Episode 13
I didn’t intentionally call him a blueberry cake.
Instead of common expressions like “honey,” “sugar,” or “chocolate,” I was thinking of a unique term that could catch his attention.
Among purple foods, there was no other sweet option than blueberries.
“P-Please don’t take off the mask…”
After a long silence, that was all he managed to say. If someone unfamiliar saw him, they might have thought he couldn’t speak.
I looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“I have no intention of touching the mask.”
“…”
He looked at me with surprised eyes.
His first fiancée had taken off his mask without his permission, causing her to faint.
Although it was an extremely rude act, everyone present was curious.
While nobles valued dignity and etiquette, they didn’t consider it rude to be curious about Apollion.
There were many people eagerly waiting for a chance to see his bare face.
When he asked me not to take off his mask, I felt a pang in my heart.
“Don’t worry, I have no intention of touching the mask.”
“Why…?”
“You said not to take it off yourself.”
“…”
“Isn’t it strange to try to force someone to take off their mask when they clearly don’t want to?”
Apollion looked at me with wavering eyes, then quickly turned his head away.
“Why are you avoiding me?”
“…”
“Hey.”
“…”
“Come on, Blueberry Cake.”
“Please don’t call me that…”
Apollion muttered with a voice as small as an ant.
Sighing heavily, I sat up. As I moved away, he quickly sat up on the bed.
Instead of giving him freedom to move, I stayed close to him, ready to catch him if he tried to escape. I had no intention of letting him off easily.
“Apollion, look at me.”
“…”
“If you don’t look at me, I’ll keep calling you Blueberry Cake.”
“That’s…”
“You don’t like it?”
Apollion looked at me with a pout.
Seems like even as the master of the ducal house, he doesn’t like being called such a cute nickname.
“If you don’t like it, then don’t avoid me from now on. Otherwise, I’ll keep calling you Honey, Darling, Macaron, Kitten, or whatever else I want.”
“…Got it.”
Reluctantly, Apollion nodded.
I knew his personality was very closed off, but experiencing it firsthand was frustrating. The road ahead seemed very long.
Thinking about our distant future, I shivered and then spoke to him.
“Apollion, what are we to each other?”
“Spouses… we are.”
“Yes. We became spouses today.”
He nodded.
“But why do you keep avoiding me?”
“T-That’s…”
Seeing him struggle to answer, it seemed like he was admitting to avoiding me. It was a moment where the newlywed in me felt a bit hurt.
“Do you dislike me?”
“No!”
He quickly stood up from his seat and exclaimed.
If you don’t dislike me, why raise your voice like that? Startling people.
“Then why are you avoiding me?”
“…”
“If you don’t answer, I can only assume you’re avoiding me because you dislike me.”
“…”
“How would I know if you don’t tell me? I’m not a mind reader.”
“…”
“To be ignored by my husband on our first day of marriage. It’s heartbreaking. How much must you dislike me to not even-”
“I don’t dislike you!”
“…”
“I may be avoiding you… but I’ve never avoided you because I dislike you.”
“Then why?”
“…”
“Ugh, this is so frustrating.”
I knew he was shy, but still, why couldn’t he answer quickly?
To get a faster response from him, I chose a different approach.
“Apollion, you know we have to consummate our marriage tonight, right?”
It was a straightforward way to get through to him.
“!”
Apollion’s mouth formed a diamond shape in response to my straightforward speech.
Oh, but judging by his expression, he seemed to have no intention of consummating our marriage tonight. Somehow, that was disappointing.
This just adds to the frustration and annoyance over the forehead kiss.
“We’re married, aren’t we? As spouses, there are certain obligations we must fulfill, right?”
“Ob-obligations between spouses…”
“Yes, of course.”
“…”
“You’re none other than His Grace the Grand Duke, right? You have a duty to produce an heir.”
Of course, I have no plans for children. Not now, not in the future unless something drastic changes.
But I was a very instinctive and desirous adult.
We’re both adults, and nothing else but spouses. Besides, my husband is the epitome of young, rich, and handsome! I had no reason to refuse tonight.
Moreover, there was an implicit rule in this aristocratic society that spouses must consummate their marriage.
Seeing someone who should know this society better than I do so flustered slightly bruised my ego.
Come to think of it, after the forehead kiss, this was a second blow to my pride.
As my frustration gradually intensified, I stared at him with a determined gaze.
Seeming to realize that something was wrong, he shifted uncomfortably, trying to avoid me.
But this position was all part of my cunning plan.
Soon, his back was against the headboard, and there was no escape.
I pulled a string attached to the canopy by the bed. Instantly, the canopy descended, enclosing us in privacy.
Apollion found himself half-lying on the bed’s headboard, and I stood before him, emitting a predator-like aura, blocking his way.
“W- Wife…”
“What is it?”
“…”
“If you want to address me, you need to speak, don’t you?”
I quickly undid the knot of the loosely tied nightgown.
As it slipped off, revealing my white skin underneath along with the slip I was wearing, Apollion exclaimed, “W-wife!”
Starting with his call, I simply discarded the gown altogether, then casually tossed it aside.
All that covered my body now was a barely clinging pink slip.
“…!”
For a moment, Apollion made a choking sound and tightly shut his eyes.
Even though he could have easily seen, his act of closing his eyes annoyed me for some reason.
Reaching out towards his shirt, I noticed how his neatly buttoned shirt reflected his restrained and virtuous personality.
With his shirt buttoned up to the neck, he looked like a man taken aback… somewhat prudish.
‘Maybe… do I like this kind of thing?’
Suddenly realizing this new preference, I was surprised as I unbuttoned one of his buttons. Instantly, his neckline and collarbones were exposed.
Still, I intended to keep up the charade of the evening, hence my choice of clothing that was easy to remove.
Of course, it was probably Wilson’s nagging that led me to wear this particular outfit.
Reaching down to unbutton the second button, Apollion abruptly grabbed my hand. His palm felt slightly damp with nervousness.
“W-Wife!”
“Yes?”
“I-I don’t think… it’s appropriate…”
“…What do you mean?”
For a moment, I couldn’t help but furrow my brow.
Though I knew exactly what he meant, I pretended not to understand, asking him with an indifferent expression, “What do you mean it’s not appropriate?”
“…Th-that, um, even though we’re married… this is the first time we’ve met today…”
Ignoring his words, I lightly perched on his thigh. With me lowering my position, he could see I was a bit shorter, and I noticed him gulp nervously.
“W-wife, please, c-calm down and… listen to me.”
“…Calm down?”
“Yes. P-Please calm down…”
“Did I get angry? Did I rush at you? Clearly, I’m very calm right now.”
Smirk.
I literally smirked and laughed. At my cold laughter, Apollion’s face began to pale.
“Apollion.”
“…”
“Honey?”
“…Yes?”
“Where in the world can you find a married couple who don’t even fulfill their marital duties?”
Apollion seemed like he wanted to say something but then closed his mouth again.
Actually, I felt like I knew what he wanted to say without him having to say it.
“…But still, it’s the first time we’ve met today.”
“Ha.”
It was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but laugh. It was such an absurd situation that I burst into laughter.
With laughter, a burst of irritation rose around my temple.
I raised my upper body slightly and ran my hand through my hair roughly. In my agitated state, I let out a sharp breath.
Apollion glanced at me cautiously and subtly shifted away from me. It was a desperate struggle to distance himself even slightly from me.
Seeing him tremble as he looked at me as if I were a ghost made me feel unfairly blamed. No wonder he felt like I had done something wrong.
The sorrow over the forehead kiss was long forgotten.
Suppressing the urge to grin, I opened my mouth towards him.
“I heard you sent a marriage proposal to a woman you’ve never even seen before?”
“…”
“Apollion, are we just a strategic marriage?”
He quickly shook his head.
Most nobles, like us, entered into strategic marriages.
Although society had become more open, there were still more nobles who entered into strategic marriages than those who married for love.
Even these conservatives had an unwritten rule that they never skipped the evening.
It seemed odd for someone as shy as him to send a marriage proposal.
“Give me an answer. Well, there might have been opinions from the elders, but you sent the proposal because you also had the will to marry, didn’t you?”
Nodding.
Nodding, nodding, nodding. What’s with all this nodding! Couldn’t he give a longer answer!
I barely managed to restrain my rising voice and continued speaking. I couldn’t just suddenly get angry at him, who was so gentle and shy.
“Yes. Most nobles enter into strategic marriages like us. That means, there are a lot of people in this country who live with strangers, right!”
But my persuasion didn’t last long. Apollion’s large hand covered my mouth.
It was a surprised expression, even to myself, that I had made such an action.
But I didn’t remove his hand. He was truly a determined man.
I was about to lick his palm with my tongue.
Otherwise, he might jump out of the window in surprise.
Instead, I bit his callused hand with my front teeth.
