It has already been two months since the wedding.

In front of others, they were a flawless couple. They stood side by side at banquets and showed consideration for each other with polite gestures under the gaze of the nobility. However, that was strictly a performance for the sake of the family's reputation.

The moment they returned to the mansion, the relationship between the two became more distant than that of strangers.

Rui was always holed up in his office, and Tsukasa could only watch his back from afar.

They never had breakfast together because their schedules didn't match; Rui was away for external appointments during lunch; and by dinner, Tsukasa would usually fall asleep while waiting for him.

Even so, Tsukasa did not give up.

He went to great lengths to obtain the tea Rui liked and left it in front of the office, and he personally picked out neckties to gift him every time the seasons changed. He sent several letters asking to walk in the mansion's garden together.

But all that returned were polite refusals. Or there were days when the gifts were simply stored away quietly without any reaction at all.

Watching this, the members of Tsukasa's household were burning with anxiety.

'This isn't a married couple; they're just housemates.'

'At this rate, he won't be able to open Rui's heart, let alone produce an heir.'

Eventually, a servant visited Rui's office that day as well.

Bowing cautiously, the servant reported that Tsukasa had prepared dinner and waited for hours again today, and after Rui failed to return, he cleared the table and went to his room.

Silence filled the office for a moment. The tips of Rui's fingers, which were flipping through documents, stopped for a split second, but it was only a flash. Soon, he closed the files and leaned back in his chair as if nothing had happened.

The light of the sunset spreading outside the window brushed past his profile, but not even a small tremor of emotion appeared on his face.

After closing his eyes for a moment to organize his thoughts, he spoke to the servant in a calm voice that was neither cold nor warm.

"...Tell Tsukasa-san not to wait from now on."

"My marriage to him is strictly a contract for the stability of the family."