CH 2

2. Can the bride teach me?

* * *

‘Why did you do that?

Jeremy had not yet entered the new bedroom. Sitting on the bed, I pondered, remembering the kiss of the vow.

‘That’s strange. Why did he kiss me this time, when in my last life I was like, “What is a kiss?”’ I had never kissed him, either in my first life or in my second life.

We’d slept in the same bed every night, but we’d never kissed, never even held hands unless it was necessary, and we were so innocent, because he was playing the part of an idiot, and I was the fake bride who came to keep an eye on him.

But in this life, we kissed on the first day of my regression.

‘He should have known better than to kiss me with a vow if he wanted to play the perfect fool.’

But there was no way I would ever be able to say to the prince, “You’re not playing the part of a fool properly!” Playing the fool was a secret, and Jeremy had no idea that I knew the secret.

‘Ugh. I don’t know.’

I thought I’d come up with something if I thought about it, but it only seemed to get more complicated, and then…… he kissed me, and I kissed him, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

‘I keep thinking about the moment we kissed, so I can’t concentrate, focus! Come on, come to your senses, Hailey. Now, I wonder why the prince kissed me…… It’s not time to think about it.’

I paused in the middle of my frustration trying to make sense of it all. One serious question suddenly popped into my head.

‘But was that a kiss or a peck……?’

Eventually, I was sidetracked from wondering what Jeremy’s plan was.

‘Hmm, I wouldn’t call it a kiss because it was very brief and then we separated, so maybe we should …… try that again? Hmmmm.’

I don’t know what I was thinking. I shook my head as I was lost in my own naughty thoughts.

‘This is not the time to be thinking about such things, this is an emergency. What if Ain saw Jeremy kissing me on the lips and got suspicious? I still have to see him later.’

I glanced at my watch. It was 1a. I had to report to the crown prince on Jeremy’s daily routine and any suspicious developments, with just the right mix of lies and truth to fool him.

‘There’s only three hours left, right?’

Three hours was not a lot of time. He’s a sharp, perceptive man, so it’s essential to have an idea of the questions he’s likely to ask.

‘But what am I going to say? I think I’ll have to explain the kiss first. Mmm…… I’m so pretty that the prince must have been mesmerized. Even an idiot knows pretty things……?’

I slowly turned my gaze towards the mirror. In the mirror, a girl with dull black hair and crimson eyes was frowning.

‘Ha ha……. I can’t do that, my conscience hurts.’

With a deep sigh, I pushed my first plan out of my head.

“What am I going to say then, ugh…… it wasn’t a kiss or anything. An idiot kisses an idiot, hahaha.”

I was sitting on my bed, trying to think of a plan.

“What you did with me wasn’t a kiss……?”

“‘Wha…… prince!”

When did he get in? In the doorway stood a hurt-looking Jeremy, his moisturized mauve eyes fluttering and glistening.

Shit. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t even notice Jeremy approaching. And I must have let a little muttering slip out without realizing it…….

“I may be an idiot, but at least I know how to….. kiss someone with an oath.”

Jeremy’s mauve eyes filled with tears. My mouth dropped open slightly as I took in his wounded little animal expression and slumped shoulders.

‘Did you just get all sulky because I said that you don’t know how to kiss? Ugh. You’re so cute, you know?’

If anyone could read my mind, they’d know that there’s probably just another fangirl around. But hey…… even if I was getting criticized, I’d have to admit it. I wasn’t just a casual fan, I was a hardcore Jeremy fan.

“Bride…… Your face now…… I’m a little scared.”

“Eh…… what? What face did I just make? Haha…….”

Oops. I can’t help but laugh out loud.

‘I shouldn’t be laughing like that, though. How long has the prince been listening to my monologue? I’m such a fool. I didn’t even notice Jeremy had arrived, and I was rambling on about the report. Have I lost my mind or something?

I switched to a scowl in hindsight, but…… it didn’t work, judging by Jeremy’s reaction.

“Did Jeremy do something wrong?”

While I was beating myself up, Jeremy asked me, tears streaming down his pretty face.

And my heart started to throb at Jeremy’s tears. But I couldn’t help it…… because Jeremy’s crying face was too powerful.

My prince was the prettiest crying man in the world. He cried so beautifully…… that I had the urge to make him cry even harder, even though I knew it was just an act.

“Bride. By any chance, did you not like my kiss……?”

Jeremy tilted his head down to look at me with a sullen expression on his face. At the sight of his cuteness, all the problems that had been cluttering my head flew away, and in their place was my black desire to make him cry some more.

“Hmmmm. A little?”

Jeremy looked shocked at my words. I pressed the corner of my mouth that was about to rise, forgetting the gravity of the situation.

“Really? ……I’m sorry, bride.”

Jeremy sobbed and moved closer to me. I moved slightly to the side to give him room, and Jeremy came and sat down beside me, somewhat awkwardly, his shoulders shaking as he looked at me, his mouth pouting…… like a baby bird.

” It’s okay, you probably wouldn’t know how to do it.”

I dropped my head to the ground and gave him a sullen look, which made Jeremy sulk even more.

“So that’s why you said it wasn’t a kiss or anything…….”

Jeremy lifted his bushy eyelashes and gave me a sly glance in my direction. But he fidgeted with his hands, unsure of himself, and looked away again.

The look on his face was so cute, I clamped my mouth shut. Jeremy gave me a look of mild resentment.

“I think you’re making fun of me. Jeremy is getting a little sad.”

Oh, no. I didn’t mean to make fun of you, I just thought you were so cute. I was being mean.

“It’s not like that, and I’m sorry I said it wasn’t a kiss or anything, it’s just a little different than what I know.”

Hmm. Technically, I suppose you could say that was more of a lightning kiss than an oath kiss?

“Then maybe can the bride consider teaching me how to do it?”

I was slightly taken aback by his words, as I hadn’t expected him to ask me to teach him. I looked up at him, wide-eyed, and his eyes lit up with laughter.

“Huh?”

He urged me on, tilting his head slightly, seemingly enjoying my bewilderment.

´This isn’t right.´

I felt like I’d walked right into a trap he’d set for me. I said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

“I mean, kissing is…….”

How do I explain that? Having been a shadow knight until I was 18, then a fake bride, the whole kissing thing was a mystery to me.

“Well, it starts with…… mouth to mouth, right……?”

I tried to explain what I’d seen in the book and move on.

” Um. Like this?”

Suddenly, Jeremy’s face was close. Porcelain-clean skin and doll-like eyelashes. Up close, his face was frighteningly mesmerizing.

Then-.

Soft, moist lips gently brushed against mine. As I stood stunned and frozen in place, Jeremy parted his lips slightly. I could feel his breath less than a centimeter away.

“And then what?”

Jeremy asked, lifting his thick eyelashes slightly, a strange shade darkening his half-closed pupils.

“…….”

My cheeks reddened at the innocent flirtation.

“Th-that.”

Jeremy laughed savagely as I stumbled like a broken machine. It was a smile that somehow mocked me.

“Did Jeremy get it right?”

“Yes…….”

Jeremy chuckled, amused at the sound of my voice.

“The bride’s face is red as a tomato.”

He ran his hand down my cheek, cupping my flushed cheeks.

‘Argh, I lost. Lost!’

I raised the white flag. I felt like I’d tried to make fun of Jeremy and ended up being made fun of instead.

‘It’s all because of that mood.’

Jeremy’s fox-like grin widened as I jumped to my feet.

” Well, then! Have a good night.”

My face was getting so hot that I was on the verge of steaming up, so I got into bed and covered it with the duvet.

“Good night, bride.”

Jeremy responded to my context-free greeting with a pretty voice.

I mumbled a small ‘yes’ and pretended to fall right asleep. I was too embarrassed to look at his face after the kiss. I held it together with superhuman patience, even though my wedding dress was crushing my whole body and my headdress and tiara were poking me in the head.

* * *

´I have to report.´

Two and a half hours passed before I finally opened my eyes. I couldn’t even lie down comfortably, let alone sleep, with my headdress poking at my head.

‘Is the prince sleeping?’

I glanced over and saw Jeremy had fallen asleep, but I hadn’t forgotten to turn on the sleep incense in case he woke up. It was a scented candle that lulls you into a deep sleep, so deep that you don’t even notice if someone is next to you.

I pushed myself up, holding my nose to avoid the scent, and stood in front of the window, clutching the hem of my uncomfortable dress.

‘I didn’t bring my knight’s uniform, does he mind if I come in my dress?’

I paused for a moment and imagined myself going to report to my master.

‘Won’t I look like a crazy woman running around in the dark with the hem of my white wedding dress flapping? Hmm, I don’t think I’d look normal no matter what circumstances I put myself in.’

I felt like I would freak out if anyone spotted me. It’s not like I’m a …… ghost bride or anything.

‘Shall I change into something else then?’

I spotted the nightgown the maids had laid out on the table. I cautiously walked over to the table and lifted the nightgown up. This is a nightgown?

The nightgown was a silk dress, very revealing and decorated with lace. The same was true of the robe.

Still, it would be easier to move around in that than the dress. Left with no choice, I grabbed the nightgown.

But there was a second challenge.

‘How do I get the dress off? No matter how much I search, there is no button to take off my clothes?’

I remembered my pre-regression wedding, when I couldn’t get my dress off.

I had to rip the bottom hem off and go to the debriefing…… and it was quite cold at the time. I was lucky I didn’t freeze to death because I was wearing a miniskirt on a winter night.

‘I hate being cold…… should I go in this outfit?’

Eventually I gave up on removing my dress and climbed onto the window sill. I did so partly because I was confident I wouldn’t be found out, because hiding myself was my speciality, and partly because I was confident I wouldn’t be found out even if I walked around in something more revealing.

‘Shall I go then?’

Before leaping from the window, I tightly wrapped my hands around the hem of my long dress.

***

Shadow Knight.

Secretly attached to the imperial family, this position is actually known as a confidential escort knight, and the nickname “shadow knight” comes from the fact that it follows its master like a shadow.

If there’s one thing that distinguishes them from their regular counterparts, it’s that their job is to serve in the darkness so that their master can enjoy the light and glory of the day.

In other words, it was their job to do all the dirty, ugly work on behalf of their master.

The work of a shadow knight is hard, and many die early. But those who survived many missions and stood by their master’s side were called by name. It was only after going through countless deaths that one could be remembered as a person.

“Hail.”

Ain called me, a man with fine golden hair. He referred to me as “Hail.

“Yes.”

I took a step forward in the darkness and knelt before him. Ain’s eyebrows rose at an angle at my pure white dress that contrasted with the darkness.

“Did you come here dressed like that, Hail?”

He chuckled, tilting his goblet of red wine. When he lifted his lips from the glass, the blood-red wine stained his lips red. His shirt was half-unbuttoned, perhaps because he was feverish from drunkenness.