Despite my hopes for the wedding ceremony to end quickly, the evening party turned out to be even more arduous. The endless flow of people coming in to greet us meant that I couldn’t lose my smile even for a moment. Additionally, since this was the day we had to appear most intimate in our married life, I couldn’t be separated from Reus at all.

Fortunately, by the end of the night, I was so exhausted that Reus’s touch no longer bothered me. We must have seemed like the perfect couple to everyone else.

Eventually, the seemingly endless, glamorous party came to an end. I stayed until the very end of the banquet and finally returned to our room. The difference from before the wedding was that instead of staying as a guest, I had come to the main castle.

Despite this significant change, I was too tired to consciously realize it. I couldn’t continue my thoughts and collapsed onto the table in the marital bedroom, forgetting that this was where we would sleep as a couple.

“Ah, so tired…”

I didn’t even have the energy to walk to the bed. I needed to wash up quickly to sleep…

As I lay there with my eyes tightly shut, I heard a click from the door connecting to the next room.

Too exhausted to move, I only managed to slightly turn my head towards the door. Then, I suddenly sat up.

It wasn’t so much the presence of the person who entered the bedroom that surprised me.

At this late hour, who else but Reus would enter the marital bedroom?

What caught me off guard was not Reus himself, but his attire.

Standing at the door, looking at me, Reus was only wearing a white bathrobe.

The door closed with a heavy thud, and before I realized it, my gaze had inadvertently drifted to the well-defined muscles visible through the slightly open robe. In the dimly lit room, Reus’s already noticeable features were accentuated by the moonlight, making his muscles appear even more defined than usual.

The soft silver hair and pale skin, illuminated by the light, seemed almost mystical. The sharply defined features of his face and his clear eyes were just as captivating.

I suddenly remembered what the young ladies had gushed about Reus:

“Exactly. He’s not a war hero for nothing.”

“And his body… how can someone be so well-built…”]

I used to dismiss such talk casually. To me, Reus was just a villain from a novel, the cause of my demise.

Why would I care about his face or body?

But now that we had become collaborators, there was no longer any reason to hate him…

“Roel.”

“…Yes, yes?”

I foolishly repeated the same response, and Reus slightly raised an eyebrow before approaching me.

As his chest drew nearer, I turned my head in the opposite direction, startled.

Then Reus said,

“You have a lot to get used to.”

Not exactly a reprimand, but it felt like one, making me close my eyes tightly.

Was it because I turned my head out of embarrassment? Or shyness?

“Would you like to bathe first?”

“…Yes. Yes! I’ll… I’ll go first.”

Deciding to escape to the bathroom, I ran into the large attached bathroom without waiting for Reus’s response.

Bang! I closed the door with such force, then sat down on the floor, trying to calm myself.

‘It’s not even our first night. Reus and I are just bound by a contract. There’s no reason to be nervous.’
‘It’s not even our real first night. Reus and I are just in a contractual relationship. There’s no reason to be nervous.’

But I was startled again by what I saw.

‘What’s all this…?’

The dimly lit bathroom seemed to anticipate our romantic first night, with rose petals scattered everywhere.

The candles lit around were emitting such a sweet fragrance that it was almost dizzying.

I hurried to the bathtub, cleared all the petals, and extinguished the candles.

Being conscious of Reus outside, it took me a long time to finish bathing. After the ordeal of finally being clean, there was another issue.

‘Why is this slip so thin and revealing…!’

The problem was the very bold nightwear prepared by the maids.

Should I just be relieved that it was at least long?

I couldn’t keep occupying the bathroom, so I timidly, yet properly clothed, headed back to the bedroom. There, Reus, who had been waiting outside, silently passed me and entered the bathroom.

Even though it was just a fleeting moment, I involuntarily held my breath in tension. Only after hearing the door close with a thud did I exhale.

Then I made a solemn decision in my mind.

‘…I must fall asleep before Reus comes out!’

If I stayed awake until Reus returned, the stifling and awkward atmosphere might prevent me from falling asleep.

So, without even drying my hair, I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes.

But whether it was the sound of running water from the bathroom or the realization that it was our first night, sleep eluded me completely.

I soon sat up, frustrated.

“What should I do…!”