“Yes. I swear.”

Calix replied immediately. In front of countless nobles, there was not a hint of hesitation in his vow. His solemn voice carried the determination to keep this marriage oath as if it were his life. 

Ciela swallowed deeply, feeling an inexplicable tickling in her chest. 

“Do you swear to take this man as your husband, to love and cherish him through times of joy and happiness, sorrow and pain, and to remain by his side for the rest of your life?” 

“Yes. I swear it.”

Ciela replied, her heart filled with even more awe. 

The vows were only a formality. But since he had shown the weight of his commitment, she wished that her sincerity reached him as well.

All that remained was the oath sealing kiss. 

Ciela turned to face Calix, who was also looking directly at her. As he carefully lifted her pure white veil, the muscles in his face suddenly tensed, as if he had stiffened in seriousness. 

Was he uncomfortable? Or was it something about her face? 

“Are you all right?” she asked silently, with a hint of curiosity. 

Instead of answering, Calix slowly leaned towards her. He was so close now that she could clearly see his long, dark eyelashes, and their well-defined noses almost touched. As his warm breath brushed against her skin, her eyes began to close instinctively. 

“I don’t think… I’m fine.” 

With those whispered words, their lips finally met. A sweet kiss intertwined their breaths, sealing their union as husband and wife. 

Even as the meaningful kiss continued, Ciela’s eyebrows furrowed slightly and her eyelids barely lifted.

“Saying you’re not OK and then kissing me… it’s a bit much.” 

She secretly gave him a sulky look before finally lowering her eyelids.

Anyway, it was the first and last oath-taking kiss of her life. There would be plenty of time to question him later. 

“I now declare in the name of the Divine that these two are now joined together as husband and wife.” 

And so, with everyone’s blessing, they were officially married. 

* * * 

As the guests left and the night settled in, the couple’s first evening began. They had decided to spend their wedding night at their residence in the capital before heading to their estate the following day. 

Ciela immersed herself in a bath with the delicate scent of roses.

Several servants from the Ducal Mansion attentively assisted Ciela during her bath, gently massaging various parts of her body. With their careful touch, the tension in her stiff muscles began to ease. She surrendered to their hands, letting them lead her into relaxation, and slowly closed her eyes.

“My lady, if you need anything, please let us know.” 

“I will.” 

Every time they addressed her as “My Lady”, she realised a beat too late that they were referring to her. 

“I suppose it will take some time to get used to being called that.” 

She didn’t think it would take long to get used to, but at the moment it felt just as strange as when she was first called “Your Highness”. 

Still, she made an effort to respond immediately when the servants addressed her. 

After finishing her bath, Ciela put on a nightgown.

After a while, Ciela made her way to the room that had been prepared for her first night. As she crossed the corridor and entered the bedroom, she saw Calix already sitting on the sofa, wearing a nightgown of a similar design, perhaps after a shower.

“You’ve arrived, Ciela.”

His muscular torso was visible through the slightly open nightgown. She suddenly realised why she was here. Reality, coming much faster than her wedding, made Ciela feel the heat rising to her face. She hoped it wasn’t obvious.

Ciela rolled her eyes, trying to keep her expression as natural as possible. There happened to be wine on the round table in front of him, along with some desserts that would go well with it. 

“How about a drink?” 

“Sounds good. I was just a bit hungry.” 

Besides, there was nothing like wine to relieve tension. After removing the cork, he carefully filled the glass with a transparent wine with a yellowish tinge. A subtly sweet scent, perfect for getting tipsy, wafted gently through the air. 

“The smell is nice.” 

“I’m glad I chose the right one.” 

“By the way, why did you say you weren’t feeling well at the wedding? Is your condition not good?” 

“Oh.” 

Calix raised his glass and smiled with a long grin. 

“I wasn’t feeling well because I was falling in love with my beautiful wife all over again.” 

The wine in the glass she raised swayed wildly. 

“Why is that, my wife?” 

“My wife?” 

There was another title she had to get used to besides “Lady”.

Even when the wedding took place, it still didn’t feel real to her – like walking on clouds, not quite sinking in. Sometimes she still thought she might have to go to the palace.

“I’ve never really felt married, but thanks to this it’s starting to feel real.” 

No matter how many times she repeated to herself, “I’m getting married, I’m getting married,” it always felt like a distant cloud, but with just one call of “my wife” from him, it became completely real. 

She was married now. No longer an unmarried woman, but Calix’s wife. The mistress of the Icarus family and his only family, she would live at his side. Slowly, the reality began to sink in.

As reality slowly approached, Ciela couldn’t help but feel nervous. She clinked her glass against Calix’s and emptied it quickly. The sweet taste of the grape wine that gently enveloped her mouth was refreshing. After drinking it quickly, she felt a sudden warmth spread through her body. But at that moment, she needed the slight dizziness to melt away her tension.

“By the way, you don’t seem worried or anxious about the marriage.”

Calix stared at her intently, seemingly curious about the meaning behind her words. So Ciela told him about her conversation with Grace.

“Did you talk about such things while you were waiting inside?”

“Yes. An inexplicable feeling of certainty, strange, isn’t it?”

Life, not always full of happiness, seemed to have paralysed her mind. She felt like a fool, unable to see the truth, unable to see a step ahead. But now she couldn’t imagine anything in her marriage that would bring darkness.

Is this what marriage is like? Or maybe I’m just fascinated and have fallen into a strange way of thinking? As these light thoughts passed, she stared at Calix in silence.

Is this what marriage is really like? Or have I really fallen under some strange spell? As these fleeting thoughts passed, she stared at Calix.

“It’s not strange, you’ve seen it clearly. You have a husband who will never make you unhappy or afraid, standing right next to you.”

Ciela lifted the corners of her mouth.

“Ah. I have indeed fallen under your spell.”

Those arrogant words took root in her without any sense of resistance.

Then she would make it happen. Even though she knew it was strange to have such confidence, she couldn’t bring herself to deny it. She really had fallen under his spell. Ciela picked up the bottle of wine. What’s wrong with a little distance from reality? Today she decided to let go of the complications and think about them later.

“Yes. If we both try, we can make it work.”

Then they wouldn’t have to be afraid and could be happy in the future.

She was confident that she could move forward with a goal she had set for herself. And she had a strong partner by her side.

She poured herself a glass of wine. The sound of the glasses clinking echoed softly. By the time the third glass was down, the cold wine, which had felt refreshing earlier, was suddenly warming her as it flowed down her throat.

The atmosphere between them grew thick and intense.

“Would you like another drink?”

“Hmm. If you drink more, I might get quite upset.”

“….”

“This amount was just enough to ease the tension, but if you drink more, I have a feeling the night will be less enjoyable. My wife.”

The red eyes shone with a provocative light. In the moonlight, she suddenly thought of a cat with glowing eyes. As she met the gaze that seemed hidden in the darkness, ready to pounce and devour its prey at a moment’s notice, the effect of the alcohol quickly faded and a wave of nervousness swept over her.

As the warmth of the alcohol that had warmed her body faded, the room suddenly felt empty. A chill ran through her body and she clutched her shawl tighter. She knew exactly what he meant. Her chest tingled as she inhaled and exhaled slowly, repeating the process. 

For no reason, her gaze drifted to the window where the stars were scattered across the sky. The night was still deep. After a deep breath through her nose, she finally met Calix’s eyes. 

“Am I the mouse the cat will hunt tonight?”

She couldn’t help but think with a laugh that her earlier grooming and preparation had made her feel like she was preparing to be the cat’s meal. She narrowed her eyes teasingly. 

“I would never compare my wife to a mere mouse.” 

“So you don’t deny that you are a cat?” 

“Yes. It’s only natural.”

In an attempt to ease the tension, they exchanged light conversation, and Calix stood up first. He moved closer, almost within arm’s reach, and leaned towards her.

The sweet smell of wine, mixed with a hint of sunshine, surrounded her and made her dizzy.

She had thought the effects of the alcohol had worn off, but the aroma of the wine mixed with his scent caused the warmth of the alcohol to rise sharply again. As she stared at him, her feet seemed to lift off the ground and float in mid-air.

Instinctively, Ciela wrapped her arms around Calix’s neck and watched as he gave her a mischievous smile and pressed her forehead gently, not too hard, against his. As they looked at each other, all she could see were eyes filled with nothing but each other. Eyes that seemed ready to overflow.

“……”

“……”

Without either of them making the first move, their lips met. The same scent of wine emanated from both of them, connecting them deeply and richly from the inside out.

* * *

A few days later, Grace had a dream.

A yellow cat, the one that had once led Ciela to her, was walking gently down a path of flowers. This time the cat jumped into Ciela’s arms, holding the biggest and most beautiful flower in its mouth. 

 ***The End***