79.

 

I had to make several preparations for welcoming the ‘true mistress,’ a role I hadn’t initially planned for.

Now that I was marrying Norma Diazi, the McFoy family head’s marriage was no longer just for show. After all, I couldn’t treat someone from the Diazi family as a mere puppet husband.

Naturally, the ‘duties of a married couple’ were expected of us. However, those duties still felt vague and unclear to me.

Until I received a crash course in them, they seemed like someone else’s business.

In the midst of my overwhelming schedule, Lady Seymour one day presented me with a teacher. She was a well-known figure in high society, to the point where no noble would dare have a wedding without receiving her guidance beforehand. She was the minimum safeguard to ensure I didn’t make a complete mess of the wedding night.

And so, a crash course in preparation for the wedding night—and the smooth union of the head of the McFoy family and her husband—began.

Though I was not a child like Archie and already knew the basics, as we meticulously covered every detail in theory, I realized how vast the unknown world was.

Listening to the teacher’s clear explanations was one thing, but when it came to seeing it illustrated, I began to feel concerned.

“Am I really supposed to do that with Norma Diazi? I already have an heir, so maybe I don’t need to do that.”

The thought of avoiding it was tempting, but it wasn’t so simple. This wasn’t a contractual marriage with a superior-inferior dynamic. I couldn’t just brush off Norma Diazi, who had legally claimed the position of the family’s rightful husband, every time we were supposed to be intimate.

Like a diligent student, I forced myself to absorb all the theoretical knowledge, cramming it into my brain.

Then, on the last day of the lessons, my strict teacher made a rather irresponsible statement, saying that no amount of theory could compare to a single experience in practice. She added,

“Your husband-to-be is quite remarkable in many ways, so there’s no need to worry. Just go with the flow and enjoy your wedding night.”

 

Norma Diazi, being even more of a novice than I was, made me wonder what she was talking about. But the teacher seemed completely unfazed by my skeptical look.

Surprisingly, the wedding itself went smoothly, and I felt oddly calm.

Am I really getting married? That thought momentarily pushed away my worries about the wedding night. Despite being annoyed by Edio, every time I was about to lose my temper, Norma Diazi made me laugh like a ghost who knew exactly what I needed.

Sometimes, Norma did things that left me speechless, and his vows were so bold that they were almost funny. He declared that he would never leave my side, and though I found it amusing, I also felt a strange sense of satisfaction. To be honest, I hadn’t felt this happy in a long time.

But that happiness didn’t last long.

“Lord McFoy, this is a relaxing fragrance. How do you like it?”

“Oh my, look at her! How dare you offer that to Lord McFoy? Lord McFoy, this is—”

The excited maids busily washed and dried me, chatting noisily the whole time. I couldn’t even think of scolding them for their giddiness. As the sun set and the wedding night approached, I found myself unable to speak.

‘It would be better to have another ceremony than this.’

Listening to Edio stutter for hours seemed far preferable.

‘How am I supposed to show my bare skin? How do I even touch him? And how do I—!’

“Lord McFoy, what about your undergarments?”

At that moment, one of the maids, her cheeks flushed red, snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts. I stared at her, confused by her question and her breathless state.

“What…?”

As I barely managed to move my lips, the maids began debating amongst themselves. One of the more impatient maids declared boldly,

“You’ll just be taking them off soon anyway, so why not leave them out?”

“No, you don’t understand.”

An older maid interrupted, laughing at the younger one.

“There’s a special mood created when you remove one layer, and it builds with each layer you take off!”

I wanted to shut their mouths altogether. My head ached as I rubbed my face in frustration, the sweet scent in the air making me feel nauseous.

At last, I found myself standing in front of the bedroom door, wrapped in a gown thicker than what I’d wear even in summer. Norma Diazi was inside.

‘Does this even make sense? I never imagined I’d actually be facing a wedding night. Oh—wasn’t I supposed to die without ever getting married?’

I stood there for a long time, staring at the door, my mind racing with countless thoughts.

It wasn’t that I found this situation horrifying. It was just that the idea of performing the duties of a married couple while naked was far too abstract for me.

Especially with someone like Norma, a man so pure and sacred that just looking at him felt reverent. How could I imagine doing such things with him?

No doubt, Norma knew I was standing by the door. I couldn’t delay any longer. If I embarrassed him tonight, it wouldn’t be Norma I’d have to face—Milan Diazi would be the one scolding me.

With that thought, I took a deep breath and flung the door open.

Sitting gracefully on the vast, white bed—large enough for five men to roll around on—was a man bathed in moonlight, as usual.

Just like me, he had just finished bathing, and his entire body glistened from head to toe. Our eyes met immediately, and I forgot to breathe. I thought to myself how fortunate I had been to take a deep breath just moments before.

I didn’t want to show any more hesitation. Though my joints creaked in protest, I walked confidently toward him. In response, Norma slowly rose from his seat.

“…”

However, standing beside the bed face to face, I found it difficult to speak. As I hesitated, Norma tilted his eyes gently and whispered to me first.

“I thought you might just leave, Lady McFoy.”

The fact that he called me “Lady McFoy” instead of “Aisa” made my left eyebrow instinctively shoot up. He quickly laughed softly and corrected himself.

“Aisa.”

“Hmph.”

I cleared my throat awkwardly. It was strange how such a small change in how he addressed me made me feel like a child, embarrassed by my sudden desire to hear my name.

Since the proposal, Norma had casually dropped the formalities and started calling me by my name. It hadn’t bothered me as much as I thought it would, and I found myself looking forward to hearing him say “Aisa.”

‘The only reason I’ve been waiting for him to call me that is because his back-and-forth behavior has been distracting, not for any other reason, I swear.’

While I was busy convincing myself of that, Norma suddenly reached out his hand. I reflexively took it, and the next moment, he lifted me into his arms.

I silently gasped. This was now the third time I had experienced the humiliating “princess carry.” As a fully grown adult, being lifted like that was undeniably embarrassing.

“What are you doing?”

“I’ve been waiting for this for so long, Aisa.”

Despite my calm and intellectual protest, Norma responded with a pitiful tone. I had made him wait, so I couldn’t argue further and kept my mouth shut.

In the meantime, Norma Diazi smoothly carried me onto the bed. He supported the back of my neck with one hand while his other arm encircled my waist.

Oh my…

Although he didn’t say it outright, the wedding night had already begun. As I leaned back, relying on his strong arms, I began to fall gently onto the soft bedding.

“This moment…”

Norma Diazi looked down at me, his lips moist as he spoke. My gaze remained fixed on those lips.

‘His lips are so… moist. This is crazy.’

As my teacher had said, all the theory I had memorized seemed useless in practice. In fact, it couldn’t be helpful at all. My mind had given up on thinking entirely.

Now, I could only take in the visual and auditory stimuli—his slightly wet voice, his eyes, his lips, and the fabric of his robe.

“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this?”

By the time my back and head were fully resting on the soft bedding, he whispered, his lips curling into a smile. I swallowed dryly.

“Aisa.”

“Yes?”

“I’m going to do it.”

“W-what…”

I knew exactly what he meant, so there was no point in pretending I didn’t. After all, we both knew why we were here.

“All the way.”

Though his tone remained gentle, his words were firm. My throat felt tight, and I could only nod in response. He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on my forehead, as if to tell me not to worry, before lifting his upper body away from me.

The eyes that looked down at me were no longer warm and full of stardust. The man before me couldn’t be described with such innocent words. His sharp golden eyes now resembled those of a hungry predator.

Norma shrugged off his robe, letting the fabric slide down smoothly to his waist. His upper body, bathed in moonlight, was revealed in full.

I had noticed his impressive physique during the masquerade ball when I had gotten a glimpse of his chest, but now that he was fully exposed… he was extraordinary.

‘So, when the gods sculpted Diazi, they were focused not only on his face but on every detail from head to toe.’

Despite being a swordsman, his body was flawless. His broad shoulders and chest were solid like a wall, but his waist was lean and sleek, like that of a leopard. His muscles were perfectly defined.

Unlike the soft and squishy bodies of the men I had seen in the illustrations my teacher had shown me, Norma’s body was both beautiful and intimidating. My eyes were drawn to him, tracing a path from his chest to just below his navel. Noticing my gaze, Norma’s face flushed red.

“I’ve been studying hard to make you happy. My teacher told me that no amount of theory can compare to a single experience in practice.”

‘Damn, was it the same teacher?’

“It’s my first time, so I might be clumsy, but I’ll do my best.”

Norma, with a flushed face, declared his determination. He then added in a small voice.

“I’ll really try.”

‘You don’t have to try so hard, though.’

My breath caught in my throat, and I wanted to escape his intense gaze, even if just for a moment. But I remembered the lesson from my teacher: never avoid eye contact. Since I was a model student, I made an effort not to look away.

The next moment, in the blink of an eye, he swiftly undressed me as if by magic. I was only wearing a thin undergarment under my gown, so it was natural that I would be left bare so quickly. Still, the boldness of his touch was shockingly unexpected.

Wow! Internally, I screamed while holding my breath. Except for the maid who helped me with baths, this was the first time I had ever been naked in front of someone else.

Something was different about Norma today. His flushed face was clearly not the usual subtle blush I was used to. Trembling, I hurriedly grabbed his wrist.

What the? How is he so skilled? Why is he so bold? He’s always so flustered with hugs or kisses, but why is he suddenly so confident with this? And why is he looking at me like that?

How can people just undress, bare their bodies, and press their skin together?

Is this really okay with him?

Countless questions surged through my mind.

‘This… how do people even do this? Everyone must be crazy.’

But the words I actually spoke were unbelievably foolish. Norma, who had frozen mid-motion, blinked his large eyes right in front of me.

“Wait, hold on. Norma, this is—.”

I stopped speaking. Norma let out a light laugh, almost like a sigh. His face grew even redder, and for a moment, something like joy flashed in his eyes. His expression made him look like someone who had lost his mind from happiness, so I couldn’t bring myself to say anything else.

“Aisa.”

Damn it. The way he said my name was more powerful than telling me to shut up.

At the same time as I tightly closed my eyes, frozen stiff, he kissed me as if his lips were melting the ice within me.