Chapter 1.6

Miguel’s expectation of receiving a proper answer was a huge misconception and mistake. Unlike Lisael, who tersely answered no, Miguel had many things he wanted to do with her.

Riding a small boat together on a lake shining with a silver moon halo, enjoying the night view from the famous hill in Grand Town, having an intimate fine dining meal on a cruise, and so on. In fact, staying in their beautifully prepared and freshly arranged honeymoon suite all the time wasn’t bad either.

Whether she knew Miguel’s inner thoughts, which felt that even a week was not enough for the trip, or not, Lisael’s words, sharp as a dagger, came out again.

“Why is the trip a whole week long? It’s unnecessarily too long. It’s tiring.”

“…A week is considered short.”

As Miguel mentioned, wealthy nobles usually went abroad for their honeymoon, and given the distance, a fortnight was a minimum, with some newlyweds enjoying a month-long trip.

“Anyway, I’ll just stay holed up in the villa and quietly return to Cherlin, so don’t bother me.”

“What? You plan to stay in the room the whole week?”

“Yes, what does it matter to you?”

Lisael, who had been resting her chin on her hand, lifted her face and responded as Miguel’s voice rose. She genuinely seemed unaware of how her declaration of seclusion could concern Miguel. She seemed to have no awareness that they were a community under the name of a married couple.

“You might as well find the biggest casino in town like you usually do, right? Surely you don’t expect me to be your gambling buddy?”

A half-joking, half-serious sneer formed on Lisael’s lips. Having his weak spot pointed out, Miguel could only roll his eyes fiercely, unable to retort. It was a reputation and burden he had built over the years, so he couldn’t easily refute it.

“You’ve developed a knack for making dull jokes without realizing it. Sorry, but I won’t be holding a chip in my hand anymore.”

It was unfortunate that he couldn’t meet her expectations, but he had completely quit gambling since the wedding day. From the start, gambling was nothing more than a rebellion against the Earl Dante, neither more nor less.

He couldn’t bear to see his father smile with pride as he received diligent and sincere heir education. It was revenge he started in his youth, making Lisael shed tears of blood, and that revenge was so successful that it made the Earl collapse, clutching his nape almost every day.

However, he hadn’t expected to discover quite a profitable knack with an unexpected talent. He thought he wouldn’t starve even if he were kicked out of the family.

But now, he had become someone’s respectable head of the family and a strong pillar. Having someone to take responsibility for, he had to clean his hands, even if he had talent.

“There is a dinner reservation at the finest hotel this evening. We’ll head there as soon as we arrive in Grand Town, so keep that in mind.”

“…….”

Since the wedding, Lisael couldn’t understand the person named Miguel Dante. Surely, until just before walking down the wedding aisle, he must have harbored ill feelings towards her, enough to offset her resentment and hatred.

However, after the vow, which was nothing more than a facade, his subtly changed words and actions caught the sharp nerves of Lisael.

The journey, which she thought would be a time of silence, unexpectedly had a few exchanges of words thanks to Miguel, who showed interest in her. Perhaps Miguel had a greater romantic notion about marriage than she imagined. Enough to want to mimic a devoted husband, even if the counterpart was a lifelong enemy.

Or perhaps, being a grand noble, he valued his pride as much as his life and wanted to act like a happy couple for show. If that assumption was true, it was truly chilling.

A dinner at the finest hotel. No matter what the meal was, just facing Miguel’s face confirmed that tonight’s dinner would be heavy on her stomach. And it should be the same for Miguel, yet he even made the reservation himself.

At this point, wouldn’t it be right to visit a hospital rather than a hotel? 

Lisael genuinely thought so but kept her mouth shut to avoid prolonging the conversation with Miguel.

As the sun set and a dark curtain spread across the sky, the carriage carrying them arrived at the largest hotel in Grand Town.

The top resort, Grand Town, which she visited again after several years, was more bustling than in Lisael’s memory. The town’s night view, considered one of the three great sights, was so beautiful that just a glimpse from the carriage left her speechless, thanks to the bright lights of the coastal city.

The hotel where she always stayed when visiting Grand Town had also been newly remodeled, transformed into a large and splendid stone hotel, unrecognizable from before.

“We are honored to have the Young Earl couple with us.”

As they got off the carriage, the hotel’s general manager, who had been waiting, came out and bowed, escorting them.

Lisael found it hard to adapt to the life of a noblewoman, which she had unexpectedly entered overnight. She had crammed etiquette with her mother for about a month, but real-world experience was zero, and the roughly memorized theory didn’t shine much in practice.

Fortunately, basic dining etiquette was ingrained in her due to the nature of the village chief’s family, who frequented the lord’s castle.

‘I thought linking arms at the wedding would be the first and last….’

What kind of etiquette do nobles have? In official couple appearances, they must enter arm-in-arm, pretending to be a loving couple wherever they go.

Lisael barely managed to smooth her naturally frowning face as she followed the manager’s guidance. She hadn’t looked up, but unless he was out of his mind, Miguel’s expression, while linking arms with her, wouldn’t be much different.

She could sense his displeasure from his stiff, solid arm.

“We have prepared a terrace seat with the best view of the town.”

“Thank you.”

Was this what the life of nobles was like, which she didn’t know? Stepping out onto the marble balcony, which looked more luxurious under the combined light of the moon and stars, there was a white table prepared solely for the two of them. Beyond it, the open view of Grand Town’s sea and its unique white stone buildings spread out.

Despite receiving the best treatment she had never experienced, Lisael wasn’t happy at all. Her smile only appeared when she slightly moved her lips as a sign of gratitude to the general manager.

After all, was it an illusion that Miguel’s attitude had changed? From the appetizer through the main dish, his mouth remained firmly shut.

When the milk pudding topped with raspberries was served as dessert, the most uncomfortable dinner in the world reached its long-awaited end. As expected, Lisael felt indigestion from the meal she had barely touched.

“Could you prepare a separate carriage?”

Seeing an opportunity, Lisael cautiously asked the manager who came to inquire if they needed anything after the meal. As expected, Miguel’s eyebrows twisted fiercely in immediate reaction to her request, which deviated from the norm.

True to a noble who must be extremely conscious of gossip and reputation, Miguel showed a cool smile to the manager, as if he already knew, and then, confirming the manager’s departure, immediately turned to question Lisael.

“What are you doing?”

“I have someone I want to meet. I’ll return to the villa as soon as I’m done… so you don’t have to glare at me.”

“That’s not the issue. We are publicly a couple. Moreover, don’t you know that everyone is watching my movements as the next Lord of the South’s most prestigious family?”

Indeed, it was too much to act separately from the first day. Lisael hadn’t ignored the concern. She vaguely remembered hearing that the interest in the Young Earl of the Dante family extended beyond the South to the capital.

There were rumors that the Young Earl, who was among the top millionaires in the Kingdom and had outstanding looks, was making a name for himself in the South… Lisael had heard such rumors beyond the wall.

If the most famous person in the public eye had settled down and married, yet acted separately even on their honeymoon, this too would soon become the talk of the social circle.

“Then… would you come with me?”

“…Where to?”

‘…Lisa is asking me for a favor?’

Would you come with me?

…Would you come with me?

…Miguel, would you come with me?

Feigning calmness, Miguel’s heart was pounding wildly as he repeated Lisael’s request several times. If he had a tail, it would have been spinning like a propeller, revealing his pretense of composure entirely.