Chapter 10

As Gerald drew back the golden-threaded canopy curtains, colorful flower petals trembled gently atop the pristine white satin bedsheets in the flickering candlelight.

It was beautiful.

In my previous life, I could never have dreamed of such an extravagant, luxurious bedchamber.

Sinclair took a deep breath before looking up at the man standing beside her.

His solid muscles.

His thick neck.

The sharply defined bridge of his nose.

The melancholy eyes, half-hidden beneath long shadows.

Without realizing it, her heart began pounding.

No, no.

This won’t do.

The man in front of me is just… a log.

“A log!”

“Shh.”

Gerald turned toward her with a frown.

Oops… I meant to say that in my head.

“I’m sorry. I’ll do my best this time.”

He stared down at her as though utterly dumbfounded.

“Your Graces, please take your places upon the bed.”

Following the High Priest’s instructions, Sinclair quickly climbed onto the bed on her knees.

But thanks to the alcohol…

She pitched forward face-first.

The bed was far wider, softer, and more comfortable than she’d expected.

It felt as though she had landed atop a fluffy cloud.

“Wow…”

She spread her arms wide, happily enjoying the soft sensation.

“Your Grace?”

Startled by her behavior, Gerald hurried onto the bed and gently rolled her toward the inner side.

Yes, yes. I know I drank a little too much.

But still… was that really necessary?

“The bride and groom will now sit facing one another.”

Following the High Priest’s instructions, Gerald helped her sit upright.

Their legs crossed one another perfectly.

It created the ideal position for embracing.

…Or perhaps for wrestling?

“Now each of you will cup your partner’s cheeks with both hands.”

Following the instruction, I placed my hands on Gerald’s sculpted face.

Gerald likewise cupped my cheeks with his large, sturdy hands.

The rough calluses on his palms brushed softly against my skin.

His hands were so enormous that, except for his thumbs, his fingers stretched past my ears and nearly wrapped around the sides of my head.

Wow…

Is Sinclair’s face unbelievably small…?

Or are Gerald’s hands unbelievably huge?

I couldn’t tell.

Sinclair’s hands, meanwhile, were small.

But her fingers were long.

I supported the back of his ear with my little finger while the rest gently cradled his cheek.

I’d expected his face to be as broad as a stadium…

Yet somehow, even Sinclair’s fingers reached around to the sides of his head.

Holding his face like this made his handsome features appear even more striking than they had during the wedding ceremony.

What fascinated me most…

Was that reflected inside his emerald-green eyes…

Was a woman with curly violet hair and skin whiter than snow.

That must be me.

Sinclair.

Seriously…

We’re an unrealistically beautiful couple.

Gerald’s face drifted toward me like a wave rolling ashore…

Then retreated.

Closer.

Farther.

Closer again.

I lifted both index fingers and lightly tapped his cheeks.

“Being naughty is bad.”

At my stern scolding, Gerald’s already large eyes widened dramatically, as though someone had held a magnifying glass over them.

He slipped one arm around my waist and another around my back, helping me sit upright.

“My goodness! Such disrespectful hands!”

I smacked away the hand supporting my back.

“The bride and groom should cup each other’s faces with both hands!”

“Oh! Right, right, right!”

I promptly covered my own face.

“…”

Gerald let out a weary sigh.

He gently took my hands and placed them back on his cheeks before whispering,

“How much did you drink?”

What?!

Startled, I plopped backward onto the bed.

“Bride!”

The High Priest scolded me.

Clenching my teeth, I knelt upright again, grabbed Gerald’s shoulders, leaned close to his ear, and whispered,

“How did you know?”

“Don’t talk.”

“You reek of alcohol.”

Gasp!

I hurriedly cupped his cheeks with both hands.

“Now the bride and groom shall press their foreheads together.”

Without hesitation…

Thunk!

I smacked my forehead directly against his.

“Kh…”

Laughter erupted from a nearby terrace.

Embarrassed, I raised one hand toward them the way I’d reassure schoolchildren.

It’s okay.

Nothing happened.

“Bride. Please remain still.”

The High Priest warned me again.

“Yes, sir! I’m sorry!”

As soon as I apologized, Gerald quietly muttered,

“Keep your mouth shut.”

Feeling guilty, I immediately pressed my lips tightly together while keeping our foreheads touching.

That’s it.

I’d better make sure this mouth stays closed.

I pursed my lips tightly like a chicken gizzard.

“Now that your foreheads are touching, press your noses together.”

I obediently pressed my nose against Gerald’s perfectly straight one.

Then…

Huh?

Why were our lips touching?

Startled, I looked at him.

His eyelids were trembling.

I quickly lowered my gaze.

Because I’d puckered my lips so tightly to keep from speaking…

They were sticking out beneath my nose…

Perfectly planted against Gerald’s lips in a proper kiss.

Meanwhile…

Gerald had rolled his own lips inward as much as possible in a desperate attempt to avoid mine.

Did I just become a molester?

I cautiously glanced up.

His emerald eyes blazed fiercely—

Like the vivid blue-green flame produced during a copper flame test.

That expression clearly meant…

Behave properly.

Sigh…

I suddenly felt as though I’d completely ruined someone else’s wedding ceremony.

Sorry, Gerald.

I didn’t want this either.

Then another memory struck me.

I’d rammed my head into his chin pretty hard in the bathhouse.

Is he okay?

Concerned, I gently rubbed his chin with my thumb.

Is it swollen?

His eyes widened even further.

Maybe it isn’t…?

I sincerely hoped it wasn’t.

His brows knitted together.

He glared at me as though he might kill me.

The message written plainly across his face was obvious.

One more mistake and you’re dead.

If I hadn’t kept embarrassing myself all evening…

I probably wouldn’t have felt this pathetic.

Still…

After how patient he’d been with me…

The least I could do was try my best.

Your first wedding.

I’ll do everything I can.

I leaned forward…

Pressed my lips gently against his…

And lightly tapped his lips with mine.

Huh?

He didn’t respond.

Wait…

I’m actually trying here.

Why is my husband acting like an impregnable fortress?

“Now the bride and groom shall rest themselves upon each other’s shoulders.”

Gerald immediately lowered his hands from my face and rested his head upon my shoulder.

Fine.

I’ll at least do this correctly.

I copied him and leaned my own head against his shoulder.

It was…

Surprisingly comfortable.

It reminded me of the firm wooden pillow my grandmother used in the countryside.

His shoulders were nearly twice as broad as mine.

They surrounded me like protective wings.

So…

This is what it means to become one on your wedding night.

It felt strangely new.

Wait…

Do we have to stay like this all night?

As I quietly rested against him, countless stars sparkled in the clear, unpolluted night sky beyond the window.

My eyes widened.

Meteor after meteor streaked across the heavens.

One every ten seconds.

I should make a wish…

But each time I started thinking of one…

Another shooting star vanished.

Then another.

And another.

I couldn’t even finish making a wish.

Wow…

It’s raining meteors.

Like rain…

Without realizing it, I quietly hummed a tune.

Gerald’s shoulder was warm.

I’d been feeling chilly.

Now that my body touched his warmth…

I wanted just a little more of it.

Well…

Strictly speaking, I was stealing it rather than sharing it.

I stretched out both arms and wrapped them around his back.

Wow…

His back was wider than Jamsil Baseball Stadium.

“Please refrain from excessive skinship, my lady.”

As I continued absentmindedly feeling his back, Gerald whispered softly.

His warm breath tickled my ear.

Every tiny hair inside seemed to stand up in delight.

Eek…

That tickles.

My whole body trembled.

“I’m sorry… husband.”

Maybe drinking that strong liquor had been a mistake.

The alcohol rising from my stomach gradually spread through my chest…

My throat…

My face…

Then my entire body.

The comfortable posture made my vision blur.

Well…

No wonder I was getting sleepy.

Today had been exhausting.

Huh?

Something felt strange.

It wasn’t my eyes that were blurry.

I waved my hand through the air.

…The haze moved with it.

What…?

Rubbing my eyes, I looked more carefully.

It wasn’t smoke.

It was fog.

White mist slowly coiled around our bodies.

No…

Come to think of it…

This mist had begun surrounding Schlesen Castle earlier.

That’s impossible.

There wasn’t any fog before.

The sky had been perfectly clear.

I could practically count every star.

Then—

“Sinclair… Sinclair…”

A sorrowful voice, deep and haunting like the Phantom’s singing in The Phantom of the Opera, wrapped itself around my ankles.

An icy mist colder than frozen steel swallowed me whole.

“Sinclair… Sinclair…”

It wasn’t Michael’s harsh, irritated voice.

It sounded desperate.

Heartbroken.

“Sinclair… Sinclair…”

The low, sinister whisper resonated through my entire body, chilling me to the bone.

My surroundings disappeared into white.

I had no idea where I was.

I stretched both hands forward and groped blindly.

Only damp air met my fingers.

Has someone cursed me?

This was the Demon Realm.

Someone capable of using magic could easily have slipped inside.

The faces of all the guests I’d greeted yesterday flashed through my mind.

But why curse Sinclair?

She’s the victim here.

Could someone simply hate House Owen?

That seemed entirely possible.

According to the novel, the Owen family would stick its hands into anything that made money.

Whatever the case…

I had to escape this cursed fog.

Who are you?

Who keeps calling my name?

I wanted to question the owner of that voice.

Demand answers.

But no sound emerged.

It felt as though someone had sealed my throat shut.

I couldn’t speak.

I was terrified.

I wanted to beg anyone—anyone at all—for help.

To plead for someone to rescue me from this cold, unfamiliar mist.

To save me.

But no voice came.

A painful tightness spread beneath my ribs.

Please…

Someone…

Please save me…

But in this world…

There wasn’t a single person who would come to my rescue.

No matter how loudly I screamed…

No one would come running anymore.

I was utterly alone.

It wasn’t fair.

I’d been torn away from my own world without bringing even one thing with me.

The injustice burned inside me.

Was it you?

Were you the one who threw me into this world?

Following the mysterious voice, I began walking through the fog.

I wanted answers.

I wanted to know why.

Because somehow…

I felt that if I could find whoever was calling my name…

I might finally discover a way to escape this place.

My steps quickened.