Masera had spotted suspicious men outside the Ferris wheel.
The fog had cleared just in time, making the round letters on the paper they held clear as day.
It was Cynthia’s handwriting; the paper the men possessed was a schedule she had written.
‘Did they follow us this far? Or are they active in this area?’
As a key player in the war, he had countless enemies targeting him. His marriage partner would also become a target for many.
And that was why he had rejected all other proposals and chosen the princess of Bariesa as his wife.
Whether something happened to her or not, Masera only needed to get what he wanted.
Therefore, he had no reason to worry about or care for her.
“Brigadier General, are you perhaps worried about me?”
Until she kept making him worry.
Masera looked at her large, ruby-like eyes before shifting his gaze to her pinkish-white cheeks.
The kindness she showed him was merely acting to appear as a loving couple. Nobles were skilled at wearing masks.
He hated it.
“I know what you’re worried about, Brigadier General. I’ll become stronger.”
A kind smile, an active attitude, and eyes that sparkled as if looking at someone she genuinely liked.
“Teach me how to fight when we get back.”
Cynthia clenched both fists, making a brave rabbit expression.
‘Trying hard to look cute. It’s useless.’
Masera rubbed his ears and turned his head.
‘This is the only time I’ll indulge in this ridiculous role-playing.’
* * *
‘This is really the only time. Once the honeymoon is over, we’ll live like complete strangers…’
At a dessert cafe, Masera thought as he accepted a cherry Cynthia offered him, a penalty for violating the ‘absolute obedience during the honeymoon‘ agreement.
He hoped the honeymoon would end quickly.
“The cherries in Rutemia are plump and sweet and sour, but the cherries here are soft and sweet. It rains a lot here, so the fruit is a bit bland, but that actually goes well with the sweet cream.”
Behind Cynthia, who was cheerfully chattering, he felt people glancing their way.
In a country full of black hair, Cynthia, who was all white, and Masera, with his dazzling platinum blonde hair, were obviously foreigners to anyone who looked at them.
[“Excuse me, are you Brigadier General Vicente? I heard you just got here.”]
[“Oh my goodness, to see a war hero here! It’s an honor!”]
[“Oh my, you’re even more handsome in person.”]
Soon, young women dressed in luxurious clothes approached Masera and began speaking to him in Medeian.
If they heard he was here, they must have also known he was on his honeymoon, but they treated Cynthia as if she were invisible, without even paying her any respect.
Those with fame receive many temptations.
Some officers secretly indulged in licentious lives, taking advantage of their popularity, and society tended to turn a blind eye to soldiers’ affairs, considering their hard work in the war.
But Masera’s view on marriage was clear.
‘Cheating on your wife is a firing squad offense.’
He glanced at Cynthia. She was eating her cake with the same smiling face as usual.
[“Brigadier General, there’s a social party at my mansion tomorrow. Would you like to take some time to attend?”]
Masera stared at the woman who was ignoring Cynthia and talking to him.
[“That’s not an appropriate invitation to offer a married man. I’ll decline.”]
[“Oh my, that wasn’t my intention. Then how about coming with your wife?”]
[“I don’t think so.”]
Masera, uncomfortable with the attention, wanted to leave. But didn’t Cynthia hate leaving food unfinished?
“Wife, I’ll buy you a new dessert at another store, so let’s…”
‘When did she finish it?’
Masera was taken aback when he saw the empty plate.
Cynthia wiped her mouth elegantly and gave a wicked smile.
“If you take your eyes off me, it’s gone.”
‘Whether women flirt with me or not, is cake more important?’
Of course, she might not have understood Medeian, but she shouldn’t be acting so carefree.
When Masera’s expression hardened, Cynthia made a fuss, saying he was upset about her eating it all and promised to buy him something even more delicious at the next store.
* * *
Back at the palace, Masera maintained a stiff expression, answering Cynthia with only short replies, no matter what she said. He always gave short replies, but these were even more curt.
“Okay, I won’t do that next time. I thought you weren’t going to eat it.”
Cynthia thought he was upset because she had eaten all the cake by herself.
Masera sighed and went into the bathroom.
‘The way she’s so comfortable with herself is almost brazen…’
He soaked in the bathtub and swept back his wet hair. Perhaps it was the hot steam or the hazy mist, but a lewd memory suddenly came to mind.
It was the image of Cynthia sitting on his lap in the Ferris wheel, hugging his neck.
The sweet scent of milk mixed with peach and soap, her shoulders shaking with excitement, and the breath that touched his cheeks.
Why did she have to be beautiful?
“Brigadier General, now that you’re married, shouldn’t you be thinking about having children?”
He wondered why someone’s presumptuous advice came to mind.
He clenched his fist tightly.
After finishing his slightly longer bath, Cynthia, who had finished bathing in the other bathroom, approached him with wet hair.
“Dowager Duchess Rukanosa and the princesses gave us pajamas as a honeymoon gift. You said you didn’t like my pajamas last time, Brigadier General.”
“When did I?”
“You definitely did. I brought the gifts, so let’s look at them together.”
“No.” Cynthia dragged Masera, who shook his head in disgust, and had a slightly excited look on her face.
“They told us to open them on our honeymoon. I think they prepared couple pajamas, right?”
Masera didn’t want to wear couple pajamas, even if there was an absolute obedience condition. So he hoped that wasn’t the case.
Meanwhile, Cynthia opened the box with an expectant face and took out the pajamas to unfold them.
“Ta-da.”
She became quiet for the first time since meeting Masera.
Masera’s calm eyes scanned the pajamas hanging from her fingers up and down.
“…Why would they give us something like this.”
Isn’t this just a piece of cloth?
Cynthia quickly put the pajamas back in and closed the box with an embarrassed face.
“Um… there are others.”
Cynthia opened another box very carefully, then quickly closed it again. There was something that the all-ages rating simply couldn’t handle.
“Unfortunately, we won’t be able to wear couple pajamas. Just wear your uniform. I like uniforms.”
“I hope you’ll be silent, at least when you’re sleeping.”
Masera gave up on the conversation and left for his designated spot, the sofa.
Cynthia organized the box containing the unexpected, lewd, and embarrassing items, and looked at his solitary back.
‘He’s unexpectedly innocent. Cute. It’s fun to tease him.’
