The hand clutching his shirt was filled with urgency.
“Anneliese?”
Even when the Grand Duke called her, Anneliese didn’t open her eyes.
He thought she had woken up—but she hadn’t.
Come to think of it, humans could talk in their sleep.
Her small hand pulled him down, forcing him onto the bed.
“Let go. I have things to do.”
The Grand Duke carefully grasped her wrist.
He tried to pull away—
But it only made things worse.
Her grip on his shirt tightened.
As he tried to leave, Anneliese frowned in her sleep.
Her lips moved faintly.
“You promised…”
“…Hah. When did I ever—”
He let out a dry laugh at what might have been sleep-talking.
He felt trembling beneath his collarbone.
The hand clutching his shirt was shaking.
What a troublesome habit.
At this rate, he couldn’t leave.
If he forced it and her fragile-looking hand got hurt, it would only become more troublesome.
The Grand Duke sighed and relaxed his body.
“I won’t go. I’ll stay here.”
“Mm… stay here with me.”
Hearing his words, she seemed satisfied and nestled into his arms.
She was irritating in every possible way.
Now he had no choice but to wait like this until the human in his arms woke up.
The body in his arms was slender—
And warmer than usual.
Every time he heard her soft breathing, something prickled faintly below his chest.
That feeling again.
With an annoyed expression, the Grand Duke closed his eyes as well.
I’ll get used to it soon. It’ll stop bothering me.
It had to.
How long had she slept?
Anneliese slowly regained consciousness.
The first thing she felt was touch.
Something soft, firm, and large was wrapped around her.
She was in the Grand Duke’s arms.
Why is this person holding me so naturally?
It’s comfortable, but do we really need to sleep together? We’re not even truly married.
She decided to talk to him once he woke up.
As she tried to move out of his arms—
She froze.
She realized what had been bothering her.
I can’t feel a heartbeat.
To check, she slowly placed her hand on his chest.
Under the shirt, his body was completely still.
And I don’t hear any breathing either.
A normal person would have a heartbeat, breaths in and out—
But there was nothing.
Did he undergo some kind of special training?
As she reached toward his nose to check—
“What are you doing? That tickles.”
Startled, Anneliese shot upright.
“I’m sorry. Since when have you been awake?”
The Grand Duke lay slightly reclined, resting his chin on one hand as he looked at her.
Behind the sunglasses on his nose, his golden eyes were visible.
“Since you started squirming.”
So he had been watching her the whole time.
She thought he was deeply asleep.
“Did I wake you up?”
“No. I just didn’t sleep.”
As she hesitated, he rubbed his stiff neck and muttered,
“You slept the entire day. I was wondering when you’d wake up.”
As his arm lifted, the open collar of his white shirt revealed his firm chest.
Why are his buttons undone all the way down there?
Even his toned abs were visible.
Anneliese unconsciously swallowed.
It was a bit too much stimulation for the morning.
Does he usually sleep half-undressed? If so, we definitely can’t share a bed.
“More importantly, Your Grace… have you been by my side this whole time?”
“Yeah.”
“…Ah.”
She carefully chose her words.
“Now that I think about it, I never mentioned this before… but we’ll be using separate rooms, right? We’re not a real married couple, so there’s no need to share a bed.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I mean we don’t have to spend nights like this—hugging each other.”
After speaking, she cautiously watched his reaction.
His eyebrow tilted upward.
“Ridiculous.”
She guessed right.
He looked incredulous.
“You told me not to leave.”
“What? When did I say that?!”
Anneliese was shocked.
“So you’re denying it now? You grabbed me and wouldn’t let go.”
He pointed at the wrinkled part of his shirt—
Marked clearly by her grip.
That definitely wasn’t his doing…
“Ah… I must not have been in my right mind because I was so tired. I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful.”
It was best to apologize quickly.
She had often had nightmares since childhood—
But never anything like this.
Why did I do that?
“If you’re that anxious, we can use separate rooms. Don’t worry. Even if you cling to me, I’ll never love you.”
He tapped her left ring finger.
For some reason, he looked slightly irritated.
She wasn’t going to lose either.
“That’s good. I’ll never fall in love with you either.”
Her suggestion wasn’t about emotions—
It was about sleep.
I just can’t sleep with someone next to me.
Especially not a half-dressed, handsome man.
He scoffed and left the room.
Why does that annoy me?
As she punched the bed in frustration—
“My lady! I’ll help you get ready for breakfast!”
A bright voice rang out as a maid entered.
“Hello, my lady! It’s my first time meeting you! My name is Ellie, and I’ll be attending to you from now on!”
A young girl with fluffy white curly hair bowed energetically.
Anneliese rubbed her eyes.
Did I not wake up properly yet?
On top of Ellie’s head—
She thought she saw a pair of small dog ears.
Still dazed, Anneliese let Ellie help her get dressed.
When she looked again—
The dog ears were gone.
“Is something wrong, my lady? Are you feeling unwell?”
“No… I’m just a bit tired.”
Her fluffy white hair does look like a Pomeranian…
She must have mistaken her hairstyle for ears.
The underground of the Grand Duke’s castle.
Unlike above ground—
The sky here glowed dark red, and lava flowed in all directions.
Screams of sinners echoed around them,
While his subordinates bickered nearby.
“Pamine, hide your ears and tail properly when you meet the Duchess.”
“Stop nagging and go away, Isaiah!”
“If you go around wagging your tail like that and get caught, no walks for a week.”
“Humans don’t even notice anyway! Why bother hiding it?”
“Because the Duchess isn’t a normal human. She can even see our lord’s real face.”
“…Seriously?”
As usual, it was a boring day.
The Grand Duke ignored their conversation and looked down at the relic on the ground.
No matter what methods he tried, he couldn’t open it.
The Relic of Aldeon remained completely intact.
He had obtained it because it was said to help him find his lost heart.
It wasn’t that he desperately wanted his heart back.
He just couldn’t allow it to fall into someone else’s hands.
Maybe I should just throw it away.
He clicked his tongue as he thought of Anneliese earlier that morning.
She’s so wary, acting like I might fall in love with her.
What was she so worried about?
Sure, she was irritating—
And so dazzling that he might lose himself if he let his guard down—
But what he felt for her was definitely not love.
Because—
He knew exactly what love was.
