I was so shocked that I dropped the documents. The papers that had been neatly organized were scattered on the floor. My mind, which I had barely managed to hold on to when I came here, seemed to have dissipated, and I was in a daze. My embarrassed heart pounded even more. He narrowed his eyes at me.
“I’m asking why you came into my room, Irwen. Because you’ve never been like this before.”
“That is…”
I quickly picked up the documents and placed them haphazardly on the table. The sight was not much different from the messy state I had been in when I first found it, but I quickly backed away. Every time Pervin lowered his head towards me, the scent of flesh passed through my nose. He looked like he had just come out of a bath. The white towel hanging narrowly around his pubic bone was the only material he was wearing. A refreshing scent wafted from his bare white skin. As he brushed his hair covering his forehead, the water droplets that had formed on his wide chest tumbled down. Seeing the bare skin of a sturdy man just over 180 centimeters was so hot that it made me want to die. I covered his eyes with my hands and backed away from him. He glanced at the table and took a step closer to me. He ran his hand over the paper lying on the table.
“Did you know what this was and sort it out?”
“I don’t know, I haven’t even seen it.”
“Yeah, that’s not the point. What matters is that you came into my personal space and that you were by my side at this time.”
Pervin came closer, licking his lips. As he slowly exhaled, I could see his chest heaving up and down. Moisture that had not dried yet flowed down the white and immaculate body. I quickly turned my attention to the erotic sight that stimulated my eyes.
“Don’t make any strange misunderstandings. I heard that for generations, the wives of the Carlisle family have a tradition of picking out their husbands’ cufflinks in the morning, so I’m just here to do my duty as a wife.”
“Oh, that.”
Pervin, who muttered, “Mrs. Tilly finally spoke,” gave me a earnest look.
“Isn’t it strange? Why did the Carlisle family have this tradition of picking out your husband’s cufflinks in the morning? In fact, you can just leave this to the servants.”
“Someone who knows the reason, tell me, then.”
“Tell me the truth?”
He lowered his head to me dangerously.
“Men are usually most active in the morning.”
When I frowned at the absurd sound, he kindly explained it further.
“This is a family whose hands have been precious for generations, so they worked hard to create a successor. Because we can do something together as a couple under the pretext of coming to pick out buttons in the morning.”
Only then did she realize her true meaning and her face turned red. Pervin was seen across from me with a subtle expression on his face, as if he was suppressing laughter. Do you think it’s fun that I don’t know what to do? It was unfair that I was the only one who suffered. So I went in front of him and brushed his shoulders.
“Then how about we try to do it properly?”
In fact, I wanted to grab him by the collar, but since I wasn’t wearing any clothes, I had no choice but to sweep down his bare skin. He suddenly grabbed my hand at my touch. His eyes were shaking violently, as if he was truly embarrassed.
“If you’re putting it mildly, stop.”
“We’re a married couple, so what?”
As he wiggled his fingers tightly held in his hand, his cheeks became bright red as if they were about to explode. It was he who held his hand first, and it was he who lightly kissed his lips. Since it felt like I was the one who suffered every time, a feeling of elation filled my heart as I saw Pervin’s embarrassed appearance in front of me. But that was then. At that moment, when he was intoxicated with a triumphant sense of victory, his body felt light, and in the blink of an eye, the soft bed was touching his back. The moment when the weight of a strong man was added to the bed and it became heavy. He blinked, but all I saw was a feast of flesh colors unfolding in my gaze. Wide shoulders, hollow collarbones, and wide chest heaving up and down. I blinked rapidly in confusion. Why am I in Pervin’s arms? Why am I burying my face in his chest and listening to his heart beating furiously? At the same time, my heart is beating too. At that time, Pervin slightly lifted his body away from me. Brushing his wet hair off his forehead, he placed my hand on his chest.
“If you do it right, then you go first.”
“No, what…”
“You were the one who spoke first.”
I tried to get up from Pervin’s arms, but he held me tightly in his arms. Pervin looked straight at me and didn’t let me go. I spoke as politely as possible.
“I was just kidding.”
“Ha, how can you make a joke like this?”
“Aren’t you old enough to know how to tell jokes?”
“Playing like this isn’t a joke, it’s a provocation. And I am willing to fully accept your bet.”
Why was the look in his eyes as he gently strokes my hair so sweet? Why did it seem so sincere, rather than funny, that he was actually provoking a joke I made? As his neck moved up and down in front of me, a languid voice tickled my ears.
“Go on, Irwen. I’m fine. I plan to accept whatever you want.”
The water that had not yet dried rolled down his neck, onto his collarbone, and then onto his chest. Again. I felt like a drop of water was spreading on the clothes I was wearing, so I started fluttering my arms and legs as if I was making a fuss.
“Wipe off the water first, quickly!”
The tense tension was broken. Only then did Pervin slowly get up from me. I quickly got out of bed as if a spring had popped out. Pervin got up from the bed and dried himself off with a large towel. The sight of his back facing me seemed like he was getting hot for some reason.
* * *
“You are much later than usual. It’s already 7:30…”
When Alfred, who was loitering in the hallway on the second floor, tried to take a step, Mrs. Tilly quickly tugged on the hem of his clothes. The force was so strong that the fabric almost tore, so Alfred hurriedly turned his head.
“Ma’am, why are you like this!”
“Don’t even think about knocking. Don’t even think about calling your master, and don’t even look at the clock!”
“But the preparation time is taking twice as long as usual, ma’am. I need to check to see if something happened…”
“This tactless guy. My wife is in the master’s room. So, didn’t he say anything?”
“She went in to pick out cufflinks. It would have been enough for her to come out in just one minute, but she hasn’t come out yet.”
Mrs. Tilly looked pitifully at the oblivious Alfred.
“Our Alfred, you still have a long way to go before you grow up.”
* * *
Pervin dried himself off and looked at me as if he was done. He still wasn’t wearing any clothes. I informed him, trying hard to keep his eyes straight.
“I’ll just go. I’m tired because I’ve been through so much since this morning.”
Pervin made direct eye contact with me. The wolf-like eyebrows that did not match my white skin caught me.
“I’ve come this far, so it would be nice if you pick out some clothes for me.”
“If, as you said, it is a tradition created for the heir, then since we have no relationship, isn’t it okay for the servants to do it?”
He came closer to me. I could see the pale green eyes becoming darker. He whispered in my ear.
“I wish you would, I really do.”
He blinks when he says he’s sincere, how could he not? Even if you look at those anxious, flirtatious eyes. Before my face turned even redder, I headed to the closet. The closet was filled with clothes that clearly reflected his taste. Neat, neutral-colored or blue-colored clothes. I chose clothes that would suit him. While I was smoothing out my wrinkles, he called me.
“Irwen. Some clothes.”
“Here you go.”
Just as I was about to pick up the clothes and go to him. He unwrapped the towel from his lower body.
“Oh my goodness!”
To my surprise, he was already wearing short underwear under the towel. I sighed in relief, but my heart still pounded. He looked at my widened eyes and his eyebrows furrowed in amusement.
“Why did you expect more? Is that what you wanted?”
“Ah… no!”
Pervin added, taking the clothes from me.
“You pick out some cufflinks. I’ll wear the rest.”
While he glanced at his watch and hurriedly got dressed, I rummaged through a box of cufflinks. Yes, this is also part of the duchess’s routine. While I was rummaging through boxes, the only sound I could hear behind me was the rustling of clothes. No words were exchanged between us. I held the cute heart-shaped cufflinks in my hand and fiddled with them. Madame Tilly picked out the buttons and advised me to speak to Pervin and her. Embarrassing incidents keep happening. But what should I say? What on earth should I say to become closer to my husband? No, I take the joke seriously, but is this something we can become friends with? I glanced back and saw that he was wearing a beige vest over a white flannel shirt. As I approached him holding the button, Pervin naturally held out his sleeve. As he put on heart-shaped cufflinks made with elaborate red rubies on both sides, a blush appeared on his pale face for an instant. The corner of his mouth twitched, and when he saw me, he covered half of his face with his hand. I could see the pupils shaking and the corners of the eyes folding. The blush that started from my cheeks now seemed to have spread to my entire face. He seemed to like it too. Pervin cleared his throat and barely spoke.
“…Why did you choose this?”
“Let’s get along well from now on. Starting today, the war between couples will end, and starting today, let’s start as a good married couple.”
The gaze that had been staring at the heart-shaped button slowly rose to face me. The flirtatious look in his eyes from earlier had now turned into a complete half-moon. Earlier she had been hiding her face with her hands, but now she fixed her eyes on me as if she had no intention of doing so.
“A good married couple. It’s an unfamiliar but pleasant word to hear. Yes, I will try harder than you have worked so hard.”
I saw his bright smile for the first time. I didn’t even know that his heart was melting with just a single heart button. However, his smile must have spread through my heart, and I smiled too. Pervin, who was looking at me blankly, added:
“Since you said we should start off as a good married couple, I would like to suggest something.”
“What is it?”
He continued silently putting on his jacket.
“There is a saying that when you become distant from your body, you become distant from your mind. I often spent time with you during the day, so I thought it would be nice to spend time with you at night as well.”
“But you’re always in the study at night.”
“I want to get along better with you.”
“Forcing an effort is…”
He gave me soft eyes.
“It’s not far-fetched, it’s sincere.”
He took a step back, perhaps because he was ashamed of what he had said. He took a step back and then heard the sound of his back hitting the door. His face was red. As I approached him to examine him, he put his hands behind his back. The doorknob was pulled down, and the door burst open. Mrs. Tilly and Alfred were arguing with their faces open.
“It’s clear that their relationship has improved.”
“His relationship with his wife suddenly improved? I don’t believe that.”
“You just heard that, so why did the bed creak in the morning? If it wasn’t due to passion, what could it be…?”
“Hmm.”
Pervin faced them with a cold face. His pale face was now red. They bowed deeply as if embarrassed. He passed them by and hurried down to the drawing-room, saying nothing until he had finished his breakfast. When I went out to the front door to see him off, he finally opened his mouth. Her red face was still the same, but her eyes were full of strength, as if she had made up her mind. Although he spoke while looking at my face, he was telling the servants, whose eyes were sparkling as they looked at us, to listen.
“We’ll have dinner together tonight, so I hope you’ll wait.”
I could hear servants whispering behind me.
“Oh my, how many years has it been since he had dinner at home?”
“This is the first time since they got married that they’ve made such an advance promise to have dinner together.”
“And…”
Pervin bent his tall stature to look down at me. His eyes, framed by long eyelashes, sparkled darkly.
“It would be nice if you prepared a late-night snack for us later on in the evening.”
“At night… night?”
“The duties of a Duchess that you emphasize so much are the most important, so why are you like this again?”
Pervin gently placed his finger on my lips.
“Merge, I mean it.”
There was silence for a moment. I doubted what I heard. What do you mean by merger? Perwin Carlisle and Irwen Lilias had not spent a night together since their first wedding night. It was just a ceremonial first night, and it wasn’t even a proper night because Irwen made a fuss about her. In the original, the ‘worst first night’, which was described in just one line, was described as follows. ‘The duke and duchess’ first night, which should have been romantic, turned out to be the worst night, bringing only terrible memories to each other.’ Given that description, Pervin must have been opposed to the annexation. She suddenly brings up her duties as a duchess and… Are you going to sleep? So, was Pervin’s sincere statement earlier that he wanted to “spend the night together” true? When she heard the blatant word “joint union,” her tongue twisted in embarrassment.
“What… What? Merge?”
“Then see you later in the evening, Irwen.”
Pervin pretended not to notice and hurried out of the house. A faint smile appeared on her lips as if she was amused. Moving his long legs quickly, he mounted the dazzling black horse. I ran after him with all my might and shouted.
“Wait a minute, we’re not done talking yet!”
“Let’s finish our conversation later, alone, at night.”
He quickly got on his horse and left for the imperial palace. His fine hair fluttered like flower petals in the spring breeze. Let’s have dinner together… Want to spend the night together? Why on earth does that guy do that? Is it a dream? I pinched my cheek hard.
“Aya!”
Maybe this isn’t a dream. Even if I pinched both cheeks, I could still feel the pain. I had a strong premonition that my intentions had been misrepresented. However, the people around me cheered and surrounded me. It was as if a festival had taken place.
“It looks like the prayers I’ve prayed for the past four years are finally starting to bloom! Oh my, your wife has come back to her senses. And my goodness, is this the first merger in how many years?”
“There will finally be a successor! A baby’s cry can finally be heard on this quiet Carlisle Manor!”
“All the idiots who said the Carlisle family would be cut off, tell them to come out!”
Most of them were servants who had served since the previous Duke of Carlisle, so they were all old. As they lived longer, they saw much, heard much, and became more patient, so they put up with Irwen, her evil wife, and prayed earnestly for her to repent. That’s why they smiled brightly when they saw that I had become quite nice some time ago. They were the ones who most welcomed the change in Pervin’s eyes from hatred to curiosity towards me. And Pervin, as if responding to their interest, declared that he would sleep in the same bed. And in front of everyone, so they can’t take it out. Mrs. Tilly was so moved that she stopped wiping her tears and gently hugged me by the arm.
“Ma’am, please come to the mansion quickly. There is a lot to do for the annexation. Marianne! Go to the garden quickly and get a basket of rose petals, so we can prepare a bath!”
“Yes!”
Mrs. Tilly’s niece, Marie Anne, who was quite young in the mansion, ran into the garden with her face flushed. I walked to the house with Mrs. Tilly. Beside her, Mrs. Tilly chatted excitedly.
“It should have happened a long time ago,” she said. “Now, the elders of the Carlisle family will no longer have to scold you. If you give birth to an heir, there will be no more pressure from this family, madam. Oh my gosh, I feel relieved. What, lift the cage? What kind of marriage would you make with such a beautiful lady…?”
Mrs. Tilly looked at me as if she had realized her mistake. Well, there is no need to notice. My ultimate goal is to successfully complete the contracted marriage period and get divorced… Pervin’s kind eyes kept flashing in front of me, so I tried to lose my sense of her goal.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I said it was her mouth that was open, so please forgive me…”
I spoke calmly to Mrs. Tilly, who continued to look sorry for her.
“It’s okay, Mrs. Tilly. Apparently Pervin was just doing it out of courtesy… I meant to say room.”
“Is it just a matter of courtesy, ma’am? I think you know better that my master is the kind of person who doesn’t say anything he doesn’t want to keep.”
Mrs. Tilly looked around her and whispered to me as if telling her a secret.
“Ma’am, you said you would never touch it without permission, so you have kept it until now.”
Without realizing it, my eyes shook greatly. You said you would never touch me without my permission? So what has been attacking me so far? Wasn’t that what you touched? Did Pervin have different standards for skinship than me? Suddenly her mind became confused.
“Then now…”
“I guess I can’t take it anymore, okay? Even when we see you these days, you can’t see her being this beautiful. But what do you think, my passionate master?”
Mrs. Tilly smiled sinisterly.
“It looks like the owner is anxious too.”
* * *
Pervin Carlisle was working alone in a spacious room in the spacious imperial palace. As commander-in-chief of the empire and the Emperor’s right-hand man, he had a lot of paperwork to handle every day. There wasn’t enough time to just focus his eyes on the paper, but he was currently lost in his thoughts, fiddling with the cufflinks on his right sleeve. He twirled the heart-shaped cufflinks that dangled from his sleeve. The red ruby sparkled as if representing his curious mind. Pervin was thinking about what had happened this morning. The innocent look on her face when she woke up in the morning and came to his room after helping him get dressed. After he took a bath there was a moment when she couldn’t hide the embarrassment that struck her. He unconsciously tried to treat her even more harshly because he could see her embarrassment all over her body, with her face flushed with heat and her mouth dry. She had no intention of putting Irwen’s hand on him when he didn’t want to, and her gentle conversation would replace the first step toward becoming a “couple” as she hoped. However, once a stream of emotions broke out, it led him into an unexpected situation. I was curious about her sincerity, and how far she would reach out to him. She said she would fulfill her duties as a Duchess, but she wondered what she would do in the event of annexation. When his wife reached out to him first, the various emotions he had hidden for the past four years flew out and he could not control them. Normally, he would have left the mansion in a polite manner in front of the employees, but the fact that he was so overcome with excitement that he insisted on spending the night with his wife was proof of that. It was his wife who first extended her hand, and she promised to try her best.
‘Anyway, if they start to look like a good couple, the pressure on Irwen to become the successor will increase. It would be better to show the annexation before the vassals’ pressure comes, rather than making Irwen have a hard time resisting such pressure.’
Lost in thought, several pieces of paper slipped from his hands. Even as he hurriedly picked up the spilled paper, his heart was pounding and his face was hot. Later in the evening, as he thought about spending time with Irwen, things got out of hand. At that time, his close friend, the Marquis Celestine, came inside. He is also a talented person who is indispensable to the empire. Unlike Pervin, he was a father who started a good family early on and had three children. He handed Pervin a scorpion, shaking her curly brown hair.
“Why are you staring into space like that instead of doing your work?”
“When did I.”
Pervin hastily received the message from him. Marquis Celestine sat down next to him, dangling his heart-shaped cufflinks.
“You didn’t pick this yourself, did you? I wouldn’t have guessed that you, who aren’t that interested in accessories, would have made this heart shape yourself…”
“Irwen chose it.”
Marquis Celestine clicked his tongue as if he was amazed.
“Nonsense.”
“What do you mean? Wouldn’t a wife do this for her husband?”
“No, I mean… Your couple is a bit different from normal couples.”
Marquis Celestine scratched his head. Since it was Marquis Celestine, whom she had been close with since childhood, he was especially worried about her not-so-smooth married life in Pervin. At the wedding, where only Pervin smiled, the Marquis Célestine thought her friend had become a little strange. The Duke of Carlisle, whom he had seen, was never one to give in to impulse, but he quickly married his first love, saying he fell in love with her at first sight. As expected from her sudden marriage, Pervin spent four difficult years with Irwen. Marquis Celestine felt sorry for Pervin, whom she saw every day at the imperial palace, and occasionally invited him to her mansion to comfort him.
“It’s really hard.”
A word uttered by Pervin, who does not usually express his emotions, while very drunk. Marquis Celestine was a person who simply wanted her marriage to end and wanted her friend’s happiness more than anyone else. But things seem to have been going strange for some time now. After her duchess fainted and woke up, her personality changed. Like the recent cultural festival held at the duke’s residence, and the venom that disappeared from her face. Above all, that is Pervin’s face. Marquis Celestine looked at Pervin’s ever-changing expression as if she were bewildered.
‘That guy… I don’t know why he’s acting like that, like an adolescent boy.’
Pervin, who couldn’t take his eyes off the paper, tilted his head slightly as if he was worried.
“Ha… Why today…”
“What happened?”
“This is a message from His Majesty that there is an urgent matter that needs to be taken care of today, and that you should stay until evening. I think it’s because of the additional taxes collected for the new palace… ha…”
“The empire won’t run without you. Good luck today.”
“So you’re going to get off work early to see your fox-like wife and rabbit-like children?”
Marquis Celestine shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, I’m always happy when I go home. But you won’t have much fun going home anyway, right?”
Pervin tried not to get caught up in his deliberately testing questions. However, his face easily betrayed him. Her eyes twitched just thinking about Irwen. Pervin asked him a question in return, trying to hide his own thoughts.
“Lance, what did you like about her?”
“Me?”
Marquis Celestine was unaware of his concerns. If he fell in love with her beautiful face, he thought it seemed like a too revealing answer. He glanced around and answered hesitantly.
“I don’t know… I guess she has a kind heart.”
At the time, the Marquis Celestine fell in love with Count Honorin’s second daughter, the current Marchioness, at first sight and persistently courted her. He was famous in the social circles at the time for saying that her looks were his ideal type and that he was courting her passionately. Pervin, who knew his love story better than anyone else, looked dumbfounded.
“That’s not honest.”
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on November, 25.
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