Prologue
Petunia was sitting on the bed, only wearing a light pink, thin bedgown. Soft silk fabric smoothly flowed down on the curves of her body.
Her golden hair which was slightly moist, was bearing rose fragrant. That was because she had stayed in the bath for more than an hour.
Four maids held Petunia captive, washing and preparing her.
Thanks to that, her white skin became smoother than it had ever been.
Petunia checked her reflection on the window. She seemed like the innocent type with this attire.
She waited for the guest to visit the room with blushed cheeks in the color of a peony. It was about the time he would come.
The man who became her husband starting today.
***
There’s a saying that life is far from comedy and more like a tragedy.
That’s how the man and the woman looked like, at that moment, on the bed.
The man who was covering his face with a black mask was leaning his torso at the head of the bed, as Petunia was sitting on the man’s lap. It was a perfect position for a first night.
But that’s how it looked from afar. In fact, Petunia was looking down at her husband, Apollyon, with a cold stare.
Unlike her, Apollyon underneath her had a quite stiff expression. His mask couldn’t hide his shaking eyes.
Completely united to the head of the bed, he spoke after he gulped down.
“My la-lady, please calm down…”
“…calm down? Did you just say calm down?”
“…”
“Am I yelling or fussing at you? I am very calm as you can see.”
Grin.
Petunia ‘grinned’. The dull smile made Apollyon feel a chill down his spine.
“Apollyon.”
“…”
“Honey?”
“…yes.”
“Where in the Empire is there a couple who don’t have their first night after getting married?”
Apollyon swallowed his words which were about to point at the two of them. It was because he instinctively felt that something tremendous would have happened if he said what’s on his mind.
Apollyon got terrified because of the gaze of a woman who is much smaller in size than him. He’s been through all kinds of hardships but this kind of fear was his first.
“…i-it’s my first time seeing you in person today.”
“Oh?”
Petunia burst into laughter as he spoke in a low voice.
Petunia fixed her posture as she swept away her hair on her face with one hand.
There was a smile on her face but the way she touched her hair was rough. It seemed like she was trying to ease her anger.
“How can a man ask for a woman’s hand in marriage, even though he has never even seen her before?”
“…”
“Apollyon, are we the only ones getting married out of arrangement?”
He shook his head to deny.
“That’s right. Most aristocratic marriages are out of political reasons, just like ours. Which means, there are lots of people who did it even though they’ve never met before, mmph!”
Startled by her sudden remarks, Apollyon covered her mouth with one hand. His ears were flushed because of her words.
Petunia strongly bit his palm.
“Agh!”
“You can’t just silence me this easily.”
Petunia brought her body closer to his body when she caught him off guard. Over his thin shirt she could feel his firm chest.
To escape from her grasp Apollyon struggled.
But his efforts were useless.
Every time he moved, her body moved along with him; and her thin, loose bedgown fluttered with the movement.
Eventually he stopped struggling and shut his eyes. He decided that it would be better if he stayed still.
Petunia grabbed Apollyon’s face with both hands. He opened his eyes wide with her sudden contact.
Petunia couldn’t believe a man freely roaming around on the battlefield was now whining under her.
“…you know why I’m acting like this.”
“…”
“You know that I am not a bad person, right?”
“…”
“What kind of groom would think of running away on his own wedding night?”
Petunia hit his forehead. His eyes widened even more not because of pain but her abrupt action.
The weak smile on Petunia’s face had disappeared. She looked down on Apollyon as she frowned.
“Don’t you know how disgraceful that is?”
Apollyon couldn’t say anything. Rejecting the first night was something extremely rude to the other person. Even the couples who got married for political reasons would have their first night.
That was the tradition of the Empire; even the imperial family, not just nobles, would abide. If people were to hear that a couple didn’t have their first night, strange rumors would circulate.
If that happened, Petunia would be in a worse position than Apollyon; as it was the wife’s job to attend social gatherings and show face.
“If you understand me, just stay still. I intend to fulfill this Empire’s tradition today no matter what.”
Apollyon saw a spark in Petunia’s eyes. Was that something that could burn his spirit down?
The rumors about her didn’t mention she was this kind of person. He heard that she was a shy, silent and vulnerable lady who was heartbroken because of her fiancée’s cold treatment.
She must have gone crazy after her heart got broken.
Petunia moistened her lips with her tongue, as she brought her face closer.
“Hmph!”
“…”
Even Apollyon was surprised by what he did. In order to stop her, who was getting closer aggressively, he pressed a pillow to her face.
The pillow fell to the floor in slow motion. The irritated face came to his view behind the wavy golden hair.
“…la-lady, are you alri-“
“So you’ll have your way like this?”
A blood vein appeared on her forehead.
“Seriously, I wanted to end this kindly.”
“…?”
“There’s nothing I can do if you’re being uncooperative.”
“…”
“Then I’ll do it alone!”
Petunia roared at him just like a beast. Her sudden movement shook the candle next to the bed which made their first night quite steamy but in a different way.