After a moment of consideration, Iva nodded. She couldn’t meet Ray’s family with paint stains all over her, after all.

“In that case, excuse me for a moment.”

Ray reached for the handkerchief in Iva’s hand with the same one that was leaning against the wall. He then extended his arm toward her collarbone.

When the damp handkerchief touched her skin, it felt noticeably hotter than before.

With a gentle swish, swish, Ray began to carefully wipe off the paint, as if he were handling delicate glass.

Though she tried to act indifferent, every cell in her body seemed to focus on Ray’s touch, making her tense up.

This is nothing, it’s just like wiping off some food crumbs. She mentally distracted herself, trying hard not to tense up. 

“Would it be okay if I continue to wait for your answer to my confession?”

Ray suddenly changed the topic.

“Pardon?”

“You were about to give me an answer to my confession that day, weren’t you? I did try to avoid hearing it, but…”

Ray brought up the day when he had bumped into Iva while he was with Julian. 

He’d been waiting for this moment ever since, as they hadn’t properly concluded that conversation.

“…You don’t really have to wait, you know.”

“I want to wait. Please allow me to.”

“…Fine, then give me more time to think.”

“Understood.”

Iva couldn’t flatly refuse him, given his pleading tone. They hadn’t even arrived at Grace yet, and she needed his help to discover the magic.

“Is His Highness Claude really considering making me his Princess Consort?”

Claude had twice made her kneel at the execution block, and now suddenly, he wanted her as his Princess Consort in this life?

Iva knew Claude’s attitude towards her had softened, but she couldn’t comprehend why he would want her to that extent.

“His Highness is quite taken with you, Miss Iva. I believe he’s sincere.” 

Ray said, his expression slightly hardening as he recalled Claude, who had once grabbed him by the collar.

“Isn’t that just because of the envoy party? It feels like he’s trying to use me.”

“Who wouldn’t fall in love with you, Miss Iva? You always shine so brightly and carry yourself with such confidence.”

“Ahem, is that so?”

Normally, she would have unabashedly accepted such a compliment, but given their close proximity, it wasn’t so easy to do.

“So, you two really fought over me and that’s why you were disciplined?”

“Yes. How could I stand idly by when the woman I love could potentially become another man’s wife?”

She knew Ray wasn’t one to lie, but it still felt strange that their fallout had been over her, and not Julian.

She had always felt overshadowed by Julian and felt that she wasn’t even a consideration for either of them.

“So, you really wrote that letter?”

“Yes, in fact, I asked the princess to pass it along to you.”

Ray, not wanting to make the same mistake twice, was forthright. What he did best was to be straightforward, so he chose to approach Iva with the same fervor even now.

“The princess assured me she delivered it properly. It was my fault for solely relying on her word.”

Things started to make sense when he explained the situation clearly. Yet, it didn’t mean she completely trusted Ray. 

Her deep-seated suspicion that he could change his feelings at any moment remained unchanged.

“I haven’t exactly been fair to you either, Your Grace. I’m sorry. Let’s make amends and start anew in Grace. What do you say?”

Iva said, trying to hide her uneasy feelings with a bright smile. 

“Alright, let’s do that.”

Unaware of her true emotions, Ray felt hopeful that their relationship could mend.

“We still have quite some time before we reach Grace. Why don’t you take a quick nap?”

“What? No, I should sit upright once we’re on stable ground.”

“We’re far from that.”

How could I fall asleep in his arms? Though her rational mind resisted, her body seemed willing to accept the comfort he offered. 

After spending the morning painting her body and pretending to be sick, running around from one place to another, she was quite worn out.

Ray, noticing her physical state, had made the suggestion out of consideration. 

But she couldn’t sleep in his arms. Delaying the inevitable, Iva knew her answer to his impending confession would be the same. 

She didn’t want to give him false hope, so she forced her drooping eyes open.

She tried to stave off sleep, but the pull of his arms was too strong.

How could his hold be more comfortable than my own bed? Her head began to nod, her eyes half-closed.

“I’ll wake you when we reach a stable road.” 

Rai deliberately whispered softly in her ear.

Hit by the soft attack of his voice, Iva finally lost her battle against her oncoming sleep.

“You really have to wake me up.”

“Of course.”

As if in a trance, Iva closed her eyes.

“You can lean on me.” 

Ray gently cradled her face to rest against his chest.

Already half-asleep, she didn’t have the strength to lift her head.

Thump, thump.

The sound of Ray’s heartbeat in her ears brought a sense of peace. Unconsciously, Iva nestled her face deeper into his chest and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

“Hurk…uh…uhh…”

It was early evening at the palace. Alone in her bedroom, Julian clutched her chest as the pain that arrived without warning seized her again.

Curling her body deep within the covers, she waited for her racing heart to calm down.

“Ugh.”

Worried someone might see her in this state, she bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood, trying to bear the pain.

“Oh my, you seem to be hurting quite a bit, aren’t you?”

A voice came from beyond the blanket, cheerful as if it didn’t care about someone else’s suffering.

Irritated, Julian quickly tossed the blanket aside.

A young woman stood there, dressed in a snow-white gown that left little to the imagination—revealing her collarbone, neck, and arms. Anyone who saw her might accuse her of indecency.

But Julian didn’t care about her attire. What bothered her was her face. Summoning all her willpower, she managed to make a face.

“I told you not to show up with that face.”

“Hehe, why? Is it upsetting you?”

The face that suddenly appeared belonged to the woman with silver hair, blue eyes, and a smile so innocent it was infuriating.

It was Julian’s face.

She grinned at him, deliberately widening her smile even more.