“That’s a relief. What did you dream about?”
It was embarrassing to say, *I dreamed of you.*
Rishi hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“I dreamed that I was riding Windy.”
“That’s disappointing.”
“Huh?”
“I wanted you to dream about me.”
Kay gently swept the back of his hand across Rishi’s cheek. The spot where his hand touched burned hot.
It felt surreal, even now.
To think that Count Cavebrandt Green would complain that I hadn’t dreamed of him. Is this truly reality? Perhaps this was a happy dream after all? Could I be witnessing a fantasy I desire from within the depths of death?
Suddenly struck by fear, I reached out toward him. I pressed my palm against his cheek to confirm his body heat. Not satisfied with that, I moved my hand to his firm arm, his chest, his waist…
“Rishi. Stop.”
He caught Rishi’s wrist.
“Stop provoking me. I’m barely holding back as it is.”
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
Rishi blushed as she realized what she had been doing, and his eyes narrowed.
“You have nothing to be sorry for. It isn’t bad at all to have my wife so actively caressing my body first thing in the morning. If I didn’t have to hold back…”
Kay shifted his position and climbed on top of Rishi. He propped his upper body up on his elbows and looked down at her.
His firm thighs pressed against Rishi’s. Rishi held her breath, self-conscious of their stomachs pressed tightly together.
“I’d like to devour you with gratitude.”
His voice stirred a secret part of her.
Rishi used to be afraid of a man’s weight. But the weight of him pressing down on her now did not scare her.
Rather than fear, she wanted to know. How much hotter could his eyes, more fervent than usual, possibly become?
Suddenly, she remembered Kay kissing Britney in her past life.
What kind of look had Kay had in his eyes back then?
Had he worn this same sensual heat?
“Don’t be so afraid, Rishi. It was a joke.”
Misinterpreting the look in Rishi’s eyes, Kay smiled, moved off her, and lay back down beside her.
Rishi felt a sudden pang of disappointment, which caught her off guard, and she bolted upright.
Kay lay there languidly, looking up at her.
“So, how are things with Windy? Have you two become close enough to dream about her while I was away?”
“Well. If I give her an apple, she tries to eat my hand. I didn’t know unicorns were carnivores.”
Kay chuckled.
“Unicorns eat everything. Be careful not to get eaten, Rishi. I want your ‘firsts’ to be mine, no matter what they are.”
“I don’t think becoming a wolf’s food would be better.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Kay wiggled his body over and rested his head on Rishi’s thigh.
Rishi hesitated, then placed her hand on his hair. She carefully combed through his jet-black locks. Her fingertips touched his scalp. Rishi gently massaged his scalp as she stroked his hair.
“Did you use the Sleeve Stone on me?”
Instead of answering, Kay pulled a bracelet from his robe. It was a bracelet set with a small, blue, pearl-like stone in the center.
“The chieftain of the Quarten tribe had it nicely crafted into a bracelet.”
“Did he give it to you willingly?”
“There was a slight friction, but we resolved it through conversation.”
*Did they really resolve it through conversation?*
When Rishi reached out to touch the Sleeve Stone, Kay quickly put it back into his pocket.
“You can’t just touch it, Rishi. It’s not that dangerous, but sometimes if someone who is unhappy or wants to die touches it, it can become risky. Since I’m by your side, it shouldn’t be that big of a problem, though.”
“Do I look like someone who wants to die?”
At Rishi’s question, Kay wore a strange expression. He remained silent for a moment before saying,
“There are times when you look like you’re about to dissipate.”
I didn’t know.
Rishi hadn’t thought that she, living a new life, would appear so precarious. She had intended to live so boldly that it would seem arrogant.
*I still have a long way to go.*
She steadied her heart and fixed her gaze on Kay.
“I won’t dissipate, Kay.”
“I know. But still, you shouldn’t just go around touching that.”
“Are you going to keep that in the Holy Relic depository as well?”
“No. It’s still a secret in the Holy Kingdom. I intend to use it well until my wife starts having pleasant dreams on her own.”
“Is it okay to just use it like that?”
“It’s fine. I’m the guardian, so who’s going to say anything?”
Kay’s image was different from what she had seen in her past life. She had thought he was a more stodgy and inflexible person, but she hadn’t known he would be the type to deceive the Holy Kingdom for the sake of his wife.
“You must manage it well, Kay. Don’t lose it, and don’t let just anyone pick it up.”
Kay smiled, showing his straight teeth.
“Why are you laughing?”
“No, it’s just… I’ve realized that being nagged by my wife isn’t so bad after all.”
“It’s not nagging, it’s worrying about you.”
“Yes, yes. I understand, my lady.”
Annoyed by the grinning Kay, she lightly pinched his cheek.
He closed his eyes with a smile still playing on his lips.
“Being like this with you makes me feel sleepy.”
Come to think of it, Kay looked tired.
“Get some sleep.”
“Right. Oh, I heard the Witlow family visited.”
“I’ll handle that, so just go to sleep.”
“I like it when you speak in that tone.”
“Oh, honestly.”
She lightly pressed her palm against Kay’s lips.
Kay laughed softly.
A moment later, the tension left Kay’s lips, and his facial muscles relaxed.
Only after he had fallen asleep did Rishi realize she was smiling.
Rishi wiped the smile from her face and shifted her gaze to Kay’s pocket where the Sleeve Stone was kept.
*Would it be okay? Not to get rid of it?*
Rishi planned to stop what would happen to Kay’s family. But if that went wrong, or if misfortune struck even after she prevented it, would that thing cause Eldheart to fall into an eternal sleep and make Kay even more miserable?
*But… just by Kay bringing it here, things have become safer than in my past life.*
The power of the guardian, which can suppress the energy emitted by a holy relic. As long as Kay had it, no one would touch it and fall into an eternal sleep.
*Yes, there’s no way for me to break it anyway.*
She had tried hitting it with a hammer or throwing it from a high place, but she didn’t think a holy relic would be destroyed by such things. The last method would be to throw it into a deep lake, but Kay didn’t seem to have any intention of giving the Sleeve Stone to Rishi as a gift.
*I can’t steal from my own husband.*
Until a change occurred, Rishi decided to leave the Sleeve Stone in Kay’s care.
+++
Kay woke up after exactly one hour, saying he had work to handle, and headed to the library.
Rishi washed in warm water, changed into a simple dress, and headed to the dining room.
Nathan and Wallace were in the dining room. When Rishi entered, both men jumped up.
“Sister-in-law, the Captain said he has a lot of work, so he’ll be a little late. He told you to eat first,” Nathan reported.
Once Rishi sat in her chair, Nathan and Wallace sat down too. A cook came and recited the dishes prepared for the day. Rishi chose soup and grilled fish, while Nathan and Wallace chose meat, meat, and more meat.
It was amazing that Nathan, with his slender and small build, ate so much, even if Wallace, who had a large frame, was a different story.
“Sister-in-law, have you become a bit closer to Windy? The creature said it liked its name.”
At Wallace’s words, Rishi stopped her fork and widened her eyes.
“You can communicate with Windy?”
Wallace wore an expression of having made a slip of the tongue.
“Huh? Ah… no. That… er… I mean, it just *felt* like it.”
Wallace’s demeanor was suspicious. Nathan seemed to know something and was holding back laughter.
“Really? Because from what I saw, it seemed to hate it. Yesterday, when I called it Windy, it kicked at me with its hind legs.”
“That’s probably just because it’s playing hard to get. Trying to get your attention.”
“You know a lot about Windy, Wallace.”
“No, not at all. I don’t know anything. What would I know?”
Wallace said, waving his hands.
*Could Wallace ever betray Kay?*
I suppose not. Seeing how incapable he is of lying like that.
Rishi couldn’t fathom what Wallace was trying so hard to hide.
As Rishi stared intently at him, a restless Wallace cut a piece of bread in half and held it out.
“Would you like some?”
“Hey, why are you offering her what you were eating?”
Just as Nathan flicked Wallace’s wrist, causing the bread to drop, the dining room door swung wide open and Jen entered.
“Rishi! My sister-in-law!”
Jen walked toward Rishi with her arms wide open. Although Rishi was flustered by the intense display of excitement, she stood up calmly to greet her. Jen hugged Rishi tightly before letting her go.
“Have you been well while I was gone?”
“Thanks to you, yes. It seems you’ve been doing well, Jen.”
“Spending money recklessly is a delightful endeavor. I made up my mind to drain this household’s assets, and I found myself naturally happy.”
A party large enough to drain the family’s assets?
She must be joking.
“Oh, let me introduce her. This is Countess Nellanicus Jenal. She was my peer at the academy.”
Jen said, gesturing toward the doorway.
Only then did the elegant woman standing at the entrance walk over slowly and stop before Rishi.
“Greetings, Countess Green. I’ve heard much about you from Jen. I’d heard many stories even before that.”
Nellanicus Jenal.
When Rishi received the wedding invitation from Jen and confirmed the name, she couldn’t believe how shocked she had been.
The goddess of high society, Countess Nellanicus Jenal.
In her past life, the influence she wielded over high society grew to be even greater than that of Britney, who had become the Empress. No matter how lavish a party Britney threw, if Nella didn’t attend, the party lost its luster.
Britney tried hard to get close to Nella, but for some reason, Nella kept her distance and rarely attended the parties Britney hosted.
In her past life, Rishi had been invited to and attended one of Nella’s parties just once. Although she hadn’t been able to converse with Nella at that party, they had locked eyes several times. It felt as if Nella was observing her.
Back then, Rishi never discovered why Nella had invited someone she had no connection with, nor why she had directed such an observant gaze at her.
After that, she was never invited to any of Nella’s parties, nor did she ever happen to cross paths with her again.
But the past is the past. Her relationship in this life would be different.
“I, too, have heard much of Countess Jenal’s fame. I am delighted to meet you. Please, feel free to call me Rishi.”
“And you, please feel free to call me Nella.”
Rishi and Nella exchanged looks that seemed to be probing one another.
Jen linked her arm through Rishi’s and said,
“What do you think? My sister-in-law is prettier than the rumors, right?”
*She is certainly prettier than the rumors,* Nella thought.
Furthermore, there was an atmosphere about Rishi that was difficult to put into words.
A deep gaze that seemed to know many things, a fragility that somehow seemed unshakable, and a gentleness that held a firm, resolute side.
*The flower of the Witlow Duchy. And Britney’s younger sister.*
Nella disliked Britney.
She couldn’t stand how Britney went around bad-mouthing others while pretending to be innocent and kind.
That was why Nella hadn’t held any high expectations for Rishi. Since she was Britney’s sister, she had assumed she would be a fox raised in luxury.
From the moment the ever-cautious Jen began bragging, saying, “My sister-in-law, my sister-in-law,” Nella had wondered, *‘Is my assessment wrong?’* Now that she saw her in person, she understood.
Rishi was different from Britney. There was nothing shallow in Rishi’s eyes like there was in Britney’s. In some ways, she looked like a warrior who had returned alive from death.
*‘Why am I having such thoughts?’*
Rishi should have grown up like a hothouse flower, never stepping outside the mansion and protected by the Duke.
Just then, the dining room door burst open. Everyone’s gaze turned toward the entrance.
The woman who had just opened the door and stepped inside froze, as if she hadn’t expected to find so many people in the dining room.
Rishi smiled softly at her.
“Britney.”