The sound of air brushing past rocks.
The sound of pine needles falling to meet the earth.
The sound of fish crossing paths in a spring.
Epherna’s ears perceived all these as one harmonious melody.
Although she had often listened to the performances of the Imperial Court Orchestra, because of that, even more so now…
There had been a time when she relied on songs just to fall asleep.
Her transcendent magical abilities made even imagining the extraordinary a simple task.
But now she understood.
That such songs were meaningless after all.
“Do you like it that much?”
“Yes.”
The voice and shoulder of someone she loved.
There was nothing as comforting and efficient as this to relieve fatigue and stress.
Moreover, the atmosphere here stirred a nostalgic fragrance of old memories, leaving nothing more to say.
“How did you manage to finish remodeling this place in just a few days?”
Coincidentally, this place bore an uncanny resemblance to the mansion where she had spent her childhood.
Not only was it a two-story structure like that house, but the kitchen and living room’s layouts were also similar. Aside from the fact that it only had one bedroom, it was almost identical.
Even if there had been some natural similarities, to this extent, one couldn’t help but think about the effort put into making it so.
“I remodeled that house eight years ago too. With the help of the servants, of course. Why wouldn’t I manage this?”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, he had indeed restored a house that was on the verge of collapse, starting from the foundation.
She had witnessed those few days of work with her own eyes, so it naturally made sense.
‘Though it’s still a bit different.’
The slight dissonance she felt could be attributed to her own growth.
Unlike her past self, who couldn’t even reach the sink, she now stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
“But is it okay for us to just keep staying here like this?”
“I like it. I could stay like this until the end of the vacation.”
It wasn’t a lie.
The peace and happiness dwelling in her chest seemed endless.
At his words, her eyes softened, and her heart raced at the sound of his breathing.
Even though it felt like an incurable infatuation, she didn’t care.
‘After all, he’s my husband now.’
What a sweet thought.
Perhaps it was because she no longer had to worry about losing him to anyone else.
That might be true, but more than that, it was the happiness of knowing she could do whatever she wanted with him.
‘What should I do?’
Setting aside the one thing she was determined to do during this vacation—that was non-negotiable, even if the world split in half tomorrow—she pondered other possibilities.
‘…Cooking?’
That sounded nice.
Although she had never taken bridal lessons, and the last time she’d held a kitchen knife was about five years ago, she was confident.
She just needed to imitate the taste of the Imperial Palace’s head chef, whose dishes she had savored daily.
But today was the first day.
As the saying goes, a good start is half the work, and she wanted to make today special.
Besides, eating was something that happened three times a day, and since it wasn’t something the servants would take care of here, it could easily feel tedious.
Thinking she’d postpone cooking for later, Epherna shifted her focus to other ideas.
‘There’s a street festival nearby; we could go see that.’
But that was planned for tomorrow.
‘Sitting by the bonfire and reminiscing about old stories could be nice too.’
That would fit better with tonight’s atmosphere.
‘What should I do today?’
When she tried to think of something, nothing came to mind.
Even though she had wanted a peaceful day with nothing to do, the thought of truly having nothing made her feel empty.
Realizing this might be part of her workaholic tendencies, Epherna continued her musings until a subtle realization struck her.
“…?”
She suddenly noticed that Ern, beside her, was quietly reading a book.
He was so close, making her feel no emptiness, that she hadn’t even realized it.
Unlike her, Ern was genuinely enjoying the serene atmosphere.
A sense of her narrow perspective broadening.
The obligation to “do something” suddenly felt pointless.
Instead, an entirely different question filled her mind.
‘What are his hobbies?’
What does he like?
What does he dislike?
What peculiar habits does he have that few people know?
Because Ern had a way of being both secretive and open, almost no one knew about his day-to-day preferences.
This led even some of the loyal subjects in the Imperial City to call him a hollow puppet.
Of course, Epherna prided herself on knowing Ern better than anyone.
Without exaggeration, she probably knew more about him than his own parents did.
Even so, Epherna found herself curious about Ern.
She had fallen for the Ern she knew, but what if there were parts of him she didn’t yet know? The thought of discovering more excited her.
“What do you like, Ern?”
“You.”
“…”
Epherna thought.
Her lover was turning into more of a fox by the day.
This couldn’t possibly be her imagination.
Handsome and naturally sly, he constantly took advantage of his strengths.
The problem was that she kept falling for it… but what could she do?
For the one she’d cherished since childhood, no matter how hard she looked, she could find no flaws.
“…Other than me. Like hobbies.”
“Spending all day lying around reading books I like. You know that.”
“Not something I already know. Is there any other hobby I don’t know about? Or something you’d like to try?”
“Hmm…”
Ern paused, even stopping his reading, and suddenly turned his head with a sharp motion.
Epherna, now face-to-face with Ern, blushed deeply like a newlywed bride.
He was undeniably handsome.
Objectively speaking, his distinct features made him a strikingly good-looking man, and the bold lines of his face emphasized his masculinity.
Completely entranced by his face, Epherna didn’t notice the change until it was too late.
“Mm…!”
Her moist lips were suddenly met by his.
“Mm… Mmm!”
But this time was different from usual.
His tongue gently pried her lips apart, invading her mouth.
The kiss was passionate, brimming with intent, as if he genuinely wanted to consume her.
For Epherna, who had only experienced light, brief kisses since their first, it was overwhelmingly stimulating.
She felt as though her brain was melting, each passing second stretching into an eternity.
“…Ah.”
As the warmth and stimulation faded, Epherna let out a wistful sigh.
Ignoring her reaction, Ern spoke calmly.
“This is what I like.”
His whispered words pierced through her heart.
“So, I’ll be expecting something tonight.”
“…!!”
“I’m heading out for a bit. Might be back late.”
With that, Ern got up from the sofa and walked out of the room with composed steps.
“…”
Epherna stared blankly into the air, desperately suppressing the scream building in her throat, knowing her heart had been completely exposed.
*****
One month earlier, during a trip with Cyan and Sierra.
“Well, first of all, you’ve got a big chest.”
“…What?”
What started as idle chatter to break the silence had suddenly turned into girl talk, leaving Epherna’s brain frozen.
Noticing her daze, Cyan clapped her hands sharply, snapping Epherna back to reality.
“Isn’t it about time you got used to these conversations? How long are you going to remain so naive? You’re going to lose it soon anyway.”
“Ah, no, that’s not…”
“You asked what your strengths were as a woman, didn’t you? For starters, your chest is great! Do you even know how much of an asset that is?”
Taking advantage of the rare opportunity, Cyan began to dish out some blunt advice for her friend, whose maidenhood was soon to end.
“And your height and hips! Use those properly, and you could easily knock Astra out on your first night.”
“Plus, Astra’s tall too, isn’t he? He’s just as broad-shouldered as my dad.”
“Honestly, if I were Astra, you’d have been done for dozens of times by now. The guy’s a hero! Imagine how much he’s been holding back. With all the eyes on him in the capital, he probably hasn’t had the chance to let loose properly.”
Cyan took a deep breath, pausing to sip her coffee before continuing in a more serious tone.
“Look, I don’t have high hopes for you. If you get this flustered over just mentioning your chest, how am I supposed to trust you?”
“So remember this one thing like it’s a mantra. When the time comes, clean yourself up. Then, wrap yourself in nothing but a towel and wait for him in bed.”
“What about the rest, you ask? Didn’t I tell you? I don’t expect much from you. Leave everything else to Astra.”
Hearing Cyan’s emphatic advice, Epherna listened carefully.
Though she was often caught off guard by such risqué conversations, she prided herself on having read her fair share of mature novels. She had something she wanted to say.
“Oh, so you actually want to make Astra happy? At least you’ve got the will.”
Cyan’s eyes widened with curiosity, her interest piqued.
“Do you want to learn?”
Nod.
“All right, I’ll tell you. But! You absolutely can’t chicken out or plug your ears midway, got it?”
Nod.
*****
She followed the advice to the letter.
Freshly showered, with only a towel draped around her, she sat on the bed.
Using a large-scale detection spell, she confirmed his location.
He would open the door soon.
Was it because she’d just bathed? Or was it the nerves?
Despite her superhumanly durable body, perfected through her mastery of reconstruction magic, her body trembled slightly.
Though the room wasn’t particularly cold, she couldn’t stop shivering.
As her tension reached its peak—
Creak.
The door opened, and before she could react, she saw him.
“Uh…”
Ern froze in place, as if he too had been struck by shock.
He muttered under his breath.
“This… this isn’t what I expected…”
His eyes, clouded with desire, flickered as he spoke again.
“With this… I won’t be able to hold back.”
