#07. First Night (2)
After some thought, Sasha made a decision and opened her mouth.
“Pavel.”
At the sound of his name, Pavel glared fiercely. But Sasha continued without reacting.
“First, I’m sorry for touching you without permission. I understand it could’ve made you uncomfortable. That was my mistake.”
Pavel flinched slightly at her gentle voice.
“But I hope you can apologize too. Even if I was out of line, you didn’t have to say something so hurtful. A kinder word would’ve gotten the point across.”
“Why should I?”
Pavel raised his chin arrogantly, looking down at Sasha with disdain.
“Why should I care about someone like you?”
“……”
Sasha quietly stared at the boy trying so hard to ruin her mood, then calmly replied,
“Because we’re married.”
“……”
Caught completely off guard by her response, Pavel fell silent.
He had expected Sasha to either snap at him or scold him about manners and etiquette.
But instead…
“Because we’re married?”
While Pavel stood confused, Sasha patiently explained.
“Today, we swore before God and became husband and wife. We’re now each other’s closest family. So for the sake of the days we’ll share, I think we should treat each other with respect.”
“…Ha!”
Pavel finally came to his senses and scoffed.
“What nonsense.”
“……”
“Husband and wife? Family? I have no intention of treating you like that.”
He sneered, deliberately choosing words to hurt her.
“Suck up all you want, but nothing’s going to change. So don’t pretend we’re close.”
Sasha didn’t respond right away. She simply listened until Pavel ran out of breath and grew quiet.
Then she spoke.
“Pavel.”
He glared at her again.
“You think you can just call my name like that?”
Sasha answered calmly.
“Yes. I will call your name.”
“What?”
“And there’s something else I want to say.”
In her usual composed tone, Sasha said:
“I hope you’ll speak to me more politely from now on, like I do to you.”
“What?”
“As I said earlier, we’re married now. So I think it’s only right that we show respect to each other by using formal speech.”
Her voice was gentle, almost too kind to argue against.
But Pavel just scoffed again.
“Why should I? I don’t want to respect you.”
For the first time, the smile disappeared from Sasha’s face.
She stared directly at him with an unreadable expression. The shift in her demeanor made Pavel flinch.
Then, slowly, she said:
“I see. Got it.”
Pavel had just begun to feel triumphant when a strange irritation rose within him.
‘Wait—did she just…’
“Did you just drop honorifics with me?”
His voice growled with disbelief and offense.
“Yes,” Sasha nodded nonchalantly.
“You said you wouldn’t speak politely to me. So I won’t either.”
“……!”
Pavel froze in shock.
“W-what did you just…?”
He stammered like a broken robot, clearly unable to comprehend the situation.
“How dare—!”
Realizing what just happened, Pavel exploded again.
“How dare someone like you talk to me like that?!”
“What do you mean, ‘like that’?”
Unlike the raging Pavel, Sasha remained calm.
“We just got married. We’re equals now. So if you drop formalities, I’ll do the same. It’s only fair, right?”
“You—!”
Pavel couldn’t find a proper counterargument. Not because she was wrong—everything she said made sense.
But that didn’t mean he was any less furious.
He glared at her, his face bright red.
Of course, Sasha completely ignored his fierce stare.
“Yawn. I’m sleepy.”
Already washed and in her nightgown, Sasha yawned and climbed into bed.
She had been up since dawn preparing for the ceremony, wearing uncomfortable shoes, standing for hours, and mingling with strangers at the reception.
A truly exhausting day.
She had waited up hoping to build a connection with Pavel…
But all that effort had turned into an argument.
No point in continuing now. Better to sleep.
She pulled the blanket over herself and exhaled deeply.
We can get closer later.
Both of them were tired from the wedding. People are irritable when they’re exhausted.
She decided to try talking again once they were both feeling better—and let her heavy eyelids fall.
Seeing Sasha on the bed, Pavel erupted.
“Move! That’s my bed!”
“……”
“This is Velikordo Castle. Everything here belongs to me. This bed is mine too. So get out!”
“…It’s the bridal chamber. I can use it too. Come on. It’s late. Let’s sleep.”
Sasha spoke in a soothing tone, as if calming a child.
Pavel snapped.
“There’s no way I’d share a bed with someone like you!”
“But it’s the only bed here.”
“Sleep on the sofa! I hate even the thought of touching you!”
“……”
“If you don’t get out right now, I’ll destroy not just you but your whole family—!”
“Yeah, yeah. Sure.”
Sasha waved a hand dismissively, cutting him off.
“Give it your best shot. I’m going to sleep.”
Pavel shouted a few more times, but Sasha didn’t budge.
Her breathing grew soft and steady. It seemed she was already asleep.
“She’s seriously sleeping after ignoring me?!”
Unable to hold back, Pavel grabbed a cushion and hurled it at her.
He grinned wickedly, waiting for her to freak out.
But—catch.
Sasha, who seemed asleep, caught the flying cushion.
“……!”
Pavel’s eyes went wide in shock.
Sasha peeked her eyes open and chuckled softly.
With a teasing tone, she said:
“You threw it too weakly. I couldn’t pretend to get hit. You really need to exercise more.”
She placed the cushion beside her pillow.
“Ugh…!”
Enraged at being mocked, Pavel grabbed anything he could and threw it at her.
But—
Whoosh—thud. Whoosh—smack.
Sasha either dodged or caught every single one.
“Are you done?”
She asked, dropping the objects to the floor.
“……”
“You’re done, right?”
Pavel didn’t respond—he just breathed heavily.
Sasha shrugged and lay back down.
“Great. Then let’s sleep. Good children should go to dreamland now.”
Speaking gently, she didn’t wait for his reply and soon drifted off again.
“…She’s really sleeping right now?”
Pavel mumbled in disbelief, his words fading as Sasha slipped into deep sleep.
***
“Ugh…”
A painful groan stirred Sasha from sleep.
What’s that?
She blinked in the darkness but couldn’t see anything clearly.
“Ugh…”
The groaning continued.
Half-asleep, Sasha reached toward the sound.
…Huh?
There was someone else in the bed.
The shock snapped her fully awake.
A thief? A ghost? Who’s in my bed—
Then she remembered:
Oh, right. I got married.
The person beside her wasn’t a thief or ghost—it was Pavel.
She sat up slowly and lit the small lamp on the nightstand.
Turning toward the sound, she saw Pavel’s small body curled up and trembling.
“Pavel…? Are you okay?”
“Ugh…”
“Pavel.”
After being called again, Pavel finally replied with a pained voice.
“Go…away!”
The venom in his voice didn’t anger Sasha.
Just earlier, he was yelling with so much energy!
But now, his voice was weak and hoarse.
Sasha frowned with concern and approached him.
“Are you sick?”
“……”
Still no answer.
She grabbed his shoulder.
Just a few hours ago, he hated being touched.
Now, even as she touched and shook him, he only trembled. No protests.
He probably didn’t even realize she was touching him.
“Oh no…”
Sasha bit her lip as she examined him.
His shoulder was burning hot. His entire body was soaked in sweat.
Realizing something was seriously wrong, Sasha leapt to her feet in alarm.
