Chapter 10
When Callion entered the bedroom, he said nothing.
No excuses, no mockery—he simply looked at Ronin with cold eyes.
‘The smell of alcohol….’
Ronin almost let his expression twist, but he remained composed and continued speaking.
“…Until this morning, the servants won’t come this way. So please speak comfortably.”
This was the bridal chamber. Out of consideration for the newlyweds’ first night, the servants would not enter until the afternoon.
Except for Pam, who had needed to come collect evidence.
So Ronin could guess the visitor.
There was no way Pam would return after completing her task.
That left only Leofric—the one who had run away on the first night.
At Ronin’s words, Callion stared at him.
He repeated Ronin’s words in his mind.
‘Sir Leofric.’
Not Duke Leofric, not “that damned bastard”—which he had expected after abandoning their wedding night—but Sir Leofric.
For Callion, who took great pride in being a knight, it wasn’t a bad form of address.
Callion took his time examining Ronin.
Looking for even the slightest sign of displeasure.
But that wax-like face showed no change in expression.
‘Unexpected.’
He had thought Ronin would complain.
After all, he was the child of Alistair.
Callion had prepared himself for at least that much.
But Ronin Alistair acted in a completely unexpected way.
“…Last night, my maid acted cleverly and helped us avoid a crisis.”
Ronin finally began speaking and met his gaze.
There was no resentment or anger in his eyes.
Instead, he added politely—
“If I made you uncomfortable in any way, please tell me. I’ll be more careful in the future.”
Delicate and refined.
Callion had no choice but to admit that.
Ronin Alistair didn’t blame an irreversible past—he only asked for the reason.
And when even that didn’t work, he revealed his own hand first.
When there was still no response, he simply gave up.
Even though he had every right to question him.
‘It’s not like he knows the circumstances….’
Callion’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.
Last evening, he had received a secret message from the North.
The letter had been encrypted in case it was intercepted.
Once decoded, it revealed a short message.
[Delay the ceremony.]
Brief, but direct.
Callion didn’t hesitate and immediately searched for a way to postpone the wedding.
But the ceremony had already been held at the temple.
There weren’t many options left.
So Callion chose one.
Instead of going to the bridal chamber, he quietly disappeared.
‘If I endure one night and morning comes, I’ll claim we never consummated the marriage. Then this marriage won’t be considered legitimate and can be annulled entirely.’
So Callion spent the entire night in the wine cellar.
Until the scent of aging wine soaked into his entire body.
After staying there all night, he moved again.
He intended to go to the temple and argue that the marriage was invalid.
Then—
He received another secret message.
[Proceed with the ceremony as planned.]
A completely different message regarding the same matter.
‘…First, we’ll have to change the compromised cipher system.’
There wasn’t time to think.
No one could tell which message was genuine.
So he chose the option with the least consequences.
That was why Callion returned to the bridal chamber.
Even while returning, he had his doubts.
The Alistairs would surely try to preserve this marriage.
But no matter who you were, your pride would still be wounded.
‘I came expecting a tiresome argument….’
But Ronin Alistair neither blamed him nor lost control.
He handled everything perfectly.
Thanks to that, what happened at dawn would remain buried here.
Those unwavering sky-colored eyes gave him that certainty.
‘He’s a much more frightening opponent than I thought. I can’t lower my guard.’
If only he had thrown a tantrum.
If only he had acted emotionally.
If only he had been incompetent enough to fail to clean up this mess—
Then it would have been troublesome.
But not difficult.
The silence tightened around Callion’s throat once more.
With those clear eyes watching him.
“Is there anything else you wish to say?”
“No. There isn’t.”
“Then let’s eat. I’ll have them prepare food that’s good after drinking.”
‘Drinking?’
Confused, Callion soon realized she meant the strong scent of wine covering his body.
He almost explained himself but closed his mouth.
In the end, Callion—completely sober—ended up eating hangover food.
Unlike Callion, who ate spicy and greasy dishes, Ronin lightly filled his stomach with salad and fruit.
After the meal, the two parted without exchanging many words.
Originally, they had planned to leave for the North tomorrow—
but instead, they moved the departure up and planned to leave within a few hours.
“What do you mean suddenly leaving for the North? It’s not like you’re heading to the outskirts of the capital! You’re literally holding the ceremony and leaving immediately!”
Only Pam complained.
She had suddenly become overwhelmed with work.
Ronin tried hovering nearby to help—
only to be scolded harshly.
“Lord Ronin, just sit over there! Things are chaotic enough already—stop getting in the way!”
After all the commotion, they somehow finished preparing and gathered in front of the castle gate.
Several members of House Alistair had come to see the newlyweds off.
‘The second wife, was it?’
Callion’s gaze moved toward Jainar’s swollen belly.
When their eyes met, she even smiled.
‘How vulgar.’
Callion pretended not to notice.
Then his eyes met Ronin Alistair’s.
Ronin was listening carefully to what the marquis was saying.
His expression remained unchanged.
Only after several more minutes did the Alistair family move.
Unexpectedly, Ronin mounted a horse instead of entering a carriage.
‘Honestly… I still don’t know how to treat him.’
For example—even now.
Ronin Alistair placed his foot in the stirrup and climbed up—
but looked so unstable it seemed he might fall at any moment.
‘The horse must be larger than the ones he usually rides. And he doesn’t seem used to horseback riding.’
Callion immediately recognized the problem.
The surrounding knights realized it as well, though somewhat late.
Yet none of them stepped forward.
If Ronin Alistair had been an omega, someone would have escorted him out of knightly courtesy.
No matter who he was, they would have had to help.
That was how they had been raised as alphas.
But Ronin Alistair was a beta.
Not someone they were expected to protect.
Not someone who could bear children.
After struggling for a while, Ronin finally managed to mount.
Back straight.
Shoulders pulled back.
Exactly like the riding manuals described.
“We’re finally returning to the North.”
At some point, Baldwin had approached and spoke quietly.
‘The North….’
Complicated emotions stirred inside Callion.
But he had been born and raised a noble.
At the very least, he knew how to hide his feelings.
Creating something close to a reassuring smile for his adjutant, Callion said—
“Yeah. Let’s go back.
Back to the North.”
