"...Etienne!"
At Etienne's words, not only Harriet but also Shioana were surprised and stammered.
He thought that even if he loved her, it was impossible to accept Harriet.
"Shioana, if he is your son, it is only natural that he is my son."
Etienne was not particularly fond of children. Moreover, he detested the child's biological father, Eli, to the point of shuddering with rage.
'But the child is not at fault.'
Also, if he was precious to her, he had meaning to him as well.
'Because I want to be loved by you.'
As Etienne looked at her with a deep gaze full of affection, Shioana bit her lip slightly, as if feeling awkward.
"...but."
Shioana knew very well that the two's reunion would not be an easy task.
The Bernhard family gained even greater fame than before, and the remarriage of the head of the family, Etienne, was a difficult matter.
"I apologize for interrupting, but I don't think that task will be that difficult."
Cedric, who had suddenly joined the conversation, was wearing a meaningful smile.
"Martha, what are you doing? Didn't you say you had something to tell me?"
At the Viscount's urging, Martha revealed the secret she had been carefully hiding.
"The thing is, my forgetfulness has gotten really bad lately. I completely forgot that I was supposed to submit those documents."
The document Martha was talking about was the divorce settlement between Shioana and Etienne. She had asked Martha to do it for her because she absolutely could not submit it herself.
"But Martha, you definitely went out in a carriage that day."
“Did I do that?”
Then Martha just tilted her head as if she couldn't quite remember. Cedric, who was at the edge of her gaze, spoke up nonchalantly.
"It looks like you have a really bad memory, Martha."
Of course, Martha had no forgetfulness.
She had merely met with Viscount Conrad in secret and devised a plan to bring together the Duke and Duchess who loved each other.
The first thing was not filing the divorce papers.
Etienne smiled broadly for the first time in a while and spoke.
"So does that mean we've never broken up?"
Even on the days they spent in tears, hating and longing for each other, the two remained connected.
"Your Excellency, sometimes mistakes can lead to such good results."
When Cedric cracked a joke, Etienne responded with amusement.
"Yeah, if it's that kind of mistake, it's not bad."
Shioana was the only one who couldn't laugh.
She couldn't figure out on earth what had happened.
"Young master, you should go inside and have a snack."
Martha, glancing around cautiously, quickly picked up Harriet, and Viscount Conrad followed behind, remembering the documents he had to review.
Shioana and Etienne looked at each other and called out to one another at the same time.
“...Shioana.”
"...Etienne."
"Actually, none of those documents mattered at all."
Etienne signed the divorce papers solely for Shioana. He was determined to do whatever she wanted.
"Even though we were divorced, I was yours."
"...From broad daylight."
Shioana quickly lowered her eyes at his confession, which was becoming somewhat lingering.
"My love for you knows no bounds, day or night."
Etienne, holding Shioana's hand, gently kissed the back of her hand. As his hot, wet lips touched hers, Shioana shivered slightly.
"..."
It had been well over a month since she came to the Bernhard mansion, but this was the first time the two had such close physical contact.
It had already been a few months since they broke up, so even such a trivial act easily made the spring blush.
"Shioana, what are you thinking that makes your face turn red?"
Etienne slowly raised his head and lightly licked his wet lips with his tongue.
'Ah. If you look at me with a face like that...'
Etienne's beauty exuded a particularly strong fragrance today. Her gaze was fixed on his red eyes, which looked as if crushed rose petals had been scattered across them.
"Do you think your husband is too handsome?"
“Who, who said that?”
Just when she had been staring intently at Etienne's face, she pretended otherwise for no reason.
"Shioana, I think I would be so happy if you looked at my face."
Etienne reached out and turned her chin toward him. His fingers, gently cupping Shioana's chin, were hot as if they were burning.
It is likely because the sunlight is shining down strongly, or because Etienne's body is recovering.
"I think you have a fever, so you should go inside and lie down in bed."
As Shioana reached for the hem of her dress to escape the awkward atmosphere, he grabbed her wrist.
"...I don't want to be apart from you for even a moment."
At the heart-wrenching voice, Shioana hesitated on the spot. She, too, did not want to part with Etienne, whom she had reunited with after such difficulty.
"But the treatment isn't over yet."
As Shioana kept trying to get away from his side, Etienne playfully squinted his eyes.
He stood pressed tightly against her body and tilted his head gently.
"Why do you think I don't even have the energy to love you?"
"...Are you crazy?"
At Etienne's words, Shioana jumped up in her seat. To tell such an indecent story right in front of the entrance where people pass by so often.
"I, I have to go see Harriet."
Shioana, flustered, disappeared into the building, and Etienne, leaning against a large pillar, obsessively watched her retreating figure.
***
After returning to the Bernhard estate, Shioana used the Duchess's bedroom. She insisted on a different room, but Viscount Conrad said it would be difficult.
'The mansion is currently undergoing major renovations. We ask for your understanding.'
Her room was also suitable for looking after Etienne in the middle of the night.
"...Ha."
She lay still, trying to fall asleep, but for some reason, her eyes wouldn't close. She felt a strong sense of possessiveness from Etienne, who had gripped her wrist earlier.
He didn't care about what others thought and acted as if he were about to kiss Shioana's lips right there.
If only she hadn't avoided the situation back then.
Etienne's large hand must have cupped her cheek, and his hot lips might have swallowed Shioana's breath.
"What? Is it a little lacking?"
Come to think of it, she couldn't even remember when she had slept with Etienne. It was when she ran her hand through her arm, overwhelmed by a sudden wave of loneliness.
"...?"
A loud cough came from the next bedroom, followed by the sound of something breaking. Startled, Shioana headed to the next room without even having time to put on her robe.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?"
But the bed was empty, and Etienne, standing in front of the large window, was looking at her.
"I tried to drink water because I was coughing, and ended up like this."
As she walked into the dimly lit bedroom, the white shirt Etienne was wearing was soaked with water, and droplets were running down his chin and the nape of his neck.
"I need to clean up the glass shards first."
As Shioana bent down to gather the pieces of the broken cup, she suddenly floated up.
Etienne lifted her up while wrapping his arms around her waist.
"You don't need to do that."
"Put me down. If you don't move it, you might step on it."
"If I step on the glass, won't you avoid me?"
"W-what are you talking about?"
"I'm asking if you'll spare me if I bleed profusely."
As Etienne slowly headed toward the bed while holding Shioana, his voice grew lower and more secretive.
"I think that's a pointless question. If you've confirmed that everything is fine, I'll be going now."
"It's been like that lately. Whenever our eyes meet, you pretend to be looking away. It was like that earlier today, and it was the same during dinner."
Perhaps because they had almost kissed earlier in the day, she felt nervous in the evening as well. So, Shioana deliberately talked mainly with Viscount Conrad.
"Do you want to see me kill Cedric?"
"...Oh my god"
To think he would go so far as to suspect the relationship between Cedric and her. Etienne's jealousy was now at the point where it was laughable.
"Do you like me that much, Etienne? Enough to want to kill every man I meet?"
Shioana's eyes curved wide as she could not hold back her laughter while speaking.
“It’s happening again.”
Etienne was always anxious about this love.
"You are really annoying at times like this."
Even though his heart was burning, Shioana just ended up laughing like that.
"Your Excellency, Duke Bernhard, I am your wife on paper, and I am pregnant with our child."
"Would Raul not have known that?"
"But Raul has never had such feelings for me."
Etienne's face contorted violently at Shioana's refreshing answer.
Shioana is probably the only one who doesn't know that Raul has a dark heart inside.
"That's not what I want to hear."
Etienne, who was still standing, holding her, had slightly flushed ears. Shioana wrapped her arms around his neck and bit her lip tightly.
"Etienne, I love you."
"..."
At her confession, he slowly laid Shioana down on the bed.
As he slowly looked down at her with their hands clasped together, a flustered Shioana started hiccuping.
She tried to cover her mouth with her hand, but he couldn't because he was being held by Etienne.
Hiccup.
“Are you scared of me?”
“...Ugh, hiccup”
Shioana, answering while shaking her head, looked as if she were about to cry. Her chemise, without even a gown, rubbed against the bed, causing one shoulder to droop.
Etienne whispered languidly to Shioana's fair skin revealed in the moonlight.
"I know a way to stop hiccups..."
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