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Chapter 16
“Was it more terrible than you imagined?”
His low voice, with a hint of sarcasm, slapped Diana across the face like a cold wind.
“Imagined…? No…”
She had never imagined him like that. She never thought of him as a monster. A monster who devours his bride? That was just a stupid rumor.
The real man she met—he was never a monster.
That’s what she wanted to say. She needed to clear up the misunderstanding. But when she finally managed to speak, even to her own ears, her voice was shaky and scared.
“I never… I never thought that. Not even once… I just… I just thought you must have been in a lot of pain, and… that’s why…”
“That’s enough. Come out.”
But before she could finish, Erno grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the chest.
His actions were rough, without any sign of care. Diana frowned slightly, but he didn’t even glance at her.
She lost her balance and began to fall. Bracing for pain, she shut her eyes tightly.
But instead of hitting a cold floor, her hand landed on something firm, warm, and soft—like a big cushion stuffed with cotton.
When it moved slightly up and down, she realized where she had landed… and nearly cried from embarrassment.
“You really pull all kinds of stunts, don’t you? How far are you planning to surprise me, Bi? And always in the worst ways.”
A sigh fell from above her head. His voice was filled with disgust, beyond just irritation. Diana wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
Meanwhile, the alcohol that had caused all this had completely worn off. Like all bad excuses, it had cowardly disappeared the moment things got real.
“Or is this your idea of a wedding night surprise? A bride’s first-night surprise event?”
Erno’s lips curled into a crooked smirk. Diana, desperate to fix the situation, quickly nodded.
“Yes! That’s it! A surprise event!”
“Yeah, right.”
“…Huh?”
“Nothing. I was just so shocked, my true thoughts slipped out.”
Erno brushed it off with a slight smile. Then he let go of her wrist and took a step back, crossing his arms as if to say, go ahead, let’s see how you keep this up.
His head tilted to the side, and the cold smirk didn’t leave his face.
When Erno had returned to his room after the meeting and didn’t see Diana, he wasn’t surprised. He just raised an eyebrow like he’d expected it.
The bed looked untouched. But when he laid a hand on it, it was still warm. She had been there just a short while ago.
He checked the terrace, but there was only a fresh pile of snow outside.
Given the distance from the bed to the locked terrace doors, it didn’t make sense. Where could she have gone?
Erno touched his chin, thinking. But rather than annoyance, he started to feel… curious.
Then, from behind, he heard a rattling noise. He turned around instantly and let out a dry laugh.
The sound had come from a plain old clothes chest. A familiar piece of fabric was caught between the lid.
Don’t tell me she’s in there? Why? What for?
Already tired from the earlier monster rumors, this added another layer of confusion to his spinning thoughts. He gave up trying to understand.
I’ll just wash up first and think later.
He had deliberately taken his time, thinking it’d give her a chance to sneak out of the chest quietly.
But since nothing changed, he had no choice but to open the lid himself.
It felt like opening a present—one he hadn’t asked for or wanted. But presents always came with a strange kind of excitement.
He never expected this kind of excitement, though.
A surprise present, huh?
Should he fall for that ridiculous lie?
Her pale face, her trembling voice, her awkward speech—it all screamed of someone caught in a terrible lie.
As he watched her ridiculous little act, his lips curled in amusement.
She was doing her best to pretend like this was a cute surprise. That effort alone sparked something strange in him—more like mischief than interest.
Let’s see how far she’ll take this.
“I made a vow, remember? In front of the priest. That I’d stay by your side. I swear, I really wasn’t trying to run away! And I definitely wasn’t trying to assassinate you by hiding in there!”
Without being asked, Diana started pouring out excuses in a panic. She seemed to think talking fast enough would cover everything.
“Well, to be honest… I think it’s more likely you’d get crushed in your sleep than succeed in killing me.”
Diana froze at his dry joke—it wasn’t entirely impossible, and that made it worse.
Erno shrugged.
“So? Is that the end of your surprise? Bit boring, don’t you think?”
“Uh… well…”
Diana looked away, eyes darting as if searching for an answer. Erno could almost hear the gears turning in her head and chuckled without meaning to.
Feeling embarrassed and humiliated, Diana stared at the floor. This is all because of that stupid alcohol!
She had drunk so much she couldn’t even tell dream from reality. If I ever drink again, I really am the Baron’s real daughter!
Just imagining it made her shudder.
“I see. You didn’t really think I was going to demand… marital duties or anything like that.”
His tone was casual, light—but the humor had vanished completely.
“Marital… duties?”
Diana repeated his words, stunned. She hadn’t expected something like that to come out of his mouth. It felt like an icicle had dropped on her head.
“What duties do a husband and wife owe each other? Especially at night?”
Erno suddenly dropped the formal tone he usually used and explained in a soft, almost teasing way—like he was teaching a child.
Because he said it so gently, it took Diana a second to realize what he meant. When she did, her face turned bright red.
He really enjoys teasing me, doesn’t he…?
“I-I’ll do it!”
“You’ll do what, exactly?”
His polite speech had returned before she even realized. Diana squeezed her eyes shut and shouted.
“T-The marital duties!”
“…”
The silence that followed was painfully awkward. Diana slowly opened her eyes.
Erno was staring at her seriously, without a hint of a smile.
Seeing his expression, Diana shrank back. Did I just cross a line I can’t come back from?
Just when he looked about to reject her coldly and tell her to go to sleep, something Akila had said crossed Erno’s mind.
If what the duchess needs is the lady of Fenril, then treat her like one. Only then will the servants treat her as their mistress too.
Finally, Erno spoke.
“If that’s what Bi wants…”
His voice made it sound like he didn’t really want this, but he’d go along with it if she insisted.
Before she could even gather her thoughts, she found herself lying on the bed.
He was suddenly above her, his face dangerously close—beautiful enough to steal her breath.
His long black hair draped over her cheeks like silk, and when it tickled her skin, her lips twitched.
When she squirmed from the ticklish feeling, he whispered gently but firmly, as if telling her not to move.
“Diana.”
Hearing her name from his lips, so close to her ear, felt strangely unfamiliar—like he was calling someone else.
“You said you’d do this.”
His warm breath brushed over her forehead, and the words she’d been about to speak got stuck in her throat.
Erno’s lips gently touched her forehead… then the bridge of her nose… then slowly moved lower.
Each long, slow breath tickled her eyelashes.
This was all so new to her. The kisses were light, like ones a child might give—but it felt like a giant beast was swallowing her whole.
Her heart pounded from fear and tension. Her face burned hot, her body felt weak, and even her fingertips tingled.
If she just tilted her head up a little, barely a finger’s width, their lips would meet.
Even when she tried not to think about it, she couldn’t ignore the breath brushing over her lips. It wasn’t warm—it was more like a sigh.
His gentle, playful kisses turned wetter, louder… and soon, she felt something unfamiliar—something she had never felt before.
