Chapter 9
It rained heavily that day. So it seemed like he finished his work earlier than usual.
“Are you here?”
Victor stood with his back to the rattling windows, and smiled brightly like a child.
“Marion.”
He approached her, caressed her cheek, and smiled brightly again.
“It's cold today, do you want to go to bed early?”
She nodded, blushing slightly as she met his gaze.
The servant took Victor's robe off while Daedric and Sumona ordered the maids to prepare the bath water and meals immediately. The maids quickly bowed their heads and disappeared. They all smiled and whispered as they watched the couple.
“What's wrong with them?”
She tilted her head and walked with a smiling Victor into the dining room.
Victor sat at the head of the table, and I sat to his left as usual. Once they were seated, dinner was served. The sweet scent of beef bourguignon wafted through the air, making her insides feel warm.
Seriously, today was colder than usual.
After dinner, the couple separated and went into their own bathrooms. The maids made sure to give her a warmer bath than usual. She dipped her hand in the steamy water. She was happy with the hot bath. In her hometown, she washed herself with whatever non-frozen water she could find.
After showering, she put a thin coat over her shirt. As soon as she picked up her sword and headed to the bedroom, Victor entered.
“What do you have?”
“New sword.”
She was looking at her sword. After their battle, she selected a new weapon from the armory and brought it with her.
“Did you know you look like a wild cat?”
She opened her eyes wide, not understanding what he meant.
She had been compared to a basilisk, a demon, a wyvern... Why did this comparison make her heart ring?
As Victor approached, she could smell a heavy musky scent. He was leaning towards her.
“Curly like that… She looks at me with amber eyes and sharp claws”…
His eyes were like those of a beast, admiring its prey before devouring it. His gaze swept her body up and down. I felt strange and hurriedly avoided his gaze.
“Victor's eyes are yellow too.”
It was still too embarrassing to say his name out loud.
He smiled brightly.
right? We have a lot in common.”
She knew they didn't look alike at all.
If her eyes were like the moon shining in the early evening, his eyes were as dazzling as the midday sun. How could she compare herself to something so powerful and beautiful?
He climbed into their bed and lay down.
Speak in a cheerful voice.
“Come on, Marion. Put me to sleep today.”
The thick curtains were drawn and darkness crept in. The windows shook from the rain.
A violent wind blew in the room. It was a sound she was used to, because she had heard it all her life.
She put down her sword and went to Victor. His eyes were closed and he was breathing slowly. He quickly falls asleep and suffers from nightmares.
It was very sad...
Without realizing it, her mouth opened.
“When pure white snow piles up on the window sill”…
He winced and his body trembled. I quickly grabbed his hand, afraid he would open his eyes.
She remembered when she was little, she wanted someone to do that for her.
... “A star cries over a black pond” ...
It was an old Sealand song, sung by a maid to Omarion on the nights when the wind and rain rattled her windows, frightening her. Victor's stiff shoulders slowly softened.
She had no talent for singing, but she continued anyway.
She hoped the deep, dreamless sleep would take him away, even for a moment.
***
When she woke up the next day, there was a blanket over her shoulders. She rubbed her cheek on the comfortable blanket and quietly got up.
“I woke up early.”
Victor was sitting on the bed. She looked at him with a feeling of helpless embarrassment.
His upper body was exposed. When I went to sleep last night, he was still wearing a robe.
When did his clothes come off?
She was used to hunting with knights and undressed men, but she felt embarrassed because Victor was half-naked in front of her. I tried to avoid his gaze and asked.
“Aren't you going out today?”
“Yes...but I was waiting for you to wake up and talk to me.”
What are you talking about?
Victor laughed softly.
She couldn't understand him. Why do I wait so long to wake up? He was too busy to wait for her to have a conversation with him.
It was so half n@ked...
Worried, she grabbed the robe lying on the bed and approached him. She needed him to cover up a little.
“Victor, get up.”
As soon as she spoke firmly, he stood in confusion. She put his arms into the sleeves of the dress and turned his body to face her. His perfectly trained, dark chest was at the center of her vision. She closed her eyes and tied the front of his robe tightly.
She made sure to tie it tightly enough so that she couldn't see any of his chest. When she finished, she heard a small laugh above her head. When she looked up, Victor was looking at her, about to laugh.
“Marion, I don't wear armor.”
She looked down and only then realized that she had pulled the laces too tightly.
Blood rushed to the tips of her ears in an instant.
She was going to loosen the laces, but it felt weird touching him again. Her hand was hovering in deliberation. Victor quickly caught her.
“...Viktor!”
“What? I held her tight last night.”
He let out a mischievous laugh.
She felt like her face was on fire.
She bowed her head in embarrassment.
It was more difficult to be with him than to catch dozens of monsters.
***
Victor held her hand for a long time and then left.
Even at breakfast, I trembled with embarrassment. The servants bowed their heads and pretended not to notice, but they couldn't hide the smiles on their lips.
She was so ashamed that she could die.
“What good is a hand covered in calluses?!”
She cooled her cheeks with the back of her hand and rang the bell. Several maids rushed to comb her hair and change her clothes.
By now, she was used to being served by a lot of people. I felt less embarrassed.
After she was fully dressed, Deidrick entered her room. His presence meant that something important was happening.
“Ma’am, it will be socializing season soon.”
“Social season?”
He brought up a topic she had almost forgotten about.
The social season was a period of several weeks in the summer when nobles from all over the country gathered in the capital to host banquets and make contacts.
Most of the fashion trends and huge scandals broke out during that period.
Noble girls look forward to the day when they can participate in the celebrations...
Of course, I only read about it in books.
I was surprised by the seriousness of his words.
“Should I attend the banquet too?”
When she asked anxiously, Dederick nodded.
“Yes. You are a foreigner and got married this year. It is customary for you to make your first appearance in the first social season after your marriage. It will not be too difficult for you.”
I frowned.
She knew she had learned some social etiquette at a very young age, but she couldn't remember all of it.
What she knew for sure was that you couldn't talk to someone with a higher status first.
As far as she knew, there was only one Grand Duke in the empire, so most ladies probably wouldn't be able to talk to her.
Deidrick gave her gentle advice, as if he had read her mind.
“You don't have to talk to anyone at all. You just have to tell them that you are the new Grand Duchess.”
I looked at the ground anxiously.
She didn't know any ladies, and she certainly didn't know how to dance.
Was it possible for her to act like the Grand Duchess in front of so many people?
She closed her eyes and asked cautiously.
“Victor, will you go with me?”
The butler raised his eyebrows and laughed loudly.
“His Highness is likely to be busy at a gentlemen’s meeting. He has taken a long break from social activities.”
"Okay"...
“Sumona and I will help you physically and mentally. Everything else will be prepared by us, so please read the etiquette book again.”
She curled her toes in the long rug.
"Yes".
• End of chapter •
To be continued •••
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