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Chapter 7
“My lady?”
“Yes?”
“How much more do you intend to drink?”
Gerald gently took the wineglass from my hand and set it down on the table.
Am I drunk?
He had taken it away so easily.
Well… I had been absentmindedly sipping wine the whole time, trying to calm my nerves.
Did I look completely plastered?
I quietly touched both cheeks with the backs of my hands.
They’re warm.
Hopefully just peach-pink…
Not tomato red.
I definitely didn’t want my nose glowing red like some hopeless drunk.
The thought made me oddly self-conscious.
Still…
The Emperor.
The Empress.
My younger brother Yan.
Marquis Michael.
My entire birth family was surrounding me, all practically wishing for my death.
The only person none of them dared touch…
Was Gerald von Zeier.
So if I wanted to survive, I had no choice but to cling tightly to my husband.
Whenever people approached him to exchange greetings or offer congratulations, I smiled politely beside him.
Whenever things grew a little boring…
I would quietly call, “Here. Here. Over here.”
Then I’d gracefully take another glass of wine from the tray of whichever servant happened to pass by.
And yet…
“The Grand Duchess should stand. We still need to put the child to bed before beginning the second act.”
Gerald’s gaze shifted toward Theodore.
The five-year-old was still wearing his suffocating formal uniform.
Holding a tiny fork in one hand, his upper body swayed sleepily as he nodded off.
“The second act… after putting the child to bed…?”
Gerald’s emerald eyes shimmered with expectation as he looked at me.
Even then…
I had absolutely no idea what he meant.
There’s another event?
I simply stared blankly at his sculpted face.
“The adults-only finale.”
Lowering his head, he whispered the words directly into my ear.
A rich, warm masculine scent washed over me.
Instinctively I leaned away.
He lightly wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
H-Huh?
So this man is actually… that eager?
At least give me some warning before suddenly getting this close!
I couldn’t even swallow the breath I’d just inhaled.
My whole body trembled.
“Haha… the adults-only finale? The adults-only finale?”
Trying to hide my embarrassment, I forced a smile and glanced around.
Unfortunately…
Perhaps because my voice had been too loud…
Everyone was staring at me.
And every pair of eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“Her Grace says she’s ready to begin the second act!”
“Woooo!”
“Congratulations!”
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Clang! Clang!
At Gerald’s announcement, the guests burst into applause, banging spoons against their goblets in celebration.
…Haah.
I pressed a hand against my temple.
Whether it was from the alcohol or sheer irritation, my head was throbbing.
“You can’t back out now by claiming you’re drunk.”
Oh?
Back out?
I’d always been someone who kept every promise—even in my previous life.
Leaning toward his ear, I whispered softly,
“This is a political marriage.”
“Yes.”
“A political marriage.”
“All the more reason we should do our utmost, don’t you think?”
“What exactly do you mean by that, Your Grace?”
Completely bewildered, I pulled back to look at him.
“You said you intended to fulfill your duties as Grand Duchess.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Then you should prepare for the purification ceremony… and the first-night verification.”
“…?”
What kind of nonsense is he talking about?
I stared at the perfectly sculpted man sitting shoulder-to-shoulder beside me.
His expression was as stern as a strict vice principal.
Gerald leaned one broad shoulder lightly against mine.
Lowering his head, he raised one finger toward the night sky.
“Do you see the constellation Oriterion in the eastern sky? Since Tartaran and the greater hexagon are already visible, it must be past nine. If we’re going to complete both the purification ceremony and the first-night verification, shouldn’t we hurry?”
A purification ceremony…
A first-night verification…?!
What on earth was that supposed to mean?
Around us, people immediately began leaving their seats.
Theodore, now completely asleep, was carried out of the banquet hall in the arms of Head Butler Thomas.
As I looked around in complete confusion—
“Your Highnesses, the bath has been prepared.”
The head maid, Madeline, bowed respectfully.
My blood instantly ran cold.
* * *
“My name is Barbara Terriman.”
“I hope you’ll enjoy a beauty unlike anything you’ll find in the capital.”
After guiding me inside, the maids bowed deeply before leaving.
A beauty unavailable in the capital…?
As I sighed…
A cool spring breeze slipped inside my robe.
Tiny goosebumps rose across my skin.
I quickly wrapped both sides of the robe tightly around myself.
So this must be one of the famous hot springs built upon former Demon Realm land…
The floor was pleasantly warm.
Wiggling my toes, I looked down.
The flooring was made of porous basalt, designed so overflowing water drained away immediately.
Beside the entrance, warm spring water trickled beneath a stone bench like a tiny stream, inviting visitors to soak their feet.
A smile naturally spread across my face.
I cautiously sat down.
Even the bench was heated.
Splash… splash…
As I stirred the water with my feet, I looked around.
Magnificent statues supported the ceiling of the bathhouse.
The muscular male figures, clothed only around the waist, seemed to embody the perfect proportions of Renaissance sculpture.
Between the towering gods, glowing magic stones illuminated the room with a soft blue light, creating an almost mystical atmosphere.
Several openings in the ceiling allowed moonlight to pour directly onto the water below.
The surface shimmered beautifully beneath its silver glow.
“Wow…”
Another admiring sigh escaped me.
The ceiling itself was covered with intricate relief carvings.
Mounted knights charging into battle.
Winged infant angels blowing great horns.
Everything had been carved with breathtaking elegance.
Meanwhile, steaming water poured endlessly like a waterfall from the mouths of enormous lion-like beasts.
Even the drifting steam…
This place is incredible.
If all of this belongs to me now…
There’s no reason not to enjoy it.
Having spent every moment since possessing Sinclair’s body under unbearable stress…
I quietly stepped into the bath.
“Ahhh… this feels amazing.”
Uttering the kind of words you’d expect from a middle-aged man at a public bath, I splashed the fragrant warm water onto my face.
Then—
“My lady.”
“AAAH!”
I couldn’t stop myself from screaming.
One of the “statues”…
The perfectly proportioned male god I’d assumed was carved from stone…
Suddenly slid into the bath.
I-It’s a person!
I quickly looked around.
No.
The others were definitely statues.
Splash… splash…
As he descended the steps into the bath…
The towel wrapped around his waist floated upward like drifting seaweed.
They say seventy percent of the body’s muscles are below the waist…
So why couldn’t I stop staring at his upper body?
As he walked through the water…
His perfectly defined abdominal muscles flexed.
His obliques shifted beneath smooth skin.
Even the muscles across his chest seemed to move with every step.
The owner of that flawless sculpted physique…
Was my husband.
Gerald von Zeier.
Gulp…
So he really is a Sword Master…
My face burned.
My breathing quickened.
It’s definitely the hot spring.
It has to be.
The heat surrounding my neck had climbed all the way beneath my nose.
Huh?
His already ethereal body became even more mysterious as it blurred behind the drifting steam…
Then slowly disappeared beneath the water.
Splash!
Countless flower petals floating across the bath surged upward, spilling over the edge.
What’s he doing?
I craned my neck, looking around.
Then—
Cutting through the mist…
Gerald suddenly emerged from the water before me like a sleek panther.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears.
My face felt ready to burst into flames.
“My lady…”
“What has captured your attention so completely?”
“I-I… well…”
(Your body.)
Obviously, I couldn’t say that.
“So… this is my first time seeing a bath like this.”
He sat down beside me.
Using both hands, he brushed his wet hair back from his forehead with an easy smile.
It was the first genuine smile I’d seen from him.
Crystal-clear droplets rolled from his hair and forehead like tiny diamonds.
“My mother designed this bath.”
“I didn’t expect you’d like it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Most people say it feels too much like the Demon Realm.”
“Ah…”
Well…
Anything connected to demons or magical races was considered repulsive within the Empire.
“I like it.”
“A bath like this helps people relax.”
“It improves your skin.”
“And it’s healthy.”
“I’m glad.”
“Since you approve of it…”
“We should begin the purification ceremony.”
“So soon?”
“You seem ready.”
Splash!
Without hesitation, he stood directly in front of me.
Ah!
I felt as though steam would burst from my ears like a locomotive whistle.
Maybe it already was.
My face had grown so hot it felt ready to explode.
Not knowing where to look, I swallowed nervously and quickly turned my head away.
Then I desperately grabbed hold of the cloth around his waist.
“Could you first explain what this purification ceremony actually is?”
“The purification ceremony is a husband’s pledge of loyalty to the wife who has come to live upon land once belonging to the Demon Realm.”
“It is his vow to protect her body from demonic energy.”
“Oh…”
“That’s actually a beautiful meaning.”
“But do two people who’ve only just met really have to do it?”
“There isn’t anyone watching.”
“Let’s just pretend we already did.”
He ignored my suggestion entirely.
Leaning forward—
In one swift motion—
The world tilted.
Before I realized what had happened…
I was cradled securely in his strong arms.
Water poured from my soaked robe back into the bath.
“W-Wait!”
“Your Grace!”
“What are you doing?!”
“Shouldn’t we begin by washing your hair?”
Carrying me effortlessly, he started walking through the water.
“Where exactly are we washing it?”
“In the private bath.”
“Wh-What?”
“We’re merely moving somewhere more suitable to fulfill our marital duties.”
“So relax.”
“For the sake of our pure wedding.”
“Our… pure wedding?”
Before I could even finish speaking—
Splash!
The next moment…
My body sank into a small private bathtub overflowing with soft bubbles.
The luxurious foam enveloped me like clouds.
As gentle as cappuccino froth…
It caressed my exhausted body, almost as though rewarding me for everything I had endured.
