"What do you have to do?"

  "Ugh, you!"

  I immediately took my fingers off of Perez’s lips as I felt him talking under my fingers and even want to take them into his mouth.

  He smiled mischievously and asked again. "What is it that you have to do?"

  Perez was likely to take off at any moment and get the job done once I said the word.

  "It’s not something you can do. I have to do it myself."

  After I said that, Perez wore a long face. But he’s still very handsome.

  "Because your fiancee is usually not of a special lineage. I have a lot to prepare." I said with a slight pat on Perez’s cheek.

  "Tia, if it’s because of the nobles, you don’t have to worry about it too much. Because they cannot refute the Emperor’s Imperial edict." Perez said anxiously.

  "I know, but my pride won’t allow me to use it as a shield and hide behind it."

  "Hmm." Perez groaned and bit his lip.

  I know that it’s this guy’s habit whenever he can’t refute something while worrying so much.

  "But you know, Perez. I was honestly surprised." I said in a low tone.

  "Surprise?"

  "I would have had to fight tooth and nail for quite some time to get the Emperor’s edict. I didn’t know you were that interested in the throne."

  "Ah." After thinking for a moment, Perez replied. "There’s nothing more important to me than being with you, Tia. So I thought I’d leave the Palace if the Emperor didn’t let me have it."

  Right, it was more of a Perez personality I know.

  "However……"

  A subtle smile spread around Perez’s mouth.

  "Maybe Tia changed me."

  "Did I?"

  Perez explained to me as I seemed confused.

  "Because you saved me. The bottle of medicine you gave me that day changed everything."

  Perez’s fingertips slowly swept my forehead.

  "I thought that maybe I could rise to the throne and help people just as you did for me."

  Perez pulled my hand and kissed it.

  "The glass bottle with the medicine you gave me was a more precious thing than I could’ve asked for."

  The sound of words brushing against my hand was warm.

  Perez looked right at me and said. "I want to ask you something."

  "Wha, what is it?" I stuttered a little without realizing it.

  When Perez looked straight at me with such deep eyes, my heart was inevitably beating hard.

  "Why did you accept my proposal?"

  "Oh, the truth is……"

  The resentment that I had forgotten came rushing in.

  "I came to the palace to propose to you. You beat me to the punch, so I quickly accepted it."

  It’s unfair. I can propose to you in a cool way too!

  But then, it wouldn’t be nice since I hadn’t got him a ring to propose with. What a shame.

  I thought while looking at the beautifully sparkling ring on my fourth finger.

  "Oh, of course. The proposal you made was the best. I can’t believe you get the Imperial edict," I said as I looked up at Perez’s face.

  Then all of a sudden, it hit me.

  Oh, I will grow old looking at this face from now on.

  I felt no fear anymore. Rather, I was only happy.

  When I get older and live to the end of my life, I will be filled with memories of being with Perez.

  "I just realized." Smiling, I looked at Perez and said. "I can only live once."

  "Tia." Perez said affectionately as he hugged me once again and gently stroked my head.

  I didn’t push him away.

  I don’t have to.

  Now that I promised to marry him, I didn’t have to deny his advances anymore. So I gave Perez a big hug as well.

  "I was afraid." Perez confessed, whispering in my ear. "You said you love me too, but I’m afraid you’d refuse to marry me at the end."

  "I can’t do that." I said firmly. "I have no intention of making my child an illegitimate one."

  I grew up with my father’s infinite love. And today I learned the truth about my mother.

  She loved me and my father enough to trade for her life. So I didn’t have much of a complex about being an illegitimate child.

  But making my child illegitimate is completely a different story.

  "I don’t want my child to be short of anything."

  Although I don’t have the ability to see my future child like my mother did, if possible, I want to give him or her only good things in life.

  But something was different.

  "Perez?"

  If it were the usual, he would answer, ’Yes?’


  Like a person with loose legs, he seems unable to get up.

  "What’s wrong? Are you sick?"

  Did I get so excited to the point that I failed to notice that Perez was sick?

  Surprised, I also squatted down and looked at Perez’s face.

  "Ah……child……" Perez murmured with a blank face.

  Oh, I was careless.

  I asked Perez carefully. "By any chance, having a child…… you don’t like it?"

  Seeing that Perez only stared at me instead of answering, my voice was full of tension as I rambled, "I have so many cousins, but I don’t have siblings. So I thought about having two or three children—Perez?!"

  Perez suddenly stumbled once more.

  "If you’re sick, we should go back quickly and let the doc—."

  "Not that."

  Perez’s hand gripped my arm.

  "Because I’ve never thought of having my own family."

  "Your face is……red."

  Finally, I could see Perez, who is prone to be so bright, turned red.

  "Perez." I said, putting my hand on Perez’s which he caught at the same time. "You should know that as long as I promised to marry you, you and I will become a family. Do you understand?"

  "……Family."

  "Over time, the number of our family members will increase."

  Then, I added quickly because I felt sorry for him. I think he’s going to faint this time.

  "Of course, only if you want to. If you don’t like children, we can somehow find a suitable successor from the Imperial family or Lombardy—"

  "I want—" Perez said urgently.

  "—to have our child. Yours and mine."

  How urgently he answered. Every time he breathed, his shoulders were shaking lightly. But his red eyes were still trembling.

  It’s understandable.

  In Perez’s whole life until now, the place of a family in his heart was vacant.

  "You don’t have to worry since……" I said, holding Perez’s hand tighter. "I’m someone who protects my family with all I have."

  My father does, my grandfather does, Shannanet does, the twins do, and also Laranne.

  The same was true with all Lombardy people.

  "That’s what I did when we first met in this forest. Back then, I promised that I helped you. Now, I promised again that I’ll protect you, Perez."

  I could feel Perez’s fingertips shaking under my palm. At the same time, his eyes slightly frowned.

  "That’s what I want to say to you. You beat me to it." Perez said as he held my cheek. Like holding the most precious thing in the world.

  "I will protect you, Tia. No matter what happens, I will always protect you."

  It was something anyone could say between lovers. But Perez’s promises aren’t just empty words.

  He will protect me as he swore.

  No matter what happens.

  I looked at him and smiled quietly. Our eyes naturally locked.

  Perez approached slowly.

  Two people squatted in a large forest.

  At this moment, nothing in this world mattered more.

  Only we exist.

  Stopping just an inch away from my lips, Perez asked with half-open eyes, "Not going to block me this time?"

  I didn’t know that it really got to him that I blocked his advances a little while ago.

  I smiled a little as I came closer and said.

  "Not gonna happen."

  The cold, dry forest made a sound like a fresh spring breeze. Just like the day we first met.

  * * *

  "Good morning, Madam." John the Butler greeted me in front of the main office.

  Originally, I would have helped everyone from the time I got up once I prepared to go to work.

  Since today is the first day of my official duty as the Family Head, I asked in advance that I would like to prepare quietly by myself.

  "Good morning, John."

  I likewise greeted him and carefully put my hands on the doorknob of the closed office.

  Click. Creek.

  As I applied strength in both hands, the two doors gently pushed forward with a slight noise. There was only the sound of my footsteps inside.

  I looked around the office with an indescribable heart.

  After my Head inauguration party was busy for three days and three nights, the office was ready to welcome the new owner.

  Although the chairs and sofas that my grandfather had used for a long time were changed into new things. That alone changed the atmosphere in the office quite a bit from just a few days ago.

  "Haa……"

  With a short sigh, I turned and asked John with a heart filled with motivation. "What’s my first schedule for today?"

  "I’ve arranged a meeting with the vassals."

  It was appropriate.

  I’ve known them well since I was young, but now that I’ve become the new Head, I’ll have to see their faces frequently from today onwards.

  "What time does the meeting begin?"

  "In a moment, the vassals will be arriving shortly."

  "Okay, let’s go now."

  "But the meeting hasn’t started—."

  "It’s my first meeting, so it’s okay. I have to wait for them for this one."

  In the future, once Lombardy’s operations will become hectic, they will always be the ones waiting for me.

  As I entered the meeting room next to the office with John, I went to the head of the empty table and sat down. And soon after, the vassals began to arrive.

  Two or three lord vassals who were close to each other entered the meeting room together.

  "Oh, my, Madam!"

  "Did you arrive first?!"

  "We apologize!"

  Startled, they quickly apologized and bowed their heads.

  "There’s no need to apologize. I just waited because I wanted to. Everyone, please take a seat." I smiled comfortably and beckoned for them to sit, but the vassals seemed to be embarrassed that I was here first.

  At that time, the door of the closed meeting room opened once again and a very familiar figure appeared.

  I smiled and greeted him.

  "Welcome, Lord Pellet."