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Chapter 44
“Tomorrow I’ll get to see the most beautiful bride in the world.”
Baron Inohater said this as he held Sereret’s hand.
“Oh, Father…”
Sereret gave her father a small smile as they sat facing each other at the tea table.
At last, the wedding had come. Tomorrow. She had tried to run away, but in the end, she was marrying Yuan.
Changing fate was never easy, she thought, feeling a little gloomy. Just then, her father, Baron Inohater, came to visit her room.
Chatting softly with him, the gloominess she’d felt seemed to melt away naturally.
“You should sleep now, dear, before it gets too late,” Baron Inohater said kindly.
At being called dear, Sereret chuckled.
“You should rest too, Father.”
“Of course.”
Nodding, he rose from his chair and kissed the top of Sereret’s head.
“Good night, my daughter.”
“Yes.”
Sereret smiled gently, hiding her tangled emotions behind it, and waved to her father as he left.
As soon as the door closed, tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Her restless heart had turned into tears.
“Haa…”
She let out a deep sigh and wiped her face. She’d manage, somehow.
“It’s only a year.”
Murmuring to comfort herself, Sereret pulled out her diary.
The day before a wedding was an important day—of course her diary couldn’t be skipped.
April 17
At last, tomorrow is my wedding day.
The day I dreamed of is finally here. I’m so excited I don’t think I’ll be able to fall asleep tonight.
How long I’ve waited for the day I could become Yuan’s bride!
I will be the happiest bride in the whole world.
So many things have happened, but I must make this marriage a happy one.
Because I love Yuan so much, surely one day he’ll come to understand my heart.
Sereret wrote with a blank expression. Her words were the complete opposite of her real feelings. Closing the diary, she scowled at it.
“What happy bride…”
She was glaring sourly at the book when a knock came at the door. Thinking her father had returned, she hurried to open it.
“Fath—… Your Grace?”
Standing there was Yuan. His hair, damp from a bath, clung to his forehead, and he wore only a nightgown.
“Were you asleep?” he asked, stepping inside.
“No, I was just about to.”
She shut the door behind him. Yuan gave a small nod and silently stared at her. Sereret frowned slightly.
“Do you have something to say?”
“No.”
“Then why are you here?”
“To see if you’d run away.”
His tone was casual, almost mocking.
“Run away?”
Why bother her with nonsense when he should be sleeping? Narrowing her eyes, Sereret glared at him.
“Isn’t it dreadful, marrying a man you don’t even like?” Yuan said, his gaze probing her face.
During his bath, he’d kept thinking of her. What kind of expression would a woman wear, forced to marry a man she despised for money’s sake? That thought had drawn him here—and seeing her unhappy face irritated him even more.
“You came to pick a fight?”
“Maybe,” Yuan said with a crooked smile.
“You really have nothing better to do.”
Looking annoyed, Sereret walked toward her bed. She heard him follow and grimaced.
“Will you wear that same expression during the wedding tomorrow?”
“What’s wrong with my expression?”
She turned back, pulling her lips into an exaggerated smile. At her forced grin, Yuan chuckled.
“It looks like a leash is around your neck, dragging you along.”
“That’s not true.”
“No? You put the leash there yourself, fiancée.”
Arms crossed, Yuan gazed at her steadily.
“Yes. I put a leash on myself—because I loved Yuan Frecktuster too much.”
His words weren’t entirely wrong. She had chained herself, and that’s why she was so troubled now. Could she cut that leash and escape him one day?
“Love,” Yuan murmured, almost to himself.
Not love at all. You’re good at lying, he thought. But it didn’t matter. Soon enough, he would be the one holding the leash she had put on herself.
“Are you ready to accept my passionate love?”
“If you give it, I’ll accept it gratefully.”
He took her hand and kissed the back of it.
His lips brushed her skin, tickling, and she quickly pulled away.
“I wonder if you’ll really give it.”
Of course not. His thoughts were with Lydia, no doubt. He must have come to torment his fiancée out of frustration over a love he couldn’t have.
“Even now, I can give it—if you allow me.”
His eyes flicked toward the bed, then back to her.
Their blue gazes met. Her throat went dry.
It would take no time to strip her clothes away, no time for her pale skin to flush red. He imagined how that pure face would change beneath him, and heat stirred low in his body.
Sereret instinctively stepped back. She knew too well what that look in his eyes meant.
“I’m tired. If I want to be the most beautiful bride tomorrow, I need to sleep now. Good night, Your Grace.”
Her flimsy excuse only made him want to stay more.
Yuan reached out, cupping her chin, and pressed his thumb against her lips.
“You’re already… beautiful enough.”
The feel of her lips under his touch sent a jolt through him. He wanted to replace his finger with something else.
Her trembling blue eyes fanned the flames of his desire. Before it burned out of control, he forced himself to step back.
“For the peaceful night of the most beautiful bride.”
He kissed her hand again and left.
When the door shut, Sereret collapsed onto the bed, exhaling shakily. That strange look in his eyes, glancing between her and the bed, kept replaying in her mind.
One problem she’d neglected to consider until now struck her. Once married, she couldn’t avoid sharing a bed with him.
“How am I supposed to avoid that…”
She bit her nails.
She couldn’t—wouldn’t—spend the night with him. She couldn’t risk a child. And she couldn’t bear his touch.
“What do I do…”
Yuan wanted an heir. He wouldn’t let her avoid it easily. The problem began tomorrow.
Maybe she could claim exhaustion and fall asleep right away.
“Ha… forget it.”
She shook her head. Somehow, it would work out. With that weak reassurance, she lay down.
In her past life, Sereret had stood stiffly clutching a bouquet of lilies of the valley and hyacinths. It was dazzling and beautiful.
That woman, the Duchess of Frecktuster?
Why would His Grace marry her?
Whispers slipped through the slightly open door.
Did they not know she could hear, or did they simply not care? Their words made her shrink.
The Frecktuster servants had never seemed to welcome her. Alone in the room without even a maid attending, she felt both lonely and afraid. She wished someone—anyone—would come.
Then, firm footsteps sounded, and Yuan entered.
Your Grace.
She rose to greet him, relieved.
Excitement shone in her blue eyes. Her heart swelled at the thought of spending her life with him.
No mistakes. Many are watching. This is essentially your first time standing before society as a Frecktuster. Conduct yourself properly.
His words were cold—nothing like what a groom should say to his bride.
For her, it was the wedding she had dreamed of. For him, it was merely the formal installation of the household’s mistress.
Yes, I’ll do my best.
Though his words hurt, she forced a smile.
Back then, even words like that hadn’t mattered. Just being with Yuan made everything bearable.
Now, staring at the same bouquet as before, Sereret sighed.
A voice broke her thoughts—Hannah’s.
“My lady, His Grace is here.”
She lifted her eyes. Yuan was striding toward her in his formal black attire, perfectly groomed and striking.
Past or present, he was always handsome. Even if she despised herself for it, she couldn’t deny it.
Before he could speak, Sereret said calmly, “I’ll do my best.”
Yuan frowned slightly.
“You mean your best not to run away?”
“Well, in many ways.”
She assumed he had come to repeat the same warning as in her past life—that this was a stage for the new duchess, and she must not falter.
“I came to tell you not to waste energy on something impossible. You cannot run.”
“So you’re here to watch me.”
“To hold the leash.”
He smirked and extended his hand.
It must be time. With a small sigh, she took his hand.
“My leash has never been yours, and it never will be. I’ll hold it myself.”
She lifted her chin proudly as she stood.
“I respect that,” Yuan said, gripping her hand firmly, the corner of his mouth curving.
She was radiant. Her blue eyes glittered brighter than jewels, her face alight as though holding all the world’s light.
The silk gown seemed made only for her; the wreath of orange blossoms and pearl-draped veil suited a goddess.
She had always been beautiful, but today she looked like something to be preserved under glass forever.
“I hope you continue to respect it,” she replied with a smile.
“Of course.”
He escorted her from the room.
Together they walked the flower-strewn aisle. Though it was her second time, her heart was nothing like before.
In her past life, she had prayed the entire way that she might live happily with Yuan. Now, she prayed only for the chance to escape him unharmed.
She stole a glance at his face. What was he thinking?
Throughout the ceremony, his face remained expressionless. And though she studied him carefully this time, what she saw was clear: it was not the face of a man in love. It was the same look he’d had when he proposed—calm, businesslike, as if sealing an important deal.
When he slipped the wedding ring onto her finger, their eyes met.
“Congratulations on becoming a Frecktuster,” Yuan said firmly, without breaking his gaze.
Sereret Frecktuster—she would bear his name forever.
For the first time that day, his expression shifted. Satisfaction spread across his face.
