Chapter 4

“What?!” Pesha wondered if she had heard correctly.

Everyone knew this was a political marriage, so did they really have to kiss when they were practically strangers?

She looked around in a panic when, all of a sudden, Owen’s large hand grabbed her face.

He forced her to look directly at him.

His expression was still stiff and unreadable.

“L-Lord…”

Pesha was obviously flustered, but Owen paid no attention to her reaction and lowered his head.

‘Surely he’s not actually going to do it?’

At that moment, she felt something soft against her lips.

He really did it.

Owen gently covered Pesha’s frozen lips with his own for a brief moment, then pulled away.

“……”

Pesha could not say a word.

All she could do was stand there like a statue with her eyes wide open.

Whether or not he knew how shocked the bride was, the officiating priest repeatedly wiped away his cold sweat with a handkerchief before finishing the marriage vows.

“With this, the two of you have become one. Please give the newly married couple a round of applause.”

Whatever they were really thinking, applause came from the guests on the bride’s side.

And the adjutants on the right…

‘Oh my goodness.’

Pesha stiffly turned her head and looked at the groom’s guests.

They were not even pretending to clap. Instead, they had their arms crossed and looked thoroughly displeased.

‘Damn it…’

The hostile looks they were giving her seemed to warn her that her future would not be an easy one.

‘Well, I can understand how they feel. Of course they’d dislike me.’

They had been given a duke’s daughter instead of the perfect opportunity to see Owen receive a ducal title.

How unfair must that have felt to them?

If Pesha had been sitting in their place, she probably would have found it difficult to look kindly upon the bride too.

‘I can already see what my life as a daughter-in-law is going to be like.’

Having given up on everything, Pesha let out a hollow laugh.

Hardship was already waiting for her.

After the wedding, Pesha climbed into the large four-horse carriage that had been prepared beforehand.

They had said she would head straight to Swapro, the territory of the House of Namoi, immediately after the wedding.

And that was exactly what happened.

Owen escorted Pesha to the carriage and helped her get inside before sitting down on the seat opposite her.

Silence filled the carriage.

Pesha had her head lowered, so she could not tell for sure, but she had the feeling that he was staring at her.

She cautiously raised her eyes and looked at him.

Sure enough, he was glaring at her with such a frightening gaze that it felt as though he could pierce right through her.

‘Eek.’

She immediately lowered her eyes again in fright, but it was painful to endure that stare indefinitely.

Pesha realized she needed to start a conversation and opened her mouth.

“L-Lord Namoi.”

“……”

He did not answer. He simply watched her as if telling her to say what she wanted.

I should apologize first.

It was a little ridiculous to apologize after rushing through the wedding itself, but she could not just pretend nothing had happened.

She needed to tell him that she was truly sorry for humiliating him.

However, her mouth was dry and her tongue felt stiff, making it difficult to express her sincerity properly.

Pesha squeezed her eyes shut and gathered her courage before apologizing.

“I’m sorry about what happened then.”

No matter how desperate she had been or how afraid she was of dying, she should not have humiliated a man who had hurried back after defending the country, especially in front of so many people.

“About what?”

The man’s deep, low voice sounded threatening.

Pesha fidgeted nervously before answering.

“I-I mean when I said I didn’t want to get married.”

“……”

“It wasn’t because I disliked you! I just thought it was too early for me to get married… I didn’t think things through.”

“Since you thought it was too early to marry, I suppose you even considered entering a monastery.”

Huh?

Pesha was confused by what he meant for a moment.

Then she remembered what she had said that day.

“Your Majesty! I don’t want to marry Lord Namoi. I… I will become a nun instead of getting married!”

As the memory suddenly came back to her, Pesha groaned.

“Ah…”

I’m screwed. Why did I say something like that?

Anyone hearing those words would naturally think she was saying she would rather become a nun than marry him.

There was no way to take it back now.

“It’s just that…”

She hurriedly tried to come up with an excuse.

But Owen cut her off in a cold voice.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize my wife was so devoted to religion. I’ll order them to expand the chapel as soon as we arrive at the estate.”

“No… That’s not what I meant.”

“Then? What else do you want?”

His gaze as he looked down at Pesha was not merely cold. It was icy.

Meeting his eyes washed away about half of the guilt she had been feeling.

In its place, a burst of irritation rose inside her.

‘What a petty man. I apologized sincerely, and he still has to mock me?’

He really was just like the cold-blooded male lead from the original story, who never even bothered to listen to the villainess’s circumstances before getting rid of her.

What an annoying protagonist!

She cursed him with every insult she could think of in her head, but there were only so many things she could actually say aloud.

“Ah… Nothing. Haha… Hahahaha.”

With an awkward laugh, silence descended over the carriage once again.

The uncomfortable silence felt so suffocating that Pesha thought she might actually choke to death.

Several hours passed.

As the carriage left the city behind, the scenery outside was filled with nothing but open fields.

Sitting still without having anyone to talk to was unbearably boring.

Before she knew it, Pesha began nodding off.

Rattle!

Then the carriage hit what seemed to be a large bump in the road, and her head smacked against the window.

“Gah!”

Pesha clutched her forehead and secretly glanced at Owen.

He was only looking out the window as though he had absolutely no interest in her.

He had obviously noticed what happened.

He was simply pretending he had not.

Her face turned red with embarrassment.

Then, while still staring outside, Owen suddenly slammed his fist against the wall of the carriage.

The carriage gradually began to slow down.

The knights escorting the carriage also approached the windows.

“My lord. Is something wrong?”

“Let’s take a short break.”

Pesha’s eyes widened at those words.

Come to think of it, they had left in the morning, and the sun was already beginning to set.

‘I thought I’d be stuck sitting here until nighttime.’

The moment the carriage came to a complete stop, Pesha hurried outside as if she were escaping.

The maids, including Mini, got out of another carriage that had been following them and quickly approached her.

“My lady! We were going to help you get down…!”

“It’s fine. More importantly, I feel like I can finally breathe now that we’re taking a break. Ugh…”

Pesha stretched both arms, loosening her stiff and aching body.

Just then, she noticed Owen getting out of the carriage.

He had remained inside while Pesha was getting out, but now he was talking with the knights.

Because she was conscious of him, Pesha quietly moved as far away from him as possible.

Things had been painfully awkward inside the carriage.

She did not want to stay close to him outside it either.

Seeing the troubled expression on Pesha’s face, Mini cautiously spoke to her.

“My lady. Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”

“No. I’m fine.”

But her face clearly said otherwise.

Mini glanced at Owen, who was talking with the knights.

Then she brought a hand to Pesha’s ear and whispered softly.

“It must have been difficult being alone with Count Namoi… But please stay strong. You’re husband and wife now. Surely he wouldn’t do anything to you, would he?”