Chapter 19

Feeling something foreign on her finger, she blinked rapidly and looked down. On her fourth finger, a ring set with a blue diamond sparkled. Lilia parted her lips slightly and sat up. Worried she might catch a cold, Damon quickly covered her with the blanket.

“Damon, what’s… this?”

“I wasn’t sure how to bring it up… I thought you’d like it better this way than with some flashy event.”

“Ah…”

Her trembling eyes gazed at the ring. Damon, looking tense, swallowed and continued.

“Back when Marquis Levelox visited, you said I only liked your body. Remember?”

“Y-yes.”

Lilia’s voice trembled slightly. Her heart was pounding as if it might burst.

“I didn’t say anything then because I knew you wouldn’t believe me, but now it’s different.”

“…”

“I love you. Not just your body, but you, yourself.”

“Mm…”

Her face flushed bright red. Her heart raced so much it felt like it might leap out.

“How do you feel?”

She tried not to tremble, but she was too nervous. A dazed expression appeared on Lilia’s face, then slowly bloomed into a smile. She threw herself into Damon’s arms.

“Why ask something so obvious?”

“I still want to hear it.”

“I love you, Damon. I love you too.”

At first, she only felt anticipation and satisfaction at finally being able to be with the man she wanted, not love. But living with Damon, love gradually grew. Their relationship as a couple hadn’t been good, so she thought he’d never love her, and that’s why she’d said such things when Eiran visited.

Tears welled in Lilia’s eyes and fell. Damon, flustered, wiped her tears away.

“Why are you crying? Is it because you don’t like the ring? If so, I’ll get a different design tomorrow.”

“No, I’m just happy.”

Lilia laughed through her tears. It didn’t seem strange; rather, it looked sacred. Back in Korea, she never understood why heroines cried when the male lead confessed in dramas, but now she did. Sometimes people cry when they’re sad or overwhelmed by pleasure, but today she learned you can cry when your heart is full.

“I love you, Damon.”

“I love you too.”

His face and neck flushed bright red as he said it. His embarrassed but determined words were endearing. Lilia hugged him again, smiling happily.

After that, Lilia admired the ring on her finger whenever she had a chance. She looked at it while eating, and even before going to sleep. Her gaze was so intense, it seemed the diamond might wear away. Damon felt proud seeing how much she liked it. But there was a problem.

“Lilia.”

“…”

“Lilia.”

“…”

“Lilia!”

“Ah, did you call me? What is it?”

Only after Damon called her three times did Lilia snap out of it and look at him. He was torn between feeling annoyed and pleased. He liked that she cherished the ring, but didn’t want it to take all her attention. He frowned and spoke.

“Lilia, I wish you wouldn’t give all your attention to that ring instead of me.”

“Hmm… But I keep looking at it.”

Lilia glanced at the ring again.

“Do you know how I feel right now?”

“How?”

“I want to smash the ring.”

Hearing his heartfelt words, Lilia awkwardly laughed and hid her hand behind her back. Only then did her gaze return to him, and Damon smiled in satisfaction.

“So, why did you call me? Is there something you want to say?”

“Aren’t you bored staying at the mansion all the time? Is there anywhere you want to go?”

“I’m not that bored… Hmm, somewhere I want to go…”

Lilia thought hard, but couldn’t think of anywhere.

“If you think of somewhere, tell me without hesitation. There’s nowhere I can’t take you.”

“Alright.”

Thinking about traveling suddenly made her excited. Then a thought struck her—Damon probably hadn’t gone on a honeymoon. Their wedding was likely rushed and simple. Thinking of the wedding made her want to wear a wedding dress. Ever since she’d possessed this body, she’d been married, and in Korea, she’d been a college student. She’d had her own dreams about weddings, and it felt unfair to let it pass without experiencing it.

Damon watched Lilia’s ever-changing expressions—her eyes widened, she looked serious, then seemed to make up her mind and grabbed his hand.

“Damon.”

“What is it? Did you think of somewhere?”

“I… want to have a wedding ceremony.”

“A wedding?”

Lilia’s eyes sparkled as she nodded earnestly. Damon stroked his chin, lost in thought. Now that he thought about it, when they first married, she’d said she didn’t want a ceremony, so they skipped it and went straight to the Fortein Dukedom.

“Of course, we already had a ceremony, but back then we didn’t have any feelings for each other. Now it’s different, so I want to start over and have another one…”

She fidgeted with her hands and looked at Damon with the most pitiful expression she could muster. Since she hadn’t regained her memories, Lilia thought they’d had a wedding. Damon considered telling her they hadn’t, but decided it didn’t matter and nodded.

“Alright, if you want it.”

“Really? You’re not just agreeing because I want it, are you?”

“What? Absolutely not. I want to see you in a wedding dress too.”

She smiled brightly and chattered away.

“After the ceremony, how about a honeymoon by the sea?”

“Sure. I happen to have a villa there, so that’s perfect.”

“We can grill shellfish, go fishing, and watch the stars at night…”

Just thinking about it kept a smile on her face. Damon hugged Lilia and added,

“We’ll have the grandest wedding in the Empire. I can’t do anything related to you half-heartedly.”

He immediately called Noah and ordered him to bring the Empire’s top designer tomorrow. Even if she was fully booked, a request from the Fortein Dukedom would take priority.

“No matter how much it costs, get whatever you want. You could have diamonds sewn all over the hem. It’ll sparkle beautifully in the sunlight.”

“That’s a bit much. I’ll discuss it with the designer when she arrives.”

“Do that.”

Damon nodded with a slightly disappointed look. He wasn’t just saying it—he really wanted to dress her in the most expensive wedding dress, since money was overflowing. The more expensive, the more beautiful, he thought. He decided to tell Madam tomorrow to make it as beautiful as possible, no matter the cost, and buried his face in her neck.

* * *

“Nice to meet you, Duchess Fortein. I’m Madam Robellia. Please feel free to call me Lia.”

“Nice to meet you, Lia.”

Robellia felt her passion ignite for the first time in a while. Lilia was truly the perfect model. Her chest was larger than most, her waist was slender, and her face was beautiful—any dress would look stunning on her. Robellia smiled and began to speak.

“I didn’t hear the details, but I was told you wanted a wedding dress made… Is that right?”

“Yes. We’ve decided to have a new wedding ceremony.”

“Oh my, congratulations!”

Lately, rumors had spread that the Fortein Duke and Duchess had become so close they were like different people, and it seemed to be true. Before coming, Robellia recalled what Damon had told her—no matter the cost, make the most perfect wedding dress for Lilia. To Robellia, it was an exciting request. When she asked if he meant it, he simply nodded and went straight to his office.

Robellia’s eyes sparkled as she asked Lilia,

“Do you have a design in mind? If not, would you like to look at my design book?”

“Please do.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Robellia took out her design book. It was so thick that it landed on the table with a thud. Lilia, heart pounding, opened the design book.

“Madame, your figure is so stunning that a form-fitting design would look far more beautiful than something loose like this.”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

“Of course! I guarantee, the wedding dress I make this time will be my greatest masterpiece.”

Since money was no concern, she planned to use the most expensive materials possible. After much consideration and even more deliberation, the design Lilia chose was the mermaid dress recommended by Robellia.

The bodice was a tube top that only covered the chest, and she decided to drape a very thin cape over her shoulders. She decided on the fabric and the jewels to adorn the dress. She also chose to embroider the cape, and spent time deciding what pattern would be best. Before she knew it, time had flown by.

Still, Lilia didn’t feel tired. Her excitement far outweighed any fatigue. Tomorrow, she was going to pick out accessories with Damon. He said he wanted to personally order the tiara she’d wear on her head, so she agreed.

Since the weather was nice and warm, they decided to hold the outdoor wedding in the mansion’s rear garden. His parents had passed away, and Lilia’s parents were also gone, leaving only her younger brother, who was now the Earl. Writing a letter to a brother she’d never met felt very awkward.

She tried to see how others wrote to each other, but there were no letters exchanged to begin with. Her relationship with her brother seemed rather cold. After much agonizing, she simply wrote that she was getting married again and hoped he would attend. It felt a bit stiff, and she considered rewriting it, but with so many discarded drafts already, she gave up and sent the letter.

The reply came quickly. It was only a brief congratulations and an acknowledgment, but knowing her family would attend brought Lilia a sigh of relief. The invitations were all written, and the wedding preparations were going smoothly.

Before she knew it, the day before the wedding arrived in the blink of an eye. Lilia still couldn’t quite believe it. She lay on the bed with a dazed expression, and soon Damon came in, lay beside her, and pulled her into his arms.

“Tomorrow’s the wedding. How do you feel?”

“It’s… like a dream. Since I don’t remember, it feels like my first wedding…”

Lilia stroked his chest with her fingers, looking worried.

“What if I trip walking down the aisle tomorrow? I can’t ruin my one and only wedding…”

“We’ll walk in together, so just lean on me. I’ll hold you tight so you won’t fall.”

“Then, I’ll trust you completely.”

Lilia giggled softly and let out a languid sigh.

“Do you know what the best thing I’ve ever done in my life is?”

“Hm… What is it?”

“Meeting you.”

“That’s the same for me.”

As soon as he finished, she quickly climbed on top of him.

“We’ve been so busy lately, we haven’t really had time together. Of course, we’ll have plenty on our honeymoon, but that’s that and this is this.”

Lilia slid down her negligee and twisted her hips, rubbing against him. He reacted immediately, growing in size. With so much to do for the wedding, they hadn’t had time for intimacy, and it seemed he’d felt the absence too.

She cupped his cheeks with her small hands and leaned down for a kiss. Like a lock and key fitting together, their lips met naturally and their tongues entwined. It had been a while since their last time, and Lilia’s body quickly grew heated.

Her moist entrance eagerly welcomed him, and she let out a satisfied sigh at the fullness she’d missed. Lilia moved her hips while he reached out to gently squeeze her chest.

It was still soft and supple. He kneaded her chest gently, circling her n*pples with his fingers. Lilia’s hips trembled. She bent down, cupping his cheeks with her hands, bringing her lips close as if to kiss, then whispered softly.

“I love you, Damon.”

“I love you too, Lilia.”

They were so close that even the slightest movement of their lips made them touch. And so, the sweet night before the wedding passed.