“How was your hunt today?”

“Fairly well. Are you feeling better now?”

“Actually, I just returned because it was so loud out there.”

Rowena giggled mischievously, and wrapped her hands around Killian’s neck.

“How many foxes did you catch? Will you make me another fur coat out of the fox you caught this year?”

“I thought about doing so, but the forest watch says there aren’t many prey left to begin with, since it’s been a rough year.”

“That’s a shame.”

“But I thought you didn’t like it very much, saying it was a cruel thing to do.”

“So you do know that?”

Rowena, whose eyes widened a bit, asked again.

“And you kept on giving me fur coats? That’s a bit too much, don’t you think?”

“I enjoy how you face changes when you get something you don’t like.”

“Wahh, you have such a bad taste!”

He pressed his index finger to Rowena’s lips as her brow furrowed. Killian’s eyes narrowed slightly as he warned in a low tone.

“You are getting more cocky by the day just because I tell you you’re pretty. You don’t even think of the consequences anymore.”

“But you’re the one who said it’s okay for me to be honest. If you don’t like it this way or that way, how do you want me to act like- Ahh!”

Killian tugged lightly on her cheek as her mouth lifted up at an angle in a crisp answer. When he noticed her expression turn to a frown, he decided that was enough teasing for today and let her go.

He stood up to take off his coat, threw it roughly on the hanger, and then laid back down on the bed.

“We’ll return to the capital early the day after tomorrow.”

“Early in the morning? Tomorrow night is a banquet. Wouldn’t it be too much?”

“Now that’s unexpected, I thought you would be happy because of your kid.”

“What?”

“You won’t?”

“That’s …….”

Rowena was rather caught off guard by his unexpected words. Although he still very rarely spoke of Damian, he had somehow become far milder when the topic of the child came up. Fortunately, he still had little to no interest in him, but she was afraid that this interest might slowly grow and finally lead him to find out that Damian was his biological son.

“I am a mother, but I am also a woman. I like to dress up nicely and have fun.”

Rowena replied coldly, while taking off her corset and throwing on a slip and a thick gown she pulled from one of the drawers. On the other side of the tent,  Kilian, who was lying down admiring her appearance, suddenly asked.

“Did everything go well with the Taldon girl?”

“I’m not sure.”

Rowena, who swept her long hair to one side, sat next to him on the bed.

“I’m too old to have someone pull my hair.”

Killian’s mouth, which had been stiff for some time, relaxed as she made a light joke. As he warped his arm around her waist and pulled her to lay with him, he suddenly asked out of nowhere..

“If I catch you, will you allow yourself to be my prisoner?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“I’ll have to catch you too.”

Killian burst into laughter at her bold response.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Cause it’s fascinating.”

Killian, who had lightly poked at Rowena’s nose as her eye’s widened, then he gently added.

“If it had been before, you would kept quite about it and suffer all on your own.”

“Yeah, I did, but the results weren’t so good, were they?”

It was unusual for Rowena to cut off the flow of a conversation that had been going on in a friendly manner, but she did anyway..

“I’m really tired today. I’m going to sleep now.”

“Rowena.”

She gently ended the conversation and pulled the duvet up to her shoulders, while he tugged on her waist from behind.

“Why don’t you say that to me lately?”

“What do you mean?”

“I love you.”

The hand draped over her waist tightened even more. In the stifling silence, Rowena held still and relaxed her body.

For a moment, he deliberately listened to her breathing sounds steadily, and then, perhaps assuming she was asleep, he did not rush her to reply.

“The way you look at me is the same as it was then, though.”

“…….”

“I think it’s changed a bit.”

A whispered murmur came from Killian, as he rested his chin on the top of her head. In a position so close together that not a single sheet of paper could fit in between them, Rowena pretended to move in her sleep and tried to shove his arm out of the way, but his persistent hands wrapped around her waist until the very end and did not let go.

With each passing day, Rowena became more and more curious about what was going on in the man’s head behind her.

He told her it was okay to act one day, but now, he told him to be more honest. He didn’t care whether she blamed him or pushed him away, but now, he was hoping for something even more ridiculous.