3. That Marriage (3)

She felt somewhat deflated before the main event even began.

Entering the banquet hall in a slightly dazed state, Saena soon greeted and exchanged pleasantries with friends as they arrived one after another.

“Saya~”

“Sister.”

“Good to see you.”

“Have you all been well?”

As they asked about each other’s recent lives, an attendant announced the Princess’s arrival.

“May the great protection follow the noble bloodline eternally.”

“May the blessings of the Covenant be with you.”

“Your Highness. Thank you so much for inviting us.”

“Welcome, everyone.”

After exchanging greetings, everyone took their seats in the banquet hall as guided by the attendants. They shared light conversation about recent events while dining, then moved to the next course.

It was a brief sharing session where married women were invited to give tips about married life.

“Sister, I heard today’s guest is ‘that’ Madam Willef?”

Kirsten had handled the messenger’s invitation. Floria’s eyes sparkled as she asked Kirsten discreetly.

Her eyes were full of anticipation.

“Heh. Floria. Are you excited?”

“…Heh.”

Floria’s cheeks turned slightly red. Why? Though she hadn’t thought much about it before, curiosity suddenly peaked.

‘Madam Willef? Is she famous?’

Saena had never been very knowledgeable about social circles, so she didn’t know much about the topics behind what was apparent.

In social circles, there were people who led the visible trends, while others were famous in less visible areas. And those skilled in socializing were well-versed in both.

Madam Willef seemed to belong to the latter category.

“What about you, Saya? Are you excited too?”

“…Huh?”

“You should be. It was very difficult to invite her~”

“……”

Kirsten winked with a playful smile.

She must be incredibly famous.

Saena searched through her past life’s memories for more information about Madam Willef. However, she couldn’t recall anything no matter how hard she thought.

‘She seems quite famous in some field. Hmm, I really did live on the fringes in my past life.’

She had already been poor at socializing, and after marrying George Hollander, her face had been clearly marked with life’s hardships, so naturally, she hadn’t been able to blend into any social circles.

Though she hadn’t been specifically bullied, she had been subtly looked down upon. In a way, it meant she hadn’t even been worth bothering to bully.

Someone like her couldn’t have known information that spread through word of mouth.

“…What does she do?”

Saena asked.

“It wouldn’t be fun if I told you that first.”

But Kirsten just winked one eye.

The Princess and the four ladies were guided to a reception room.

It was a reception room with several single-person sofas arranged in a circle so everyone could face each other. Small tea tables were placed between the sofas, holding drinks and finger foods.

“Welcome, honored guests.”

A guest was already waiting in the reception room.

“Your Highness, I greet you. May the great protection follow the noble bloodline eternally.”

“Welcome. May the blessings of the Covenant be with you as well.”

A neat-looking woman with glossy blue-green hair neatly pinned up greeted the Princess.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Karina Willef, who will serve as messenger for tonight’s precious blessing.”

Then she greeted the four ladies.

“Nice to meet you, Madam Willef.”

“Please, have a seat.”

Once everyone was seated, Madam Willef smiled and began moving around the room, suddenly drawing curtains and replacing lights.

Though they didn’t know what she was doing, everyone watched her carefully, assuming she had her reasons.

Madam Willef lowered the room’s lighting and placed warm-feeling candles, lights, and colored glass lamp shades throughout.

The atmosphere of the space changed instantly. It became cozy yet intimate.

“How is it?”

“It suddenly feels like a different place. Is there a reason for this?”

The Princess was the first to ask curiously.

“Doesn’t it create a somewhat intimate and secretive feeling?”

“Hmm.”

“How would it feel to decorate like this on the night your husband visits your bedroom?”

“…Ah!”

Everyone nodded in understanding and began carefully examining their surroundings again.

“It creates a ticklish, seductive feeling, doesn’t it? It’s easier to set the mood with this kind of lighting.”

“Oh my.”

It was a moment when new meaning was given to the lights they had only thought of as auxiliary lighting to brighten the indoor space after sunset.

After questions and answers about room arrangement and decoration, they moved on to the next topic.

Unlike others, Madam Willef had a large table in front of her with various items whose purposes were unknown.

The madam suddenly let down her pinned-up hair, gathering it in thick curls draped over one shoulder. Then she picked up something like a brush from the table and began applying makeup. She applied something around her eyes and cheeks.

Before long, Madam Willef transformed into a woman with a completely different impression from before. With provocatively painted eyes and lips that appeared moistly glossy… she looked very alluring under the dimmed lights.

“Sometimes show a different side of yourself. You can approach each other in new ways.”

“Did you develop such makeup techniques yourself?”

“I referenced various things.”

Then Madam Willef softly smiled with crinkled eyes, then showed a languid expression with half-lowered eyes.

“Honey, you’ll come home early today, won’t you?”

Though acting out scenarios alone could have seemed silly, Madam Willef’s performance was not.

“I want to be with you today, honey.”

Different tones and expressions at times.

Everyone watched entranced as her previously neat face transformed into an alluring image through makeup and expressions.

“Many men like this kind of tone and expression. It’s especially good to try when seduction is needed.”

Saena was also surprised. She realized one could present themselves as a completely different person when needed.

‘Why am I suddenly thinking of Elizabeth?’

Perhaps because of the dream she had before.

Madam Willef’s lecture was truly diverse and fascinating.

She continued to lecture about various cases that could occur between couples, solutions, male tendencies, and things one could do for a harmonious marriage.

‘Do people listen to these things before getting married?’

It was somewhat shocking.

Aside from George Hollander being terrible, she inadvertently realized how unprepared she had been for marriage in her past life.

Though she had also married suddenly without preparation in this life, somehow, it felt different.

“…Gasp!”

While she was lost in thought, Madam Willef had already started removing her dress. The shock wasn’t from her removing the dress, but from the l*ngerie revealed underneath.

“If you want to see your husband go crazy for you, this is good sometimes. Hoho.”

Madam Willef’s figure was very sensual even to a woman’s eyes, and the l*ngerie that emphasized her provocative figure made it difficult to look at directly, even as a woman.

“One-pieces are good too. Garter belts and silk stockings are always a good choice. I’ve only prepared soft designs since you’re still young ladies, but if you want more daring designs after marriage, please contact me.”

Smiling softly, Madam Willef distributed booklets to each of the five.

Though the catalog’s cover was very neat, the inside… Saena couldn’t bring herself to look further and set it aside.

“Oh my!”

“Goodness! Is this even considered wearing anything?”

“Right, it’s practically just strings, isn’t it?”

“Hoho. Being almost n*ked is actually more stimulating than being completely n*ked, you know?”

But it was useless. Everyone except Saena immediately opened their catalogs and made a fuss while looking through them.

They all listened more intently than her, their eyes sparkling, making her wonder if calling the messenger for her sake was just an excuse.

Madam Willef watched them with a languid smile, then noticed Saena and her eyes lit up. As Saena flinched slightly, Madam Willef handed her a box that had been set aside.

“Hoho. Congratulations on your marriage. This is a gift for you, my lady.”

“…What?”

Before she could accept the gift, Madam Willef opened the box and showed its contents. It contained candles, cosmetics, and a set of l*ngerie.

“Use these on your wedding night.”

“……”

Just the words ‘wedding night’ made her feel her cheeks reddening.

“And…”

Smiling softly, Madam Willef pulled out another small box.

“This is… a special syrup only available at our shop.”

The madam held up a small glass bottle between her index finger and thumb, speaking in an almost whispered voice.

“Before your wedding night…”

A pink viscous liquid swished inside the small glass bottle.

“Share it with your husband while having a glass of wine. It helps reduce the pain that might occur on your wedding night.”

“…Really?”

Remembering the night of pain from her past life, Saena’s body trembled.

Though nights with George Hollander were always painful, the first night had been especially terrible. He had come in completely drunk and roughly pressed her down, causing her to be bedridden for three days afterward.

“Of course. Not only does it reduce pain, hoho. There are additional effects too?”

“Additional effects?”

What could those be?

“You’ll find out when the time comes. And you won’t regret it either. Don’t forget to take it. It’s a syrup with proven effectiveness for many people, with no side effects, so don’t worry.”

“……”

While Saena remained silent, not knowing how to respond, Kirsten hugged her shoulders and laughed.

“Saya~ You must recommend it to us after trying it first, okay?”

“To think Saena would become our marriage senior.”

“You must tell me too, okay?”

Everyone teased Saena with mischievous faces.

“This l*ngerie would look so good on Saena, don’t you think?”

“Will His Grace the Duke go crazy for it too?”

The teasing continued endlessly, making Saena’s face grow redder and redder.

“My lady, if you need anything else later, please contact me anytime. I’ll arrange delivery by category. These things aren’t shameful. Marital relationships also require effort from both parties.”

Saena barely managed to nod and quickly covered the box, setting it aside.

Thus ended Madam Willef’s lecture.

* * *