Chapter :〈009〉
The wedding was held on a smaller scale than expected. Since it was my first time experiencing a wedding, I wasn’t entirely sure, but compared to the vast garden of the Camellia mansion, it certainly felt that way.
Moreover, unlike the bride’s side, where all the relatives gathered making the place quite bustling and noisy, the groom’s side guests were few in number and all sat seriously and solemnly, which made it feel even smaller.
‘Our Daniel really should have been a flower boy to lighten the mood!’
I couldn’t help but lament inwardly. I was firmly on the “Daniel as flower boy” faction, but I was outvoted by Sofia and her clique, who were even more adamant about the “The bride is the star of the wedding” faction. Besides, my stubbornness was broken by my father and mother, who pointed out subtly but firmly that if the daughter acted as flower boy in a remarriage, it would look like a remarriage — and technically this was not one.
It wasn’t because I worried about people whispering behind my back. It was because of the looks Daniel would receive that day. Until now, Daniel had never appeared in public at any official event. Moreover, no one knew who his mother was.
There were rumors: that Daniel was the daughter born when Lord Winchester seduced a maid in the mansion; that he was born from a foreign woman during the war; or that he was actually not Lord Winchester’s daughter, but an orphan taken in during the war. Yet, the Winchester family never officially commented.
The moment Daniel appeared at the wedding hall, all eyes would turn to him. Everyone would whisper about Daniel, dissect his appearance one by one, and try to guess who his mother was. I could already see it in my mind’s eye. I could not leave Daniel to be torn apart by such gossip.
“…A married couple is always to trust and rely on each other, to be companions through long life in times of joy and sorrow. Therefore, I ask you.”
The long sermon was finally coming to an end.
“Do you, groom Lorrinus de Winchester, take Naery de Pomots as your bride, to be together forever in joy and sorrow?”
“Yes.”
As always, Lord Winchester’s answer was instant and without hesitation.
“Do you, bride Naery de Pomots, take Lorrinus de Winchester as your groom, to be together forever in joy and sorrow?”
“Yes.”
I, too, answered without hesitation. After all, it was a marriage already agreed upon.
“Then I now declare you husband and wife. Please seal your vow with a kiss.”
…What? A ki—kiss? That wasn’t agreed upon!
I was flustered by the natural flow of the wedding proceedings. I didn’t expect this to happen.
‘Surely Lord Winchester must be flustered… right?’
I turned toward him and saw him looking at me. To my surprise, he was completely composed.
‘What? Why does he look so natural?’
And then he gently wrapped one arm around my waist, and with the other hand took my shoulder.
‘No, wait…!’
As his face slowly approached mine, my eyes trembled wildly, and I thought I saw a faint smile on his lips.
‘H-He’s about to touch me…!’
When his features became indistinguishable because he was so close, I finally shut my eyes tight.
‘Warm…’
The unexpected warmth of his lips melted the stiffness from my face and body.
I had assumed he would be cold. Like his cold gaze, like his blunt tone, I thought his lips and kiss would be cold.
But it wasn’t. His lips were smooth and warm. And as if being considerate of marrying a man he had only met three times, the kiss was polite as well.
“…Ah!”
When our lips parted, I was left wanting more.
“Sigh… I’m tired…”
I exhaled, and perhaps due to the warm bath water, a faint mist rose from my breath. The wedding and the following reception were exhausting—hosting guests was no easy task. Most people left almost at midnight.
During that time, I was anxious whether, like at the last ball, everyone was so busy that no one had fed Daniel. In the end, I asked Sofia for help, but I hadn’t seen her since, so I didn’t know the result.
“Maybe I should check?”
It would already be time for a child to be asleep. Since I knew where his room was, I thought it would be okay to just sneak in and check on his face. And maybe see if his belly had grown.
“Just seeing Daniel sleeping peacefully might recharge my energy.”
Just thinking of Daniel’s soft, plump cheeks and his bright eyes looking at me cheered me up.
“All right. Let’s rinse quickly and go.”
I seemed to have washed away the heavy makeup and sweat from standing all day. If I stayed soaking in the warm bath for too long, I might fall asleep.
I got out of the bath, and water cascaded down my body.
‘Come to think of it, there’s no maid attending me?’
When I first washed at the Pomots house, a maid had naturally followed me in to assist with the bath. Of course, feeling awkward being naked alone, I pushed her away saying I could wash myself.
“Hmm~”
I opened the door and stepped out. The hallway was dark and quiet, like a frosted dawn.
‘Daniel’s room should be this way?’
Just as I was about to step to the right—
“This way, Madam.”
A voice spoke from the left. Though respectful, it sounded commanding. I turned to see a dark silhouette that my eyes, now accustomed to the dark, picked out.
She wasn’t wearing the white and black maid uniform. It was hard to be sure in the darkness, but she seemed dressed in a modest outfit of navy blue or dark green, a middle-aged woman.
“Who are you?”
“I am Sionne Ferede, the housekeeper. Since it is your first night in this house, I was concerned you might not know your bedroom, so I have been waiting.”
“Hmm…”
So, the housekeeper who manages the mansion and maids knew I had been bathing, but the maid who assists with bathing was not allowed in.
I approached Mrs. Ferede silently. The light leaking from the bedroom she showed made her face clearer.
Unlike Tiphin, the housekeeper at Pomots, who was plump and always smiling, Mrs. Ferede was thin and wore a stern, rigid expression. She looked more like a dormitory matron than a mansion housekeeper.
“Please come in.”
Though she respectfully opened the door for me, her tone still felt oddly like an order. Was it because of her stiff neck? Or those eyes that called me “Madam” but didn’t really regard me as such? Or was that just her natural expression?
“Alright.”
I was tired, utterly exhausted. I had no energy to argue with the housekeeper in the late hour hallway.
“See you tomorrow.”
But tomorrow, after a good sleep, would be different.
Thinking about how things might turn out tomorrow, I entered the bedroom. Until the door clicked shut, I maintained the tension in my lowered eyes, my proud open chest, and my stiff neck to appear dignified.
“Phew…”
As soon as the door closed behind me, I let out a sigh and relaxed all the tension in my body.
“Being a countess is tiring.”
I muttered unintentionally, and then a figure appeared before my eyes.
“Ah!”
My shoulders, which had slumped with exhaustion, stiffened immediately. I straightened my bent waist.
The person who made me a countess stood right there.
“Lord Winchester…”
He, who should share this bedroom and bed with me, was standing there.
