Are We Still In love?

“Your Grace, if the water cools too much, your body will chill. Please allow us to assist you.”

It was Loren, the head maid, who spoke as she knocked on the bathroom door. Cecilia rang the bell beside her to signal that Loren and the maids could enter.

Under the efficient and well-practiced hands of the maids, Cecilia soon finished her bath and was prepared in the manner of a bride about to spend her wedding night.

“Until you call for us, I will ensure no one so much as approaches this room.”

Loren escorted Cecilia to the bedchamber, opening the door for her as she spoke. Cecilia gave a nod and stepped across the threshold.

“Cecilia.”

While she had been alone in the bath for some time, Eden had returned. Cecilia walked calmly to the center of the room.

“You’ve had a long day. Would you like some wine?”

“I’m fine. Have all the guests gone?”

She declined Eden’s offer, moving lightly across the room. Eden rose from his seat and pulled out a chair for her.

“I offered rooms to those who could not return home tonight, but they all insisted on leaving.”

“I see.”

“You look exhausted.”

Cecilia gave a slight nod in agreement.

“My feet feel swollen.”

She wiggled her feet, still in indoor slippers, as she spoke. At her words, Eden’s brow furrowed slightly.

“May I take a look?”

Without hesitation, Eden Lobana Burnett knelt on one knee before her. Swept along by his gesture, Cecilia allowed him to lift her slender leg, exposed beneath her robe.

Feigning surprise, Cecilia tried to pull her leg away. A typical young lady might have scolded him for daring to look at her feet.

“Why are you looking at my feet, Your Grace?”

Indeed, in the past, Cecilia had been shocked by Eden’s boldness.

“I need to check if you’re injured.”

Eden had easily stopped her flustered retreat and drew out her foot from beneath her nightgown.

“You’re embarrassed, aren’t you?”

Watching her cover her face with both hands in embarrassment, Eden had smiled faintly. Whether he truly meant that lighthearted air or not, she could never tell.

“They’re just feet! They’re dirty!”

“They’re small and simply adorable.”

“…You should be embarrassed, why are you doing this?”

Holding her foot firmly, Eden had chuckled softly. The look in his eyes as he watched Cecilia flustered was puzzling—uncertain.

“We’re married. Does it matter, Cecilia?”

He was casually gentle. That effortless tenderness had once caused Cecilia to fall helplessly in love.

“There’s a cut on your heel. Your toes are red as well.”

Breaking from her brief memory, Cecilia looked down at Eden. He was carefully examining her foot with gentle fingers.

“Aren’t they dirty?”

“They’re small and simply adorable.”

Eden replied as if trying not to embarrass her. He hadn’t changed. He was still the same man from before he became Emperor.

Cecilia’s gaze followed his large hand gripping her foot—up his arm, his shoulder—and finally met his face. Their eyes locked in the dim light, swaying softly from the candle flames.

“Cecilia.”

Eden carefully placed her foot down and, with one hand, cupped her face, drawing closer. Though it wasn’t the first time their lips met, the warmth of his kiss made her heart drop with a dull thud.

Their lips simply rested against each other. Neither of them closed their eyes, and their gazes remained fixed. Then Eden’s lips parted slightly, sliding softly over hers.

The moment Cecilia closed her eyes, Eden’s shirt stretched tight over his chest with tension.

“……”

With her eyes shut, Cecilia followed his lead. Her recoiling body, unwilling to touch him, was hidden by how tightly she gripped the bedsheets. After all, she had to accept the wedding night.

Eden leaned over her like a large beast, pressing her down with his body. Their two bodies, now tilted and tangled, lay upon the bed. The shawl draped over her shoulders spread like a decoration on the sheets, and the neckline of her nightgown became creased.

Eden kissed the reddened tips of her ears, her delicate neck, and the center of her chest where her heart pounded visibly and violently. Cecilia squeezed her eyes shut.

“I wanted to kill you too.”

She had to endure this.

But when his cruel voice echoed in her memory, it was as if cold water had been dumped over her. Her body turned cold.

Could she truly give herself to this man so easily? Even if she didn’t feel the same way as before, what if her heart was once again helplessly stolen?

For some, body and heart could remain separate—but Cecilia Rain was not one of those people. Most of all, what if… what if she conceived his child tonight?

“Your Grace.”

Cecilia’s dry voice halted Eden in his tracks. He lifted his upper body, which had been pressed close to hers, and looked down at her.

“What kind of couple do you think we’ll become?”

It was an unexpected question. Eden blinked, his face thoughtful. Cecilia reached up and gently brushed her hand along his firm arm, which hovered beside her face. Eden flinched at the touch.

“Just an ordinary couple.”

“An ordinary couple who have heirs, continue the family line, and then live distant lives with separate lovers—is that the kind of life we’ll have?”

Eden didn’t answer. He had never imagined such a future in detail, but that was indeed how most couples around them lived.

“Your Grace.”

“Speak, Cecilia.”

Her slender fingers trailed over his arm and shoulder, then touched his jaw and ear.

“I want to be loved.”

“……”

“Not a life of cold misery without affection, but a life where you truly love me.”

Eden reacted strangely to the warmth of her hand on his skin. With every motion of her fingers, his eyes wavered slightly, uncertain.

“So tonight… I don’t want this.”

Taking advantage of his momentary disorientation, Cecilia clearly expressed her will.

“I know you don’t love me. Perhaps you never will.”

Her voice was steady—certain, but not wounded. Eden narrowed his eyes, puzzled. Normally, such a confession would be made tearfully, yet her face remained calm.

“Cecilia.”

“There was a time when it hurt me.”

But in the next moment, the hint of dampness in her voice dispelled his doubt. What Eden didn’t realize was that her sorrow wasn’t for his lack of love now—but for the Cecilia of her past life, who had clung to him in vain.

“Thinking back, it was natural.”

“……”

“I want to share a night with you only after confirming our hearts are aligned. But I know that’s an impossible wish.”

Cecilia smiled faintly. For a duchess, whose duty was to bear heirs, refusing to share a bed with her husband because of love was unthinkable.

“Please, just a little longer. Until I’m ready—please wait for me.”

This was the best way to buy time.

From what she remembered, Eden Lobana Burnett would never force himself upon a wife who said she wasn’t ready. Especially not when what she asked for—a heart he couldn’t yet offer—was something he couldn’t give now.

“I won’t pressure someone who isn’t ready. Don’t be afraid.”

As expected, Eden soothed her gently and pulled up her nightgown to cover her exposed shoulder. The warmth of his hand vanished.

“I’ll sleep on the sofa tonight.”

He stepped back without resistance. Eden, too, had likely approached her out of a sense of duty. Cecilia thought he might even be grateful to her for making it easy.

“Please, stay beside me.”

But she didn’t want gratitude—not just that. Blinking innocently, Cecilia grasped the hem of his sleeve just as he was about to leave the bed.

“I wouldn’t want you to sleep uncomfortably.”

Eden looked torn. As his hesitation dragged on, Cecilia slowly released his sleeve, as if reluctant to burden him.

But seeing her feigned anxiety, so deliberately revealed, Eden couldn’t refuse. He lay down beside her, turning on his side and patting the space next to him.

“Lie down, Cecilia.”

His demeanor was calm. Cecilia turned onto her side, facing him. It felt like the first time in so long that she had looked directly into his face.

“Rest well.”

No—it wasn’t her imagination. It had truly been ages since they’d simply looked at each other like this, so human, so close.

“You too, Your Grace.”

Pretending to seek sleep, Cecilia leaned in slightly. The warmth of his body and the soft brush of their skin caused tension to ripple across his nape.

Right now, Eden saw Cecilia Rain as nothing more than an innocent young bride. He had no idea her actions were calculated, and so he was left confused, unable to respond.

It was almost laughable. This man, who would one day come to hate her so much he’d want her dead, was now behaving as if he cared.

“……”

Cecilia’s hand clenched tightly around the bedsheet.

“If you can’t sleep because you’re uncomfortable—”

Eden responded quickly at the rustling sound, his voice alert. Cecilia shook her head and buried her face in his chest before he could retreat.

“I’m not uncomfortable. I’m just… excited.”

She couldn’t tell if this second chance at life was a blessing or a curse. But she knew one thing—she wanted to inflict the same pain they had given her.

“I’m just… happy. This is what I longed for.”

Ilina Nova, once her handmaid. The Count of Nova, a loyal vassal turned traitor. Countess Caspar, the Empress’s former lady-in-waiting who tried to become a royal mistress. And even Eden.

Those she had trusted, who had betrayed her and driven her to death—Cecilia Rain would return to them all the agony they had made her endure.