Instead of freaking out like I had before and scrambling to figure this out, I grasped the outline of his c*ck tightly.

When I knocked on the door of the carriage, the coach began to roll slowly. Since he already knew where to go next, there was no need to ask separately.

Hearing the sound of the carriage wheels rolling on the road, I asked slowly,

“Tell me, Mishael. By what time do you have to return to the Holy Kingdom today?”

“The curfew in the monastery is at 7 PM… What’s the matter?”

“Well, you see…”

I said shyly, fiddling with the small box in my arms.

“Well, Mishael, I was thinking of getting you a tailcoat. Do you have enough time?”

“A tailcoat…you mean?”

“Yes, I think you will be wearing it often in the future.”

Because if he were to be my husband, he would naturally have to socialize as the husband of the heir of the marquis of Parma.

This was the final step for me to truly ‘take responsibility’ for Mishael…

‘I’ve already confirmed Mishael’s status, so the only thing left is to get married.’

Although he had whispered so many times before that he needed to take responsibility for him, telling me that I am the only one, but… I couldn’t give a proper answer to that yet.

My heart had been in the right place for a long time, but I wanted to take the time to formally ask him to marry me, not just give him an off-the-cuff answer in the middle of having s*x.

‘Well, since he will be coming in as a son-in-law anyway, wouldn’t it be more appropriate for me to make the proposal?’

So today, I’m planning on renting a tailor’s shop, matching clothes, proposing, and so on.

“Um…”

Mishael squinted his eyes and rubbed his chin. He couldn’t have caught on to the fact that I’m going to propose just by the fact of having his tailcoat fitted, right? It’s a surprise, so I really want it to be successful.

I waited anxiously for Mishael’s answer.

***

A little while later,

In the dressing room of the VIP reception hall, which occupied one floor of a building in the bustling fashion street of the capital, Mishael awkwardly adjusted the cravat tied around his neck.

He’s wearing a frock coat with a slightly raised collar and elegant embroidery on the cuffs, paired with a cravat of lustrous silk. Lionella might not know, but he spent more time in the capital than in the monastery, so it wasn’t his first silk shirt, but for some reason the texture was different. It wasn’t just that it was made of the finest silk.

And also, these trousers that accentuated his long legs and the flashy wingtip shoes… The man in the full-length mirror clearly carried the dignified appearance of a nobleman.

‘You’re quite the cutie, Miss.’

After that day at the cottage, Mishael faithfully served Lionella day and night, building up the ‘intimacy between their bodies’. In fact, Lionella, who had initially regarded his efforts lightly, gradually began to enjoy them, to the point that she would occasionally seduce Mishael first. And looking at Lionella’s eyes that looked at me had changed considerably, it was clear that I had won her ‘heart’s affection’ as well.

But the problem was that the cheeky miss never asked me to marry her.

When she was high in pleasure during their s*xual encounters, she would say things like, ‘I’ll take responsibility,’ ‘I understand,’ or ‘I’ll only do this for you,’ and so on…

As the Marquis of Parma had mentioned, proposing marriage was generally the man’s responsibility. Mishael had been prepared for that. The issue was that as a commoner, he couldn’t just act on his own will.

And by the time he’ll be ordained as a priest, it’ll already be too late.

​As Lionella’s lover, The daily life of spending every day and night with her was much sweeter than he expected, and since it was also Lionella’s first time, he had no intention of delaying the days of making love with her every day, even for a moment. Most of all, he feared that while he was back in the Holy Kingdom, some attractive bastard might appear and seduce her……

So whenever Lionella had to make a decision, just like always, she would request the Black Wings to have him investigated and prepare a report stating that there were no issues with his bloodline, character, or anything else that concerned him as a son-in-law.

All of this was done to ensure that Lionella could make a decision as quickly as possible.

‘Well, that part about my status was not a lie.’

Fortunately, Marcus must have handled everything properly, as evidenced by the gift he received from Lionella when she left the Black Wings. It must have been part of her preparation to introduce him as her marriage partner to others…

Suppressing his excitement, Mishael adjusted his expression as he looked at himself in the mirror for the last time, then he pulled back the curtain in the dressing room and stepped outside.

Sitting at the reception table, Lionella’s eyes widened in anticipation as she sipped her tea.

As expected, the lady seemed to be quite fond of my appearance, Mishael thought to himself, holding back a smirk.

“Um, miss. I think this might be… too much for me.”

“Huh?”

And as expected, whenever he shed tears, Lionella was taken aback, her irises trembling. At that moment when his always composed face became so defenseless, she would never know how much he loved her for the rest of her life.

“There’s no way I’ll ever wear something like this in the future… I don’t know why you’re unnecessarily spending so much money on me.”

“No, Mishael. I…”

The angle of his bowed head, the flutter of his eyelashes……. Everything was calculated to make it easier for Lionella to fall for him. As expected, Lionella, who anxiously rolled her eyes here and there, swiftly took a small box out of her pocket.

As an expected reaction, Mishael struggled to hide his overflowing affection in response to her expected reaction, but he made an effort not to reveal his inner thoughts and forced himself to put on a surprised face.

“What is… this?”

“Mishael, I…”

After that, Lionella knelt down on one knee.

“I, I said I would take responsibility.”

“Miss, why, why are you doing this…?”

Surprised, Mishael quickly followed her and knelt down on the floor. Then, with a thud, Lionella’s slender fingertips opened the box, revealing a pair of platinum rings.

“It was because of me that you gave up on being a priest. So…”

As Lionella closed her eyes tightly so couldn’t see, and Mishael smiled mischievously.

“…Will you marry me?”

Ah, finally.

The result of acting as a slave to that trivial s*xual desire for several months had finally come to fruition. Filled with joy and the difficult-to-resist love for his adorable lady…. Mishael embraced Lionella tightly.

“Miss, miss…”

“Hmm, well, it, it may be sudden.”

“I, today… I don’t want to go back.”

“Huh?”

Is that okay? The question was quickly swallowed up by Mishael’s mouth. He rarely stayed in the Holy Kingdom to begin with, so it didn’t really matter. But in order to protect Lionella’s fantasy, Mishael chose not to answer.

Instead…

“You already know my answer, right?”

“R, really…?”

“Later, when we get to the mansion, I’ll give you the answer a dozen times over.”

While fulfilling the duty of being the lady’s husband…. Lionella understood the meaning and smiled bashfully. It was the same innocent smile that had captivated Mishael’s heart years ago.

***

A few months later, late autumn.

At Lady Lionel’s villa located in the Tridon.

“I was so surprised when Lady Lionella suddenly sent an engagement invitation.”

“That’s right. Since she didn’t seem to be getting close to anyone, I thought perhaps the husband of the heir to the Marquis of Parma might be chosen this year…”

“After meeting various people, I supposed she thought that a man who stays at home and supports the household is better?”

“I was still surprised. The person she’s engaged to is a commoner who received sponsorship from the Parma family… Even if a commoner marries a noble, he’s still only a semi-noble.”

“Why didn’t you hear that rumor? Wasn’t it ten-something years ago? They say there were ten families that were destroyed during the parliamentarian purges in Hesed. He comes from one of them.”

“Oh, then does it mean that he’ll be reinstated as a noble just by getting married?”

“That’s not what’s important, everyone. Did any of you see the prospective groom in person?”

The woman who spoke opened her fan and giggled, her eyes round.

“You’ll see for yourself later. You’ll see why Lady Lionella has never batted an eye at anyone.”

“Oh my, oh my. I’m excited. I heard he’s handsome…”

The gazes of the attendees, who had gathered for Lady Parma’s engagement ceremony, turned towards the entrance of the garden.

Each and every one of their faces reflected the anticipation of the guest of honor who was about to emerge from the pale pink building.

***

The engagement ceremony was held at the end of the social season.

“A toast to the engagement of Lady Lionella and Mr Mishael Lorgnac!”

“Cheers!”

At the villa in Tridon, which Mishael had given me as a wedding gift, I invited acquaintances from the social circle.

The number of guests was small, but the party was organized to show off the wealth of Parma to its fullest extent.

And because I have been very active in the social circle this year… I invited only those who I interacted with the most, so it was supposed to be a small gathering, but in the end, it wasn’t that small.

Most of all…

“Lionella! You, huh? I can’t believe you interrupted the uncles’ friendship like that……. Huh?”

“I can’t believe that little girl has grown up and is now getting married…….”

“But she’s so blind when it comes to men… hmph!”

“Oh, Arthur, Arthur. Theodore, cut off this nobleman’s allowance.”

“Hmmph.”

My father’s group of friends, whom I always kept an eye on, were also unavoidably invited. Even though my father is about to retire, he is still the Marquis of Parma, and it’s not good for his reputation to have no guests.

Seeing that he got so drunk right after the ceremony started, I couldn’t help but think that maybe not inviting them would be worse…