AWEOM 08

Chapter: 08

In the end, the wedding was a success.

As I had predicted, the weather on the wedding day was wickedly fickle, but thanks to having plenty of extra dresses prepared, everything went smoothly, unlike in the original story.

“My daughter is in your care.”

Duke Alouze looked extremely satisfied.

He hugged me once, as if I were the most precious thing in the world, then patted Dielo on the shoulder.

“Of course.”

Dielo smiled back at him.

It was the gentle smile he always wore.

“Let’s set aside the long-standing feud between our families for a while, and treat my daughter only as my daughter.”

Duke Alouze chuckled heartily.

He was shameless to the point of nausea.

Wasn’t he the one who had deepened the rift that killed Duke Argenta and his wife?

“Your words are most natural. Please don’t worry.”

Dielo gave me a quick kiss on the forehead, then escorted me to the prepared carriage.

It was headed for the mansion set up at the border of both family estates.

From there, you could see both the sea and the forest, making it our honeymoon destination as well.

—Click.

The carriage door closed, and the space where it was just the two of us began to sway.

I whispered softly to him, worried the driver might hear:

“It was perfect.”

Startled by my words, Dielo stiffened slightly at my shoulder.

Then, tilting his head toward the driver as if listening, he raised a finger to his lips.

‘They might hear us.’

He mouthed the words and gave a faint smile.

It was a soft, gentle smile, entirely different from the tense one he had shown earlier.

But perhaps he still had something he wanted to say, because he leaned close and whispered very softly to me:

“I’m glad it went smoothly.”

As if by unspoken agreement, we both squeezed each other’s hands once.

Now, the only thing left was to guard his heart completely, so that this man, now my perfect accomplice, could stay connected to Pero.

I narrowed my eyes and smiled.

Meanwhile, Dielo exhaled sharply, then fanned himself lightly to cool down.

He was embarrassed. My smile deepened.

Don’t worry.

Tonight, we’ll just hold hands and sleep.

A long-distance honeymoon was impossible.

Thanks to Dielo being the head of the Argenta family, he couldn’t be away for long.

So, Argenta had built a villa solely for the honeymoon—money clearly no object.

And the villa was perfect for a honeymoon atmosphere.

“Wow…”

I found myself gasping in admiration as we arrived on the top floor of the mansion.

Perhaps because it had rained yesterday, the view stretched far and wide, visible even to the naked eye.

On one side was the sea protected by Argenta, on the other, the forest guarded by Alouze.

The forest swaying in the wind, the sea glinting under the sunlight—it was breathtaking from a distance.

Up close, it would probably be full of monsters, though.

“Do you like it?”

Dielo asked with a low smile. I nodded eagerly.

“The breeze is cool, the view is clear, and let’s have breakfast here tomorrow morning!”

“I will make the arrangements accordingly.”

Dielo kissed my forehead lightly.

I could feel his lips trembling just slightly.

How shy!

I hugged him tightly, like a truly happy newlywed couple.

“Your luggage has all been unpacked, milady.”

One of the maids trailing behind us spoke while I admired the view.

Some of the maids following us were from Alouze’s household.

They had been personally selected to help the duke’s cherished daughter settle in, and in three days, they would leave the villa.

Clearly for surveillance purposes.

I thought so, but Dielo allowed it willingly.

Thanks to that, we had to tour the honeymoon villa with all the maids from both families.

Eventually, though, the moment came when it was just the two of us.

The room for the consummation of our marriage was strictly for us alone.

“I thought it would be small since they said it was quick to build, but the mansion is huge.”

I only relaxed once the maids left.

Until then, pretending to be a bride in love with Dielo had been exhausting.

While briefly separated for bathing, I had to act like a nervous, excited bride.

“They said it was built generously… but I didn’t expect we’d have to walk around so much,” Dielo said with a slightly embarrassed smile.

He had entered the room first and was sitting by the bed, pouring wine.

—Shhhk.

The dark red wine seemed intended to calm a nervous newlywed couple.

Seeing me in my robe, he got up willingly to greet me.

“Since it’s meant to be drunk, we should drink it, right?”

Holding two identical glasses, he handed one to me, tilting his own first.

I could see his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed.

His shirt was light and casual, making it easier to see his exposed collarbone and the black lily tattoo etched there, a few buttons undone.

“Of course.”

I swirled my glass slightly and took a sip of the wine.

Its sweet fruity aroma barely carried any alcohol, wrapping around my tongue.

Pleasantly sweet.

“……”

“……”

Our eyes met, and we laughed, as if on cue.

“Come this way.”

Dielo motioned me toward him.

The bed, lit by soft light, was neat except for the faint traces of where he had sat.

The canopy was slightly pulled aside, presumably for shy newlyweds.

I undid one side of the tied curtain.

—Shhhh.

The heavy curtain swung down to just in front of me.

With half the bed covered, we sat facing each other and laughed again.

Finally, we were alone, in comfort.

“All right, then.”

I held his hand lightly with my free hand.

“Tonight’s task, done.”

Then I let go. We had decided to just hold hands before sleep.

Dielo glanced at his hand in mine and chuckled softly again.

I shrugged as he opened and closed his hand.

“Of course, I have no intention of breaking our promise. Just in case you’re wondering.”

I doubted he would, but I said it anyway while looking into his blue eyes.

The real Pero would come in two months anyway.

I had no answer if anyone asked how I knew that, so I just didn’t bring it up.

In Argenta, we just had to hold out for two months.

Maybe a bit longer, but at least we wouldn’t have to tailor our behavior to Alouze for more than two months.

“Until the real Pero comes, let’s do well, just us.”

I raised my glass to Dielo.

He followed my toast willingly.

—Clink!

The glasses met with a cheerful sound.

After finishing my wine, I placed my glass on the bedside table. Dielo did the same.

—Shhhh.

I closed the remaining curtains, and the light dimmed noticeably.

It must be Argenta’s magic keeping the flame alive.

Looking back, Dielo was already lying down.

One blanket gently folded aside, he rested both hands under his soft pillow.

“Come here.”

He tapped the space beside him.

His pale blue eyes glimmered softly in the dim light.

—Shhhk.

The sound of fabric brushing was distinct in my ears.

Lying down, I saw his eyes up close.

Those pale blue eyes contained only me.

I hoped I appeared this way to others as well.

As I gazed, Dielo blushed and looked away.

“Are my eyes that strange?”

“No, they’re beautiful.”

I answered impulsively.

Dielo turned back toward me, slightly surprised.

“Eh?”

“Even if we’re not really married, I can still say they’re beautiful.”

I touched under his eye with my index finger.

“Beautiful, like the sea.”

He smiled.

“The real sea is much darker than this.”

“Still, from a distance, the sea looks like this when the sun hits it.”

He smiled again.

The shadow cast by the dim light made his hidden eye appear slightly darker.

“From a distance, yes.”

He nodded lightly.

Watching him, I murmured:

“This kind of honeymoon is nice, too.”

I had imagined passionate newlyweds before.

But given this is a contract marriage, whispering softly to each other in this gentle atmosphere wasn’t bad at all.

As long as the heart is at ease, that’s enough.

“I’m glad you’re satisfied, Miss Croa.”

I shook my head.

“I’m not ‘Miss’ anymore.”

“Oh…”

I whispered to his slightly widened eyes.

“To look like a real couple, we need to appear somewhat close. So let’s practice.”

I pressed my finger gently on his lips.

“Call me by name.”

“Ah,”

Perhaps surprised by the unexpected intimacy, he froze briefly.

I chuckled softly.

“Outside, we’ll have to be close more often. Will you be startled every time?”

That would ruin the illusion of a passionate newlywed.

I couldn’t leave it like this.

I pulled his hand to my cheek.

“Let’s practice this too.”

“Eh?”

His calm, lake-like eyes rippled.

If we’re going to do it, we’ll do it properly!

“This is how you touch.”

I held his hand on my cheek.

“No need to apologize for feeling unsure.”

Even in the original story, he felt sorry for taking Croa’s first kiss.

So I took the initiative.

“Don’t hesitate. Act like newlyweds. As if you truly love each other.”

His hand moved slightly, brushing my ear and cheek carefully.

“I know Dielo won’t break his promise anyway.”

Someone startled by a finger on the lips can’t do anything to me. Besides, he wouldn’t try to take me fully before properly awakening.

And I had no intention of devouring him either, so we were essentially the safest (?) couple for each other.

No matter what sweet or naughty things we did in front of others.

Blinking a few times, Dielo spoke:

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

His hand moved more boldly at my words.

It stroked my jaw and wrapped around my neck.

Perhaps because he was Argenta, there was a strange warmth in his hand.

“……”

For a moment, Dielo looked at me with his blue eyes and spoke:

“…Croa, Alouze.”

Then, his soft lips touched my index finger.

On the tender skin beside the finger, the sensation was oddly stirring.