Episode 14
“Ugh!”
He groaned and pulled his hand away from my face.
‘Someone who claims to fight demons is so dramatic over this.’
I didn’t even bite him that hard, but his reaction was dramatic. How could a man who fearlessly aims for the enemy’s throat and leads the charge in clearing out demon-infested forests be so dramatic over this…
Wait a moment,
What if this isn’t drama…?
‘Could his palms be sensitive…?’
The neck visible between the open shirt was red.
I looked down at him, holding the hand I had bitten with my other hand.
It wasn’t visible in the dim light, but upon closer inspection, his skin visible outside his clothes was all flushed red.
The exposed jawline, round earlobes, smooth neck – all were turning as red as ripe apples.
“…”
‘…Kinda cute?’
Seeing him react so strongly to such a trivial stimulus, I felt a strange urge to tease him.
I looked down at Apollion, who was on the verge of tears, and smirked.
Taking advantage of Apollion looking at his hand, I pressed my body closer to his.
It was summer, and we were both in our nightclothes.
Our clothes were very thin, so we could feel each other’s skin clearly where they touched. His broad chest was much firmer than it appeared.
Apollion, who had been frozen by the sudden contact, belatedly tried to push himself away from me.
Even if I were about his size, I still could have easily subdued him, but Apollion didn’t act rough.
He didn’t want to risk hurting me. He avoided me as much as possible, carefully controlling his strength.
But no matter how much he resisted, he ended up in my arms in the end.
I looked down at him with a wicked smile.
My hair, cascading like a waterfall, brushed against his chest.
As I brushed my hair behind my ear, Apollion’s Adam’s apple bobbed heavily.
Eventually, he seemed to give up on resistance and tightly shut his eyes.
It felt strange to be crushing someone much bigger than me like this. I felt a mixture of pride and a knot in my stomach.
I wrapped my hands around Apollion’s cheeks, which were squirming.
As I did, he suddenly opened his eyes wide. His frightened pupils were shaking aimlessly.
“…It feels like I’ve become a really bad person doing this.”
“…”
“You know it’s not me who’s bad, right?”
“…”
“What kind of groom thinks of running away on his wedding night!”
I couldn’t control my temper and gave Apollion a forehead flick. It didn’t hurt much, but the impact made his forehead tingle slightly.
Then, Apollion blinked his widened eyes and opened his mouth.
“I… I wasn’t trying to run away!”
“You were caught trying to escape.”
“…”
“Earlier, when you were struggling with Wilson at the door, did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
His face stiffened. It was an innocent expression that seemed to ask how I knew.
“You know this is very embarrassing, right?”
As if in response, he hesitated to raise his hand and then lowered it back down.
For the nobility in this country, the wedding night was an important tradition.
Refusing to participate in the wedding night was considered extremely disrespectful, and some conservative individuals even considered it a disgrace to the family.
If it were revealed that the newlywed bride hadn’t observed the wedding night, strange rumors would surely spread throughout the social circles.
Starting from the hypothesis that he has no charm for women, rumors about his impotence, and even one of us not having sexual functions.
In a world where men hold power, it was obvious that women were the ones who suffered the most.
Moreover, if the protagonist of these rumors was none other than the gossip superstar Apollion… and if it was me who couldn’t live properly in Sonode…
There would be too much to chew on, we wouldn’t need gum.
Even without looking at the source, I knew it was probably some arrogant and stupid act by Sonode.
If rumors about the wedding night spread in this situation, both Apollion and I would surely be exhausted.
“If you understood, just stay still. No matter what happens today, I intend to fulfill the tradition of this empire, which means fulfilling the duties of a couple.”
I leaned against his shoulder and bowed my head. His lips, slightly moist, looked tempting.
Apollion, who noticed a strange sign as my face approached, met my eyes. We were just about to touch lips.
“Huh!”
“…”
Whether Apollion took a deep breath or not, my body, touching his chest, trembled along with him.
At the same time, something white and soft pressed against my face. It felt like a pillow.
Soon the pillow fell down with a thud. Then I saw Apollion with surprised bunny eyes.
I blew the hair stuck to my face out of my mouth. I was so astonished that my spine was starting to tingle.
“Lady, are you alri-”
“Is this how you want to come out?”
“…”
“Even if I have to really get angry!”
I rushed at Apollion aggressively. I grabbed his slightly open shirt and pulled it tightly.
* * *
Wilson and Emma were quietly guarding the door to their masters’ room.
Usually, there were hardly any guards inside the mansion. Even if there were, they wouldn’t assign such high-ranking people like Wilson and Emma to guard the room late at night.
But today was different.
Wilson and Emma stood guard in front of the bedroom, with other servants in tow.
Though the young servants seemed disappointed, they fled at the sharp glance from Emma, as if running away in fear.
If Emma resembled a fierce hunting dog, Wilson appeared like a steadfast statue. Though he seemed mild at a glance, he exuded an aura that made people tense up.
In many ways, they were not ordinary individuals.
The servants who had been maintaining their unwavering posture for hours all glanced away. They could be considered specimens of veteran workers.
As the servants who had finished their night shifts returned to their quarters, only Emma and Wilson remained in front of the door.
Emma was the first to speak. Her gaze remained fixed ahead.
“Do you think there’s been any progress?”
“…I’m not sure yet.”
Wilson also responded with a perfect posture, showing no sign of agitation.
As if determined not to allow any movement, they conversed naturally while maintaining their erect posture. The only part of their bodies that moved freely was their lips.
There were no spectators or listeners, yet they conversed discreetly, resembling a scene from a spy movie.
Although they appeared to be professional servants, their true nature was different.
Both of them focused all their senses on their ears, listening intently for any sound beyond the door.
“Surely they won’t do nothing… right?”
Emma’s voice trembled slightly.
“…Didn’t Duke seem resolute?”
“But His Grace also needs to cooperate.”
“…Let’s wait for now. The night isn’t over yet.”
Emma tightly sealed her lips. A fleeting expression of concern crossed both their faces.
Wilson and Emma had served the Theabrite family for almost 30 years each.
When it came to the three mansions on the estate, they knew more than Lord Apollion himself.
Emma, the housekeeper, had been by Apollion’s side since he was in the cradle, and Wilson had been managing these estates even before Apollion’s mother married into the Theabrite Duke’s family.
After Apollion was cursed, many people left the mansions, but they didn’t.
For Emma, Apollion was like her own child.
She wasn’t afraid of a petty curse that bothered her precious young master. What she feared was Apollion being hurt by the curse. That was her only fear.
Wilson shared the same sentiment.
What was detestable wasn’t Apollion himself, but rather the curse blocking the bright future of the Theabrite family.
Despite the passage of time, the shadow on their faces deepened as no sound came from inside.
Although she knew her master had a strong sense of wariness towards people, Emma couldn’t tolerate him disregarding his duties as a husband.
After all, wasn’t she the only one who approached Apollion first when everyone else fled?
As much as he was wary of strangers, it was unthinkable for him to abandon the tradition of the bridal night.
No, in truth, she hoped he wouldn’t.
Nor did her successor.
However, he was a duke at the center of imperial power.
All they could hope for was to avoid being criticized by the gossip-loving nobles.
That’s why the two of them were directly guarding the door—to prevent any strange rumors from spreading unintentionally.
The mansion was so quiet that only the sound of Wilson’s wristwatch could be heard. Now, they stood in place, almost ready to give up.
“Ah!”
Emma’s eyes widened at the sound coming from beyond the door.
Wilson was the same. His eyes, which seemed sleepy with wrinkles, suddenly snapped open.
“Ugh!”
The sound echoed as if confirming something, more like a scream than a groan.
“…Did I mishear?”
“I heard it too.”
Wilson and Emma quickly exchanged glances and leaned closer to the door. They still maintained a cautious posture, as if someone might be watching.
Inside the room, rough sounds intermittently flowed out.
Though faint and barely audible, it was undoubtedly the mingled breathing of a man and a woman.
The two exchanged grateful looks.
The Duke and Duchess seemed to have finally come together.
Emma wanted to shout in joy, but she chose to cover her mouth with her hand. She couldn’t disturb the bridal night of the newlyweds.
“Do you think it’s all right?”
“Yes. It seems so.”
Wilson answered with a contented smile at Emma’s question.
They looked at each other lovingly, like a giant door closing on a cute little bird.
Now that the first button was properly fastened, their worries had diminished somewhat. They had faith that the heads of the family would handle the rest.
“It’s best for us to leave now for Their Excellencies.”
“Yes, we should.”
Emma echoed Wilson’s words.
Wilson thought about instructing the head chef to prepare nourishing food for them early in the morning. Emma looked forward to washing the bedding from morning, appearing simply delighted.
The footsteps of the two returning to their quarters seemed light, almost cheerful.
