“So, what I mean is…”

“Yes…?”

“Until I say it’s okay, can you not leave my sight?”

“Huh?”

‘…What does that even mean?’

As I looked at him, puzzled, he explained in detail.

“Ray, when you left me, it was terrifying.”

“Still, I explained that situation.”

“I thought you could distinguish between me and Enzo…”

As Lucian continued, a chill went down my spine, and I started to sweat nervously. This felt like a no-win situation. No matter what excuses I made within the predetermined range, the response I had to give was already fixed.

“…I did distinguish.”

I protested weakly. It was obvious that I was fooled. Even though I said I wasn’t fooled, the fact was like this.

What did staying within his sight even mean?

While I didn’t mind his obsession, sometimes he planned more than I anticipated.

“Still, I’m worried, Ray. What if another man appears, disguises himself as me, and tricks you? You wouldn’t know, would you?”

Resting his chin on his palm, which was propped up on the armrest, he muttered with a sigh. Another person changing their appearance…

Considering Cassandra had the power of illusion, I knew Lucian was exaggerating, yet it made me ponder. What if a woman disguised as me approached Lucian, and he couldn’t recognize her? Just the thought of it infuriated me.

Well, Lucian seemed to have immediately distinguished between me and Cassandra.

Filling in the gaps with affection made everything understandable.

Sitting on his lower abdomen, I laid down on top of his body. His firm body felt addictively comfortable. No cushion could beat the perfect firmness of his physique.

“What exactly do you mean by not leaving your sight?”

My casual question meant an agreement must have been immediately understood by Lucian. A flicker of interest passed through his eyes. He straightened up and pulled me closer.

Burying my face in his broad chest, he rubbed his nose against his head.

“Be within my sight no matter where I am.”

“Then…”

Curious about the moment, I comfortably laid down but then got up deliberately. Wrapped tightly in the blanket, I ran to a corner of the balcony. Lucian seemed displeased as I left his embrace and furrowed his brows as he watched my actions.

As I stood in the corner, I looked back at him and asked.

“Here? Can you see me?”

“…Yes.”

“Now, then…”

I dashed to the opposite corner, bending over as I shouted,

“How about here? Can you see me?”

“….”

“And this side?”

Human vision is broader than one might think. Even while reading a book, you can generally see the outline of someone passing by.

Since he asked me not to leave his sight, wouldn’t that suffice?

Adjusting our schedules to match like before was no longer acceptable for me. After all, I need my personal time, too. Considering we’re to be together for life, it seemed better to make promises more carefully.

Even from the moment the topic was brought up until Lucian deemed it was okay was the period in question.

So, shouldn’t the range of his sight be clearly defined?

Wandering around the spacious balcony, I received no response. Only then did I turn towards where Lucian was.

“Ah!”

I screamed, startled by Lucian suddenly appearing right beside me. Why did he walk so silently? And why was he so unabashedly bold while naked?

Looking up at him as he crossed his arms and gazed down at me, I accidentally caught sight of something I shouldn’t have and quickly covered my eyes, turning away. I wasn’t quite as brazen as Lucian to openly stare under such bright sunlight.

“Hmm…”

He made a peculiar snorting sound and slid his hand under my arms. He effortlessly lifted me up and carried me into the room without another word.

“Lucy? Why?”

Even though I asked while sweating from anxiety, he simply patted my behind with one hand as he held me.

“I wanted to see more…”

Despite my murmuring, Lucian, who never missed a word I said, entered the bedroom without reply. I struggled but soon found myself lying alone on the bed, with Lucian swiftly taking a position over me. Noticing his lips twisted in a grimace, I clutched the blanket wrapped around me and rolled to the side.

Still, it seemed I couldn’t beat his superior physique. Instead of following, I simply grasped the end of the blanket tightly.

“Ack!”

Like the filling escaping from a kimbap roll, only my white body slid out from the blanket.

With a flutter, he threw the blanket aside, and it slowly descended to the floor. In the moment I was distracted by that scene, Lucian approached from the side and gently flipped my body over.

“Lucy! Wait! I want to shower, and I’m hungry!”

I hurriedly spoke, but Lucian, who was pressing close behind me, kissed along my spine and murmured.

“I want to show you properly.”

“…What exactly?”

“What it means to not leave my sight.”

“Like this?”

“Yes, I’ll teach you slowly from now on, Ray.”

I regretted exploring the balcony as I groaned.

Lucian turned out to be more persistent than I had imagined. Part of me wanted to cancel my appreciation for this aspect of his character.

* * *

It took a full two days of rest, or rather, two days intertwined, before we could meet the duchess. The Duchess’ eyes were so swollen and red that she raised her voice at us for the first time.

“Didn’t you think about how worried we must be at home? Even though I might not have the right to say much, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t worried! A proper explanation might have helped… No, even with an explanation, I would’ve been worried.”

I stared blankly at the Duchess as she scolded us, feeling a tingle in my heart. Lucian, who had been silently listening beside me, bowed his head slightly in apology.

“I’m sorry.”

I was surprised, yet pleased, to see him apologizing first, something he would normally ignore.

“I’m sorry, my Madam…”

Having nothing else to say, I followed suit and apologized. Watching us apologize side by side, the Duchess suddenly burst into tears.

Thinking back about it, she might have been the one who struggled the most. While everyone was away from the mansion, she alone steadfastly upheld the Duchy and led all the servants to Leon’s territory.

Considering how challenging it must have been to lead so many people and knowing the duchess had always lived within her room was both astonishing and impressive.

Seeing the duchess cry so pitifully with her pale face, I searched for a handkerchief and sat down beside her while offering it gently. When I handed it to her, she hugged me tightly. It was such a strong display of emotion that I wasn’t familiar with.

“My lady…”

I awkwardly hugged her back and then patted her on the back, which only seemed to make her cry harder. After a while, the duchess lifted her head, dabbing her eyes with the handkerchief.

“Look at me… I’ve ordered lunch to be prepared… You must be hungry?”

With a smile, I glanced at Lucian before responding.

“Yes, Madam. I’m very hungry.”

“Good. Let’s go down to the dining room then.”

The Duchess seemed pleased with my response that a faint smile appeared on her face. The three of us left the room and walked down the corridor together.

As I chatted away beside her, Lucian quietly approached.

“When will you stop calling my mother ‘the Duchess’?”

Caught off guard by his sudden question, both the duchess and I looked at him. He repeated himself with a somewhat blunt expression.

“You’ve accepted my proposal, after all. We might not have formalized it yet, but you and I are practically spouses now.”

His statement wasn’t wrong, but I wondered why he brought this up all of a sudden. Couldn’t we just have some food first? I was really hungry.

The Duchess responded instead of me.

“In that case, how about we proceed with the wedding as soon as things are settled? A proposal and marriage are different matters. It’s understandable if Rachel feels confused.”

Huh? No, why was the conversation heading in that direction?

“…Things kept coming up, and it got postponed. Mother’s words seem right.”

‘I’m really hungry… Can’t we talk over a meal? Of course, I’m happy about marrying Lucian… but is this really a conversation to have standing in the middle of the corridor?’

The Duchess and Lucian continued their serious discussion about the wedding ceremony, with me caught in the middle. While it was nice to see them getting along better than before, to me, a meal at this very moment was more crucial than a wedding ceremony that might happen who knew when.

I was truly famished.

“We intended to process the marriage registration immediately, but now we won’t need the Emperor’s permission, will we?”

“Since this is Leon territory, it would be right for the previous duke to handle it.”

“The previous duke also mentioned he would return as soon as things were settled, so it wouldn’t be a problem to start preparing in advance.”

“…Is the previous duke safe?”

The question I had wanted to ask the most only came up now, as it was subtly brought up by the Duchess. Lucian gave her a gentle smile in response. I had never seen him smile at the previous Duke and Duchess before.

“We’ll manage on our own from now on, so you two should also live happily together.”

With those words, Lucian held my hand with a strangely relieved expression. It was clear that this moment marked his departure from the past, just like me.

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