Chapter 78. Victory Day Ceremony

“Are you nervous?”

“Yes, a little.”

In the carriage heading to the Royal War Museum where the Victory Day ceremony was to be held.

Enoch was sitting next to me, not in front of me, as if it was his rightful place.

Moreover, he kept touching my cheek or hair, subtly scanning me from head to toe, licking his lips at me, driving me crazy with irritation.

The way he licked his lips while looking at me was particularly the most absurd. Why was he licking his lips? Why was he looking at me like he wanted to eat me? Was I food?

“……Stop looking at me like that.”

“What kind of look?”

“You’re…… looking at me like I’m something to eat.”

“You look delicious enough to eat.”

He chuckled and tickled the back of my neck with a mischievous hand. Then he moved closer to me, making me nervously fidget my hands and close my legs.

Surely, he hadn’t forgotten we were in a carriage.

“I didn’t understand it before.”

“……?”

“Those perverts who do it outdoors, in theaters, or in carriages.”

I opened my mouth wide and my eyes grew large at the unbelievable words. Did that mean there really were people who did it in such places?

……No way. That’s too……

“It’s unhygienic……”

“Right, you’re surprisingly meticulous.”

“I think my hygiene habits are perfectly normal.”

“I’m not just talking about hygiene. I mean everything, like organizing, writing neatly, folding handkerchiefs, all those little things.”

“……Isn’t it better to do everything neatly?”

I asked in a tone that said I couldn’t understand, and he burst into laughter. It was more like the laughter of grandparents enjoying their grandchild’s antics rather than a sneer. Not a very fitting analogy, but……

Enoch kissed my cheek without a word. Then he kissed my eyes, forehead, and bridge of my nose in turn.

When he tried to kiss my lips last, I quickly dodged, and he gave me a scolding look with narrowed eyes.

I pretended not to notice and looked away. Meanwhile, his hand was creeping over to caress my waist with a lingering touch that was hard to ignore.

“……Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t…… touch me like that.”

He grinned and ran his hand down my back, sending a shiver from the top of my head to my toes.

I flinched and clenched my hands, holding my breath. I still couldn’t believe my body reacted so blatantly against my will.

“Ellen.”

He whispered close to my ear. I vividly remembered how often his hot breath had made my ear damp.

He liked to hold me tight while doing it more than any other position. He seemed satisfied only when he hugged me so tightly that I could hardly breathe, trapping me in his arms.

And that position was perfect for our breaths to mingle and mix.

“Are you nervous?”

This time, the question had a slightly different meaning. Instead of answering, I tried to push Enoch away, but he easily overpowered my resistance and lifted me onto his lap.

“Wait……”

The words I tried to say to stop him were swallowed into his mouth. As if he hadn’t had enough of devouring me last night, he kissed me fiercely and hungrily.

When I pulled my head back to escape his entwining tongue, he grabbed my chin firmly and commanded in a low, rough voice.

“Stick out your tongue, Ellen.”

When he acted rough like this, he seemed less like a person and more like a savage, dangerous beast. I kept my mouth tightly shut, but his gaze overwhelmed me, and I trembled as I obeyed.

He sucked and licked my timidly extended tongue. Our tongues tangled like ribbons, then parted with a wet sound, and a suppressed moan escaped my lips.

“Huh……”

“……Should we skip the Victory Day ceremony?”

When I rebuked him for saying something ridiculous, Enoch smiled crookedly and showered my lips with bird-like pecks.

While he buried his lips in my neck and slipped his hand under my dress, the carriage came to a gentle stop.

We had arrived at our destination.

Seizing the opportunity, I quickly slipped out of Enoch’s arms. Sitting on the opposite seat, I fixed my hair and clothes, and I heard his incredulous chuckle.

“I feel like I’ve been scammed, Ellen.”

I glared at him, filled with reproach. Enoch continued, looking at me like a hunter who had just missed his prey.

“You’re the one who cast the spell on me. So, don’t you have to take responsibility?”

“…….”

It was a bit absurd, but when I thought about it, he had a point. No, but still, not in the carriage. I shook my head firmly and spoke.

“Not in the carriage.”

“Then in the garden?”

“What? No, that’s even worse!”

“Then the greenhouse.”

“The greenhouse…… is……”

Was the greenhouse indoors or outdoors? Technically, the carriage was indoors too……. But still, no. I glared and declared.

“Only in the bedroom.”

“That’s too limited. It’s no fun.”

“Is it about fun?”

I exclaimed in disbelief as I got off the carriage. My face was still hot, and my heart was pounding. Meanwhile, he looked completely unbothered, as if nothing had happened.

“We should make a bet. You and me.”

“……What kind of bet?”

“You’ll see.”

……His mischievous smile was ominous. I had a feeling something uncontrollable was about to happen. I hoped it was just my imagination……

* * *

“Me……? Fetch….. the sacred flame?”

Fetching the sacred flame meant taking the flame that would light the Victory Day ceremony from the sacred brazier.

Originally, Princess Roelyn was supposed to do it…… but apparently, she couldn’t attend the event due to a high fever that started early in the morning.

“All you have to do is take the torch and light it from the brazier. It’s not difficult. I think you can do it well, being the Grand Duchess. You have a proper posture and a calm gait.”

King Henry, who made the suggestion, subtly complimented me with a friendly smile. Queen Olivia, who was standing gracefully beside him, also smiled warmly.

“……But, it was originally Princess Roelyn’s role……”

“Don’t worry about Roelyn. I’ll explain it to her. Since Enoch has to light the ‘Prophet’s Goblet’ with the sacred flame, it would look better if the Grand Duchess fetched the flame from the brazier.”

With him saying that much, I couldn’t refuse any longer. Avoiding it further would be rude. Sighing inwardly, I forced a smile and nodded.

Queen Olivia approached and gently took my hand, encouraging me kindly.

“You made the right decision. I’m sure you’ll do well, Grand Duchess.”

“……Thank you, Your Majesty.”

It was fortunate that King Henry and Queen Olivia were favorable towards me.

Thus began the Victory Day ceremony.

As it was my first national event as the Grand Duchess, the attention was even greater than I had imagined.

“Look! It’s the Grand Duchess!”

“Your Highness!”

“Please look over here!”

The crowd gathered in front of the Royal War Museum cheered and waved flowers at me. Thankfully, there were no jeers. No one threw stones or eggs…… unless they were insane, which no one was.

“Your Highness the Grand Duke!”

“Grand Duke Bayern!”

“The hero of Freuden!”

“We respect you, Your Highness!”

And Enoch’s popularity…… was beyond words. He was practically an object of worship. Couldn’t this be considered a religion? With faith in the one true god weakened, people had found someone else to believe in. In this era, that was Enoch Bayern.

It suddenly hit me again that I had really married an extraordinary man……

“Here, take this torch and light it from the brazier.”

A royal attendant approached and respectfully handed me the torch. The brazier was set up at the bottom of the grand stairs leading to the War Museum’s entrance.

Usually, the brazier was stored deep in the royal palace’s secret vault and only brought out for events like the Victory Day ceremony.

With countless eyes watching, I slowly walked towards the brazier with the torch. Inside the brazier, a mysterious blue flame was burning. There was no wood inside, yet it burned fiercely. Though I didn’t know for sure, the brazier was probably a type of magical artifact.

The white brick brazier was so large it reached half my height, and inside, the blue flame roared menacingly.

Honestly, it was scary, but I couldn’t back out now. Nervously, I glanced at Enoch. He smiled warmly, encouraging me, and I took a deep breath, gripping the torch tightly.

Alright, I can do this.

Three more steps, and I was finally close enough to touch the brazier with the torch. I carefully extended my arm and brought the torch to the blue flame.

Then, something astonishing happened.