Chapter 13.
The Wedding Night Ruse
Right after the wedding, everyone expected the prince to depart immediately for the battlefield. But when a sudden three-hour break was announced, a strange excitement swept through the knights.
“Could it be…?”
“Is His Highness actually spending the wedding night…?”
“Even our prince is still a man, after all!”
No one said it out loud, but grins spread across their faces.
“He probably won’t be leaving until daybreak.”
Freddy removed his helmet and set down his spear, speaking with a sly grin to his younger brother, Ralph, the vice-commander of the Special Knights.
But Ralph, standing with perfect posture, dismissed Freddy’s remark without a hint of reaction.
“Do you think His Highness is like you?”
“You brat! Even after seeing His Highness kiss the queen at the wedding, you’re saying that?”
Freddy scoffed.
“You ever seen our prince, who’s never even been close to a woman before, burn like that? Right now, even if a million dark dragons attacked, he wouldn’t budge.”
He shot Ralph a pitying look, then mumbled.
“Well, not that you’d know anything about women. Poor thing.”
Freddy didn’t exactly have much more experience himself, but still looked at Ralph with exaggerated sympathy. Ralph, of course, ignored him.
Prince Mik looked driven not just by carnal desire, but a sense of responsibility as a ruler—something Freddy, the foolish older twin, never seemed to grasp.
“His Highness will be back in exactly three hours. So stay sharp.”
“Wanna bet?”
“Sure. I’ll wager my position as vice-commander. If I lose, I’ll step down.”
“Oho, coming in strong? Alright, if I lose, even if I fall for someone, I’ll back off and let you have her.”
Ralph blinked, dumbfounded.
“What kind of bet is that when you don’t even like anyone? Besides, any woman you like, I’d probably hate!”
“Don’t worry. I won’t lose.”
Looking at Freddy’s overly confident expression, Ralph sighed in defeat. Whether he won or lost, this was a meaningless bet with no good outcome for him.
I had secured a promise from my husband to stay in the bridal suite for three hours, and finally, my expression relaxed.
“You didn’t have to give me a full three hours. Even an hour would’ve been enough. Thank you, Your Highness.”
“Mik.”
“…Huh?”
“Don’t call me ‘Your Highness.’ Call me Mik.”
“O-oh…”
My cheeks flushed bright red. Just calling his name—Mik—felt far more intimate than expected.
“Th-thank you… Miiik…”
“What was that?”
“I said thank you!”
He stared intently at my lips, as if silently urging me to say it properly.
After rolling the unfamiliar name around in my mouth a few times, I finally worked up the courage.
“Thank you, Mik!”
Pleased, he gave a genuine, warm smile.
“Now, what do you want me to do?”
“You’ve already taken off your jacket, so please also remove your vest, pants, socks, and shoes. Then relax on the sofa until it’s time to leave. I’ll take care of the rest.”
He slowly removed his vest and unbuckled his belt, following my instructions. He even took off his socks and shoes.
I tried not to stare at his exposed body and instead focused on the distant wall. Eventually, he changed into something more comfortable and settled onto the sofa.
I approached—not him, but the clothes he’d taken off.
First, I picked up his jacket and tossed it near the bedroom entrance. The luxurious ceremonial uniform, tailored by a top-class designer, now lay crumpled on the floor.
Next, I threw the vest a bit closer to the bed, followed by his shoes, socks, and belt, each item tossed with strategic precision, making sure they landed progressively nearer to the bed.
“Puhahahaha!”
Only then did he realize what I was doing, and burst into laughter.
“Lea, you’re seriously…”
He couldn’t even finish, laughing too hard.
I shot him a glare.
“Don’t laugh. I’m being very serious right now.”
“You always surpass my imagination. Lately, I’ve been ashamed of how limited my imagination is.”
Still chuckling, he stepped closer to me.
“From the pattern of discarded clothes, it seems I was so overcome with lust that I stripped off piece by piece and pounced on you the moment we entered.”
He scanned the trail of clothes from the door to the bed.
“But I’m the only one stripping here. Aren’t you going to take anything off?”
“I’m thinking about it! Don’t interrupt, and you—Mik—just go sit back down and relax!”
I pushed him back toward the sofa, frowning deeply.
What should I take off first? Shoes? The dress? No, when in doubt, ask!
“Um, Mik… If we were really going to spend our wedding night, what would you take off first?”
“Hm…”
He looked intrigued, lounging on the sofa.
“I’d start with that hairpin. Even when we kissed, all those accessories hurt my hands.”
As expected! Asking was the right move!
I immediately pulled out the pins securing my hair. With each pin removed, my tightly coiled platinum blonde hair loosened and cascaded down my back like a waterfall.
Mik flinched at the sight, though I didn’t notice.
I dropped the pins and ornaments next to his clothes, then kicked off my shoes a bit closer to the bed.
“Would the dress go around here?”
I stood at the foot of the bed and looked back at Mik, and when our eyes met, my heart pounded.
No, no! Now’s not the time for this! Stay focused!
Just as I was calming myself, he stood and walked toward me. Then suddenly—he hugged me and ran his hand down my back.
“Wha—?!”
I jumped, startled, heat blooming through my body. I tried to pull away.
“Why all of a sudden…?!”
He pulled me closer and began untying the ribbons on the back of my dress.
“This dress looked beautiful from afar, but up close, it’s damn ridiculous. Why are there so many ribbons? It’s impossible to take off.”
He chuckled, playfully continuing to undo the intricate knots. Then he suddenly growled.
“Damn it. There are buttons underneath the ribbons?! This dress is banned from all future royal weddings in Fritan!”
“What are you talking abou—?!”
Before I could turn around, he spun me around himself, gripped the dress, and yanked. Pearly buttons popped and rolled across the floor.
With another tug, the back of the dress tore open with a loud rip.
He pulled the whole thing over my head and tossed it aside.
Now in just my underdress, I blushed furiously. But honestly, for leaving traces of a passionate wedding night—it wasn’t bad.
When his hand reached the strap of my slip, I jumped again and covered my chest with crossed arms.
“I-I’ll do this part!! Please turn around!”
Raising an eyebrow, he obediently turned his back.
I quickly took off the underdress and threw on the robe lying on the bed, tightening the sash securely.
I tossed the discarded underdress near the bed, completing the scene.
Then I turned Mik around and pushed him gently onto the sofa again.
“You’re about to head off—please, sit and rest!!”
“You want me to rest while you’re dressed like that in front of me?”
He sighed lightly, then reached out and pulled me between his arms and legs.
“Do you realize how much this contradicts everything you just said?”
He looked up at me, his hands gliding slowly up my waist. Even through the thin robe, I felt his fingers clearly. Tension traced up my spine.
I wanted to run my fingers through his soft, dark hair resting against my chest, but I resisted.
“W-wait!!”
I pulled away and grabbed his hand.
“I don’t want you to be exhausted before battle because of this. Let’s save the real wedding night for when you come back.”
I swallowed hard.
“When you return safely.”
But instead of replying, he pulled me close and buried his face in my chest.
“Mik…?”
“I was… actually jealous of my helmet earlier.”
“…Huh?”
“You were hugging it so tightly… I got kinda jealous.”
I blinked, confused—then remembered how I’d clung to his helmet earlier to stop him from leaving. I almost fainted.
He was jealous of his helmet?! What nonsense… And yet, why did my heart flutter so much?
He inhaled deeply.
“You smell amazing.”
His voice muffled against me, he looked up again with eyes brimming with desire. I quickly looked away.
“If you hold me like this, I might not let you go. So…”
I cupped his face with both hands.
“Come back to me with that flawless face—without a single scratch.”
He laughed, hugging me again.
“To be honest, I’m curious how this wedding night ruse ends.”
He let me go.
“Go ahead and finish what you started.”
I flopped onto the bed, rolled around, and flailed dramatically, messing up the blankets and sheets.
I even jumped up and down on the bed for extra chaos.
Maybe sparks flew in his eyes while watching me, but I didn’t care. I had to make the sheets as wrinkled as possible.
Once the bed looked properly disheveled, I inspected my surroundings.
Perfect! Just one thing left!
On the table, I spotted a small fruit knife.
That’ll do!
I grabbed it and lightly sliced my palm. As blood welled up, I turned toward the bed, satisfied.
Just a drop on the sheet and—
“What are you doing?!”
Suddenly, I was flung onto the bed.
Mik hovered above me, furious, grabbing my bleeding hand tightly.
His navy-blue eyes burned with rage, darker than the deepest ocean.
