Chapter 75. The First Night

The idea that the wedding night of a newlywed couple was a sacred duty was influenced by monotheism…… Even now, when the power of monotheism had weakened in Freuden, there were still many who held on to such outdated beliefs.

But Enoch Bayern was unlikely to be one of them. He was definitely an atheist.

He would probably find it bothersome to carry out the wedding night. He must be just as tired and would want to go to sleep quickly, right?

Even though he said strange things like, ‘Other things seem good too,’ it was definitely just to tease me. It wasn’t serious. Probably……

Because, he’s Enoch Bayern.

There’s no way he would feel l*st for me. Maybe a twisted interest, but not l*st.

……But regardless, today was the day I promised him.

I promised to cast the love spell on him. Tonight.

‘Will that spell really work?’

How does a spell that makes someone love me even work……? Does it really create the feeling of ‘love’?

……It felt unreal. But then again, magic always does.

I put down the cushion and lay flat on the bed. The canopy obscured the ceiling, making me feel somewhat suffocated, so I jumped up from where I lay and went to the window.

I slightly pulled back the thick velvet curtains and looked outside, but there was only pitch-black darkness.

I quickly left the window and started pacing around the bedroom like someone with anxiety. Suddenly, I felt the urge to run away. No, I can’t. I’m already married. And if I breach the contract…… He would chase me to the ends of the earth to punish me.

I couldn’t forget my situation. A fake Grand Duchess with a one-year deadline. Enoch Bayern’s personal weather forecast.

‘I knew what I was getting into.’

Even as I tried to steel my heart, my pounding heart showed no sign of calming down.

Maybe if I hugged the cushion again like before, it might help, so I started to approach the bed but suddenly stopped when I saw the bottle of liquor.

“…….”

If I drink…… might it help? Not too much, just enough to blur my senses a little.

I didn’t know my alcohol tolerance, but it seemed like a pretty good idea. Maybe my judgment was a bit clouded by anxiety, but it felt right.

I quickly approached the table, picked up the bottle, and opened the stopper. A pungent aroma of alcohol mixed with fruit and flowers wafted out.

Just the scent alone made me feel intoxicated. Taking a deep breath, I poured a little of the liquor into a clear glass. The clear, rose-colored liquid shimmered like a river at sunset.

‘It looks sweet just from the color.’

But it would probably taste bitter, right? I slowly brought the glass to my lips. As I tilted the glass, the lukewarm liquor flowed into my mouth. The bitterness spread across my tongue, followed by an unexpectedly fragrant and sweet flavor.

“……?”

Swallowing the liquor I had held in my mouth made my throat burn. My stomach felt like it was on fire. But…… it wasn’t as bad as I thought. The liquor was bitter and strong but also sweet.

‘Should I take another sip……?’

Even though my face was flushed with heat, I didn’t feel drunk yet. My head wasn’t spinning, and my mind was still clear.

I poured more liquor into the glass. One glass, two glasses, three glasses……. The more I drank, the more I realized my tolerance was higher than I thought, but I couldn’t get as drunk as I had hoped.

I had planned to borrow the power of alcohol…… but this wasn’t working at all. Should I finish the whole bottle by myself?

As I held the bottle and pondered deeply, I heard the door click open.

“……!”

Startled by the sound, I almost dropped the bottle but managed to hold onto it tightly as I turned around.

Standing in front of the now-closed door― was him, Enoch.

His black hair was still damp, as if he had just come out of the bath. His skin, visible through the white silk robe, looked more moist and glossy than usual.

He raised an eyebrow as he stared intently at me. Frozen in place with my eyes darting around, I found myself instinctively taking a step back.

“I thought you’d be behaving yourself……”

He spoke as he took a step towards me. With my back against the wall, I had no escape route, so I placed the bottle on the bedside table and circled around the bed to the other side.

Now, with the bed between us, we faced each other.

“I didn’t expect you to be drinking alone. And from the bottle, no less.”

“N-no! I poured it into a glass……!”

Though it was true that I had been drinking, I didn’t want to be misunderstood as drinking straight from the bottle. Shaking my head with a deeply aggrieved expression, Enoch looked at me and chuckled.

His hand reached for the bottle on the bedside table. He seemed to gauge the amount of liquid inside, then tilted his head back and poured the liquor into his mouth.

Gulp, gulp……

The sound of the liquor going down his throat was unnervingly clear. Watching his prominently moving Adam’s apple made me feel strangely uneasy.

As I shrank away and averted my eyes, he finally put the bottle down.

The bottle was now empty. ……There had been about half left. He drank it all in one go.

Perhaps because of the sharpness of the alcohol, his gaze was now clouded, unlike before. Gesturing with his hand, he called me over.

“Come here, Ellen.”

“…….”

“Or get on the bed.”

……Although I desperately wanted to run away, I forced myself to climb onto the bed.

Sitting awkwardly on the white sheets strewn with red rose petals, Enoch slowly looked me up and down. His gaze was strangely blatant.

“Are you wearing underwear underneath?”

“Huh? Under…….”

Momentarily flustered by the sudden question, my mouth fell open, and I stiffened.

I was wearing a white nightdress as thin as gossamer, given to me by the maids. And underneath…….

“…….”

My face flushed so hot it felt like it might explode. Despite drinking so much, I didn’t feel dizzy, but now the realization made my head spin slightly.

Enoch, who had crept closer without me noticing, held my shoulders with both hands. A cool woody scent wafted from him, and droplets of water from his wet hair fell onto my collarbone.

The droplets slid down inside the nightdress, tracing my skin and reaching my lower abdomen.

The sensation was so vivid that all my senses were overly heightened.

“I didn’t expect them to dress you in something like this. And without―”

“Stop……! Don’t say any more!”

Jasmine had explained during the wedding night preparations that a bride should wear only a single white garment on her first night…… but I had been too tired and sleepy to pay attention and had forgotten.

“There’s no need to be so embarrassed……. Between a married couple.”

“…….”

The words ‘between a married couple’ felt incredibly unfamiliar. Between a married couple……. Me, with Enoch Bayern.

A person who once seemed as distant as the stars in the sky……

Realizing it anew made me feel truly strange. As if all of this was an extension of that spring ball. A midsummer night’s dream that would disappear upon waking.

But all these sensations, the overly vivid heat― were not illusions.

This was an undeniable reality.

“Why did you drink? When you don’t even know your tolerance.”

“Because I kept feeling nervous……”

He whispered softly, his tone oddly gentle as he stroked my cheek. My heart raced uncontrollably like a train with broken brakes. When his hand caressed my neck, goosebumps rose, and my muscles tensed. It felt like I could stop breathing at any moment.

“Even if you’re nervous, you have to do what you need to, Ellen.”

“……Yes, I do……”

“It’s what you wanted. For me to……”

He held up my left hand and kissed the back of it, then the wedding ring, and finally the inside of my wrist.

“To love you.”

……Yes, that’s right.

He had accepted that absurd request of mine relatively easily. Perhaps with the firm arrogance that love induced by magic wouldn’t have a significant impact on him.

Maybe his arrogance was justified.

Love induced by magic, or rather, ‘love’ itself―

Might actually be nothing at all.

That nothingness…… I wanted to know.

For some, it was so common and cheap that it was as plentiful as pebbles on the street.

But for others, it was something so desperately sought after.

“……I apologize in advance, Your Highness.”

“Call me Enoch.”

“……Enoch. I’m sorry. For forcing you to love me……”

Saying those words made my heart sting and ache for some reason. Guilt, surely, but not just that.

“……For the next year, I will do my best not to burden you.”

“There’s no need to be so resolute.”

“No, it’s an important matter to me.”

Finally, the moment to cast the spell had come, and I realized it.

Yes, this is a very bad spell.

My hand, placed over his heart to cast the spell, trembled slightly. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I followed the steps written in my mother’s diary, casting the spell in the common language.

Purple smoke, sparkling like the night sky, flowed from my fingertips and slowly seeped into his heart.

Some spells require a price.

Foresight magic required the lifespan of the mage.

Then what about the love spell? Would it require a price?

If it did…… what would that price be?

After the purple smoke, shimmering with light particles, was fully absorbed into Enoch, a similarly purple mark appeared near his heart.

Until this thin crescent-shaped mark disappeared, he would love me.

……According to my mother’s diary, that is.

After some time, Enoch, who had been quietly closing his eyes, slowly opened them.

Facing his fully revealed golden irises, I met his gaze with a trembling heart.