The wedding ended magnificently, as if to spite the imperial family.

The first thing Sinclair did as soon as the ceremony ended was to walk while still holding her in his arms and seat her in an ornate chair studded with jewels.

He also did not forget to drape his outer coat over Elaina’s shoulders.

And not long after, several people came to see Elaina.

“I am Glen, Lady Elaina.”

The first to approach and speak was Glen, who had officiated the ceremony.

“It is truly an honor to meet you like this.”

“The feeling is mutual. Thank you for the impressive ceremony.”

“Were you a bit surprised by those irreverent words the priest uttered?”

Glen said with a grin.

“It can’t be helped. He’s an irreverent person by nature.”

It was a skill in itself to utter such words so casually. Whenever this happened, I thought Sinclair was truly an impressive person.

“Well, there’s not much room to argue. But that’s not something you should say, Sir Sinclair. Don’t you agree, Lady Elaina?”

Elaina didn’t know whether she should agree or disagree with those words.

It was at that very moment.

“It was a very impressive wedding ceremony.”

A middle-aged man suddenly interjected into the conversation.

“Allow me to introduce myself first. I am Eric Connor.”

Eric Connor.

He was someone even Elaina, who had no connections with the nobility, knew. The head of the Connor Duke family, one of the most influential families in Edenbell.

Also, the one who commanded as many private soldiers as Duke Hank, who would now be reduced to commoner status…

“Sir Sinclair has married such a beautiful lady as his wife. My sincere congratulations to both of you.”

“Thank you, Duke Connor.”

Elaina greeted him politely.

“Connor and I have some matters to discuss privately, so I’ll be away for a moment. It seems various riffraff are eyeing you, hoping to exchange even a word, but Schuler will take care of that, so don’t worry.”

How thoughtful. Elaina thought to herself.

“Then I’ll see you again, Lady Elaina. If you’d like, it would be nice if you could come to the duke’s residence with Sir Sinclair for a dinner together. The chef at our mansion is quite renowned for his culinary skills.”

“Yes, we’ll do that. It was nice to meet you too.”

Eric gave a kind smile and slowly walked away, and Sinclair also left his seat.

Or more precisely, he was about to leave.

If only he hadn’t stopped in his tracks as if he had forgotten something.

Sinclair retraced his steps, coming back.

“Glen.”

Then he whispered in a very low voice into Glen’s ear.

“It would be best not to say unnecessary things.”

“…”

“You understand what I mean, right?”

That was the last of it. Sinclair left immediately, and since his voice had been too low, Elaina, who hadn’t heard what he said, looked at Glen with wide eyes.

“He says that although Schuler is here, he’s still worried, so I should guard Lady Elaina’s side like a hunting dog.”

… Did he really say that?

But Sinclair’s face had looked too serious for that to be true.

“It seems Sir Sinclair cherishes Lady Elaina very much. Otherwise, he wouldn’t use the expression ‘hunting dog’ for a priest. How unfair.”

Glen said with a laugh, and Elaina stared at him for a while before carefully opening her lips.

“By the way, may I ask how you came to know Sinclair?”

“…”

“Of course, only if you’re comfortable sharing.”

She was curious. How a priest belonging to the temple, always closely associated with the imperial family, was on such familiar terms with Sinclair. It was obvious he would face criticism when he returned to the temple, so why did he go to the trouble of officiating the ceremony…

“There wasn’t any special incident. It’s just that a very long time ago, I incurred a debt to Sir Sinclair.”

As if he had anticipated the question, Glen began to speak.

“You heard what Sir Sinclair said earlier, didn’t you? That humans themselves are irreverent. Despite being a priest, I’m a person who’s quite certain about calculations, so the moment I incurred the debt, I realized. This is a debt that would be insufficient even if I were bound for a lifetime, paying and repaying.”

A faint regret, like smoke, flitted across Glen’s face.

“So I’m still steadily repaying that debt even now. Therefore, Lady Elaina, if you ever need any help, please don’t hesitate to tell me.”

“…”

“I am both a friend and a servant to Sir Sinclair. Therefore, I am a servant to all that Sir Sinclair cherishes. So I am also Lady Elaina’s servant. Of course, Sir Sinclair will likely take care of Lady Elaina well enough, but sometimes the words of someone with some distance are needed rather than those of someone close.”

… So, I suppose that includes things from the past that you haven’t noticed at all.

For example, where that poor boy named Ren is living now, what he looks like, what name he goes by, and by whose side…

Glen quietly swallowed the words he really wanted to say.

“Ah, there’s Sir Sinclair returning.”

He pointed at the returning Sinclair and looked at Elaina.

“But what I just told you is a secret. Sir Sinclair is a person who gets jealous more than you might think, so he might scold me, saying even this irreverent priest dared to set his eyes on Lady Elaina.”

I probably won’t fall into the category of things Sinclair cherishes, so I won’t have the occasion to receive your help.

Though such thoughts crossed her mind, Elaina responded in a kind voice.

“Don’t worry. And thank you very much for your kind words. I’ll be sure to remember them.”

At that, Glen smiled brightly. Then he laughed for a while at Sinclair’s remark, frowning and asking why he was smiling so pervertedly for a priest.

[This is the timeline separator]

It was evening when the two returned to the imperial palace after finishing the ceremony.

The emperor and Hister Butler seemed to have no intention of welcoming Sinclair, who had just taken a princess consort. Not even their shadows were visible, which was proof of that.

Although it was already expected, Elaina wasn’t particularly surprised, but she was simply astounded by their childish behavior.

In any case, the place Elaina headed to with Sinclair was the prince’s palace, which he had mentioned in advance.

The space where Sinclair had lived his entire life since birth.

They say that a person’s home reveals their personality, their past, and their present state of mind. So it’s true that she was a bit curious. What kind of place had that scoundrel Sinclair grown up in and spent his time?

Would it be luxurious? Splendid? Or would there be things completely unsuited to the imperial family?

For example, things like cruelly taxidermied animals. Just like today’s ceremony that was held in clear defiance of the imperial family’s wishes.

But Elaina soon realized that all of her expectations were completely wrong.

Sinclair’s prince’s palace was just too…

“You look surprised that it’s emptier than you expected.”

“I didn’t particularly expect anything, but I am surprised.”

It was desolate and dreary.

Of course, there were no issues with cleanliness since there were maids, but the air in the corridors where not a single human presence could be felt was as cold as ice, and the atmosphere was equally bleak.

… Somehow, she felt she could understand what kind of life Sinclair had lived until now.

Suddenly, the vast prince’s palace looked lonely.

“The bedroom is no different.”

Sinclair said as he opened the door to the bedroom.

“It’s the same whether it’s the corridor or here.”

He was right. The bedroom was the same. Of course, the necessary furniture was precisely arranged, but that was all.

For Sinclair, this place seemed to be just a place to sleep, nothing more, nothing less.

“Fill it with whatever you need as you like. I don’t care about anything.”

“…”

“But don’t buy things like a bed.”

Suddenly, Elaina’s gaze turned to the large bed standing alone in the center of the room.

“After all, we need to maintain a perfect marital relationship for the next year.”

[You might not realize it, but that kind of attire is dangerous, Elaina Aswald.]

What suddenly brushed past her ears were the words she had heard on the day Sinclair had saved her from Duke Hank.

[Especially in a sealed space like this where it’s just the two of us.]

… Ah.

[Before we add bedroom duties to our contract terms, maybe you should be a bit more careful.]

Perhaps, what he said then…

[If you change your mind, feel free to tell me. I think it would be fine to have that much fun for a year.]

“I’m going to wash up now.”

“Yes. What?”

“Judith and Anna will come to get you. Sit and wait.”

Leaving Elaina alone in her confusion, Sinclair strode out of the bedroom.

“…”

Elaina’s expression was blank as she stood in front of the bed. It took her a while standing there like a ghost before she belatedly realized that her attire was similar to that day.

‘It can’t be… right?’

Though there was no one watching, Elaina reflexively covered her chest.

“Lady Elaina, may we come in?”

“We’ve come to help you with your bath!”

What was heard next were the cheerful voices of Judith and Anna. Thanks to them, Elaina finally came to her senses and opened the bedroom door, and Judith and Anna took Elaina out of the bedroom.

… And so their first night was beginning.

A first night filled with cold passion and hot indifference.