Chapter 11
“But you’re surprisingly polite in front of Ardman… wait, where are you looking?”
“Huh?”
Realizing Violette’s gaze late, Narsia furrowed his brows and hurriedly covered his chest with both hands. Their eyes met midair, and noticing that Violette’s face had flared red, Narsia also turned away, his own cheeks burning.
“What… what were you thinking?”
“N-nothing at all!”
A thick, awkward silence fell between them. Only the crackling of the fireplace filled the room.
Biting her lip nervously and glancing at him, Violette spoke in a low, careful voice.
“Do you… want it…?”
“…?”
At the same time, Narsia’s face turned pale. Panicked, Violette waved her hands frantically and hurriedly added:
“No! I don’t want it either! I just asked in case! I was going to say no!”
She felt her whole body flush with embarrassment. How many times had she already looked like this in front of him? At this point, she was sure he must think she was really strange.
Again, they exchanged nervous glances in silence. Surprisingly, it was Narsia who broke the tension first.
“I was too flustered earlier… I didn’t even realize we’d have to share a room. I didn’t expect… this situation to happen.”
“Well, legally we’re married, so it’s not odd for the staff to prepare separate rooms.”
“Yeah… that’s true.”
Narsia’s neck and face glowed red, making the paleness of his skin even more noticeable. Embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his neck.
“It’s awkward to use separate rooms right away, so let’s stay like this for a few days. After that, I’ll move to the annex naturally.”
“You’ll stay in the annex? Is that really necessary?”
Violette frowned slightly. Not just a separate room, but the annex? She hadn’t imagined Narsia would feel so uncomfortable.
Seeing her expression, he shook his head.
“No, it’s not because I don’t want to be with you. I’ve just usually stayed in the annex at the duke’s mansion. I do a lot of magical research and experiments. It’s more natural than immediately saying we need separate rooms. Plus, we have to appear friendly in public, right?”
Violette nodded. One advantage of being married to Narsia was that she could now spread rumors that she had completely forgotten about Terzo and started a new love life.
If rumors spread that they didn’t get along or were sleeping in separate rooms, people might think she married just to forget Terzo. And for Narsia, who had to consider his parents’ impressions, bad rumors about their relationship wouldn’t be good.
Narsia, brushing the still-damp hair from his head, picked up a pillow and moved to the sofa by the balcony.
“Until then, I’ll sleep here. Bear with it for a little while.”
“Honestly, it’s not uncomfortable for me…”
The bed was very large—there was plenty of space for both of them—but she still felt awkward bringing it up first. Recalling the earlier awkwardness, she hesitated even more.
‘If I say anything, he’ll probably feel uncomfortable too.’
Finally, Violette nodded and sank into the soft, warm bed. The warming stones beneath made it perfectly cozy, and the soft mattress gently enveloped her tired body.
It felt like the perfect night for good dreams.
Hours had passed since lying down, but Violette still couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning.
Her sleeplessness wasn’t because the bed was uncomfortable, nor because the marriage seemed unbelievable, and certainly not because she was nervous about sharing a room with her husband.
“Ugh, Narsia!”
Unable to take it anymore, she jumped up and glared at the sofa. The sounds of Narsia shivering and tossing on the sofa for nearly an hour had been keeping her awake.
“Huh?”
“If you’re that cold, come here. I’ll sleep on the sofa. You’ll wear down your teeth shivering all night.”
“N-no, I’m not cold at all. But how could I let you sleep on the sofa?”
Even though he was trembling, his words suggested he wasn’t freezing. But Violette couldn’t rest knowing he was uncomfortable, so she went over to him.
“Get up, get up.”
“Really, I’m fine.”
Grabbing his arm, she helped him to his feet. Narsia tried to resist, but his frozen body gave way easily. Violette guided him to the bed and tucked him under the thick, warm blanket she had preheated with her body.
“How’s that? Warm enough? Still want to sleep on the sofa?”
Narsia’s face softened as he sank into the cozy bed. The sharp expression from earlier melted into a relaxed smile, like a marshmallow.
“Feels… really good…”
Violette nodded, satisfied, and casually returned to the sofa where she placed her own blanket.
“Violette.”
He called her name softly. She realized it was the first time he had used her name. Her ears tinged red at the unfamiliar feeling.
Narsia moved closer and looked down at her on the sofa. Carefully, he asked:
“If you don’t mind, do you want to sleep with me?”
“Huh?”
Surprised by the unexpected question, Violette slowly sat up. Moonlight fell over his figure, still in the shower gown.
Feeling the subtle tension, she swallowed nervously. Narsia added, almost murmuring:
“You let me have the bed, so I feel bad sleeping warm alone… The sofa’s colder than I expected, and the bed’s quite spacious. I don’t mean anything weird. If you don’t want to, it’s fine, but I just felt concerned.”
Though his words were a bit rambling, they were sincere. Violette blinked, speechless. He asked again:
“If you don’t want to, it’s fine. Do you not want to?”
“No, it’s fine. Thank you for thinking of me.”
Finally realizing, Violette gathered a pillow and blanket and joined him on the bed. Her face was blazing red.
‘He actually meant… sleeping together on the bed… Wow, that could have been a disaster.’
Relieved she hadn’t misunderstood, she exhaled quietly. Had she spoken her initial thoughts aloud, he would have surely recoiled and moved away.
The two lay on the bed, keeping a respectful distance, staring at the ceiling. As if any sudden movement would cause a catastrophe. The room was filled with the same quiet, awkward silence.
‘This is kind of awkward…’
Violette licked her lips. She thought it wouldn’t bother her, but now, lying in bed with him, every nerve seemed alert.
She could hear his breathing close by, and every subtle movement he made transmitted to her. Lying in bed with a man for the first time was a new experience for her, after all.
Looking sideways, she noticed Narsia seemed similarly tense.
Thirty minutes must have passed. Far from sleepy, Violette felt more awake than ever. Slowly, she spoke:
“Narsia, sleep?”
“Mm.”
Ignoring his response, she turned to him. The moonlight highlighted his profile as he rested quietly.
“Since it’s come to this, let’s live well together.”
Narsia didn’t reply. Irritated by his silence, she furrowed her brows, then turned away again.
‘Still impossible to read…’
As she closed her eyes, trying to sleep, she heard his quiet whisper:
“…I look forward to being with you.”
At those few words, Violette couldn’t help but smile faintly. And so, their first night together passed quietly.
