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Prologue

Petunia sat on the bed wearing only a thin slip of rosy pink. The smooth silk fabric flowed gracefully along the curves of her body.

From her slightly damp, golden hair wafted a fragrant rose scent. It was the result of spending over an hour in the bath, infused with scented oils.

Nearly four maids were closely attending to Petunia, washing and grooming her.

Thanks to them, her fair skin shone even more smoothly and alluringly.

Petunia confirmed her reflection in the window. Her appearance, seemingly innocent and languid, pleased her considerably.

With rosy cheeks like a small rose, she waited for the guest who would come to her room. He would soon arrive—the man who had become her husband today.

* * *

There is a saying that life is a comedy when viewed from afar and a tragedy when seen up close.

The sight of the two figures on the bed was just that.

The man, with his face concealed by a mask, was half lying on the bed, seemingly leaning against the headboard. Petunia sat delicately on the man’s lap. It was a pose perfectly suited to the word “midnight.”

However, that was only when viewed from a distance. Up close, Petunia looked down at her husband, Apollion, with a cold, indifferent expression.

Meanwhile, the Apollion beneath her wore a rather rigid face. His trembling eyes couldn’t be concealed even by the mask.

After swallowing a gulp of saliva, pressed flat against the bed head, he spoke.

“Darling, please calm down…”

“Calm down? Did you just say ‘calm down’ now?”

“…”

“Did I get angry? Did I try to attack you? As you can see, I am in a very calm state right now.”

Smirk.

Petunia truly “smirked” as the word implies. Apollion felt a chill down his spine at her warmthless smile.

“Apollion.”

“…”

“Honey?”

“…Yes.”

“Where in the world can you find a couple who get married and don’t even celebrate their wedding night?”

Although he wanted to answer, “Right here,” Apollion swallowed his words. He instinctively felt that uttering those words would lead to something significant.

Trapped in the gaze of a woman much smaller than himself, Apollion trembled in fear. Despite facing various challenges in his life, this kind of fear was new to him.

“Still, it’s the first time I’ve seen you today.”

“Oh.”

As he spoke in a crawling voice, Petunia burst into laughter.

Raising her upper body slightly, Petunia swept her bangs with her hand.

While her face bore a faint smile, her hand brushing through her hair was unexpectedly rough. The attempt to justify herself only seemed to fuel her anger.

“How did someone like you, who hasn’t even seen the face of the woman you’re marrying, send a marriage proposal?”

“…”

“Apollion, did we just have a strategic marriage?”

He shook his head vigorously.

“Yes. Most nobles have strategic marriages like ours. It means that in this country, there are many people who live with strangers they’ve just met. Quite common, huh!”

Surprised by her crude expression, Apollion, with his own hands, hastily covered her mouth. His ears, hidden behind his hair, turned red.

Petunia bit fiercely into the palm that covered her mouth.

“Ugh!”

“A person claiming to slay demons is quite the drama queen.”

Taking advantage of Apollion’s momentary distraction, Petunia pressed her body closely against him. Through his thin shirt, she could feel his firm chest.

Apollion continued to move his body in an attempt to escape her embrace.

But it was all in vain.

Every time he moved, her body moved with him, and her thin, loose slip followed her body, exposing glimpses of her curves.

In the end, he gave up moving and closed his eyes tightly. It seemed better than the current situation.

Petunia grabbed Apollion’s face tightly with both hands. Startled by the sudden contact, he opened his eyes wide.

Petunia couldn’t believe that the man who claimed to fly around the battlefield was whining in front of her.

“…I feel like I’ve become a really bad person.”

“…”

“I’m not the bad one, right?”

“…”

“What kind of groom thinks of running away on his wedding night!”

Petunia delivered a slap to Apollion’s forehead. It wasn’t painful, but Apollion’s eyes widened at her sudden action.

The barely hanging smile on Petunia’s face had already disappeared. She looked down at Apollion with narrowed, elegant eyes.

“Do you know how embarrassing this is?”

Apollion couldn’t say anything. Rejecting the wedding night was a very disrespectful action towards the other party. Even though their relationship was formed through a strategic marriage, there was no couple that didn’t celebrate their wedding night.

It was the tradition of the empire, and all nobles, including the imperial family, adhered to this tradition. If the situation of these two were to be known externally, strange rumors would undoubtedly circulate.

In such a case, the risk for Petunia to face would be greater than Apollion’s. Revealing themselves in social circles was primarily the wife’s role.

“If you understand, just stay quiet. I intend to uphold the traditions of this empire and fulfill the duties of a married couple, no matter what happens today.”

Apollion saw flames flickering in Petunia’s eyes. Could she be so determined about this?

The woman in the rumors wasn’t like this. She was supposed to be shy, tearful, and a delicate lady who was saddened by her fiancé’s coldness…

It seemed she wasn’t in her right mind, probably due to the scars of disappointment.

He licked his lips, which were drying up from anxiety. As he did so, Petunia’s face came closer to his.

“Oops!”

“…”

Apollion was surprised by his own actions. Perhaps trying to stop her aggressive behavior was enough; he pressed her face down with a pillow.

The pillow slowly fell to the floor as if in slow motion. Through the tangled golden hair, her distorted face was revealed.

“W-wife, are you al-”

“Is this how you’re going to end up?”

Veins bulged on her forehead.

“Really, I wanted to end it with a smiling face if possible.”

“…?”

“But since you’re being so uncooperative, I have no choice.”

“…”

“Even if I have to force it!”

Petunia roared like a wild beast and rushed towards him. The candle beside the bed flickered significantly due to her sudden movement. Thus, their first night was burning in a different sense.