“The herbs?”

“I’ve got them.”

“What about bandages?”

“That’s here, too.”

“Hmm… I’m not going to get kicked out the door, right?”

She recklessly came to Edmund’s bedroom, but she didn’t feel brave enough to go in because of her past mistakes.

“Why don’t you at least knock on the door? How long are you going to stay here? It’s been an hour already, madam. I still have to catch up on laundry and tidy the guest room… “

Sasha pursed her lips and tut-tutted.

“Wait! I need to get ready. It’ll only take a minute. It’s okay.”

Chloen closed her eyes to relax and regulated her breathing. Time passed once again.

Knock, knock—

Sasha was unaccustomed to such things and suddenly knocked on the door without warning, and Chloen’s calm expression turned into surprise.

“Sasha! Seriously, how can I just enter like this without notice?”

She hissed, caught off guard.

“If this continues, I won’t be able to leave work until tomorrow morning. The sooner you apologize and the sooner I leave work, the better, madam.”

Edmund’s low voice came from beyond the closed door.

“Who is it?”

“Your Grace! I’m Sasha. The madam said she had something important to tell you, so I brought her here.”

With a creak, the door swung open, revealing Edmund in comfortable attire.

“What is it this time?”

He seemed to have just finished his bath, his damp hair and his crimson eyes drooped. Even his well-built body was visible beneath the thin fabric.

As Chloen’s lavender eyes roamed over him, one of Edmund’s eyebrows raised quickly.

Thump–

Sasha’s heart, weak against handsome men, skipped a beat once again. Then, she felt Edmund’s disapproving gaze on her skin.

He looked at her as if telling her to hurry up and get out of the way, and she answered, embarrassed.

“Well, uh, it’s nothing special. I just wanted to see if you were okay.”

At that moment, a rustling sound was heard from inside his room. Chloen squinted and glanced around.

“Is someone inside?”

As she spoke, the door slowly opened wider, and Melvin appeared with an awkward expression.

“Oh, Mr. Aide! Have you been here all this time? While he was in this… attire?”

Chloen scanned the damp Edmund from head to toe, the exposed chest under his robe resembled chocolate pudding.

“Ahaha, His Grace just asked me to deliver an important message. I will leave now. Please have a comfortable conversation.”

As if he had been caught doing something wrong, Melvin smiled awkwardly and quickly left the room.

‘Something’s fishy.’

As she pondered, Duke Randolph’s voice echoed through the corridor once again.

“Alright, just tell me what it is. What could be so important at this ungodly hour?”

“Well… I just wanted to treat your wound.”

She mumbled the last part and pointed at the scratches on his neck. Judging by the red marks, the wound seemed quite deep.

“You don’t need to bother.”

Edmund replied with an indifferent tone and extended his arm to block the entrance. It was a clear refusal.

“It’s not okay at all. It looks quite serious. Please let me in. I’ll apply some medicine to it.”

For a moment, his eyes widened significantly. She came at such an ungodly hour, and now she wanted to enter his bedroom to treat a wound? No matter how hard he tried to understand, it was beyond his grasp.

‘What kind of game is she playing this time?’

Edmund’s gaze quickly turned to Sasha. He became even more confused when she gave him a reassuring smile and a small wave of her hand.

Was it okay to let her into the room like this? While contemplating, her petite figure passed under his arm holding the door.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you think I’m doing? Since I said I’ll treat it, hurry up and come sit down.”

Taking advantage of his relaxed guard, she settled on one side of the bed, then called for Sasha.

“Sasha, could you please place the things you brought here?”

Sasha followed suit, also passing under his arm. Edmund chuckled at the absurdity of the situation and ran his hand through his hair.

“Thank you, you can leave now. I’ll neaten things here, so don’t worry about it.”

She spoke in an affectionate tone. In response to her words, Sasha smiled and turned around. Her light footsteps passed by Edmund again.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Your Grace.”

She didn’t forget a polite farewell. With a slam, the door closed, leaving an awkward silence between the two.

“Well, what are you standing there for? Come on, sit down.”

She urged him, but Edmund didn’t move hastily. He just stared at her, unblinking. It seemed he had no intention of moving.

‘Is keeping silent his hobby?’

“Ugh.”

A faint groan escaped her lips. She felt wronged and frustrated by her husband’s behavior, distancing himself as if he would devour her. The embarrassment was also an added bonus.

It was hard to blame him for what had happened. Believing it was her karma, Chloen raised the corners of her mouth forcefully.

“Why don’t you sit down, honey?”

Responding to her affectionate call, Edmund reluctantly took a few steps forward. He looked wary, and his large frame finally stood in front of her.

She raised her hand and, as if urging him to sit down, tapped the soft blanket lightly. He spoke with a chilly tone.

“That’s enough, now go. Consider that I’ve received treatment.”

“Why are you always like this? Just pretend to give in a little and follow along.”

“…”

“Come on, take a seat. I have to do at least this much; it will put my mind at ease.”

Under her firm cajoling, he finally sat down reluctantly. She quickly picked up a small towel placed nearby.

As she gently touched the already hardened bruise, Edmund’s brows slightly furrowed. He clenched his fist, causing his body to shiver.

“It’ll sting a little.”

She said a half beat slower. She could feel Edmund’s hot glare, but she pretended not to notice. This was her small revenge.

“Don’t move, I’m going to apply the medicine.”

As she gently applied the herb-infused liquid to the wound, Edmund’s forehead creased slightly. When she blew lightly, as if cooling the wound, he suddenly stood up from his seat.

“That’s enough. I’ll handle the rest myself.”

Despite his stern words, Edmund’s ears were red. It was quite different from his usual demeanor, and she couldn’t help but want to tease him.

“It’s almost done now. It won’t take long. If you suddenly get up, all the herbs I applied will fall off.”

“Hmm, I can handle it myself.”

“Oh, come on. I did it for you. Sasha said you don’t even treat most of your wounds. If I hadn’t come, you would have left it like that. Don’t be embarrassed since this is between husband and wife.”

When she smiled coyly, Edmund sighed.

“Make it quick. Don’t do anything weird.”

As if resigned, he sat down and closed his eyes tightly. Meanwhile, the treatment was already nearing its end. A carefully cut piece of cloth was applied, and a clear, herbal solution oozed out.

His eyes remained tightly closed. Swallowing her dry throat due to the nervousness, Chloen finally spoke.

“I… I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t intend to grab your collar like that; it just happened.”

His eyes widened at her words, her determined expression reflected in his red retina.

“It was purely because I was angry. I didn’t mean to do that, but I kept shouting and losing my temper, pushing people away…”

“You still have your sharp tongue.”

“What I said earlier… It was sincere. So, you can feel proud of it. And… I’m really sorry. This is also sincere.”

Offering a genuine apology, whether now or ever, was quite embarrassing. Moreover, her genuine emotions that had burst out recklessly were too embarrassing.

Just as she wondered what his reaction would be, a soothing low voice reached her ears.

“I still don’t trust you. I won’t in the future, either.”

Naturally, her face stiffened. She had spoken sincerely, yet his reaction was like this. How long did she have to prove her innocence? It was disheartening.

“Fine, I don’t even know myself anymore. Think whatever you want. Think as you please.”

She replied with a weary tone. An awkward silence flowed between them.

“Should we try changing our approach?”

Edmund spoke.

“What do you mean?”

“How to make our relationship work.”

What was that supposed to mean?

Her lips moved awkwardly in response to the inexplicable conversation. As if reading her thoughts, Edmund added the next point.

For my own purposes.

Edmund continued speaking, hiding his inner thoughts.

“I heard your sincerity and thought about what we’ve been missing.”

“What did we miss?”

“Trust. We’ll have to build it from now on if we want to be a real couple.”

Her eyes widened at his calm statement. He had said he wanted to become a real couple. Did that mean they could live without worrying about divorce anymore?

‘Hallelujah, my Lord!’

It was a moment when all her worries and anxieties were resolved at once. A comfortable bed, delicious food, and, most importantly, a perfect husband – all of them were hers. If only she could make it happen, she would even sing praises.

“That’s right! You thought of it very well. This is exactly what I want! Let’s live well from now on. I’ve already planned everything, even our child.”

At the mention of children, his once stone-cold pupils shook rapidly.

“I believe you will cooperate with me. After all, everything I’m doing is for both of us.”

“Alright. But I have conditions, too.”

At her next words, Edmund’s lips stretched into a long smile. He hadn’t thought it would be easy from the beginning. But adding conditions like this was a move typical of her.

It was clear she was showing her true colors after claiming to have the unheard-of disease of amnesia.

He looked amused, reading her intention to make him uncomfortable with these conditions.

‘I just need to prevent an immediate divorce until I can strengthen my own influence.’

Edmund pulled up the black gloves he always wore and smirked silently. As if urging her to speak, he gestured arrogantly with his chin.

“It won’t be particularly difficult.”

“I’ll be the judge of that. Go ahead, tell me. What exactly are these conditions?”

“I have three conditions.”