“Ugh!”

Her feet moved faster than her hands. Rubica instinctively kicked Edgar’s stomach. He had been sleeping comfortably next to her, so he was off guard when he was kicked.

The smooth silk duvet made him fall even faster. When he opened his eyes, he had already fallen out of the bed. He held back a shriek of pain only because of the last bit of his pride.

He grabbed his aching stomach and stood up.

“You took things way too far.”

“I’m the one who should say that!”

Rubica also jumped to her feet and yelled. She huffed and puffed while glaring at him. He had hugged her while she was sleeping without asking for permission. In addition to that, his hands had been in the wrong place.

“… you could have talked about it. Was kicking me necessary?”

“You’re the one who hugged me without asking for my opinion!”

Rubica pointed a finger at him and his anger faded a little as he indeed had felt a little guilty about it.

“I couldn’t ask because you were sleeping.”

“But this bed is huge! Why did you have to lie right next to me?”

Why?

Edgar frowned.

He had his own reason, although he didn’t know if that would be enough to convince Rubica.

***

When Edgar came out of the bathroom after taking a bath and using the perfume he normally used for sleeping well, he wanted to talk with Rubica and take care of the misunderstandings she had about him.

However, he found her sleeping soundly on the bed.

He was disappointed, but he didn’t feel like waking her up. Moreover, he couldn’t keep standing there either. He was just as much tired as her. So, he laid down on the corner of the bed far from her.

However, although he was tired, he couldn’t close his eyes. He couldn’t fall asleep.

‘Why is it so hard to refuse her?’

That question dominated him. She wasn’t that much special. Still, she bothered him. Was it about his curse?

Edgar turned to look at her.

‘Has a trace of magic or curse remained?’

There were very few sorcerers and they were all frauds. Most rational people didn’t believe in magic. However, Edgar wasn’t one of them. He had been truly cursed, and she was the key to break the curse.

There could be some kind of lead, so he decided to study her.

‘Pretty, but ordinary.’

Her eyelashes were not long nor slightly lifted like those of a cat. They were just at the right length and her eyes were mild. She didn’t have the white and pale skin like marble that was praised these days. Her skin was in the color of milk.

She had rich hair, but it was just ordinary auburn hair.

In short, she had no distinctive feature.

‘Why on earth did I do that during the wedding?’

Edgar didn’t like society. It was because of the people who lunged at him like a horde of bulls. They invited him to balls without asking for his opinion, and when he didn’t go, they were disappointed. They wanted to dance with him and even tried to kiss him.

There were so many people who came after him even after he made it clear he didn’t want that. No matter how much he said he didn’t like it, they said it couldn’t be what he really meant and that he actually liked it.

Love? Affection? He couldn’t hate them more.

‘Then why did I do the same thing to her…’

Rubica clearly wasn’t beautiful like him.

He looked at her and chanted. This woman is only an ordinary woman. Women like her are everywhere. There’s nothing special about her. There is no need to babble that he wanted to kiss her.

He then started to examine her to give validity to that.

‘Her milky skin is better than the pale, white skin. It looks healthier.’

The mild eyes that were closed now were very cute when she smiled. Moreover, her rich hair smelled quite pleasant. Her waist he had touched briefly during the wedding was soft. Her hands were warm enough to melt even his frozen heart.

‘Those hands… do they remain warm even when she sleeps?’

By the time he wondered that, he had already moved to take one of her hands. He was right, it was warm. He gently touched it then put it on his cheek.

Bum, bum, bum.

He had spoken to Carl and had taken medication. But strangely, he could hear his heart beating hard so clearly. Why was it doing it? He didn’t know why, and it tormented him.

‘She smells sweet.’

He had felt that scent when they kissed.

“Umm.”

Then, Rubica moved. Edgar was startled as he thought she was waking up. She probably didn’t feel comfortable and turned to Edgar.

“Hup!”

Then she found her way to his arms and rubbed her cheek on his chest. His heart sank. He couldn’t think straight and sweat ran down his back.

If Rubica had come to assassinate him, she was using the right method. He almost got a heart attack…

“Huu…”

He took a deep breath and managed to calm down his heart beating hard and fast. He wondered for a moment if he should push her away and sleep in the far corner of the bed.

He looked down to see how she was. Then, he saw her wearing a small and soft smile she had never shown before.

At that moment, he spontaneously pressed his lips on her forehead.

He didn’t know why he did that, but when her smile remained after he kissed her forehead, he felt pretty good.

The muscles around his lips relaxed.

“Umm.”

Was it because he had backed off a little to look at her face? Rubica muttered something again and snuggled into his arms. He froze like a stone and stayed like that for a moment.

Why, why on earth is she doing this? Is she really sleeping? Is she pretending to be asleep? What if she is actually awake?

More than a hundred thoughts crossed his mind. Edgar had never had a math problem he couldn’t solve, but this time, he couldn’t find the answer.

But… he smiled as Rubica rubbed her cheek on his chest. Her hair moved as she moved, and he could smell that sweet scent he had enjoyed when they kissed.

“Is it uncomfortable?”

He thought she might be awake and carefully asked. Actually, he hoped her to be awake, but no answer came. Sadly, she appeared to be really sleeping. Edgar asked again with the last bit of hope.

“Are you cold?”

“Umm.”

She muttered something in return.

“Yes, you must be cold. It must be why you are doing this?”

He was sure now. He stretched out his long arms and hugged her tightly. Then, he tightly pressed their bodies together. He could feel her warmth and the beat of her heart.

Bum bum, unlike his heart that seemed to be malfunctioning, her heart was so calm…

Edgar buried his face in her hair. He found Rubica’s unique scent even within the scent of the oil that had been applied to her hair.

The sweet smell that matched her milky skin. Edgar was drunk with that pleasant smell and the beat of her heart. He fell asleep before the weak but strange smell could go through his nose and reach his brain.

***

And when he woke up, he was already on the floor. The woman who had been smiling in his arms was gone. There remained a woman with a red face who was yelling, “Why! This bed is huge, why on earth were you sleeping right next to me?”.

‘You came to me first. You buried your face in my chest, rubbed your face on it, and answered my question with a smile!’

Edgar really wanted to say that, but even he had to admit that it wasn’t convincing at all. Counting what she muttered while sleeping as an answer… well, it was not right.

“… it was cold.”

“Then wear more clothes!”

Rubica was now shaking her finger at him. He realized going on and on with that fight would do him no good, so he gave up on convincing her.

“Ha, okay. I apologize for doing that without your permission.”

He appeared to be regretting it which weakened Rubica’s anger. She sat on the bed again while Edgar sat on the corner. Then, Rubica glared at him.

“Why did you sit down? Go to your room over there and sleep.”

“Go to my room and sleep?”

Rubica had planned to discuss this after Edgar finished taking his bath, but she had fallen asleep. Therefore, she decided to make it clear now.

“This is the duchess’s chamber, my chamber, and that is the duke’s chamber, your chamber. It is only a paper marriage, so there’s no need to share a bed. I’ll sleep here, so you go and sleep on your bed.”

Edgar sighed, and he wished he could grant her request.

“There is no bed in my chamber.”

“What?”

“Really.”

Rubica jumped to her feet and ran to Edgar’s room. Then, she opened every door it had.

Bathroom, toilet, conference room with a small table and chairs, dressing room. There was even a room for prayers, but there wasn’t a room with a comfy bed. The only place he could rest was the study linked to Rubica’s chamber that had a desk, a fireplace, and a sofa.

The duke’s chamber was only half the size of the duchess’s chamber? Rubica was more than shocked. She didn’t know how to accept her new reality.