A brief moment of stillness.
As the door opened, Cedric stepped inside and stared intently at Iris without so much as blinking.
Gone was his usual calm or teasing smile.
“My lord?”
Iris spoke carefully, watching his unmoving expression.
“Do I… look strange?”
To be honest, Iris lacked confidence.
‘Does he not find me appealing?’
By objective standards, Iris was exquisitely dressed. Even Lucia and the maids had gasped in admiration at her appearance.
‘But whether Cedric likes it… that’s another story.’
Cedric, being exceptionally handsome himself, had a high and discerning standard for beauty.
He never made it obvious, but Iris had sensed it.
There weren’t many things in the world that truly impressed him.
‘Still… I hoped he’d find me beautiful.’
Iris fidgeted with her fingers, glancing nervously at Cedric’s unreadable face.
“This is the most I’ve ever dressed up. Do I look strange? If it’s too much, I can—”
“Absolutely not.”
Cedric quickly interjected, raising an eyebrow slightly. Iris blinked in surprise at his sharp tone.
“My lady,”
Cedric, having regained his composure, smiled softly at her.
“You are breathtaking.”
Ah… this was the Cedric she knew.
“When I walked in, I think I momentarily lost all thought. You’re simply too beautiful.”
Hearing that, Iris felt a small wave of relief.
So she didn’t look strange to him.
“Thank you… for saying that,” she replied with a gentle smile.
“But you don’t have to exaggerate.”
“I’m not exaggerating,” Cedric insisted, waving his hands as if flustered.
“You have no idea how shocked I was.”
It surprised Iris to see his usual lazy composure gone. Cedric almost never reacted like this.
‘Was he really that stunned by me?’
Her heart fluttered, and her cheeks grew warm.
Watching her, Cedric grumbled with playful frustration.
“I can’t just open up my heart and show you what I’m feeling… it’s unfair.”
He spoke lightly, but in truth, Cedric was completely thrown off.
‘What a fool I’ve become.’
This wasn’t how he had planned it.
He’d intended to enter the room and escort her with elegance.
But the moment he saw Iris, every plan he’d made vanished in a burst of white.
He just stood there, staring at her like a fool.
He couldn’t even reach out his hand naturally, like he usually did.
Even now, standing face to face with her, his heart pounded wildly.
‘Why can’t I get used to this?’
Trying to regain his composure, Cedric lowered his gaze slightly—only to see the graceful curve of Iris’s neck and collarbone. He closed his eyes briefly.
‘Even if she’s my wife, staring so openly is improper…’
But the line from her collarbone to her shoulder held such delicate and refined beauty, it felt almost like a cultivation of aesthetic harmony.
Cedric found himself helpless against the pull of her pale, radiant skin.
“Is that why you didn’t show me the dress earlier?”
They’d shared ideas to coordinate their outfits, but Iris had only shown him the design, never the finished look.
“Well… yes,” Iris admitted, her face tinged with embarrassment.
“I wasn’t confident. I wanted to show you only when it was complete.”
Those clear, sky-blue eyes looked up at him with hopeful curiosity.
Her face, tinged with shyness, seemed to ask for reassurance.
“Do I… look pretty?”
It sounded like such a simple question, but Cedric found himself blushing too, as if her feelings were contagious.
“You do. You’re stunning.”
He leaned in teasingly, his tone low and warm.
“I doubt anyone else in the room will see anyone but you.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.”
Cedric chuckled and crossed his arms, nodding with mock seriousness.
“Well, I suppose I’m not the best judge. I’ve only ever had eyes for you.”
Normally, Iris would have denied such praise.
But today, she simply turned slightly and pointed to the white peony corsage in her hair, half-tied above her nape.
“I also wore the gift you gave me. Can you see it clearly?”
Something about her shy, squirrel-like charm made Cedric want to clutch his chest.
“Yes. It suits you perfectly.”
“I really wanted to wear your gift properly.”
She smiled brightly, the corners of her eyes crinkling with delight.
“I’m glad you noticed.”
Iris usually only smiled softly, but this full, radiant smile seemed to light up the entire world.
Sedric couldn’t hide the upward curve of his lips as he gently lifted the bowtie he was wearing.
“How do I look to you today, my lady?”
Dressed in a dark uniform close in shade to his black hair, his outfit was accented simply with sapphires to match Iris’s colors.
Yet, on Sedric, it appeared even more refined.
Without unbuttoning a single button, he radiated a raw, untamed sharpness beneath the polished exterior.
“Magnificent.”
“I... do I please you, Iris?”
Iris nodded quietly.
“Yes, you look absolutely magnificent.”
Her words were sincere, without a speck of doubt.
Though thoughtful, Iris was never hesitant to speak the truth.
Sedric, caught off guard by such direct praise, momentarily covered his mouth.
“My lord?”
“J-just a moment.”
It was the first time she had seen him so flustered.
“What’s the matter? Are you feeling unwell?”
Iris reached out and placed her hand on Sedric’s forehead. Despite his flushed face, he was not feverish.
“This is maddening, truly.”
“Excuse me? You’re that ill—”
“May I hold you?”
No man could remain still when faced with someone so beloved.
Especially if that person was his wife.
Sedric’s sudden surge of emotion made Iris’s cheeks flush a matching shade of red.
Hesitating briefly, she finally leaned into his embrace.
The Sacred Festival banquet was held at the Imperial Palace. Iris sat in the carriage as usual, gazing out the window.
“Are you worried about something?”
Opposite her, Sedric looked at her with concern.
“It’s nothing serious.”
“But it’s the ‘nothing serious’ I’m curious about. Please, tell me.”
Iris lowered her eyes briefly, then met Sedric’s crimson gaze and cautiously confessed,
“This is actually my first time attending the social circle. I’m worried I might be a burden to you, my lord.”
“Your first time?”
Sedric asked in disbelief.
“You must have attended a few events before your coming-of-age ceremony.”
“…I was a shameful child. I had many shortcomings and never went out to show myself.”
“Damn fools…”
Sedric muttered with a hint of fury.
“So they never took their daughter out? Not even for the coming-of-age ceremony?”
“I skipped it.”
For a moment, Sedric’s vision darkened with anger.
But with Iris before him, he couldn’t bring himself to speak harshly.
“My lady...”
He hesitated, voice thick, then continued,
“Were you not sad?”
“Not that sad.”
Iris smiled faintly, as if to comfort him.
“There were many duties to attend to. Going out might have made things harder.”
Sedric clenched his fist tightly, struggling to contain his rage.
“You didn’t even give your daughter the basics?”
“I did provide the basics. But she was never materially lacking.”
“Which country’s standards do you call ‘basic’?”
His voice deepened, barely suppressing his anger.
Did I say something wrong?
They were on their way to the Sacred Festival banquet she didn’t want to attend. He felt sorry if he had made her uncomfortable.
“Are you angry?”
Sedric shook his head as if dissatisfied, then met her gaze.
“I’m not angry with you.”
“Then…”
“I’m furious at your ridiculous family. I’m angry at how they treated you.”
“That’s already in the past.”
“Which makes it worse.”
Sedric frowned as if displeased.
“It’s the one thing I cannot fix.”
Sadly, even a genius like Sedric could not rewrite Iris’s past.
That was a domain not of man but of the divine.
But at this Sacred Festival banquet, the Valentine Count family would certainly attend.
Those loyal to the Imperial Court would never miss such an occasion.
After a moment of thought, a wicked smile crept to Sedric’s lips.
“My lady, if you meet the Valentine Counts today...”
Their families would inevitably cross paths with Iris.
She would be shining more beautifully than anyone else.
“Do not engage with them. No, if they speak to you, immediately splash them with water.”
“At the banquet?”
Iris blinked.
“That would be improper etiquette.”
“Since when has etiquette ever mattered?”
Cedric smiled with narrowed eyes, his expression proud and arrogant, like a noble cultivator confident in his own power.
“Is your husband not a scion of the imperial bloodline—one of the most exalted under the heavens? If need be, suppress them with the authority of the imperial clan.”
From his seemingly forceful words, Iris could sense Cedric’s sincere concern.
“…Thank you.”
For worrying about me.
She offered him a faint smile.
“I’ll do my best too.”
Seeing that smile, Cedric exhaled a silent sigh.
‘She won’t use power to crush them…’
Unlike those disgraceful members of her clan, Iris upheld virtue and the Dao of righteousness.
‘How did someone so noble rise from such a den of filth?’
The more he thought about it, the more wondrous it seemed. Propping his chin against his hand as he gazed out the carriage window, Cedric spoke again.
“On second thought, there’s no need for you to concern yourself with it at all.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Simply follow your heart and act in the way most comfortable to you.”
Even the thought that he had once expected her to take action now felt misguided.
Why should she, a cultivator who walks in grace, have to dirty her hands for the likes of them?
“All you need to do is enjoy the Sacred Festival with ease.”
The rest—I will handle.
Cedric swallowed those last words with a quiet, knowing smile. He had no intention of letting her be troubled by such trivial matters.
“Master, Madam. We’ve arrived at the Imperial Capital.”
The carriage of House Leontheim came to a stop in front of the imperial palace’s banquet hall. All that remained was their entrance.
“My lady?”
Cedric stepped down first and offered his hand with a subtle nod.
A gentle smile bloomed on his face as he looked up at her.
“May I have the honor of escorting you?”
“With pleasure.”
Iris returned his smile, delicate as mist, and gracefully placed her hand in his.
Chapter 58