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chapter 58
“Do we really have to do this? Honestly, it’s not something I’ve thought about… and I don’t want to. If the Duke insists, I suppose I can’t help it, but…”
“No, it’s nothing I mentioned to force you. Please forget about it. If you feel burdened, you don’t have to go through with it.”
“Is it really okay?”
“It’s just an event to show others anyway. But the words need to match, so let’s just do it in a simplified way.”
Even as Kirzen spoke, he couldn’t hide a hint of bitterness.
Even if it was just for show, a wedding was still a meaningful event.
Through the ceremony, he could feel that they had truly become husband and wife, and, if he allowed himself a bit of desire, he wanted to see her in a wedding dress.
He wanted to announce to everyone that she had become his wife, clad in pure white.
But since Emilina didn’t want it, Kirzen had no choice but to suppress his wish.
“However, if you happen to change your mind later, please tell me anytime.”
He added this with a hint of regret.
Regardless of his own feelings, Emilina’s comfort was his priority.
Since most women have some romantic notion of marriage, he worried that canceling it so casually might cause her regret later.
Kirzen let out a dry laugh and gently lifted Emilina, who was lying uncomfortably.
She seemed to be in a deep sleep; she didn’t wake despite his movement.
But the moment he laid her back on the bed, he panicked.
The blanket that had been wrapped around her slipped off.
Damn. Kirzen squeezed his eyes shut and deliberately turned his gaze away. His ears tinged red.
It was probably the work of the servants.
No wonder Rockbell had been rushing earlier.
Kirzen clicked his tongue softly and tucked the blanket back up to her neck.
“Such unnecessary trouble…”
He sat at the edge of the bed and washed his face, feeling the weight of the past ten years as if only now he truly realized it.
When he glanced at Emilina, her appearance fully resembled a grown woman.
It was a strange, unfamiliar sensation.
Had he been stuck in the past all this time? Realizing this, he found it hard to view her with innocent eyes.
Shameless thoughts kept flooding his mind.
“Haah…”
Kirzen let out a deep sigh and stood up.
If he stayed here any longer, his mind would be consumed with impure thoughts. He needed a distraction.
With hurried steps, he left the bedroom and threw himself into work in his office, making sure he couldn’t dwell on anything else.
He even tackled tasks that didn’t need immediate attention. Missing a night’s sleep didn’t matter.
Rustle. A soft texture brushed against her fingers.
Emilina buried herself deeply between the cozy blankets and the plush sheets.
‘So soft…’
Was the sofa always this comfortable?
Moreover, the blanket that had lightly covered her felt warm and cozy.
She opened her eyes in surprise at the strange feeling.
“Ah…?”
A sharp gasp escaped her lips.
When did she fall asleep? And why was she in bed?
As she rolled her eyes to take in the situation, sunlight streamed through the window.
Had Marie and the maids moved her here? She didn’t remember coming to bed herself, so it was possible.
They were the only ones who could have moved her.
Kirzen hadn’t appeared, so it couldn’t have been him.
‘It must have been heavy…’
Emilina thought to herself that she should apologize to the maids later and slowly sat up.
The blanket slipped off as she moved.
At that moment—
“Are you awake? Was your rest comfortable?”
A soft voice whispered in her ear.
Emilina, startled, turned toward the source.
Kirzen was standing rigidly in front of her.
When had he entered the room? Her heart pounded, and she couldn’t hide her shock.
Even stranger was Kirzen’s next action.
He kept adjusting his clothes and gesturing awkwardly with his hands, looking uncomfortable.
Not knowing where to look, Emilina stared at him, silently asking why he acted so strangely.
Kirzen lowered his eyes and spoke quietly.
“Th—the blanket fell.”
The blanket? Emilina tilted her head and looked down, then realized her attire.
The silk dress she had reluctantly worn at the maids’ urging was now exposed.
Swallowing a curse, she hastily wrapped the blanket around herself.
She glanced at Kirzen, who looked slightly embarrassed, his face faintly red.
Perhaps feeling awkward himself, he lowered his head completely.
Since Emilina couldn’t speak in her own embarrassment, Kirzen broke the silence first.
“Now that you’re awake, I’ll take my leave.”
“Oh, okay… but what time is it now?”
Kirzen, still blushing, answered.
“…Just past ten.”
“I-I see…”
A brief, awkward silence followed. Emilina suddenly remembered something she had overlooked.
‘Wait. Then it wasn’t Marie who moved me to the bed, was it?’
It made sense. The maids alone might not have been strong enough.
And it wouldn’t make sense for them to involve other servants in such a mess.
‘Oh, no…’
Emilina wished she could hide somewhere.
So Kirzen had already seen this entire situation.
She closed her eyes, reflecting on the awkwardness.
When she opened them, Kirzen greeted her as if he had been waiting, as though the night spent together was merely for show.
He had moved her to the bed and spent the night in the same room, though she had slept through it without realizing.
‘Damn…’
She needed confirmation. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, but she wanted reassurance.
No, maybe at this point, it was natural not to trust him…
“Did… we… sleep together?”
Even as the words left her mouth, she was embarrassed.
She had spoken too bluntly in her haste.
Kirzen, unsurprisingly, couldn’t hide his own embarrassment.
He raised his head slightly, giving a troubled smile.
“Uh… I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I did come in during the night, but there was nothing to worry about.”
“Hahaha, y-yes, I thought so. I’m sorry for the rude question…”
Awkward silence fell again.
Emilina wished she could take back her words out of sheer embarrassment.
She lowered her head slightly, glancing at Kirzen.
He chose his words carefully.
“No need to apologize. As you said yesterday… I needed to be seen leaving the bedroom to avoid suspicion.”
“Then, why did you stay here all night?”
Kirzen looked composed, but his eyes were slightly bloodshot.
Seeing the fatigue in his eyes, Emilina felt even more apologetic.
It seemed he had truly stayed up all night.
Kirzen scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“I was in the office catching up on work and returned before dawn. I stayed in my personal room until you woke up.”
So he had rested in between.
Emilina murmured, her tone laced with apology.
“I see… you must have been uncomfortable. Why didn’t you wake me?”
“No, I wasn’t uncomfortable. And the servants probably prefer that I leave later.”
They’d misunderstand each other. Kirzen added this and said he would summon the servants, signaling he would finally leave.
Emilina, her curiosity somewhat satisfied, nodded in acknowledgment.
Not long after Kirzen left the bedroom, Marie and the twin maids entered.
Their faces were flushed and excited, as Kirzen had implied.
Clearly, they had misunderstood, thinking something had happened between her and Kirzen.
Their words soon revealed it.
“Milady, how are you feeling?”
“Is your back okay?”
“Shall we apply a compress?”
“Rona, Dina, calm down. Milady looks uncomfortable.”
Marie’s firm tone made the twins pout.
Emilina gave an awkward smile.
“I’m fine, Marie. It’s understandable. But what about the Duke?”
Marie, calming Rona and Dina, bowed slightly and answered politely.
“The Duke went to meet the knight commander briefly. He also said he’d like to have lunch with you, if that’s alright. How shall I respond?”
They were asking whether she would join him or decline.
Marie added that if it was difficult, they could bring lunch to her room.
Emilina pondered briefly.
It seemed Kirzen had said that to mislead the servants. Should she reject the consideration?
‘Should I just say I’ll eat in my room?’
In truth, she wasn’t confident facing Kirzen directly. It would be uncomfortable to sit together.
She hadn’t eaten properly yesterday due to tension.
But…
‘Nothing really happened, and avoiding it won’t change that.’
Moreover, Kirzen had shown consideration for her in front of the servants.
She couldn’t just enjoy the meal comfortably on her own.
Resigned, Emilina shook her head.
Though awkward, it was a situation she would eventually have to get used to.
She would continue the conversation they hadn’t finished yesterday while joining the meal.
“No, tell the Duke I’ll have lunch with him.”
Emilina said this, and Marie nodded in acknowledgment.
She then instructed Rona and Dina to attend to Emilina and left the room.
The twins fussed over preparing themselves, chatting animatedly and distracting Emilina completely.
Mostly, they talked about how fortunate she was to get along well with the Duke.
Every time Emilina heard it, she felt a twinge of guilt.
‘I did nothing and just slept… they’ll be upset if they find out.’
So she had no choice but to let the misunderstanding grow.
She smiled awkwardly here and there while letting the twin maids take care of her.
Even though she had just woken up, fatigue was already creeping in.
