Chapter 26

My eyes widened at the sudden situation. I couldn't gather my thoughts to understand what was happening. It was difficult to bear Altear's urgent and rough intrusion, and my body was pushed backward. I tried hard not to fall, but I couldn't stop myself from being pushed back little by little.

‘Ah!’

As I took a step back, I tripped over something and fell backward. I closed my eyes tightly, bracing for pain, but what awaited me was not pain. Instead, a warm sensation enveloped my entire body. When I cautiously opened my eyes, I found myself lying on the bed. It seemed that in the process of being pushed by Altear, I had been moved to the bed. Altear was breathing heavily, trapping me between his arms. His slightly parted lips looked redder than usual. Just a moment ago, those lips had been pressed tightly against mine. I couldn't believe it.

‘Could this be a dream?’

The idea that my drowsiness had vanished with Altear's appearance was an illusion, and I might still be in a deep sleep, dreaming. To feel the reality, I cautiously reached out and touched Altear's lips. The moment my fingers touched his lips, he flinched and firmly grabbed my hand, stopping my movement. Our gazes met in the air, and my heart pounded.

‘This is real.’

The moment I realized this, Altear spoke.

"Really... do you understand what's happening?"

"If I didn't understand, I wouldn't be wearing this... and waiting for Altear."

Feeling embarrassed, I stammered, and Altear's gaze briefly dropped. Seeing my body barely covered by a thin slip, his face turned slightly red.

"Did you have this kind of clothing before?"

"No, it's not that. It was Marie..."

"Marie. The maid who has been serving you since the marquis' house."

Altear gritted his teeth, repeating Marie's name. His jaw was clearly tensed.

"Marie had good intentions! She helped me because I was so frustrated."

I quickly defended Marie, thinking he was upset that a maid was involved in the affairs of the noble couple.

"So, don't scold Marie."

"Why do you think I would scold that maid?"

"Well... you seemed angry..."

"I'm not angry."

"But your expression was scary."

Hearing my honest answer, Altear let out a small sigh.

"I know my expression isn't very friendly, and I've been misunderstood a lot because of it. But I'm not the kind of person who gets angry without reason, especially not with my wife. So, you don't need to be so afraid."

"I... I'm not afraid!"

Of course, I was afraid at first. Just his gaze made me shiver and tremble. But now I know he's not a bad person. On the contrary, Altear is a good person who values what he has. He can be ruthless to those outside his circle, but I'm still inside his circle. The warmth he provides makes me, a timid and weak person, feel comfortable. Of course, when I feel his characteristic sharpness, I instinctively shrink, but I think I'll get used to it over time. As I thought this and looked at Altear, he frowned, seemingly disbelieving.

"You're still trembling."

"Well... the situation is a bit different... I understand, but I can't help trembling."

The conversation helped ease my tension a little, but I was still lying under Altear, and the distance between us was still close.

"So... you're not afraid?"

"If you don't believe me... how about this? If it's a truly scary situation, I'll give a signal. We can set a code word in advance."

"What kind of code?"

"For example... if I say 'cherry candy,' it means it's a truly scary situation."

"Why cherry candy?"

"Thinking of something sweet might make it less scary... cupcakes or pudding would also be fine!"

As I eagerly agreed, Altear let out a hollow laugh, seemingly unable to stop me.

"Fine... if you like 'cherry candy,' we'll do it that way."

"Okay!"

Cherry candy, cherry candy. As I silently repeated the code word in my mind, Altear lightly kissed the hand he was holding. I opened my eyes wide in surprise, and he calmly asked me with a cool gaze.

"How about now?"

"Huh?"

"Cherry candy?"

Altear's eyes were seriously gauging my feelings. I quickly shook my head to deny it.

"No."

"Then... how about this?"

This time, Altear closed the distance and kissed my neck.

"Ah!"

I flinched more than before, but I shook my head again. If I were afraid of just this, I couldn't be a proper wife.

"Then... lower?"

Altear's gaze slowly moved down to my chest and abdomen. Just being looked at made me feel uneasy.

"Still not afraid?"

"...No, I'm not afraid."

With a cautious answer, Altear kissed my collarbone.

"You smell good."

"Marie prepared some good perfume. It's probably that smell."

"It's not that. It's just your smell... it's too good."

Altear buried his face in my chest. A strange sensation I had never felt before spread through my body. Even then, I didn't say the words "cherry candy." And throughout the night, I kept the code word to myself, sharing everything with him. The long night passed like that. * * * Usually, I would wake up to the rustling of Anna preparing the wash water. But today, there was no such noise. Thanks to this, I could sleep in and wake up feeling refreshed, stretching in bed. However, the refreshing feeling didn't last long.

"Ouch..."

As I tried to move, pain spread through my body, and I couldn't help but groan.

'Must be from using muscles I don't usually use.'

As I recalled the events of the previous night, my face turned red. I knew what a night between a man and a woman entailed. Unlike ordinary women in this world, I was a modern person with access to all kinds of information, so I was confident I wouldn't be caught off guard.

'But... it was completely different.'

The man on top of me was excessively large and solid. I was overwhelmed just by accepting him, with no time for other thoughts. Of course, Altear did his best to consider me, and I could feel that even in the midst of the struggle.

'But after a while, Altear also lost all self-control...'

I cried out until I lost consciousness, feeling as if my mind was drifting away.

'So embarrassing!'

Just thinking about it made me blush! Do couples do this every day? Now I understand why couples are said to be the closest people in the world. My confidence that I understood everything was just a facade. Thinking about how I confidently declared, "I know everything!" made me even more embarrassed. As I writhed in embarrassment, my fingertips touched something firm yet soft. Surprised, I turned my head to see Altear, who had already woken up, looking at me with his eyes open.

'Oh!'

Embarrassed, I tightly closed my mouth and widened my eyes, and Altear smiled and stroked my hair.

"Why are you surprised?"

"I didn't know you were still here."

"I'm not the kind of man who leaves his wife alone after a night together."

Altear let out a small sigh and carefully examined me with his eyes.

"How's your body?"

"Um... I'm fine."

My vague answer made Altear's eyes narrow.

"Now that we don't need to be formal, be honest."

"A little... it hurts. It feels like I've been beaten up."

Hearing this, a naturally reproachful tone slipped out. Seeing me pout, Altear seemed flustered and lightly stroked my back.

"If it hurts that much, we should call a doctor."

"A doctor?"

"Yes. You said it feels like you've been beaten up. We should call a doctor."

Altear said this seriously. He wasn't teasing me; he genuinely thought I should see a doctor if I was in pain.

"I don't need a doctor!"

I said this urgently. If a doctor came, they would ask about the cause of the pain...

'I can't tell them it's because I had a wild night with my husband yesterday!'

But my words were filled with genuine pain, and Altear didn't easily dismiss them.

"Maybe something went wrong last night. We should call a doctor for an examination."

"No! I'm really fine! It's a bit embarrassing to talk about this with a doctor..."

"Ah, I see..."

Altear frowned, finally understanding my feelings. As I sighed in relief, Altear lightly patted my back and got out of bed. His body, hidden by the blanket, was now fully in view. Even when he was dressed, Altear had a great body. His muscles, honed from years of sword training, were as solid as steel. I could feel this even without touching him. Feeling embarrassed by this, I pulled the blanket over my eyes, but Altear pulled it back down.

"You've already seen everything, so why are you embarrassed now?"

"Last night was dark... it was a bit darker and..."

"It wasn't as explicit as this."

Seeing me desperately avoiding his gaze, Altear smiled.

"You should get used to it. You'll see this frequently from now on."

"See this... frequently?"

"You said you want to have a child. To increase the chances, you need to try often, and you'll see this frequently."

"See this..."

Repeating Altear's words, my gaze involuntarily moved in one direction. Sensing this, Altear lightly tapped my forehead with his finger.

"You pretend to be innocent, but you're quite naughty."

"It's not that..."

'How can I not look when something so noticeable is right in front of me?'

Feeling wronged, I pouted, and Altear, while getting dressed, said to me.

"The tailor is bringing the fitted clothes today."

"Oh, so you'll also be fitted for new clothes today?"

Since the tailor was bringing my clothes, it was decided that Altear would also be fitted for new clothes. Even though this wasn't incorrect, Altear let out a deep sigh.

"Do I really need to be fitted? I don't care what I wear. I'm not used to wearing fancy clothes."

Altear's voice was low and cold. In the past, I would have been surprised and backed off, but now I had a bit more courage. I gripped the blanket firmly and said firmly.

"Just because you're not used to it doesn't mean you should give up on enjoying good things. You should value yourself. And I... want to have a bit of fun."

"Fun?"

"The fun of dressing up my husband in nice clothes."

"...If you want to."

Although he didn't say more, it meant he would let me fit him. Feeling happy that Altear was following my wishes, I grinned, and a slight smile seemed to appear on his lips as he got dressed. Even if it was just my imagination, it made me feel good.