“A report just came in from one of my soldiers.”

Silvio, who had returned to the room, abruptly brought this up as they were preparing to go to the theatre together that night. He casually dismissed the maid who was helping Idyllia get ready. Once everyone had left, he came over to the vanity, placing his hands on the back of her chair.

“I told you not to leave this room when I’m not around, yet it seems you’ve been ignoring that order. I’ve heard you’ve been sneaking out repeatedly.”

“────”

Her heart jumped. Her eyes, widened slightly, met Silvio’s in the mirror.

“Not only that, you leave the castle and disappear in a carriage. When followed, you just circle the city and return—”

“…”

“What exactly is going on?”

In the mirror, his sharp gaze seemed to cut right through her.

“My guess is that there’s someone in the carriage, and you’re having secret meetings. A woman who renounced worldly ties as a novice nun—who could you possibly be meeting?”

“…”

Seeing her flinch and try to lower her gaze, he grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him.

“My men are suspicious of you. Especially Robert; he says I’m so besotted with you that I can’t make sound judgments.”

“That’s not true…!”

“Tell me. I want to refute Robert. Let me do that.”

“────…”

Through the mirror, his pleading gaze conveyed that he trusted her word over Robert’s in this matter.

“Who are you meeting in the carriage? Is it my enemy?”

“No!”

Idyllia shook her head.

“…No, that’s not it. It can’t be.”

“Then who is it?”

“────…”

For a moment, she considered telling the truth. But she shook her head at the thought. If he knew the truth, he wouldn’t be able to sit still. That could complicate matters greatly.

(When the time comes, Silvio won’t be able to do anything…)

As an envoy from Mediolam, he couldn’t interfere with anything that didn’t concern relations between the two nations, no matter what happened right in front of him. That was his position. The most important thing—his mission of negotiating the ceasefire—must be kept secret until it’s concluded. After a brief pause, Idyllia averted her eyes and spoke.

“…It’s a maid.”

“A maid?”

“Even though I’ve joined the convent, I still have certain assets. I give instructions to my nursemaid and foster sister, Hannah, on how to use them and receive reports on their progress.”

“Why not have her come here? Why in a carriage?”

“My sister thinks I don’t need any assets now that I’m in the convent, so if given the chance, she’d—”

“Try to seize them?”

Idyllia nodded at Silvio’s blunt words. It was true that her sister had always coveted her assets.

“That’s why I don’t want her to know, to avoid provoking her.”

“I see.”

He seemed somewhat relieved and hugged Idyllia from behind.

“In fact… after you left, my men stopped the carriage and checked inside. They said there was a beautiful but strong-willed woman who drove them away with great force. So that’s what it was.”

While hugging her, he kissed her cheek and whispered against her skin.

“I’ll take responsibility and convince Robert. Don’t worry.”

“Silvio…”

“How can I make my men understand? That there’s no one I trust more than you…”

He turned Idyllia around and kissed her over her shoulder. It was a kiss filled with trust. As their lips met and tongues intertwined, it turned into a sweet, mature exchange. After a while of sharing these intimate moments, Silvio picked Idyllia up from the chair and carried her to the bedroom. As he lifted the hem of her dress, she whispered in a faint voice,

“This isn’t right…”

He chuckled.

“No theatre tonight. We have no time for that.”

“A-ah…”

As he kissed her neck and undressed her, already fondling her exposed chest, they surrendered to the familiar pleasures of each other’s bodies. Embracing the hot and heavy male form, Idyllia moaned seductively, feeling a dark sense of relief. She was grateful that it wasn’t known she had been to her sister’s room.

♔♔♔