Clementina entered the room where she would spend her wedding night after bathing in water with floating roses and meticulously applying rose oil all over her body. The room was filled with yellow roses, and the fragrant smell of roses literally pierced the nose.

Clementina paced quickly beside the bed with a solemn expression. No matter how favorably one looked at it, she didn’t resemble a shy new bride.

Thud.

Dion entered, opening the door with only a robe on his body. He flicked off the dripping water from his golden hair with his long fingers.

As Dion raised his arms, the perfect curves of a male chest revealed themselves through the gap in his robe. Clementina hastily turned her body away from this unfamiliar strangeness she encountered for the first time.

It was an outfit that contrasted with Clementina’s chemise nightgown, which was light but decorated with several layers of frills.

Dion leisurely looked around the room, unconcerned about either his room-like attire or Clementina’s gift-wrapped nightgown appearance.

The room, containing only a four-poster bed, one bookshelf, a small vanity, one long couch, and a tea table, was filled with minimal items. His gaze, which circled the small room, soon fell upon Clementina.

When he raised the corners of his mouth in a refreshing smile, it created an illusion as if a cool breeze was blowing in the stuffy room.

However, from those sweet lips that seemed like they would sing of love came words that were not at all affectionate.

“I feel like vomiting from the smell, yet you manage to stand.”

Dion uttered insulting words with a boyishly innocent expression. Clementina turned to face Dion and answered haughtily.

“If you smell it enough, you get used to it and no longer notice the scent. Did roses even have a fragrance?”

Clementina was as solemn as a knight who had received a challenge.

Dion rubbed his nose with his finger and frowned, lowering the corners of his mouth.

“To spend the wedding night in a place like this, I’ll have to block my nose. This is, what, trying to suffocate the new groom? Ah, were you really trying to kill me?”

Dion walked to the window, pushed aside the curtain, and opened one window. The invited cool moonlight visited the newlyweds’ room where they would spend their wedding night.

Clementina narrowed her eyes and stepped forward toward Dion.

“Don’t think about abandoning me.”

“Ho-oh.”

Dion smiled and approached Clementina with slow steps.

He lightly grasped her waist and brought his face close to hers. His exhaled breath touched her cheek.

When blue seas were captured in her golden eyes, Dion felt a faint ecstasy.

But Clementina grew impatient with his attitude of playing around with a slick expression.

“Do you even intend to properly consummate?”

“Ha!”

Clementina let out a light scoff, shook off Dion’s hand wrapped around her waist, and stepped back from him.

When pushed, Dion obediently moved away from her body.

“Don’t even dream about it. It’s just the two of us anyway, so there’s no need for these games anymore.”

Only then did Dion cross his arms loosely and erase the boyish playfulness. Though laughter still lingered in his eyes, Clementina knew he was serious.

Clementina looked at Dion with calm eyes. Then she slowly walked to the vanity drawer and took out a small dagger.

After hesitating briefly, Clementina turned to the four-poster bed, pulled back the covers, and used the knife to quickly cut her opposite hand.

She raised her hand over the bed and tightly clenched her fist, causing drops of blood to fall and soak the middle of the bed.

Clementina turned her head to look at Dion.

“Now that our wedding night is complete, is the contract established?”

“Of course.”

Dion looked at her affectionately and smiled more beautifully than during the wedding vows.

⁕⁕⁕

The afternoon before the wedding, Clementina invited the Duke of Drasia for tea time. It was their first time alone together, despite the imminent marriage. This wasn’t entirely Clementina’s fault.

There was something subtly odd about Dion’s attitude.

The passionate man who claimed to have fallen in love at first sight and wanted to marry immediately somehow showed a lukewarm attitude only in front of Clementina.

“I don’t want to get married.”

This wasn’t Clementina’s true feeling, but she needed to know his intentions. No matter how she thought about it, this marriage was suspicious.

Dion rested his chin on his hand and scratched his lower jaw with his thumb.

“Miss Clementina. You do know our wedding is tomorrow, right?”

Dion showed an exaggerated attitude like a wounded man. He squinted his eyes and placed his right hand on the left side of his chest.

“Ugh! My heart feels like it’s being torn apart.”

When Clementina silently observed his behavior, Dion sighed once and shrugged his shoulders.

“I thought you wanted to get married?”

“I do want to get married. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be with you, Your Grace.”

“Yes, I know.”

“You know?”

“You don’t necessarily need me. Any marriage would suffice. In that case, why not me?”

“If you were an unremarkable man, I wouldn’t have questioned the intentions behind this marriage. But you’re different, Your Grace.”

Dion leaned back in his chair, sitting loosely, and tilted his head at an angle.

“Good! Ask me anything. What are you curious about?”

“Are you a monster, Your Grace?”

Dion nodded lightly and said:

“Some call me that.”

“Perhaps…… do you have some kind of problem?”

“What kind of problem?”

“For instance, unusual s*xual preferences.”

At Clementina’s serious expression and tone, Dion threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh. After laughing thoroughly, tears even formed at the corners of his eyes.

“Hahaha, well. I don’t have anything that could be called a preference yet. I suppose we’ll find out tomorrow.”

“Why do you want to marry me?”

Dion looked lovingly at Clementina with a face full of happiness.

“Because I love you?”

Clementina, who had maintained a stiff expression throughout, let out a scoff. The ridiculous answer drained her energy.

Dion picked up a red rose from the vase on the table and twirled it. Clementina frowned as she watched his rude behavior.

“Duke of Drasia, there’s no need to fabricate lies in front of me.”

“Lies?”

“You don’t love me, Your Grace. The claim that you fell in love at first sight is an absurd lie.”

Dion Aeskis had arrived at Sustain Castle four days ago with a carriage full of rare gifts. Since then, he had spent his time drinking and eating with his knights. Even now, as Clementina finally met with Dion, he smelled of alcohol.

This was certainly not the behavior expected from a man about to marry the woman he supposedly loved.

The smile disappeared from Dion’s face, which had been bright with smiles until now. Dion scratched the back of his head awkwardly and slightly avoided her gaze.

“A lie? From the moment I first saw your beautiful self, at first sight, I—”

“Save such words for when you’re recruiting knights.”

The corner of Dion’s mouth trembled slightly. He resembled a boy caught in the act of mischief.

“I don’t need such words for knights. They all join willingly enough.”

“I simply cannot understand why you spread such strange rumors about loving me or falling for me at first sight. If this were a marriage between houses, I could understand. But love?”

Dion looked away from Clementina’s persistent gaze, gazing at the rose-filled garden as he murmured softly.

“That won’t work. If it were between houses, Sustain couldn’t marry Aeskis.”

“That makes it even more confusing. What do you want from me that made you resort to such ridiculous methods?”

“Why are you so opposed to marrying me? Is it because I’m missing an arm?”

Clementina shifted her gaze to Dion’s left arm. Though an arm was present beneath his rolled-up sleeve, everyone in the Empire knew it wasn’t his original arm but one created through dragon magic.

“Of course not. That would be a reason to accept, not refuse. I’ve heard it has remarkable magic embedded in it.”