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“Mmm….”

Dahlia let out a moan mixed with the smell of alcohol. Her breath quickly penetrated Etienne. It filled his head and body, awakening his dormant nerve cells.

Etienne lightly squeezed and rubbed Dahlia’s delicate wrist with his thumb. It slid smoothly. His hand moved up her arm, lightly gripping her slender shoulder before letting go.

He looked up and saw a strand of hair fall on Dahlia’s face, covering it.

Etienne brushed aside the strand of hair that was flowing down Dahlia’s face. The hair rustled, leaving an itchy feeling on his palm. Dahlia’s defenseless face was revealed. Her cheeks were red.

At that moment, Etienne felt an irresistible impulse.

He closed his eyes tightly.

“Darn it.”

Etienne forcibly pulled Dahlia away and moved her to the table. He let out a long breath while looking at her beautifully closed eyelashes. After a while his scattered breath finally returned to normal.

* * *

“Ugh…. My head hurts.”

“Lady Dahlia, are you awake? Have a sip of this.”

Penny handed her a sturdy mug. Her stomach felt nauseous, but the sweet and warm liquid was not bad, so she drank it in one gulp.

“What happened to me?”

She frowned from the headache. She remembered having dinner…

When did I fall asleep? Come to think of it, I drank wine. Did I get so drunk that I even lost my memory?

“Well….”

Penny’s expression was awkward. Dahlia had a bad feeling.

“What? Did I cause an accident? Tell me quickly!”

“You were running around the entire hallway holding onto Master Etienne’s hair, saying you would tame your unruly husband.”

“….”

My head felt numb as if I had been hit with a hammer. Then I vaguely remembered the sensation of holding his head in my hands.

“So, what about Etienne? Is he angry? Of course, he must be mad…? He’s not going to divorce me, right?”

“I don’t know. After Lady Dahlia fell asleep, Master stared at you for a while with an expression that looked like he was about to strangle you.”

“Sigh.”

I messed up. I lay back down on the bed, feeling weak. My head was spinning, and my stomach was churning, but what bothered me the most was Penny’s words. 

Running around grabbing people by the hair. I wasn’t sure if it was a real memory, but it seemed to be coming back to me. Running and rolling around the hallway like a crazy person on a rainy day…

“Did I have a fork in one hand?”

“…Yes. You were holding a steak.”

“Darn it…”

I was exhausted from the hangover and the scattered memories, so I flipped the blanket over and went back to sleep. 

It wasn’t all just about the drunken tantrum. The ring was gone, too. 

Penny and the other servants didn’t know where it was.

“Who could have taken it…? But I guess they won’t return it since it’s expensive. Ah, I prepared a gift for once, and now…”

I messed up my hair.

“Ah! I don’t care. Even if I gave it to him, he probably wouldn’t have liked it.”

I muttered bitterly.

“By the way Lady Dahlia, today is the day the tailor is coming. Should we postpone it to another day?”

It was the tailor who had been taken from the dressing room. 

I wanted to postpone it, but there wasn’t much time left until the banquet.

“No, let me sleep a little longer. Wake me up when Nathan comes…”

I closed my heavy eyelids.

* * *

I wonder how long I slept before Penny woke me up.

“Mmmm…….”

“Lady Dahlia, please wake up.”

“I’ll get up…I’m up….”

After a while, I finally regained my senses and went to the reception room. 

Nathan, the tailor I’d seen before, was sitting there.

He was the same, with the same brown hair, the same mask covering one side of his face and the same sweet but stern expression. He reminded me of a stray cat, so tightly wound and wary.

He glanced at me briefly as I entered and then sat down. 

Penny looked at him once and then at me and opened her mouth to say something.

“Mind your manners in front of Princess Consort.”

“I don’t want to. Princess Consort doesn’t show me any respect either. Why should I be polite?”

It seemed like he was talking about having to wait for me while I was asleep. 

I stopped Penny from saying anything else and spoke up.

“I apologize for my rudeness. Have you been waiting long?”

“Is that what you call an apology?”

Nathan’s eyes narrowed as if he was about to snap.

“Sir Nathan!”

Penny raised her voice next to me. 

I was definitely not someone to mess with.

“Never mind. Could you bring us some tea?”

Hmm, interesting. 

It had been a while since I had been treated like this. Status was absolute here, after all. 

Of course, Nathan was also a nobleman. 

Wasn’t he the youngest son of a Viscount? 

However, I am in a position where he can’t treat me so casually.

I am now a Princess Consort. There was no one who could treat me like this… well, except for the priests at the monastery.

I didn’t hate him though. Rather, it was fun.

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