It was so suspicious that not only Cherryl, but also Lucy, or at least Cole, would have narrowed their eyes and doubted it once they caught sight of them. However, it wasn’t Cade’s fault and she didn’t want to complain to him when he came to her bedroom to apologize.

“No.” Cherryl lifted her heavy eyelids. “Don’t be sorry. You did nothing wrong, Your Grace.”

“It’s alright to be angry with me. It’s entirely my fault.”

“It was rude of me to raise my voice in front of the guest.”

“You didn’t need to apologize, Your Grace.”

Shaking his chin once, he approached her slowly. In this situation, Cherryl decided that it would be better to ask about her suspicions regarding the princess’s visit.

“What business did the princess come here for?”

Rosaline refused to tell her because it was a private matter. Cade also found it difficult to tell.  However, Cade spoke about the situation so openly that if the princess were there, her heart would have been gravely injured. It seemed easy for him to admit it as well. Cade slowly brushed his lips with his fingers. Cherryl knew that it was a habit every time he was in a deep contemplation. Uncomfortable silence stretched for such a long time.

“Uh… Is it difficult to answer?”

Questions after question were at the tip of Cherryl’s tongue.

“In my eyes, she looked like an ex-girlfriend who couldn’t give up on her lingering feelings for you. But if you didn’t have any contact with her in the past, I wonder why she visited you, Your Grace.”

Even though she heard that he had no connection to Rosaline, the reluctance at the corner of her heart remained the same. It might have been just the princess’ one-sided love since she seemed to come off a little strong to a man whom she had never talked to before. Was it just because of the circumstances or did she have other intentions?

“You have nothing to worry about, My Lady.” Cade spoke decisively.  “Trust me.”

Even though the misunderstanding was resolved, Cherryl was still displeased. Her chest boiled and her heart felt like it had been stabbed.

It frustrated her that the source was unknown even though she was still dissatisfied somewhere. Shortly afterward, Cherryl identified the emotion. Perhaps, she was just jealous. What was this hopeless feeling? She cut her gaze off from Cade and turned to the window. Heavy rain was pouring from the dark blue sky. She used to feel at peace every time she heard the pitter-patter of rain but now that she didn’t feel that way anymore, her mind felt quite cluttered. When she touched the raindrops on the window, she could feel Cade approaching from behind.

As soon as he got closer, he reached out and swept his hand down Cherryl’s spine as if asking for permission. For a moment, she felt a slight shiver that her stomach dipped but Cherryl didn’t recoil from it. Cade cautiously wrapped his arms around Cherryl’s back. It felt even more irresistible when he pushed her small body against the window.

“I want to ask you something, Your Grace.”

Cade pressed his lips on her skin and breathed at the back of her neck. She could feel his rising heat over the thin fabric of her dress.

“If a man who has liked me for a long time visits me at dawn——” The solid physique she felt near her shoulder stopped towering. “How would you react if he says that he was the only one who knew who I really am?”

“Is this a hypothetical question?”

“I was wondering how you would feel.”

Cherryl stared at the rainfall.

“That bug———”

“What?”

Cherrul suddenly turned her head at the hostile curse.

“Bug?”

Cade took a deep breath as if he was carefully choosing his words. Then, he gave a very refined answer.

“I’d step on that bastard as if he’s a bug.”

“That’s cruel. I didn’t think you’ll go that far.”

Cherryl looked straight ahead and chuckled. Cade was still breathing on her neck, his lips on his skin. Cherryl accepted the contact even if she would have normally blushed. It could have been because she wanted to push away the useless thoughts in her mind.

“It rained a lot, so we can’t go to the festival today.”

“Maybe we could do something after that.”

“What if the rainy season continues until the last day of the festival?”

“I think we can extend the festival period.”

“That is an abuse of power, Your Grace.”

“Just take it as my affection, Lady Cherryl.”

Affection? Something wet touched the back of her neck before she could chew on the unfamiliar word. He licked her soft skin with his tongue and nipped it lightly. Cherryl breathed out a moan. Unconsciously, she raised one arm and grabbed him by the head.

“Even if it stops raining, we can’t leave the guest behind.”

“I’ll kick out the princess as soon as the day comes.”

“That’s unreasonable. I promised to have tea with the princess later——-”

He cut her off by biting her nape.

“Don’t complain.” He scolded and kissed her nape again. When he started sucking her skin and she felt shivers running down her spine, Cherryl pushed his head away. He had crossed the line. She turned around, looked at him, and tapped his lips.

“I hate it when it leaves marks.”

Without warning, his hands came behind Cherryl’s legs. Cade set her body, which he had easily picked up, onto the window sill. Then, he kissed her closed eyelids.

“Then, I won’t.”

He put his arms around Cherryl’s back and buried his face in her collarbone.

“Please give me a chance to apologize.”