relationship with his wife took a turn for the worse recently’ in the air. 

Fervin hurriedly hid his finger and his face became even colder. He didn’t think it could get this awkward. He hadn’t thought that the traces of last night’s desire could be misleading to others. 

Without even a moment for him to calm down, he faced the final boss of misunderstandings.

* * *

“Wow!!!”

“As expected of the Emperor!”

“You’re just as cool as you are today, Duke Carlisle!”

When Fervin appeared in the drill hall with the Emperor, the guards greeted them with loud shouts. The Emperor would often make unscheduled visits to the drill hall, and each time, he would apply for a match with Fervin. 

Although the match between Fervin, who was the Chief Commander of the empire, and the Captain of the Imperial Guards also drew a lot of attention from the soldiers, his match with the Emperor was explosively popular. It was especially popular since Fervin, the empire’s best warrior, would be showing off his splendid swordsmanship against the Emperor. 

“Please have a great match today as well!”

“I think I’m falling in love with you!”

“I’ve already fallen for Duke Carlisle, please accept my feelings!”

The two of them took off their outerwear, cheered on by the countless number of soldiers. 

When Fervin handed his outerwear to Sir Dobre, the Captain of the Imperial Guards, he blushed, as if it were an honour. Although Sir Dobre, who was standing next to Fervin, was also in good shape, it simply wasn’t able to be compared to Fervin’s taut body. 

Seeing the white shirt clinging to the muscular body, the Emperor flashed a mischievous smile. “It’s not like our relationship is one where we’ve only met once or twice, so why are you so shy? How long are you going to take to prepare yourself for this match?”

“Just this much is enough for the match.”

“It’s not good enough for me.”

In an instant, the Emperor took off his shirt, revealing his lean body. Fervin looked at him in bewilderment, but he was adamant. “Let’s take it off refreshingly and exchange sword moves today. Don’t tell me, are you perhaps insecure about your own body?”

Fervin raised his eyebrows at the Emperor’s provocative words. “There’s no way. What I’m most confident about is my body.” 

Fervin took off his clothes coolly, unlike before when he had hesitated. 

Fervin raised his eyebrows, as if nothing had happened when the Emperor opened his mouth, as if he were about to say, ‘I knew you’d hesitate’.

“Why, do you feel uncomfortable seeing this?”

“There’s too much of a difference between your body and my body! No matter how I look at it, your body is even more built now!”

Fervin snorted without replying to him, as if he were saying ‘That’s only natural’. There was even an admiring cheer from the surrounding soldiers.

“It’s art, it’s a sculpture!”

He was greatly respected by both men as well as women in the empire.

That white body that was filled with muscles in the shape of an inverted triangle would seem like a sculpture to anyone looking.

He took up his sword and started to spar with the Emperor. How many times had he slashed with his sword without any murderous intent?

Openly observing Fervin, who seemed to be particularly glowing today, the Emperor asked, “Right, so how did you spend your night, Mr. Devoted Husband?”

Instead of answering him, Fervin hurriedly pointed his sword at him. “What are you talking about, Your Majesty?”

The Emperor narrowed his eyes and pointed at the deep wound in his right hand. It was the wound that had appeared after he had bitten his innocent finger in an attempt to rein in his lust for Irwen last night.
“I’m talking about that wound. It looks like it’s been made by a woman.”

“Focus on the match. I won’t go easy on you, even if it’s you, Your Majesty.” Fervin’s face flushed red as he swung his sword even harder. 

Although the Emperor was pushed back, as if he were overwhelmed, his laughter that leaked out, as if to say this was fun, was unstoppable.

Clang! It was the moment the sharp edge of the sword met another blade.

The Emperor whispered evilly in Fervin’s ear, “It’s alright, Fervin. There are also women who leave their markings on men in relationships. So don’t mind the wound. It looks like it must’ve hurt as well though.”

“I said it wasn’t like that.” Fervin’s green eyes flickered heatedly. 

He couldn’t bear to say that he had bitten himself while trying to contain his lust for Irwen. In any case, he didn’t want to explain it in this place anyway. Especially in front of so many people in a place like this. 

Keeping his silence instead, a tendon protruded from his sword-wielding arm.

“Hey, easy, easy! Stop making it difficult for me.” Even though the Emperor seemed to be on the verge of collapse judging by his words, his face was still full of laughter and he seemed to be enjoying himself. He seemed to conclude that the wound on Fervin’s finger had been made by a woman. 

“That’s why you should’ve taken it easy, how hard you go is exactly how hard they’ll bite.”

Fervin’s face turned crimson red. In an instant, he overwhelmed the Emperor with his skills and threw the sword he had taken away from him far away as he fell to the floor. A round of applause erupted from his surroundings, congratulating him on his victory.

Leaving the boisterous noise behind him, Fervin bent over to look at the Emperor lying below him. “Your Majesty, it’s not your place to meddle in someone else’s marriage without even knowing anything.”

“At least the affection between you husband and wife is on the right track now.”

At the appearance of a smile blossoming on the face of the Emperor, who was a friend who interfered in other people’s love lives, Fervin kindly said, “You can still smile so brightly after losing the match?”

“It’s not like I’ve only lost to you once or twice, so who cares. Anyway, like I’ve always said, you’re better off sticking with your handsome body than that sort of flowery speech. Was it effective?”

“…”

Although he had clearly stuck with his body yesterday, he could still clearly remember his failure. On the contrary, Irwen fell asleep while only his body had been excited, causing him to suffer the whole night. 

When Fervin’s expression transformed into one of nervousness, the Emperor muttered quickly, “Oh, your body must not be your wife’s type.”

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took a break from tling ibvian to come back to this shit show ;-; been nearly a year since i updated LMAOOOO

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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I hurriedly pushed him away. 

Fervin obediently loosened his grip on my body, but his persistent gaze continued to rest on me.

I sniffed my body. 

It did seem to smell like something.

This scent, which was thick and pungent, resembled the fragrance of musk.

However, I had only sprayed on a light floral perfume, not a strong perfume like this, so why did it smell like this?

I heard a snort, as if they were dumbfounded, from far away.

Fervin came a step closer to me.

“Was this what your ulterior motive was from the beginning?”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

“Excuse me for a moment. I’ll ask for your understanding in advance, so please don’t pull at my hair.”

Fervin hooked me by the waist and leaned over, lifting the bottom of my dress.

He began to sweep through the skirt with nimble fingers.

The frigid man’s fingers brushed against my legs, then my thighs, one after the other.

I was so startled that I almost grabbed his hair.

“Just what are you doing?”

He didn’t pay attention to what I was saying and ripped something off my dress without any hesitation.

What he held was a small and dainty pouch of musk.

It was just dangling there, extremely small and light, as if it didn’t stand out and wasn’t there at all.

After staring at the unfamiliar pouch of musk for a while, I finally realised that it was what Mrs. Tilly had stuffed in my dress while smiling with satisfaction.

Why had I completely forgotten about that?

My own flustered eyes met his dark green ones.

Fervin let out a tired smile, as if he had already known it long ago.

“It’s a musk that’s made by removing the scent¹ from the rare white deer that’s native to the north. Just what were you thinking?”

Even if neither of us said anything, a suffocating tension flowed between the two of us.

A tension that felt as if it would explode if either one of us touched it.

I bit my trembling lips, trying to stay calm.

“I don’t understand a single word you’re saying. This is what Mrs. Tilly gave me while she was dressing me up.”

“You’re good at making excuses too. Musk pouches are a woman’s way to seduce men, which have been used from generation to generation. And among them, the musk of a white deer is especially strong and effective, so I heard that women exhaust all their efforts in order to obtain it.”

Fervin threw the musk pouch behind him as it landed far behind him on the bed.

As I was thinking of going to pick it up, I was trapped in Fervin’s gaze, which was skimming over my whole body.

He looked at my clothes, then spit out in a firmer voice.

“All the conditions used to seduce others have been fulfilled though? Flimsy clothes, a tempting smell, and visually stimulating.”

“No, the maids dressed me up extremely meticulously, so I promised them that I’d keep this look until evening. I didn’t have any other intentions.”

“What do you mean by that? So, you’re telling me that you kept your look like this because the maids wanted to see it?”

“Of course.”

Although it was an extremely flimsy excuse, even for me, Fervin let out a light laugh, as if it were absurd.

He lowered his head quickly to face me.

“Then you should also grant me my wish, Irwen.”

“W-What are you talking about…?”

“If you can grant the wishes of the maids, then what about me, your husband?”

His eyes which were looking at me had darkened dangerously.

A cold sweat started to run down the back of my neck.

If I had known that this would happen, I wouldn’t have worn that scented pouch!

No, this problem clearly only happened because Fervin had come home early in the first place, right?

Although it’s great that you came home, why didn’t you order the servants to find me instead of going to find me yourself and causing this sort of situation to happen?

Before I could even organise my own thoughts, Fervin started to walk over to me.

He had only swung his legs a few times, but before I knew it, he had already walked right in front of me.

It was then.

He quickly gathered me in his embrace and headed for the bed. 

Before I could even figure out what to do, at some point in time, he had already moved to hover above me.

Although I could clearly feel the soft behind my back, the dangerous gaze of the angry man who was above me had locked me in.

I could only innocently bite my lips.

Fervin took in a ragged breath.

His firm legs, which were trapping my body tightly, tightened even more.

His hair, which had always been neatly arranged, fell in haphazard locks.

I glared at him with restrained anger in my eyes.

A wisp of a voice came out, as if because I was nervous.

“Let me go.”

“And if I don’t want to?”

He leaned in closer to my body.

Those dark green eyes of his blazed with intense emotions that couldn’t be hidden.

One span, two spans. 

Before I knew it, his lips had already taken advantage of my neck, tickling it.

I bit my lips even more without realising it.

“The people in the mansion will be looking for me.”

“Do you think they’d go and find you if I’m with you? It’s not shameful for a couple to be together, Irwen.”

Fervin lifted his head and looked down at me, as if what I had said was ridiculous.

I just wanted to get out of this dangerous situation, so I simply said what was on my mind and continued to ramble on.

“You, don’t you want to protect your dignity? Would a person like a duke want to hold a woman in a remote cottage like this? To do something like that, I think it resembles that of a beast more…”

Fervin lay down next to me before I could even finish my sentence.

“A beast? You, do you even know what a beast is truly like?”

“If what you’re doing to me right now isn’t, then what is?”

“Don’t provoke me, Irwen.”

Fervin growled deeply. 

I thought that if I provoked him a little more, he’d get angry and leave the cottage in a huff.

I decided to take that risk.

“You know, if you’re not forcing yourself to do this, then what…”

He got up from the bed where he had been lying on his back and climbed back on top of me.

He took off the jacket he was wearing, as if he were frustrated.

One by one, the clothes that he discarded started to pile up on the floor.

The black uniform jacket, and his white dress shirt.

All I could see before my eyes was a slender upper body full of sculpted muscles.

Although it clearly shone as white as silken tofu, his body had muscles visible everywhere, as if it were angry.

Perhaps because he was angry, he took in a heavy breath, his broad chest moving up and down.

My face flared a bright red unknowingly as I covered it with my hands.

Suddenly.

Fervin leaned over and interlocked his fingers with my right hand.

“You were the one to provoke me first.” 

He fiddled with my hand with his interlocked fingers.

Then, he suddenly raised his left hand.

I closed my eyes involuntarily as he placed his large hand on my face.

As I was about to struggle in an attempt to counterattack somehow, I heard a deep sigh in my ear.

I felt a heavy weight on my body. 

He had completely wrapped himself around me and covered my body, but that was all. 

As he lowered his head, his flimsy hair tickled the nape of my neck.

I could feel the man’s scorching body through his chiseled chest.

Fervin breathed a soft breath in my ear.

“I suddenly recalled what you said to me on our first night.”

Fervin raised his head to face me.

Although I hadn’t sprayed perfume, nor had the musk sachet anymore, there was still a heavy smell.

It was the smell of his pheromones.

An enchanting scent that somehow tickled both my nose and body.

He loosened his fingers.

With his free finger, he brushed his finger from my chin to my cheek.

I couldn’t move, as if I had been hypnotised.

“You said that you’d get your revenge on me, didn’t you? But the thing is, you seem to have succeeded.”

“What are you talking about?”

The glare in my eyes entangled with his turbulent gaze.

“I’ll be the one to cling to you, I will be the only one feeling anxious and jittery, and the only one feeling a sense of longing would be me; that would be the biggest revenge. So, how do you feel about having gotten your revenge?”

No way.

So he’s saying that he clings to me?

He had never properly shown me such affection before, and above all, there was no reason for him to cling to me.

His eyes flashed, as if he was asking for my reply.

In the midst of such confusion, I began to think of what was important first.

The important thing for me was to get out of this situation.

I lowered my voice and spoke as calmly as possible, trying to guide him in finding his rationality.

“I just want to live in peace.”

“…Who would believe that?”

“You.”

At that moment, there was silence. 

A spark, like lightning, seemed to flash between the two of us.

Neither I, nor he, seemed to back down for even a single moment.

Those dark green eyes of his never once blinked.

I also stared at him without blinking in order to avoid being subdued by him.

Although my eyes started to feel like they were watering, I didn’t give in.

Fervin’s eyes shook slightly.

Then.

Fwoooshhhh.

The sound of heavy rain was heard.

It was only then that I came to my senses.

If it was raining so heavily, would we even be able to go back to the mansion?

Am I stuck here?

As I looked out the window in a fluster, Fervin started to speak, as if he knew what I was thinking.

“We can’t go out anyway, not when it’s raining like that.”

As I was about to reply, my stomach moved faster than my mouth. 

“…Gurgle.”

Fervin turned his gaze toward me hurriedly as my face turned as red as a tomato.

He, who had remained as stiff as a statue this whole time, got up unexpectedly as soon as he heard this sound.

He slowly put his shirt back on, as if he was rather unwilling, and called me over to the table.

“You must be hungry. Come here and sit down first.”

Fervin took out a handkerchief from his pocket and laid it out on the table like a tablecloth.

Then, he took some food out of the small bag he had brought and set it aside.

It was the very bread that the emperor had given him that he had brought before coming back to the mansion.

“Let’s eat first, then we’ll talk.”

“…”

I wasn’t willing to respond to him due to my last remaining strands of pride.

Especially since I had been lying underneath that man not too long ago. Would I really eat the food that he gave me?

“Growl…”

A gurgling sound suddenly broke through the thunder that was coming from outside.

Fine, let’s eat and talk.

It was purely because I was hungry. 

I sat across from him and looked at the food. 

By the time I had chosen a delicious looking baguette, he came closer toward me.

He had brought some wine that he had found somewhere in the cottage.

The shirt on his bare body fluttered everytime his body moved.

I felt a feverish heat rise sharply every time I saw a piece of that white flesh or those muscles protruding from that broad chest.

I decided to place all my focus on just the baguette.

As I muttered while biting into the baguette, Fervin smiled, as if he were dumbfounded.

“Although I had only brought it just in case, I’m glad it turned out well.”

“Yes.” 

“Try this too. It’s a wine that’s made with raspberries.”

Fervin poured some wine into the only glass he had.

I had no choice but to drink the wine since I was thirsty but there was no water.

It was very fragrant, and much sweeter than I had expected.

We ate and drank for a while. 

No, rather, it was mostly me who ate, and he, who just watched me.

Even though I never once looked at him, I could just feel it.

He just sipped at his wine and rested his arm on my chair.

It was when neither of us said anything and were just enduring the silence between us.

I glanced at Fervin.

He was looking at me with his chin resting in one hand.

He fiddled with his lips with his pinky, perhaps because he was deep in thought.

He bit his lips, as if hesitating to do something.

He suddenly reached out to me just as I looked at him.

He brushed my lips with an elegant finger.

“To think that you’d eat the bread crumbs that you’ve dropped, you’re not even a kid anymore.”

I quickly wiped my lips.

“A baguette is originally something that you eat after dropping, so what?”

“Yeah, you’re right, of course you’re right.”

Fervin’s eyes bent into crescent moons, as if he found it amusing.

However, the moment our eyes made contact, his face returned to the expression he always had.

I shoved the leftover baguette into my mouth.

It was so frustrating I couldn’t stand it anymore.

“I’m talking about us sharing a room.”

Fervin’s dark eyebrows rose drastically.

“Let’s do it like this. It’s the Duchess’s duty, so I’ll keep the date of our shared night set by the elders. However, instead of sleeping in the same bed, I’ll sleep in a different one.”

Fervin’s eyebrows rose sharply.

“Let’s sleep in the same bed. No couple sleeps in different beds. Besides, what will you do if the servant who comes and wakes you up in the morning sees that we’re sleeping in different beds and reports it to the elders?”

“But…”

Fervin countered my anxious appearance with an arrogant look.

“Don’t worry. Since I don’t have the hobby of forcing others.”

Thanks to his arrogant gaze, I also slipped in.

“Alright then. Let’s not do anything that both you and I will hate.”

“…Let’s respect each other.”

“And the child problem…”

Fervin’s face hardened in an instant.

I thought it was because I had touched a problem he didn’t particularly like.

So I hastily finished my sentence.

“You can discuss that with another woman who you actually care about.”

“Definitely! Let’s do that.”

I wasn’t sure why he put such an emphasis on the word ‘definitely’ though.

I lowered my head at Fervin’s intense gaze.

After all, his nerves would become all tense when it came to a problem regarding a child.

But I didn’t know.

That the point he was angry at wasn’t the child, but the mention of ‘another woman’.

***

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

It was late at night already after our reasonable discussion ended.

I was trying to kill time by reading a storybook I had found in the cottage.

However, the rain still showed no sign of letting up.

Fervin gathered some wood from the trees outside and set it on fire by rubbing flint together.

Although it became a little warmer in the cold cottage once the fire had been lit, the air around us was still rather cold.

However, my fatigue soon overcame the cold.

My eyelids kept drooping, and my body suddenly leaned forward.

Although I wanted to close my eyes, Fervin was already lying on the bed.

Thankfully, he was still wearing a thin shirt.

Although it didn’t take long for him to loosen two of his buttons so that his chest could be seen.

“Hey… are you going to sleep on the bed?”

I asked Fervin from the side of the bed. 

Fervin then looked at me before parting his lips slightly.

“Sleep next to me.”

“But…”

“You’ll freeze if you sleep in the cold. Sleep in the bed.”

He tugged at my arm which was beside the bed.

Before I had the chance to do anything, I was already trapped within his arms.

I struggled within his embrace as hard as I could.

“Do we really have to do this, and just make each other uncomfortable?”

“I was just trying to raise the temperature in the room since it was so cold in here.”

Fervin whispered as he wrapped his arm lightly around my waist.

Fervin’s voice was subdued, as if he was hiding something.

How suspicious.

However, I had no choice but to be held in Fervin’s embrace.

The dreary air from the rain soon sent chills down my whole body until even my body started to tremble slightly.

When Fervin stretched out his arms to pull me closer into his arms, I even began to feel comfortable, as if I had been buried in a warm blanket.

I tried to stay vigilant, but the tension kept being relieved, over and over again.

Sleep gradually seeped in.

*** 

As Irwen nodded off, Fervin continued to hug her in his arms.

Although he had a lot he wanted to say, he didn’t have enough courage to bring himself to say it when she was awake.

He supported her head with his hands, and whispered as he patted her body which filled his embrace.

“Whenever I see you, the only words I end up spitting out are harsh ones. Even though I just want to treat you tenderly, in order to grab onto you, who is constantly trying to flee from me, the only things that come out are rough and coarse.”

Fervin buried his own face in Irwen’s hair.

He felt her moan in her deep sleep, digging deeper into his arms as she tossed and turned.

Fervin’s face grew even redder at the dizzying feeling.

However, even if that was the case, he still had no intention of letting her go.

“I guess I’m more hesitant since I can tell you’re trying. I was worried about whether I would be able to love you as much as I used to, like in the past, or whether my heart might perhaps be rejected by you, just these sort of concerns.”

He brushed Irwen’s hair aside.

He repeated that action again and again, that soft feeling repeatedly passing over his fingers”

His hand eventually left her hair and settled on her cheek.

In that tranquil room.

It was filled with the sounds of a slumbering person’s breathing as well as Fervin’s.

The moment his face was full of complicated thoughts with emotions of helplessness, his lingering feelings toward her, and regret, as if he didn’t know what to do.

His body jolted with the sound of a sleepy moan and a deep exhale.

It was just as Irwen turned her head and buried her face in his chest. 

Her soft lips pressed firmly against the thin shirt he was wearing.

[1] if any other ktl can help me, the raws say 향낭 which mean scent/scented pouch, even though i feel like antlers or smth would fit better.

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ugh sometimes irwen annoys me like girl, how u gon forget that mrs. tilly stuffed a scented pouch in your dress,,,,

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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Marquis Celestine peeked at Fervin’s face.

There was no emotion on his face, as if nothing had happened.

Or perhaps he was hiding his emotions.

Since Fervin was a cold person who couldn’t express his feelings very well.

Fervin opened his mouth as he continued to look at his documents.

“And?”

“What do you mean, and? Aren’t you curious about her at all?”

“Lance, don’t you know it’s rude to mention another woman’s name over the wife’s?”

Fervin’s cold eyes met Marquis Celestine’s.

Marquis Celestine touched his nose in embarrassment.

He didn’t know much about his friend’s childhood.

Losing his mother shortly after his birth, coupled with his father’s indifference, Fervin spent his childhood secluded in their country estate with his nanny, Mrs. Tilly.

The person who shared that season with him was the young lady, Stella Bell, who had a manor in the nearby area.

Didn’t they clearly say that you guys were childhood friends? He must have heard that from Young Miss Bell.

However, he didn’t know why Fervin’s reaction was so cold.

“Uh… I see.”

“Then, Lance, if your business here is done, you should go. I think I’ll have to go and see His Majesty the Emperor.”

“But isn’t he enjoying a conversation with the Empress in the rear garden right now?”

Fervin snorted.

“I also want to enjoy having a conversation with my wife too. Whether it’s sweet nothings, or with our bodies.”

“W-What…?”

He disappeared, leaving behind an incomprehensible sentence.

Marquis Celestine, who was left behind, scratched his curly hair.

“It’s clear that the Duchess has undergone a sudden change, but what’s wrong with that guy, Fervin? It’s exactly like when they were newlyweds…”

***

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

“You have to catch his eye in one shot!”

This place, which was filled with excited voices, was the Carlisle mansion.

Countless people were moving about in the large mansion, as if the biggest event was currently being held.

“How long has it been since they spent the night together, surely this time, there’ll be an heir…”

“How great would it be if the baby had the divine blood of Verma and Carlisle?”

“Go get the musk, Marianne. I need to bury it in Madam’s clothes.”

I was now in the middle of cleaning and tidying up my body, surrounded by servants.

Whilst listening to the same old saying of ‘heir’, my ears started to hurt.

They now seemed to be washing and dressing me up like this to ensure that my body was at its best condition for our night together.

My make up was done milky-white to match my skin, and I wore an ivory dress with delicate and bountiful lace all over it, with spritzes of light perfume sprayed all over my body.

Eventually, even the precious and sinister-looking musk appeared as well.

It was when the face of Marianne, who appeared after bringing the musk, melted as if she were enchanted.

The maids who were helping with the dressing up also looked as if they were intoxicated by the smell of the musk.

“Oh my, it smells so good.”

“I want to go and embrace Madam… mmph! Why did I suddenly have this sort of thought?!”

It was when I also felt dizzy from the smell of the musk.

Mrs. Tilly hurriedly hid the musk pouch deep within the pocket of my dress.

I was also unknowingly stuck by her hands which were as fast as lightning.

I searched through my dress in embarrassment, but no matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find it due to how well she had hidden it in the fluttering hem.

“You don’t have to go this far, Mrs. Tilly.”

Mrs. Tilly smiled cunningly as she assured me.

“Madam, this is an opportunity that has come for the first time after several years, so of course I have to grab onto it firmly. Marianne, bring me some more rose perfumed hair oil.”

Marianne continued to hang from my arm whilst giving me a contented smile.

“Hehe.”

“What should I do if you get drunk on the scent of the musk?!”

“Yup! Here you go.”

Marianne rubbed her eyes, as if she were trying to come to her senses again.

“The smell of musk was so seductive it made my eyes heat up. I felt as if I had become a wolf.”

“Marianne! How could you say such a thing just because Madam is lenient to you?!”

“No, it’s fine.”

I nodded and tried to smile.

I tried to find the musk by putting my hand into the pocket of the dress, but because the pocket of the dress was so big, I couldn’t fish it out.

Mrs. Tilly applied a little bit of the rose oil to the back of my neck while saying.

“This time, you’ll definitely be able to win over Master’s heart, Madam. I know how hard of a time you’ve had, ever since you married into this place, which is very different from the familiar Verma Principality. Furthermore, all the elders and vassals of the Carlisle family must not have been very pleased with you since Master didn’t love you, nor did you have any children either. So, make sure you take this opportunity to set it in stone. That way, you’ll be able to spend the rest of your life comfortably here.”

I diligently tried to hide my embarrassment. 

Marianne, who was doing up and adorning my hair, looked in the mirror with an ecstatic expression.

She, who often met up with the maids of the other nearby noble families in the market, added on excitedly.

“Even though all the other kids say that their own madams and young misses are the prettiest, I don’t think that’s the case at all. Madam, can’t you go out for social gatherings held at other noblewives’ house instead of staying at home all the time?”

I shrugged.

“Even if I don’t, I’ll have to go to the ball at the Imperial Palace next week anyway.”

Mrs. Tilly let out an “oops,” and slapped her own thigh.

“Oh my, then shouldn’t I go and order a dress immediately? Which boutique should I contact… Everyone should be anxious to tailor for us, so we’ll have to choose carefully. Since this is your first deal, I’ll have to be especially careful…”

I remembered the closet in my room. Although there were only dresses with intense colors such as black and red, the amount of dresses in there still wasn’t any small amount.

“There are still a lot of clothes in my closet, Mrs. Tilly. Do we really need to buy anymore?”

At my words, Mrs. Tilly had a nuance in her words, as if saying that absolutely wouldn’t do.

“The clothes madam wore when you just got married have long gone out of fashion. It’s already been four years. You have to get brand new ones. All of them! It’d be better for you to buy some accessories this time too. You’ll be doing activities outside of the mansion this time, so you won’t be able to live with just that silver bracelet forever. And…”

It was when I was wondering when the Mrs. Tilly, who never stopped chatting, would stop.

A butler who came from the imperial palace with a message knocked on the door.

“It’s a message from the master.”

“Oh gosh, it’s probably a message from the master telling you to dress yourself up and wait for him!”

Although I, as the wife, calmly stayed in my place, the maids who were next to me instead, were making more of a fuss than I was.

I quickly opened the message.

And then I breathed a sigh of relief.

“He told me to go to sleep first.”

“…Pardon?”

“There’s no way that can be true. That passionate look in the master’s eyes, it was clearly saying he would definitely hold you in his arms tonight!”

“There’s no way that the master, who had such a romantic gaze in his eyes, would break his promise! Please read it again, madam.”

In this situation where the maids were fired up and unable to believe the authenticity of what was written in the letter, I shrugged and started to read the letter aloud.

“It’s written down like this. On the emperor’s orders, I have to work overtime, so don’t wait up for me and go to sleep first.”

The servants all sighed, as if they were already used to it.

“Ah… it’s overtime again…”

“Just why does His Majesty the Emperor treat our master like that… I mean, order him to work…”

“The dark circles under his eyes only seem to get darker…”

Then, they glanced toward the me, which was the result of their few hours of effort after detaining me.

I stood up abruptly and tried to let my hair loose and put on a more comfortable dress instead of a fancy one.

However, the maids surrounded me and actively tried to dissuade me.

“Can’t you just dress like this until you go to sleep, madam? No, I wouldn’t have any regrets, even if you just wore this until the evening!”

“Even though you look pretty without any makeup or dressing up, you don’t know how dazzling you are when you dress up like this, Madam. If you could just bless our eyes for a little longer…”

“This hairstyle is my life’s masterpiece! Please leave it for just a little longer…”

The maids’ eyes sparkled around me.

It was somewhat awkward for them to treat me as if I were a work of art they had created, which they were all filled with affection for.

Well, winning over their hearts was also a part of escaping from my evil impression.

I nodded readily.

“Let’s leave it like this until the evening, then.”

The maids all put their hands together and looked ecstatic.

“Thank you!”

“I’m so lucky to be able to see a living work of art with my very own eyes…!”

“Then I’ll see you all later in the evening. I’d like to spend some time in the garden.”

Mrs. Tilly hurried forward.

“I’ll go with you, madam.”

“I’d like to go alone so I can organise my thoughts.”

With a look of ‘oh, I see,’ Mrs. Tilly smiled at me with a kind look. 

It seemed as if I looked sad since the plan to have a meal with my husband had fallen through.

“Oh, go ahead then. The bell at the rear door will ring when dinner is ready, so please come back when you hear it.”

“Alright.”

I opened the door and stepped outside. 

*** 

When the long-awaited night between the Duke and Duchess fell through, the heartbroken maids left the first floor dejectedly.

Marieanne grumbled wholeheartedly to her aunt, Mrs. Tilly.

“His Majesty is so indifferent, it’s not their first night together after several days, but several years, yet he’s still holding master back at work.”

Mrs. Tilly turned her bewildered eyes to the sky before replying back.

“He was probably unaware of the fact that this was the first time the master was spending the night with her ever since their first night.”

“That should be it, right?”

“There’s no way he would’ve ordered the master to work overtime if he knew, right? Yeah, of course.”

Although the tone she spoke in clearly didn’t place any blame on the emperor, the fire in her eyes clearly placed all the blame on the emperor.

“Why are you interfering with our master’s happy married life? Just because you’re the emperor…!”

…Was what her gaze said, which showed she was as indignant as Marianne. 

“No, I’m sure you knew! The son who inherits the sacred blood of Verma and Carlisle could be the successor to the throne! Right now, there are only daughters being born from Her Majesty the Empress, but isn’t our master also a distant relative of the imperial family? Isn’t that the reason why the current successor, His Highness the Duke of Sibelom, continues to keep master in check? His Highness, Duke Sibelom, isn’t married yet and doesn’t have any children either, so if madam gives birth to the only son of the Carlisle family, then the heir to the imperial family could be right here…”

“Stop it! Don’t just say that anywhere, do you know just how loyal our master is to the imperial family…”

Mrs Tilly shut the mouth of her rash niece. 

The moment they were about to enter the kitchen. 

Alfred, who had received a message from a messenger sent from the imperial palace at the front door, ran to see her.

Mrs. Tilly cocked her head to one side, as if the sight was very strange.

“Did you only just get the message from the imperial palace, Alfred?”

“It’s because the master sent another message. Just where in the world is madam?”

“She went out for a walk in the garden. Why? Is it urgent?”

“No, it’s not exactly urgent, but…”

Alfred scratched his head and delivered the message he had heard from the message.

“It said that he’ll arrive home on time since he moved his schedule back. Just what in the world is going on…”

*** 

I decided to have some free time by myself. 

I left the mansion and wandered around the vast garden by myself. 

To think that my heart would be so at ease just because Fervin would return from the palace after doing overtime.

Perhaps it was because she was avoiding spending the night together with him, or because her heart was finally relieved, but her whole body was brimming with energy.

Despite him only being a contractual husband, it was still burdensome for her to have sex with a man who she doesn’t really know yet.

Of course, while Fervin was seriously good looking and was in good shape, those were all just her indecent desires.

Anyway, if it was thought about rationally, Fervin didn’t like me, and I didn’t like him either.

Although I was flustered and nervous for a whole day, objectively thinking, it was highly likely that he had only suggested that we spend the night together since the servants had been listening. But that wasn’t to say that we’d actually have sex.

I couldn’t forget that my final goal was to fulfil the full length of the contract marriage, then peacefully get a divorce.

I wandered about the garden aimlessly. 

It looked like a lot of effort had been put into making this, since it looked both elegant and cozy.

I admired the flowers that had clearly been well maintained by the gardener as I came across them for a moment.

Once I arrived at the edge of the garden, I knew I would have to go back to the mansion soon.

But as I was about to turn around, I spotted a small cottage nestled deep in that secluded area.

“…What is that?”

I cautiously approached the cottage.

The door had been slightly left open.

I knocked on the door and spoke softly.

“Is there anyone here?”

Inside, there was only a small table, a small bed, as well as a fireplace that hadn’t been lit.

Seeing as there was no sign of anyone inside, I cautiously went in.

Overall, the house was neat, with a single speck of dust in it, as if someone had lived in it yesterday.

A faded red carpet lay on the floor.

A large tree branch protruded from the wall, and a cozy blanket was placed on the bed.

I carefully sniffed the light blue handkerchief with an embroidered white lily of the valley on it which was on the drawer next to the bed.

It seemed to smell like grass for some reason.

“…Is this the gardener’s house?”

Just as I was about to hurry outside, I heard a faint cry from somewhere.

“Meow~!”

I turned my head. 

A kitten covered in black fur was mewing in the corner.

“Oh my, what should I do with you…”

I quietly approached the kitten in the corner and knelt down.

The black kitten came towards me, looking at me with its twinkling green eyes.

I hurriedly avoided the kitten as it kept coming towards me, as if it were trying to touch me.

“No, if I pet you, your mom might abandon you since you smell like humans.”

The kitten soon flopped down onto the floor, as if it had given up, and looked at me.

I also sat down on the floor and stared at the cat. 

I decided to look after the kitten until the mother cat came. 

I began to doze off in the warm atmosphere that enveloped the cottage.

My back would hurt when I tried to sit down, so I carefully laid myself down on the carpet instead.

At some point in time, evening had passed, and it was almost 8 o’clock at night, but I couldn’t wake up and ended up falling asleep on the floor.

I didn’t even know that Fervin, who had gotten off from work from the imperial palace, had been desperately looking for me.

*** 

Fervin asserted his right to a ‘healthy family life’ to the emperor, who was chatting to the empress, and smoothly withdrew from his overtime.

He resisted the emperor’s orders, which were to have dinner with him in the imperial palace.

“Irwen is waiting for me. I have to go back now.”

He resolutely informed the emperor whilst twirling his heart-shaped cufflinks.

The emperor looked at the impatient Fervin, who was in a state of extreme urgency to return home, as if it was amusing.

“You really want to go home? What’s the matter?”

“Irwen hasn’t even eaten dinner yet and is still waiting for me. I have to go back quickly.”

“You’re having dinner with the Duchess? In the past, wasn’t it you who used whatever reason you had to stay in the imperial palace since you didn’t want to go back into that house? Gosh… a lot has changed.”

“Then I’ll take my leave now.”

“I heard that the chef baked some delicious bread today, so I was going to enjoy it with you. I’ll wrap it up for you so you can take it home with you.” 

Fervin took the loaf of bread that the emperor had prepared for him and hurriedly ran toward his horse.

He arrived home in a hurry, but the house that should’ve been quite while dinner was being prepared had now descended into chaos.

“Madam, where are you!”

“What are we going to do? How could we lose Madam in this large mansion?!”

Fervin dismounted from his horse and stopped Mrs. Tilly, who was running at him with her face deathly pale.

In this scene of chaos, she was the only one who was directing several people, as if she was the only one who still had her wits with her.

“What happened?”

“Master, madam went out to the garden, saying that she wanted to take a walk for a while, but at dinner time, no matter how much we rang the bell or shouted, she still hasn’t come back.”

“Have you dispatched someone to go and find her?”

“Yes, although we tried to find her, we couldn’t find her anywhere in the mansion.”

Fervin’s pale face grew even paler.

Where did Irwen go?

Since she had always locked herself up in her room, she wouldn’t know the geography around this area very well.

If she did run away, the possibility of finding her around here was…

No, why would you already assume that she’s run away?

Fervin violently shook his head at that unimaginable thought.

Mrs. tilly anxiously reported how Irwen’s mood had seemed according to her observations earlier.

“Come to think of it, I was going to follow madam on her walk in the garden, but she seemed to be tired and said that she had something to think about on her own.”

“…Something to think about on her own?”

“Yes, even though we dressed her up beautifully, she seemed to be deeply troubled. It was my first time seeing such a deep worry on her face…”

She said that she had something that she wanted to think about on her own, and went on a walk by herself worriedly?

…As expected, was her appearance during this time all just an act? 

Fervin let out a sigh and said, “I’ll go and look for her, so you go ahead and finish preparing the meal.”

“But…”

“I said that I would go find her and that you don’t have to worry. She wouldn’t have been able to go very far, since she doesn’t know this area very well anyway.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you, master.”

Mrs. Tilly bowed her head before retreating back into the mansion with the other servants.

Fervin took a good look at the ground before beginning to slowly navigate his way through the garden.

She must’ve been wearing shoes since they had said that she had gone out whilst being dressed up.

There you go, there are some shoe prints visible over there.

Fervin, who was using a common technique he used on the battlefield when pursuing enemies, hurried along.

“…Just how did you get here…” 

The place where Irwen’s steps finally stopped was in front of a small cottage.

It was a kind of villa he occasionally used when he wanted to take a break.

Though naturally, it was too small and shabby to be called a villa.

He must have forgotten to lock the door after using it a few days ago.

Fervin opened the door which was slightly open and went inside.

There on the floor that had been warmed by the sun, was Irwen, who was sleeping soundly.

Fervin knelt down on his knees and was about to wake her up.

His hand, that was heading toward her, paused for a moment.

Her face, which was reflected in the rays of the evening sunset, was so beautiful that he almost forgot to breathe for a moment.

Her white face glowed with a reddish flush, and her black hair flowed down to her waist, like lustrous silk.

In the tranquility that made it seem as if time had stopped, Fervin moved his lips slightly.

“…Mine.” 

A remark that was full of possessiveness suddenly burst out of nowhere.

Fervin hastily covered his mouth with his hand. 

Irwen was still sleeping and breathing evenly. 

Fervin thought while hugging his knees.

When did he become so… bold?

When she wakes up, not even mentioning these sort of sentiments.

He didn’t have the courage to say these things in front of her yet. 

No, he couldn’t even admit it yet. 

He couldn’t bear to admit that his own resolution to be apathetic toward her, who had lashed out so harshly to him, could be so easily shaken by her.

He didn’t know how many minutes had already passed.

As the light from the sky gradually faded into darkness, and a humid wind blew in, Fervin finally decided to wake Irwen up.

The weather forecast had said it might rain tonight. 

Because of the heavy rain, the two of them should head back to the mansion before they ended up being trapped in this cottage all alone.

At that moment, his eyes glistened, as if he were hesitating.

No, did he really have to wake her up?

It would be a good opportunity for them to spend a private night alone in the cottage with just the two of them.

*** 

I felt someone touch my body. 

It was a careful gesture, as if what he were touching would break.

However, to me, it just seemed ticklish, so I squirmed and turned around.

Then, someone shook me a bit stronger.

“Mm…”

I let out a sleepy moan, barely opening my eyes.

However, what I saw in front of me was a stiff-faced Fervin.

He, who was wearing the same uniform he had used to go to work in the imperial palace, was sitting next to me, staring at me.

Flustered, I got up in a hurry.

“Fervin, why are you here…”

“This is my own personal space. A safe haven where I often go to take breaks. Anyway, that’s not important.”

Fervin grabbed my hand and pulled me up.

“Let’s go back to the mansion.”

I instinctively pulled my hand from his when he looked at me.

“I don’t want to.”

I didn’t know why this sort of sentence suddenly came out.

However, this much was clear.

I was clearly feeling a lot of pressure to sleep with Fervin.

A lot, much more than necessary.

Although I knew he didn’t have any bad intentions or ulterior motives in doing anything to me, I still didn’t really know why he was doing this.

So I wanted to make sure that he really only wanted to sleep.

Fervin opened his eyes sharply at my rigid reaction.

“Why don’t you want to?”

“Because I have to sleep with you.”

“You mean you don’t want to do that? But Irwen, isn’t it natural for a married couple with a good relationship to sleep in the same bed?”

Why are you so shameless for a man who’s only spending his first night with his wife ever since that first night?

His calm face contrasted greatly with my nervous reaction.

My voice rose slightly without me realising it.

“Let’s make it clear right here, Fervin. You don’t want my child anyway. We’re going to get divorced in a year anyway, so why do we really need to sleep together?”

“I wasn’t the one who wanted to first, it was because you said that you’d do your duty.”

“But you don’t want a child from me, Fervin.”

Fervin’s eyes glowed. 

Those green eyes that looked at me darkened dangerously, but I didn’t even notice any of those signs since I thought that I had to make everything clear here.

“Anyway, let’s make this clear right here and move on from this. Even if we share the same room, we won’t be sharing the same bed. Besides, just the fact that we’re sharing the same room makes the servants go into a frenzy, as if the child has already been born. I understand that you don’t like me, and I know that you don’t hold any expectations in having children between us even more, but…”

“…I’ve never been like that.”

“What did you say?” 

Fervin looked me straight in the face, then whipped his head away. 

Muffled whispers flowed out from his face which had reddened to the tips of his ears.

“It’s not that I don’t want to.”

I was frustrated at the fact I couldn’t hear him, so I moved closer toward him.

“I can’t hear you. Speak up a bit.”

Far from answering my question, Fervin clenched his lips together tightly. 

However, his face gradually flared up. 

He glanced at me, clenching his fists as if trying not to come any closer. 

I could see the veins bulging out from the back of his hand.

For some reason, he seemed to be holding something back.

But why do you keep looking at me? 

I stepped back involuntarily.

As if he were in pain or frustrated, Fervin bit his lip.

A low moan escaped his lips, which were as red as a ripe apple.

“You… what the hell did you do to your body?”

“What are you talking about… oh my!”

Fervin placed his hand on my back and buried his face in my shoulder.

“The scent of your body is driving me crazy.”

---

omg i can’t deal with this rn fervin is such a softie i love him so much THE DEDICATION HGSLDKFJ fervin deadass raised my standards not even kidding rn.

n e ways, i was sort of annoyed at mrs tilly but i also understand why she did it. she’s been waiting for so long for this opportunity to his household that she’s so loyal to and doesn’t know when the next chance will be, but i’m still annoyed that she’d put a musk pouch that’s sort of like an aphrodisiac on irwen like ???? u alr know ur master doesn’t like her (or at least tries to show that) ????? don’t you think that could cause misunderstandings between them ???

n e ways, this chapter was a phat one so unless there’s a kofi sponsored chapter, i’ll see yawl in two weeks !!

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

I was so startled that I ended up dropping the documents. 

The neatly arranged documents scattered onto the floor.

My senses, which I had barely managed to keep a hold of ever since entering this place, seemed to become even more scattered as my mind went blank.

My bewildered heart started to pound even more.

He squinted at me.

“I’m asking why you came into my room, Irwen. Since you’ve never once been like this before.”

“The thing is…”

I hurriedly picked up the documents and laid them out on the table.

Although it wasn’t much different from the messy state I had originally found it in, I still retreated quickly.

Every time Fervin leaned his head toward me, the scent of his body brushed against the tip of my nose.

He looked like he had just finished bathing. 

A white towel, which was barely hanging from his waist, was all that he was wearing.

His bare white skin exuded a refreshing scent.

When he swept back the hair that covered his forehead, the water droplets that had formed on his wide chest trickled down.

Seeing the bare skin of a healthy man a little over 180 centimeters made me feel like I was feverish to death.

I covered my eyes with my hands and stepped back.

Glancing around the table, he came one step closer to me. 

He swept up the paper lying on the table with his hand.

“Did you organise this knowing what it was?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t even look at it.”

“Right, that’s not what’s important. What’s important is that you’ve intruded into my personal space, and that you’re by my side at a time like this.”

Fervin licked his lips and came closer. 

As he exhaled slowly, I could see his chest going up and down.

The water, which hadn’t yet dried, flowed down his milky-white immaculate body.

I hurriedly averted my gaze from the provocative sight that stimulated my eyes.

“Don’t misunderstand my intentions. Apparently from generation to generation, the wives of the Carlisle family would have a tradition of picking out their husband’s cufflinks in the morning, so I’m only here to fulfil my duty as your wife.” 

“Oh, that.”

Upon hearing the words that Mrs. Tilly had said, Fervin muttered, giving me a serious look.

“Isn’t it strange? Why would there be such a tradition in the Carlisle family, to pick out the husband’s cufflinks in the morning? In fact, isn’t it enough just to leave something like this to a servant?”

“If you know the reason, then tell me.”

“You really want me to tell you?”

He stooped lower, bowing his head toward me dangerously.

“Because men are usually the most energetic in the morning.”

When I frowned at that absurd remark, he kindly elaborated.

“Since this is a household whose descendants are few and precious from generation to generation, they had to work hard to have a successor. Since a couple could do something with the excuse of coming to pick out cufflinks in the morning…”

It was then when I realised what he meant as my face reddened.

Opposite me was Fervin, who had a subtle expression on his face that seemed as if he was holding back his laughter.

I guess it was amusing to him when I didn’t know what to do?

It was unfair for me to be the only one that was suffering.

So I walked up to him and patted his shoulder.

“Then, should we also try our best to do it properly this time?” 

In fact, I actually wanted to grab him by the collar, but because he didn’t have any clothes on, I had no choice but to lightly brush against his bare skin.

At my touch, he suddenly grabbed my hand.

His eyes shook violently, as if he was really flustered.

“If you’re just saying that lightly, then stop.”

“We’re a married couple, so who cares?”

As I wiggled the fingers clenched in his hand, his cheeks exploded with a flare of red.

He was the one to first hold my hand, and also the one who kissed my lips lightly first.

It always seemed like it was me who lost every time, so a feeling of euphoria filled my heart when I saw the bewildered figure of Fervin in front of me.

But it was then. 

As I was drunk on my feeling of triumph, I felt my body become weightless, then in the blink of an eye, felt my back against a soft bed.

The moment the weight of a muscular man was added to the bed as it sank.

Although I blinked, only a feast of bare skin unfolded in front of my eyes.

Broad shoulders, hollow collarbones, and a large torso that was moving up and down.

I blinked quickly in confusion. 

Why was I in Fervin’s arms?

Why was my face buried in his chest as I listened to the violent beating of his heart? 

At the same time, my heart was pounding away too.

Then, Fervin lifted his body slightly from me. 

Sweeping his wet, ruffled hair over his forehead, he placed my hand onto his chest.

“You were the one that said you’d do it properly, so you start first.”

“No, what…”

“You were the one that brought it up first.”

I tried to get out of Fervin’s embarace, but he locked me tight in his arms.

Fervin looked directly at me and didn’t let me go. 

I spoke as gently as I could.

“I was joking.”

“Haa, how is this a joke?”

“Aren’t you old enough to know it’s a joke?”

“Acting like this isn’t a joke, it’s a provocation. And I’m fully willing to respond to your game.”

Why was his gaze as he gently stroked my hair so sweet?

Why did he seem to be sincere instead of being cheeky at my teasing?

His languid voice tickled my ear as his Adam’s apple in front of me bobbed up and down.

“Go on, Irwen. I’m fine. I’ll accept anything you want.”

Water, which hadn’t yet dried, rolled down his neck, trickled down to his collarbone, then flowed down his chest.

Drip. 

I threw my arms and legs in a fluster, as I was making a fuss since I felt a drop of water drip onto the clothes I was wearing.

“Dry yourself off first!”

The taut tension was broken.

Only then did Fervin slowly lift his body from me.

I got out of bed quickly, as if a spring had been released.

Fervin got up from the bed and wiped the water from his whole body with a large towel.

The back profile of him, who had turned away from me, seemed to have turned red for some reason.

***

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

“He’s later than usual. It’s already half past seven…”

As Alfred, who was still hanging around in the hallway on the second floor, was about to step forward, Mrs. Tilly tugged on the hem of his clothes.

Her strength was so strong that it seemed as if the fabric would tear, so Alfred hurriedly turned his head toward her.

“Ma’am, why are you being like this?!”

“Don’t even think about knocking. Don’t even think about calling Master, and even moreso, don’t even think about looking at the time!”

But he’s taking twice as long as usual to prepare, Ma’am. We need to check to see if something has happened…”

“You tactless punk. Since Madam is in Master’s room, doesn’t that answer all your questions?”

“It’s because she hasn’t come out yet, since she would’ve come out in just a minute if she just came in to pick out some cufflinks.”

Mrs. Tilly looked at the ignorant Alfred with pity.

 “Oh, Alfred, you still have a long way to go.”

*** 

Fervin looked at me as if he had already finished wiping off all the water.

He still wasn’t wearing any clothes.

I tried to look at him directly to inform him.

“I’ll get going now. Going through so much in the morning has made me tired.”

Fervin stared straight into my eyes. 

Those wolf-like eyes that didn’t match his white skin completely captivated me.

“Since you’ve already come all the way here, I wish you’d help me pick out some clothes before you go.”

“According to what you said, since it’s a tradition that was made to ensure successors, and since that doesn’t have anything to do with us, isn’t that something you can just get a servant to do?

He came closer toward me.

Those pale green eyes of his seemed to be getting darker and darker.

He whispered into my ear.

“I really want you to do it, seriously.”

He blinked his eyes, saying he was sincere, so how could you not do it?

Even just by looking at those desperate eyes of his.

I headed to the closet before my face could turn even redder. 

The wardrobe was filled with clothes that reflected his taste. 

Neat achromatic clothes, or mostly blue clothes. 

I picked out some clothes that would suit him. 

He called out to me as I was smoothing out the wrinkles.

“Irwen. My clothes.”

“Here you go.”

The moment I was heading toward him with his clothes.

He untied the towel from his lower body.

“Oh my!”

Contrary to my surprise, he was already wearing underwear underneath that towel.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but my heart was still pounding. 

When he saw my wide eyes, the corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement.

“What, did you expect something more? Is that what you wanted?”

“N-No…!”

Fervin took the clothes from me, adding, “You choose some cufflinks. I’ll wear the rest.”

While he glanced at his watch and dressed hurriedly, I rummaged through the box of cufflinks.

Yes, this was also a Duchess’s daily task.

While I was rummaging through the box, the only thing I could hear behind me was the sound of clothes rustling.

There was nothing to be said between us.

I grabbed a cute heart-shaped cufflink in my hand and started to fiddle with it.

Mrs. Tilly had advised me to talk to Fervin while choosing a cufflink.

Except only embarrassing situations kept occurring.

But what should I even talk about?

What should I say to get closer to my husband?

Can I really get closer to someone who takes my teasing so seriously?

As I glanced back at him, I saw that he was now wearing a beige vest over a white flannel dress shirt.

Fervin naturally held out his sleeve as I picked up the cufflinks and approached him.

When I put on the heart-shaped cufflinks that were made with elaborate red rubies on both sides, his pale face flushed red for a moment.

When I noticed that the corners of his mouth twitched, he covered half of his face with his hand.

I could see his pupils shaking and the corners of his eyes crinkling.

The redness from his cheeks now seemed to spread all over his face. 

He seemed to like it too. 

Fervin cleared his throat and barely managed to speak.

“…Why did you choose this?”

“Let’s get along in the future. As of today, the cold war between us as a couple is over, and starting from today, we’ll become a couple with a good relationship.” 

The gaze that was staring at the heart-shaped cufflinks slowly slid up to my face.

Those eyes which had looked coquettish earlier had now completely turned into half moons.

Earlier, he had hidden his face with his hands, but now, he fixed his gaze on me, as if he had no intention of doing so.

“A couple with a good relationship, it’s an unfamiliar word, but it’s still nice to hear. Right, you’ve been putting in so much effort and worked hard during this time, so I should put in even more effort than you.”

I saw his radiant smile for the first time.

The fact that one heart-shaped cufflink could unravel his heart was something I never would’ve imagined.

However, whether or not his smile also spread to my heart too, I also smiled at him.

Fervin, who was staring at me, added.

“You said that we should head towards being a couple with a good relationship, so I’d like to suggest one thing.”

“What is it?”

Without a word, he put on his jacket and continued.

“There’s a saying that physical distance also affects the distance of your hearts. I don’t often spend time with you during the day, so I was wondering if I could spend the night with you as well.”

“But you, you’re always in the study at night.”

“I want to get along with you.”

“Forcing effort is…”

His soft gaze dropped to me.

“I’m not forcing it. I mean it.”

He took a step back, perhaps embarrassed for saying it.

As he stepped back, a thumping sound resounded from the door.

His face flushed red.

As I approached him, he put his hand behind his back and turned it.

The door handle was pulled down as the door swung open.

Mrs. Tilly and Alfred were arguing until their faces had turned red.

“I’m sure their relationship has gotten better.”

“His relationship with Madam suddenly getting better? I don’t believe it.”

“You just heard it, the bed creaking so early in the morning, what else would that be if it wasn’t passionate…”

“Ahem.”

Fervin faced them with an icy face.

His pale face was now unobscured.

They bowed deeply, as if they were embarrassed. 

He rushed past them down to the drawing room, and didn’t say anything until breakfast was over.

When I went out the front door to see him off, he finally opened his mouth.

Although his face was still red, there was a light behind his eyes, as if he had come to a decision.

Although he said so while looking at my face, it was also said in a tone that told the servants, whose eyes were shining as they looked at us, to listen as well.

“I’ll have dinner with you tonight, so please wait for me.” 

The sound of servants whispering could be heard from behind.

“Oh my, how many years has it been since Master had dinner at home?”

“It’s the first time they promised to have dinner together like this in advance ever since they got married.”

“And…”

Fervin lowered himself from his tall stature and looked down at me.

His eyes, which were cast underneath his long eyelashes, sparkled brilliantly.

“It’d be good if you could prepare a late-night snack for me to eat later too.”

“What do you mean night… Night?”

“And the most important duty of the Duchess’s duties which you emphasise so much on.”

Fervin placed a finger lightly on my lips.

“I’m talking about spending the night together¹.”

There was a moment of silence.

I doubted what I had just heard. 

What do you mean by spending the night together? 

Fervin Carlisle and Irwen Lillias had never spent the night together, ever since their first night of marriage.

It was only a ceremonial first night, and even that wasn’t spent properly since Irwen had caused a fuss.

The ‘worst first night’, which was described in a single line in the original novel, was as followed:

‘The first night of the Ducal couple, which should have been romantic, turned out to be the worst night that left nothing but terrible memories for each other.’

Since there was such a description, Fervin should’ve clearly wanted to refuse sharing a room together.

Suddenly mentioning her duties as a duchess… Having sex²?

Then was Fervin sincere in saying that he wanted to ‘spend the night together’, earlier true?

I was tongue-tied with embarrassment when I heard the rather explicit word of ‘sleeping together’.

“What… did you say? Spending the night together?”

“Then, see you later in the evening, Irwen.”

Fervin pretended not to know and hurriedly left the house

A faint smile settled on his lips as if he found it amusing. 

Moving his long legs in a hurry, he climbed onto a dazzling black horse.

I chased after him as fast as I could and shouted.

“Wait, we haven’t finished talking yet!”

“Let’s finish our conversation later at night together.”

He hurriedly got on his horse and left for the imperial palace. 

His fine hair fluttered in the spring breeze like flower petals

Let’s have dinner… and spend the night together? 

Just what the hell is wrong with this guy?

Was this a dream?

I pinched my cheek fiercely.

“Ouch!”

This probably wasn’t a dream then.

Even when I pinched both cheeks, I could still vividly feel the pain.

I had a strong hunch that something had been miscommunicated.

However, the people around me cheered and surrounded me.

It was as if there was a festival taking place.

“It seems as if my prayers from the past four years are finally being fulfilled! Goodness, Madam has finally returned to her senses. Heavens, just how long has it been since they’ve shared the same room?”

“There will finally be a successor! I will finally be able to hear the cry of a baby in this quiet Carlisle household!”

“Tell all the idiots who said that the Carlisle family line would end in this generation to come and see!”

Most of them were servants who had served the previous Duke of Carlisle, so they were all pretty old.

Having seen and heard as much as they had with how long they’d already lived, they patiently endured the villainous Irwen, earnestly praying for her to have a change of heart.

That’s why they had smiled brightly when they saw me, who had become quite nice for a while.

They were also the ones who welcomed the change in Fervin’s gaze towards me, from hate to curiosity.

And thus, as if he were responding to their concern, Fervin declared that we would share the same room.

Since that too, had been said in front of everyone listening, I couldn’t even back out of it.

Mrs. Tilly was thrilled and pulled my arm slightly after wiping away her tears.

“Madam, please come in and eat in the mansion. There are many things to prepare for sharing a room tonight. Marianne! Go to the garden and pick a basket of rose petals, I’ll prepare the bath!”

“Yes!”

Mrs. Tilly’s niece, Marianne, who was considered rather young in the mansion, ran to the garden with her face completely red.

I walked back into the mansion with Mrs. Tilly.

Mrs. Tilly chatted beside me in excitement.

“I’ve been saying that it should’ve been like this earlier. Now, the elders of the Carlisle family will no longer have to keep nagging Master. If you just have one successor, then there won’t be any reason for this family to give you anymore pressure, Madam. Heavens, I feel so relieved. What second marriage, how could you want a second marriage when you have such a beautiful madam already…”

Mrs. Tilly looked at me warily as if she had realized her own mistake. 

Well, you don’t have to be wary. 

Since my ultimate goal was to get a divorce after completing this contracted marriage.

…Though my goal was getting blurrier and blurrier since Fervin’s tender eyes continuously glimmered in front of my eyes. 

“My apologies, Madam. I ran my mouth recklessly, please forgive me…”

I spoke calmly to Mrs. Tilly, who was still apologising.

“It’s alright, Mrs. Tilly. I’m sure Fervin was just saying that we’d share a room… just out of courtesy.”

“Out of courtesy, Madam? Madam should know better than us that Master isn’t the type of person who would say something he doesn’t want to keep.”

Mrs. Tilly scanned our surroundings, then whispered to me, as if telling me her biggest secret.

“Even now, he’s still keeping his word on not touching you without your permission.”

My eyes shook violently unknowingly.

You said you’d never touch me without my permission?

Then what do you call everything that you’ve done up until now?

Is that not touching?

Does Fervin have a different standard of physical contact to me?

My mind was suddenly thrown into confusion.

 “Then now…”

“I guess he couldn’t stand it any longer, huh? Even when we see Madam these days, we can’t help but wonder how you can look so beautiful. So what about our energetic Master?”

Mrs. Tilly smiled sinisterly.

“Master seems to be in a hurry too.”

*** 

In the vast imperial palace, Fervin Carlisle was sitting alone in a spacious room, staring at his work.

As the Chief Commander of the empire and the Emperor’s right-hand man, his desk was full of documents he had to process every day.

Although the situation he was in didn’t allow him any time to focus only on the papers on his desk, he was currently immersed in his thoughts, fiddling with the cufflink on his right sleeve.

He twirled the heart-shaped cufflink that was hanging from his sleeves.

The red ruby sparkled, as if representing his mind which was filled with curiosity.

Fervin was thinking about what had happened this morning. 

Her innocent expression when she had woken up in the morning and come running to his room to find him and choose his clothes.

It was the moment he couldn’t hide his embarrassment since she had rushed in after he had taken a bath.

His embarrassment was written all over his body, his face feeling feverish and his mouth drying out, so he had unknowingly treated her more stiffly.

He had no intention of touching her when Irwen didn’t want him to, and the first step of becoming ‘a couple with a good relationship’ like she hoped for was to replace their conversations with a softer and more tender one.

However, once a wave of emotions burst forth from him, it led him to an unexpected situation.

He was curious about her sincerity, and wondered just how far she’d go for him.

Although she said she’d do her duties as Duchess, he wondered what she would do in a situation where they had to share the same room.

At his wife’s first light touch against him, he couldn’t control the various emotions he had hidden over the past four years.

If it was as usual, he would’ve walked out of the mansion respectably in front of the other servants, but the fact that he emphasised that he wanted to spend the night with his wife also proved that he was overwhelmed with excitement.

It was his wife who had reached out her hand first, and it was he who promised that he would do his best too.

‘Anyway, if we start to look like a loving couple, the pressure on producing an heir on Irwen will increase. It’s better to show the vassals such an appearance before they start to pressure her, rather than having Irwen face such pressure by herself.”

Several sheets of paper slipped out from the hand of him, who was absorbed in his thoughts.

His face burning and heart pounding, he hurriedly picked up the scattered paper. 

He couldn’t be productive when he thought about spending time with Irwen later in the evening.

Just then, his close friend, Marquis Celestine, came in. 

He was also a talented person who was indispensable to the empire.

Unlike Fervin, however, he was a father who quickly formed a pleasant family and had three children.

He shook his curly brown hair and handed Fervin a message.

“Why are you just staring into space and not doing any work?”

“When did you see me do that?”

Fervin hastily accepted the message from him. 

Marquis Celestine sat down next to him and laughed at the heart-shaped cufflinks.

“You didn’t choose this yourself, did you? I didn’t think that you, who didn’t have much of an interest in accessories, would have made this heart-shaped one out of your own will…”

“Irwen chose it for me.”     

Marquis Celestine clicked his tongue in astonishment.

“No way.”

“What do you mean? That a wife wouldn’t do this for her husband?”

“No, I mean… you and your wife are a little different from the average couple.”

Marquis Celestine scratched his head after saying so.

It was Marquis Celestine, whom he had been close to since childhood, who had been especially concerned about the unsuccessful marriage of Fervin.

At the wedding where the only one smiling was Fervin, Marquis Celestine thought his friend had become a little strange.

The Duke Carlisle who he was familiar with, who was one who would never give in to his impulses, quickly married his first love, saying that he had fallen in love with her at first sight.

As expected from their sudden marriage, Fervin then spent a troublesome four years with Irwen.

Marquis Celestine, who saw Fervin every day at the imperial palace, felt sorry for him, and would comfort him by inviting him to his residence from time to time.

“It’s really tough.”

Fervin, who usually couldn’t express his own emotions very well, uttered out whilst drunk.

Marquis Celestine was just one person who hoped for the end of his marriage and sincerely wished for his friend’s happiness more than anyone else.

However, not too long ago, things seemed to become strange once again.

Ever since the Duchess woke up from her faint, she seemed to have changed personalities.

At the cultural festival that was recently held at the Duke’s residence too, the malice from her face seemed to have disappeared.

And above all, Fervin’s face was like that.

Marquis Celestine looked at Fervin’s ever-changing expressions on his face as if it were bizarre. 

‘That guy… I don’t know why he’s acting like an adolescent boy.’

Fervin, who was unable to take his eyes off the documents, as if he were contemplating over something, tilted his head slightly.

“Haa… why did it have to be today…”

“What happened?”

“There’s an urgent matter that’s to be dealt with today. It’s a message from His Majesty to stay until the evening. It’s probably because of the additional taxes that need to be paid for the new palace… Haaa…”

“The empire wouldn’t be able to function without you. Just work hard for today.”

“Don’t you want to leave work early to see your fox-like wife and rabbit-like children?”

Marquis Celestine shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, I’m always happy when I go home. But even if you go home, it’s not great for you anyway, right?”

Fervin refused to get dragged into a question that was deliberately trying to draw information from him.

However, his face easily betrayed him.

Just thinking of Irwen made his pupils tremble violently.

Fervin changed the topic and asked a question instead to hide his own thoughts.

“Lance. What made you fall in love with your wife?”

“Me?”

Marquis Celestine thought about it without being aware of anything else.

He thought that if he replied saying he fell in love with her beautiful face, it’d seem too superficial of an answer.

Thus, he treaded carefully and replied reluctantly.

“I… well, I’m sure it must’ve been her kind heart.”

At that time, Marquis Celestine fell in love with Count Onorin’s second daughter, the current Marchioness, at first sight, and persistently pursued her.

He was famous at that time within high society for courting her passionately and saying that her looks fit his ideal type.

Fervin, who knew his love story better than anyone else, had an absurd expression on his face.

“Seems like you can’t tell the truth.”

“Then what aspect of the Duchess did you fall for? Why the hell did you get married in such a hurry, as if you’re roasting beans with lightning and eating them³?”

When the Marquis Celestine, who was flushed red, asked such a question, Fervin responded as if it were natural.

“Since she was my first love, and I was sure that she’d be my last too,” he said.

“…How can you be so shameless!”

When Fervin shrugged his shoulders, Marquis Celestine shook his head a little, as if it were incomprehensible.

Then, he opened his mouth again, as if he remembered something.

“By the way, the imperial ball will be held next week. I heard that Young Lady Bell would also be there. You knew as well, right?”

Fervin’s face stiffened at the name that was suddenly brought up.

Count Bell’s daughter, Stella Bell.

The young lady who was once mentioned as his future wife, and his childhood friend.

No, rather, it was she who claimed to be his childhood friend.

[1]  합방 can mean a combined room, spending the night together, or slang for sex.

[2]  more explicit word for having sex rather than the insinuation Fervin used earlier.

[3] to behave in an impatient or hasty manner (raws actually say fire but the proverb is lightning)

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AHHHH THIS CHAPTER WAS NEARLY 5K WORDS i was meant to get this out by 29/11 but ;-; i didn’t expect that this chapter was THIS LONG yawl getting FED FR HGSLKDFJDSF ૮₍˶Ó﹏Ò ⑅₎ა

one thing i do want to touch on tho is THE TITLE !!
consent is important, even if you’re married, pls still get consent from your partner every time (remember enthusiastic consent or it means no !!! plus consent is super fucking sexy too !!) i
t’s cute when irwen says it when she’s teasing fervin since we know both their intentions but pls remember this is fiction, pls apply common sense in rl life too !!!

moving on, some things i rlly like abt this chapter is the friendship between marquis celestine and fervin !!! he wishes the best for his friend and i love that fervin has someone he can lean on! the way marquis celestine says he fell in love with his wife’s kind heart and fervin’s just like, ‘you lying bro???’

PLUS CAN WE TALK ABT FUCKING MRS. TILLY THROWING HANDS WITH ALFRED HANGLDSKFJDFS WHEN SHE SAID DON’T YOU DARE GO IN THERE I CACKLED MF she rlly thought the bed creaking was them having snu snu i- LMAOOOOOO

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

AND…!
by fa who bought me a kofi!
(this is super late but i’m trying to make up for it hgLSKDJSFD !!!!)

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By the time the banquet was over, it was already dark outside.

“Thank you for allowing me to witness such a wonderful performance, Duchess.”

“Your singing was as skilled as that of a renowned songstress, Lady Carlisle. To be able to have the ability to pull at heartstrings with your song, I hope to see you more often in the social world.”

“Thank you.”

Every time I saw a guest off at the door, they would continue to praise my singing skills, over and over again.

Especially the Emperor and Empress, who said that they were moved to tears when they heard my song.

The Empress held my hand and earnestly asked me whether I would attend the tea parties which would be held by the other noble ladies in the future, or if I would accept an invitation to attend the balls at the imperial palace in the future if the Emperor invited me.

“I think it’d be nice if you’d be able to attend the ball held at the Imperial Palace next time and sing a song for us. No, more importantly, rather, I would need a definite answer for whether you’d be able to attend the ball next time. It’s a loss for our nation for such a lively woman who is so good at singing to be inactive in social circles.”

I felt flustered by the Emperor’s sudden invitation, so the end of my sentence trailed off and was left rather vague.

“Ah, but I haven’t been very active in the social world lately…”

Although I did plan to continue showing my changed appearance to the social world, the thing that mattered first and foremost was rather than that, my relationship with Fervin.

I needed to check whether my strategy of using this performance to convey my sincerity had actually worked on him.

We had to first, restore our relationship before we could engage in other social activities.

However, the Emperor was someone who had a stronger will than I expected.

“Then you can just start being active from now on! Now, Fervin! You won’t have to come to the ball alone in such a pitiful state anymore since you can now bring your wife along with you!”

I turned my head at the Emperor who now hinted to turn this decision toward Fervin.

Fervin was looking at me with an awkward expression.

The Emperor, who was next to him, asked him once again.

“Fervin, you’d better give me a definite answer here.”

“…Pardon?” 

He had only been looking at me since earlier, so in the end, he eventually missed what the Emperor had asked him.

The Emperor merely shrugged his shoulders as Fervin belatedly turned his head to the Emperor.

“I said to bring your wife to the next ball.”

The moment Fervin’s eyes met mine, those pale green eyes of his hurriedly turned away.

He pretended to be calm, as if he didn’t want me to notice that he had been looking at me the whole time.

He hurriedly replied to the Emperor with a pale face.

“I didn’t hear you, Your Majesty.”

“Why don’t you attend the imperial ball next week with the Duchess? You know how I felt every time I saw you attend by yourself.”

Fervin took a peek at me. 

His expression seemed so unguarded that I unknowingly put my hands together, my eyes gleaming, as if I were begging him to help me out of this situation.

Then came Fervin’s low voice in almost a growl.

“Either way, Irwen doesn’t know anyone there since she hasn’t been active in high society in the meantime, so if she does attend social events, she would feel rather awkward. So she would rather Your Majesty not invite her out.”

Then, the silver-haired Duke Sibelom opened his mouth to flirt with me.

“Don’t worry, Duke Carlisle. I will be responsible for introducing Lady Irwen to everyone else, so you don’t have to worry.”

The Emperor sighed and intervened.

“Sibelom, don’t be presumptuous. You’re not even her husband, so why would that be your responsibility?”

“Your Majesty, I’m only trying to advise Duke Carlisle on what to do since he himself is unsure.”

Whether the Emperor, who had a frustrated look on his face, didn’t know how to stop his younger brother’s actions or not, Sibelom took a step closer toward me and said.

“Lady Irwen. Do you know just how much the many young nobles and noblewives were worried when you, who was renowned as the Flower of the Verma Principality, didn’t show your face in the high society here? I hope that high society will soon be lit up by your charming presence and that your beautiful song will be heard by all who come.”

“No, I…”

“It is the Emperor’s order that you return to the social world, Lady Irwen.”

Sibelom placed his hands which were as broad as toads on me.

Fervin’s pale face flushed red momentarily.

I wasn’t sure whether it was out of excitement or anger.

He slapped Sibelom’s hand which had sneakily grabbed onto mine.

In an instant, the back of Sibelom’s white hands turned bright red. 

Sibelom grumbled as if he was dumbfounded.

“Fervin, what do you think you’re doing, beating people as you please?!”

“There was a bothersome bug there. Please forgive my rudeness.”

Fervin grabbed my hand tightly and said arrogantly. 

Since it was basically impossible to touch him, who was the Emperor’s right hand man, recklessly, Duke Sibelom was only able to grumble about it.

A strong sense of possessiveness exuded from the eyes of Fervin, who was still holding my hand tightly, for a moment.

Although he spoke politely with correct etiquette to the Emperor, it was as if he was giving him the final notice.

“Then I will go to the ball next week with my wife.”

“Alright, I’ll see you then!”

Then, the last guests, which were the Emperor, the Empress, and Duke Sibelom, finally left.

I distanced myself a bit away from Fervin and saw them off.

I gave them a sweet smile until the end.

Fervin’s lips twitched. 

Once the huge door was closed, we were the only ones left alone at the entrance.

On the other side, sounds of the servants busily cleaning up the aftermath of the banquet and laughing pleasantly could be heard, but over here, there was nothing but the cold Siberian wind.

I had to strike while the iron was hot right now.

Since Fervin said that he would attend the Emperor’s ball with me, I had to listen to his response.

We had to decide whether or not our relationship had really undergone improvements or not. 

In the end, was my song truly well received by him? Does he now know how I truly feel?

He had clearly given me flowers earlier, kissed the back of my hand, held hands with me, and fed me dessert.

That was definitely not a bad reaction.

However, it was simply impossible to infer what he truly thought just from Fervin’s pale face.

In front of others, he only acted the part of a sweet and doting husband, but since it was now only the two of them who remained, he once again reverted to his originally cold countenance.

He uttered something in a polite, but cold voice, that seemed as if he were trying to suppress something.

“You worked hard today. Then, I’ll take my leave.”

As soon as Fervin started to turn around and go up the stairs, one step at a time, I grabbed his hand to turn him around.

“How was my song today? I put my heart into the lyrics, but I want to hear what you truly thought about it.”

His large shadow flickered in the light from the candles which were placed everywhere along the staircase.

*** 

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

Fervin looked from his hand which had been seized by Irwen, then down at his wife.

It was the same Irwen who had remained confident in front of the guests at the banquet hall earlier. 

Unlike him, who would only avoid her every time, the appearance of her taking the bull by its horns¹ was so different from her past self.

He also wanted to be honest with Irwen. 

He wanted to tell her that the lock on his heart which had been tightly shut had already been unlocked a while ago, and that it would only be a matter of time before he approached her again.

However, his feelings of hurt and betrayal from the past caught him by the ankle.

Despite the fact that he thought she was lovely, adorable, pretty, and wanted to hug her at every moment, the moment he saw her radiant face, he would always arm himself with this sort of cold facade.

“I’ll acknowledge your effort. I don’t know whether it’s thanks to the screaming you did during those four years that it happened to widen your throat too, but your singing rang out loudly throughout the vast banquet hall. It wasn’t drowned out by the piano at all either.”

Irwen’s expression stiffened in an instant, as if she hadn’t expected such a reply.

Fervin’s face contorted at her disappointment. 

Those words came out arbitrarily once again.

It was fortunate that there were shadows covering his face due to the dim lighting. 

It was too embarrassing for him to show that his emotions constantly fluctuated between sorrow and joy and hung onto Irwen’s every action.

“I want you to look at the lyrics of the song, not my singing technique, Fervin. I also know that I’ve made mistakes over the past four years, but that’s only because I wasn’t in my right mind, having just come to a foreign country and constantly feeling as if I was all alone here. So, I expressed my true feelings with a song to show that I’d devote myself to my duties as Duchess for the remaining year. Do you really not know how I feel?”

“You said that you’d beg for my forgiveness, that you’d cling to me, who was trying to leave… Were you being serious?”

“I’m serious.”

Irwen’s sincere voice filled his ears.

Upon seeing her blue eyes twinkling in the dark, Fervin let out a deep breath.

Even if he was crazy, this was simply too crazy.

To think that he’d end up falling for Irwen all over again, despite having been hurt so much in the past four years because of her… 

No, he may have already fallen for her. 

Brilliant platinum blond hair slid down over his forehead. 

He opened his mouth, tossing his hair back as if he was exhausted. 

Words that contradicted what he truly felt poured out.

“It’s impossible for someone to change in an instant.” 

The truth is, I was actually waiting for you to change.

“For the past four years, I’ve only ever been patient and endured it all. And I even anticipated it, anticipated that there would be a fervent sincerity underneath your sharp, knife-like sarcasm.”

It was only natural that I be patient and endure the past four years, since I believed that the person I loved would reciprocate my sincerity, as long as I did my best to show mine.

“But you never once showed me your sincerity. And even now, it’s still the same. Even now, it just seems as if you’re just putting on a show.”

It’s true that I was scared by the emotions you’ve shown me this time, so I’ve only been ignoring you this whole time. However, I’m still shaken by every single one of your small actions, so I want to believe that these actions of yours are sincere.

Fervin, who uttered words that contradicted his heart, regretted it at that moment. 

He heard Irwen answering in a calm tone.

“So that’s what you think… Alright, I agree. You can’t change your opinion of me in an instant.”

Fervin hurriedly turned to look at her reaction after she said it, thinking that he had gone too far.

He was worried that Irwen would be hurt by his torrent of harsh words that actually contradicted his true thoughts.

Unexpectedly, Irwen opened her mouth with a calm expression on her face.

“Since people can’t change in an instant, I didn’t want you to change all of a sudden. Still, thank you so much for today, Fervin. Then, you can take your leave and go rest then.”

Fervin’s pale face flushed red. 

Are you giving up on me already, Irwen? 

You can’t back out this easily, you have to grab a tighter hold on me.

You have to ask me why I show such an affectionate appearance in front of others, but only a sharp attitude that seems as if you have no place in my heart when it’s only the two of us.

As Irwen walked past him, he could hear the hem of her long dress being dragged across the floor.

Fervin’s lips trembled as he watched her from behind.

He shouldn’t keep being greedy.

The moment he gives into his greed, he’ll lose control of his own desire and longing for her.

He will become obsessed with her. 

It was a fate that was set in stone the moment he first saw her, and still continued in the present.

Fervin hurried up the stairs and grabbed her waist, dragging her around the corner.

“Don’t go, Irwen.”

The moment her body spun around and settled into his embrace.

With his hands tightly wrapped around her waist and caressing her head, Fervin buried his face into her luscious hair.

Although it clearly must’ve been accidental, he just found himself catching her in his embrace in order to convey what he wasn’t able to in words.

He found himself pulling her deeper into his embrace.

[1] taking a bull by its/the horns: dealing decisively with a difficult situation.

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the obsessive male lead trope is so chefs kiss and i will stand by this until the moment i die.

PLUS FERVIN’S INNER THOUGHTS HAVE ME DYING I TELL YOU HELPSDLKFJDSF IM MELTING
god i am quite literally those tiktok comments under couple posts bc i literally tl this like
‘aw, how cute, i never want to see this on my fyp again ˘͈ᵕ˘͈ *jumps off cliff*’

LSKDJFDSFSD GOD I FEEL SO SINGLE WHEN WILL TRUCK KUN COME FOR ME ??????!!!!! god when will it be my turn hGLSDKFJDFS