Chapter 64: “She Might Think I’m About to Devour Her”

“So when I pretended to hesitate and didn’t say anything, she handed me this.”

With that, Anna held out Rosemary’s opal earring.

‘I thought it was strange that it disappeared… Looks like she planned to use Anna just like she did with Jane.’

Earlier, Rosemary had proudly claimed it was a gift from Duke Stern.

“She told me that Her Grace wanted me to be her ears—report on how things were between you and Prince Damian, whether you were still drinking lily tea, and so on.”

By telling her all this, Anna was showing that she’d rejected Rosemary’s offer.

Edelweiss accepted the opal earring and rolled it in her palm.

Anna had probably been given that look—the kind that begs you to make sure Her Grace keeps drinking that lily tea—whatever ingredients it actually had.

“And what did you say?”

“I told her you drank it every day. Then I asked her if I could get something better if I became her ears.”

People tend to think greedy types are easy to control, after all.

Edelweiss let out a small laugh at Anna’s cleverness. Thanks to her, they had completely fooled Rosemary.

Rosemary likely believed Anna was now in her pocket—and would think Edelweiss was foolishly drinking the lily tea like clockwork.

‘So this is what she’s been dying to tell me.’

Anna, now visibly relieved, even began to hum a tune with a satisfied smile.

“Well done, Anna. Next time you see Rosemary, tell her it’s tiring to keep reporting how well I’m getting along with Prince Damian—but maybe she’s just misunderstood her sister.”

Let’s poke her nerves a little… while keeping her off guard.

Anna caught on right away and nodded enthusiastically.

After bathing, Edelweiss dressed in the cream-colored negligee Anna had prepared. A faint jasmine scent lingered on her skin.

The negligee, with its delicate shoulder straps and sheer fabric, clung lightly to her figure, softly shimmering as it moved.

Her skin showed faintly through the thin material, and even her chest was subtly revealed.

The fabric was so delicate, it looked like it might tear with the slightest tug.

“…Anna, don’t you have anything else?”

“No.”

“…There must be something?”

“There isn’t, Your Grace. Really.”

Standing in front of the mirror, Edelweiss winced at Anna’s completely nonchalant reply.

Left with no other option, she pulled a shawl over her shoulders to try and cover herself up.

Bang—

Startled by the sudden sound of the door opening, she dropped the shawl to the floor.

“…Why are you so surprised?”

Damian walked in, wearing only a bathrobe. His platinum hair, still damp, was slicked back casually.

“Do you have something to say?”

“From… from now on, could you please knock?”

Good thing she had at least finished bathing and changed into her negligee—if not, this would have been a disaster.

“This is the marital bedroom. Do I need to knock to enter my own room?”

“……Your Highness Damian. Precisely because this is the marital bedroom, you should be more careful with your behavior.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

But Edelweiss could tell he had absolutely no intention of doing so.

Frustrated, she let out a small huff.

A single droplet of water traced down the back of his neck and slowly followed the line of his collarbone.

Through the loosely open robe, the sharp ridges of his abdomen—sculpted from years of battle—drew her eyes in despite herself.

“You’ve seen it before. Why are you staring so much now?”

“I-I wasn’t…”

Edelweiss was about to protest when she remembered the first time they met—when she accidentally saw him undressed.

She had hoped he wouldn’t bring it up, but of course, he would.

“T-that was just a glimpse! And only because you were—”

“Sure. Let’s say it was my fault.”

Damian smiled and stepped closer.

At the same time, he casually gestured to Anna, who stood beside Edelweiss.

Understanding his intent, Anna picked up the dropped shawl, bowed, and left the room.

Now completely uncovered, Edelweiss grew even more self-conscious. She parted her lips to say something—

But Damian looked directly into her eyes and gave a quiet chuckle.

“You’re going to take it off anyway.”

“Your Highness! That’s… too—”

“What?”

If she could, Edelweiss would’ve loved to clamp a hand over his mouth.

Yet he remained completely unfazed—no hint of embarrassment, just his usual calm.

“Even if you don’t want to, we have to consummate the marriage. For it to be legally binding, the wedding night must be completed.”

He wasn’t wrong.

If she were found to still be a v*rgin, the marriage could be annulled.

She wasn’t completely ignorant about such matters.

But that knowledge existed only in theory—nothing more than faint textbook understanding.

She’d never experienced anything firsthand—not even with Adolf, to whom she’d only been engaged.

The tension made her hiccup.

Her shoulders jolted as she tried to suppress it.

“Someone might think I’m about to devour you.”

“…Hic.”

The hiccups still wouldn’t stop.

Even when she placed a hand over her chest to steady her pounding heart, it was no use.

“Want me to make it stop?”

“……?”

Edelweiss looked up, blinking slowly, unsure what he meant—

And in that instant, Damian’s face drew near.

Before she could make sense of it, her thoughts came to a standstill.

He caught her lower lip between his own, not even giving her a chance to breathe.

His fingers threaded gently through her hair.

Their tongues brushed softly as he parted her lips, his movements slow and deliberate.

Their breath mingled, sticky and wet, their mouths entangled with a messy intimacy.

The more fiercely he drew her lower lip in, the dizzier she became.

Only when she could endure no longer did she clutch at his chest.

“… Haah.”

Their mouths finally parted, a fine thread of saliva still clinging between them.

Edelweiss, dazed, exhaled the breath she hadn’t managed to release.

Thump, thump, thump—

Her heartbeat was so loud she feared Damian could hear it.

“It stopped.”

As he said, the hiccups were indeed gone.

Damian’s hand, having swept down her hair, slipped to her waist.

“Mm—”

Even through the thin negligee his touch was unambiguous, almost rough; every motion of fingers and palm made her skin react sharply.

“Edelweiss.”

“Y-Your Highness Damian…”

His low murmur at her ear made her squeeze her eyes shut—whether from embarrassment, fear, or both, she couldn’t tell.

To ease her tension, he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

The warmth skimming her skin grew steadily hotter.

When he lightly nibbled her earlobe, Edelweiss bit her lip and glared at him.

“What?”

She knew perfectly well what he was doing, yet she asked anyway—part jest, part desperate attempt to create distance. She stepped back—

—and a soft mattress received her.

Damian leaned over her like a shadow, one hand braced on the bed.

“Just where were you planning to go?”

Pressing into the sheet, he closed the space between them.

He said nothing further, simply looked down at her.

Instinctively Edelweiss drew her knees together; the hem of her negligee slid up her thighs.

A drip of water fell from the end of Damian’s damp hair onto her flushed cheek, startling her with its chill.

“Trying to run away?”

His voice, low and close, slipped into her ear.

“…That’s not it.”

His free hand came to her cheek—rough-skinned, yet warm. He traced the corner of her eye, then descended to capture her lips again.

Sweet and yielding, the kiss melted every tangled thought.

Edelweiss, tingling all over, gripped the sheet with both hands.

Damian slid a hand beneath her waist and tugged lightly; when she gasped and flinched, he caught her wrists in one hand, holding them firmly—tidying away obstacles with practiced ease.