Chapter 61

Damn it. At this hour, there was only one person who could possibly be at her door.

Her one and only husband, Maxim von Waldeck.

‘Haah, he said he’d be late. Why is he back so early…?’

It was far earlier than the time he’d said he would return.

When she’d first arrived at the townhouse, he’d insisted she take a ridiculously extravagant room, which, as it turned out, was the one he shared with her.

“This room feels a bit… much. Would it be alright if I moved to a smaller one?”

Obviously, she’d done her best to say no without directly saying it.

“We agreed to share a bed.”

“That was back at Waldeck. This is the townhouse.”

“Is the idea of sleeping beside me that unbearable?”

What kind of question was that? It was so suffocating day after day, she felt like she was going to lose her mind.

But if she dared say it outright, he’d drag her into another endless lecture about the importance of “marital compromise,” so Daisy carefully tried again.

“N-no, it’s not that. It’s just… this is your room, Max, and it feels like I’m intruding. I’d be more comfortable with my own space.”

“I’m hardly here as it is. I just sleep and leave. Doesn’t it seem wasteful to leave the room unused?”

“But your aunt is here, and it feels wrong for me to be the only one using such a large room.”

“There are only two things I need. A big sturdy bed, and you, Izzy.”

“…”

“I don’t need anything else.”

Of course, nothing she said got through to him.

He had simple but unshakable tastes. Which is why Daisy ended up sharing a bed with him every single night, whether she wanted to or not.

The only subtle form of rebellion she could muster was going to bed before he returned.

Listening to Maxim’s nonsense left her half out of her mind, so she figured it was better to shut him out completely.

But tonight, of all nights, she had lingered for too long and missed her chance.

‘What do I do, what do I do…’

She needed to act fast.

‘Okay, pretend to be asleep. Pretend to be asleep… Dear Lord, I love You always. Goodnight.’

In a hurry, Daisy set her rosary back on the nightstand, pulled the covers up to her chin, and squeezed her eyes shut.

There wasn’t much time, she still made sure to say a quick prayer.

Knock, knock—

The sound of knocking came again. When no answer followed, the door clicked open, and the sound of familiar footsteps filled the room.

“I’m back, Izzy.”

Step, step, step.

That unmistakable rhythm. Maxim’s shoes were always polished to a mirror sheen. So spotless you could practically make eye contact with your own reflection.

Now that she thought about it, it wasn’t just his shoes. Even his military boots were like that.

His poor subordinates probably had a hell of a time trying to please that clean-freak psycho.

‘Though judging by the way he acts with me, his preferences seem to be the complete opposite of clean and tidy.’

But it’s not like it mattered. I’ll never understand him anyway, so who cares? She would end this farce before things got any worse.

While she was lost in those silly thoughts, Maxim had already stopped right beside her bed.

“You’ve already gone to bed? I came back early just for you.”

“…”

Yes. I’m asleep. Don’t talk to me.

“You must have been exhausted. Did you buy a lot of pretty things today?”

His voice softened as his hand brushed through her hair.

She gave no response, but Maxim didn’t seem to mind. He just kept murmuring those little questions.

Then, he leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.

“I’ll go get cleaned up, darling.”

The moment those words left his lips, she heard the rustle of clothes being removed, followed by the closing of the bathroom door.

Shortly after, the sound of running water echoed from the bathroom.

Peeking cautiously through barely opened eyes to ensure the coast was clear, Daisy finally relaxed, letting her eyes flutter fully open.

‘Phew, that was close.’

She had escaped by the skin of her teeth. Fortunately, Maxim didn’t seem to suspect anything. Daisy pressed a hand to her chest to steady her racing heart.

‘Showing up early without so much as a warning….’

She refused to have another scare like this, so Daisy decided then and there to move her bedtime up even earlier.

‘Sleep. I just need to sleep.’

She had only been pretending before, but now she genuinely needed to fall asleep. But the more she forced her eyes shut, the more her exhaustion seemed to work against her, leaving her wide awake instead.

‘That cake tasted like it could melt my tongue.’

And even worse, she couldn’t stop thinking about the “Taste of Heaven” she had earlier. It was driving her mad.

“Tase of Heaven”? More like it was the devil’s temptation.

‘Fine. Just one more bite before he gets out of the shower.’

She knew Maxim had a habit of leaving the water running, so Daisy figured it was best to make her move now. Just barely five minutes had passed.