Chapter 8

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Hand in Hand
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Ultimately, the wedding was a success.

As I had predicted, the weather on the wedding day was viciously fickle, but thanks to having prepared plenty of spare dresses, it proceeded without a hitch, unlike in the original story.

“Please take good care of my daughter.”

Duke Alloje wore a look of utter satisfaction.

He pulled me into an embrace, as if I were the most precious thing in the world, then patted Diello on the shoulder.

“Of course.”

Diello smiled back at him.

It was the same gentle smile he always wore.

“Let’s set aside the long-standing feud between our two families for a moment. I hope you’ll treat my daughter as just my daughter.”

Duke Alloje said with a hearty laugh.

The man was so shameless it was nauseating.

Wasn’t it Duke Alloje who had deepened the rift of that feud by murdering the Duke and Duchess Argenta?

“That goes without saying. Please, don’t worry.”

Diello gave my forehead a brief kiss. Then he escorted me to the waiting carriage.

It was the carriage that would take us to the mansion prepared on the border of our families’ territories.

That place, which overlooked both the sea and the forest, was also our honeymoon destination.

*Click.*

The carriage door closed, and the space, now occupied by only the two of us, began to sway.

Worried the coachman might overhear, I whispered to him very quietly.

“That was perfect.”

Startled by my words, Diello tensed his shoulders.

He tilted his head slightly toward the coachman’s seat, as if listening, then raised his index finger to his lips.

‘He might hear you.’

He mouthed the words, then gave a faint smile.

It was a soft laugh, completely different from the tense smile he’d worn earlier.

But he seemed to have something to say as well, leaning toward me and whispering very softly.

“I’m glad it went so well.”

As if on cue, we squeezed each other’s hands tightly.

All that was left now was to protect this man’s heart completely so that he, now my perfect accomplice, could end up with Pero.

I narrowed my eyes, then smiled.

Meanwhile, Diello let out a short breath and fanned his face with his hand to cool his blush.

How shy. My smile widened.

Don’t worry.

Tonight, we’ll just hold hands and sleep.

* * *

A long-distance honeymoon was out of the question.

Because Diello was the head of the Argenta family, he couldn’t be away for long.

So, the Argentas had gone so far as to build a villa just for the honeymoon. As if that amount of money was nothing.

And the villa was more than enough to set the mood for a honeymoon.

“Wow…”

Having reached the top floor of the mansion, I let out a gasp of admiration without realizing it.

Perhaps because it had rained the day before, I could see for miles with my naked eye.

On one side, I could see the sea protected by the Argentas, and on the other, the forest protected by the Allojes.

From a distance, both the forest swaying in the wind and the sea sparkling under the sun were breathtakingly beautiful.

Though if you looked closely, they were probably teeming with monsters.

“Do you like it?”

Diello chuckled softly. I nodded eagerly.

“The breeze is cool, the view is great—let’s have breakfast here tomorrow!”

“I’ll have it prepared as you wish.”

Diello placed a light kiss on my forehead.

I definitely felt his lips tremble slightly.

So awkward!

I gave him a tight hug. Just like a truly happy newlywed couple.

“We’ve unpacked all your luggage, my lady.”

One of the maids who had been trailing behind Diello and me spoke up while I was admiring the view.

Some of the maids following us were from the Alloje household.

These maids, said to have been handpicked by the Duke to help his precious daughter adjust, would be leaving the mansion in three days.

No matter how I looked at it, they were clearly here to spy.

That’s what I thought, but Diello had willingly allowed it.

Thanks to that, we had to tour our honeymoon mansion with maids from both families in tow.

But eventually, the time came for the two of us to be alone.

* * *

The room where the wedding night was to take place was accessible only to us.

“I heard it didn’t take long to build, so I thought it would be small, but this mansion is huge.”

I could only relax a little after the maids had gone.

I had been exhausted from acting like I was in love with Diello.

When we’d separated briefly for me to be bathed in preparation for our first night, I had to play the part of a bride with a fluttering heart.

“I was told it was built to be spacious, but… I didn’t realize we’d have to walk around for so long either.”

Diello laughed, looking a bit troubled.

He had entered the room before me and was sitting on the edge of the bed, pouring a drink.

The dark red wine seemed to have been prepared for the potentially nervous newlyweds.

When I entered wearing a robe, he willingly stood up to greet me.

“It’s here for us to drink, so we should drink it, right?”

He picked up two identical glasses, handed one to me, and tilted his own to his lips first.

*Gulp.* I could clearly see his Adam’s apple move.

It was all the more visible because he, too, was in a light shirt.

Whether from feeling stifled or from nerves, a couple of his buttons were undone, clearly revealing the black lily crest engraved on his collarbone.

“We should.”

I swirled the glass a little before following his lead and taking a sip of the wine.

The sweet scent of fruit, with almost no hint of alcohol, enveloped the tip of my tongue.

It was a pleasantly sweet taste.

“…”

“…”

After taking a drink, our eyes met, and as if on cue, we both burst out laughing.

“Come over here.”

Diello beckoned to me.

The bed, illuminated by a soft light, was neatly made, with only a slight impression left where he had been sitting.

I could also see the canopy, intended for the possibly shy newlyweds, was slightly drawn back and tied.

I untied one side of the curtain-like fabric.

*Swish.*

The heavy, tied-up curtain swayed and fell right in front of me.

With the curtain now obscuring half the bed, we sat facing each other on the mattress and burst into laughter again.

Finally alone, it was a comfortable moment.

“Alright, then.”

With my free hand, I gently took his.

“Tonight’s duty, done.”

Then I let go. We had agreed to just hold hands and sleep.

At my words, Diello looked at his fingertips and let out another low laugh.

As he clenched and unclenched his hand, I shrugged my shoulders.

“It goes without saying, but I have no intention of breaking our promise. Just in case you were worried.”

Not that I thought he would be. I said, looking into his blue eyes.

The real Pero will arrive in two months anyway.

If he asked how I knew that, I’d have nothing to say, so I just kept quiet about it.

I just have to hold out at Argenta for two months.

No, I might stay longer, but at least the need to carefully watch my words and actions for Duke Alloje’s sake would only last for two more months.

“Until the real Pero arrives, let’s do our best.”

I raised my glass to Diello.

Diello willingly joined my toast.

*Clink!*

The light clinking of the glasses sounded cheerful.

I finished my wine first and set my glass on the bedside table, and Diello placed his next to it.

*Swish.*

As I drew the remaining curtain, the light noticeably dimmed.

This must be a flame sustained by Argenta’s power.

When I turned back from closing the curtain, Diello was already lying down.

He had gently pulled back one side of the covers, his hands tucked under the fluffy pillow.

“Come here.”

*Pat, pat.* He tapped the spot next to him.

His blue eyes, sparkling in the faint light, looked almost pure.

*Rustle.*

The sound of fabric rustling was particularly loud.

As I pulled back the covers and lay down, I could see his eyes from very close.

His pale blue eyes reflected only me.

This is how it should look to other people.

As I stared into his eyes, Diello blushed and looked away.

“Are my eyes that strange?”

“No, they’re beautiful.”

I blurted out.

Diello looked back at me, seeming a little surprised.

“Pardon?”

“Just because we aren’t a real couple doesn’t mean I can’t call something beautiful.”

I touched the spot under his eye with my index finger.

“They’re beautiful, your eyes. Like the sea.”

Diello smiled at my words.

“The real sea is much deeper and darker than this.”

“Still. The sea from a distance is this color, isn’t it? When the sun hits it.”

He smiled again.

As he smiled softly, his eyes were partially hidden, and the shadows finally made them look a little darker.

“The sea from a distance, yes, it is.”

Diello readily nodded.

Looking at his eyes, I suddenly murmured.

“A honeymoon like this is nice, too.”

It wasn’t that I hadn’t imagined a honeymoon filled with passionate lovemaking.

But given that it was a contract marriage, and that we were just chatting softly in this gentle atmosphere, it wasn’t bad at all.

As long as I’m comfortable, what else matters?

“I’m glad you’re satisfied, Lady Croire.”

I shook my head.

“I’m not a ‘Lady’ anymore.”

“Ah…”

I whispered to him as his eyes widened slightly.

“If we want to look like a real couple, we have to seem somewhat close, right? So let’s practice.”

I pressed my index finger firmly against his lips.

“Calling me by my name.”

“Ah,”

Was it because of the unexpected physical contact? He froze.

I let out a small laugh.

“We’ll have to touch more often, more closely, when we’re outside. Are you going to be this surprised every time?”

If he did, any rumors of us being a passionate newlywed couple would vanish.

I couldn’t just leave him like this.

I pulled his hand and placed it on my cheek.

“Let’s practice this from now on, too.”

“What?”

Ripples spread across his lake-like, tranquil eyes.

If we’re going to do this, we have to do it right!

“Touching like this.”

I held his hand that rested on my cheek.

“You don’t need to feel sorry out of some misplaced concern.”

In the original story, he was the type to feel guilty for stealing Croire’s first kiss.

That’s why I made the first move.

“Don’t hesitate. Act like newlyweds. Like we’re truly in love.”

At my words, his hand moved slightly. His fingers gently and cautiously caressed my ear and cheek.

“I know you won’t break your promise anyway, Diello.”

A man who gets startled by a finger on his lips wouldn’t be able to do anything to me. Besides, to awaken properly, he can’t try to take me, so that makes it even more certain.

And since I had absolutely no intention of devouring him either, we were, in a way, the safest (?) possible partners for each other.

No matter what sweet and suggestive things we did in front of others.

Diello, who had blinked a few times at my words, opened his mouth.

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

At my word, Diello’s hand moved a little more boldly.

The hand that had been caressing my ear brushed against my chin before cupping the back of my neck.

Perhaps because he was an Argenta, his hand held a strange warmth.

“…”

After gazing at me for a moment with his blue eyes, Diello spoke.

“…Croire Alloje.”

Then, his softly moving lips brushed against my index finger.

The sensation on the tender skin at the side of my finger felt strange.