So she held back, while Byron, usually composed, had been on the verge of tears for a while.

“Priest, this is a wedding, not a funeral. Stop crying.”

“I know, I know.”

But what could he do when the tears came? Not only had he finished his labor camp sentence and regained his position as priest, but seeing Arsen and Lydia as bride and groom overwhelmed him with emotion.

‘Priest Byron, you’re quite the tearful one.’

Seeing Byron unable to properly watch the wedding because he was busy wiping away tears, Lydia suddenly felt her eyes grow hot.

When they were suffering together in the labor camp, she never imagined a day like this would come.

‘No. I don’t want to be a crying bride.’

Standing before the altar listening to the officiant, Lydia bit the soft flesh inside her mouth painfully. Fortunately, she didn’t shed tears, but the corners of her eyes turned as red as if she had been crying.

“Now the bride and groom will seal their vows with a kiss.”

As the veil was lifted with a rustle, Lydia raised her head along with it. She saw confusion rippling across the handsome face looking at her.

“Why……”

Arsen asked in a barely audible voice. Why was she crying?

Lydia answered by mouthing the words.

“Because I’m happy.”

Only then did Arsen’s stiff face relax a little. Somehow, the corners of his eyes also seemed to have reddened.

“Ahem.”

As they lingered without kissing, the officiant cleared his throat softly. Coming to his senses, Arsen bent toward Lydia.

For a moment, a mischievous smile flashed across his face.

“……!”

Lydia expected a light kiss that would briefly touch and then separate. Indeed, Arsen’s lips were on Lydia’s for just a moment.

But in that brief instant, Arsen’s tongue swept through Lydia’s mouth. Though truly brief, it was a deep, almost wet kiss.

Though others couldn’t have known, Lydia’s face turned bright red.

“It’s not time to cry yet.”

Arsen whispered in Lydia’s ear. He wanted her to show her crying face later in bed.

To say such things at a sacred wedding ceremony…

“You’re really not a gentleman.”

“Did you want to marry a gentleman? Then you’re out of luck. This marriage can’t be undone now.”

At his glib words, Lydia lightly hit his chest with her bouquet, but her face was more joyful than ever. So this is what it feels like to be overwhelmingly happy.

It was worth coming back from death.

While Lydia savored the moment, Arsen was nearly dying with impatience for night to fall. Lydia in her wedding dress was so beautiful that it was truly hard to endure.

Had his patience been slightly weaker, something scandalous might have happened during their kiss.

But he admirably endured until darkness fell. After a thorough bath, Arsen hurried to their wedding chamber.

“……Lydia?”

“Mmm.”

However, waiting for him in the bedroom was not a wide-awake Lydia, but one who had fallen asleep from exhaustion.

“Lydia, are you sleeping?”

“Mmm.”

When Arsen, unable to give up, shook her shoulder, Lydia buried her face in the blanket with a sleepy protest.

“……”

Yes, she must be tired. How tired she must be. Arsen properly tucked Lydia in and then crawled into bed beside her.

“Lydia.”

Drip-drop, Lydia’s steady breathing filled the bedroom. Wanting to call her name for no reason, Arsen called Lydia’s name to his heart’s content.

“Lydia, wife.”

They had already spent their first night together, and many nights remained ahead of them, so there was no need to rush.

Yes, until now Arsen hadn’t realized that those many nights might be just like tonight.

* * *

The borderlands, which had changed from the Evansi marquisate’s border to the Edis barony, then to the Bayern margraviate, and now to the Bayern grand duchy, were in chaos.

The same was true for Wonde’s territory, which had suddenly changed hands. After all, it had transformed from Wonde’s county to a margraviate and then abruptly into the Bayern grand duchy.

It was a wonder that Bruce and Luzan hadn’t collapsed from overwork. Kedrick also came to help, but exhausted from the paperwork, he flew off saying he would assist Arsen.

Thanks to that, Bruce and Luzan were on the verge of falling ill from their excessive workload.

“……Lydia?”

“Mmm.”

This meant that Arsen and Lydia also had an enormous amount of work. Even after arriving at the grand duchy, Arsen and Lydia had no time to breathe.

The work Arsen had postponed while lingering in the capital, reluctant to part from Lydia, had returned as karma.

They couldn’t even enjoy their honeymoon. Meeting the flood of visitors, discussing matters with the lords of nearby small territories that had been incorporated when they were elevated to a grand duchy……

Days passed without them realizing how time flew.

Their long-awaited first night, the next night, and the night after that just slipped away. The following day and the day after that, the work didn’t diminish. Arsen regretted accepting the grand ducal title, an unfortunate consequence of his good fortune.

If Arsen felt this way, how must Lydia feel with her relatively weaker constitution? Unable to withstand the heavy workload, she fell asleep exhausted every night.

‘Spending our honeymoon working?’

This wasn’t right.

Arsen hopelessly gazed at Lydia, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion for the seventh night in a row. Even though they had already spent their first night together, how could they waste their honeymoon like this? This wasn’t the married life he had imagined.

Yes, this wasn’t right.

The next morning, Arsen woke up early and headed to his office. He picked up the mountain of documents and divided them into two categories.

Urgent and non-urgent.

Somehow, more documents piled up in the non-urgent category, but that wasn’t due to Arsen’s personal bias.

Truly, in his view, they were less urgent than his honeymoon.

After sorting through the documents until lunchtime and reviewing and signing the urgent ones, Arsen called for the half-dead Luzan and Bruce.

“I’m planning to go on a honeymoon starting tomorrow.”

“What……?”

“What? No, you can’t go on a honeymoon during this busy time, it’s impossible.”

Luzan and Bruce clung to Arsen’s pant legs, but he coldly shook them off.

“I’ve finished the urgent matters, so you should be able to handle the rest.”

So I’m going on a honeymoon, definitely.

* * *

“A honeymoon? Suddenly? That won’t work.”

“Why not?”

“We’re too busy?”

A trip? What a leisurely suggestion.

Lydia was busier now than at any time since her regression. If Maria, who had come along to attend the wedding and greet people including Nella and Albert, hadn’t helped, Lydia might have collapsed from overwork.

Even generously estimating, the territory would need at least another half year to stabilize. In such a situation, a honeymoon? Lydia wondered if Arsen had temporarily lost his mind from being too busy.

“Let’s go next spring for our honeymoon.”

“That wouldn’t be a honeymoon, just a regular trip.”

Arsen’s determination was firmer than Lydia had expected. He had already packed her luggage and prepared the carriage. Before Lydia could say anything more than “uh,” Arsen picked her up and placed her in the carriage.

“No, we have so much work to do……”

Carried out in Arsen’s arms, Lydia encountered Luzan, who looked like a walking corpse, and Kedrick, who resembled a ghost. She felt very uncomfortable about being the only one going to rest.

Why wouldn’t Lydia have romantic dreams about a sweet honeymoon? She did, but she felt awkward about taking a break when everyone else was working so hard.

“So you knew we had a lot to do, my wife.”

The “work” Lydia mentioned and the “work” Arsen spoke of had slightly different meanings. Lydia’s work was in the office, but Arsen’s work was about to begin.

“Wait, just a moment.”

Seeing Arsen approaching as if he would devour her, Lydia moved her b*tt backward.

But they were inside a carriage. She had nowhere to escape.

Arsen swiftly caught the startled Lydia and sat her on his thigh.

“Here, this is inside a carriage.”

“It’s a closed space with just the two of us.”

They were merely traveling. Arsen had cleared only one week. Time was limited. Even travel time was precious. Arsen embraced Lydia and kissed her. The kissing continued until they arrived at the villa in a quiet seaside village.

By the time they got out of the carriage, Lydia’s lips were swollen. She had been so anxious about things progressing beyond kissing in there that she had fallen behind.

Glaring at Arsen with reproachful eyes, Lydia soon became distracted by the charming and pretty villa that came into view.

“The house is really pretty.”

The small house with a view of the beach when the windows were opened was quaint yet decorated with the unique atmosphere of a seaside village.

“There’s a hammock over there too.”

“But why is the hammock inside the house?”

“I specially installed it inside for my wife.”

He spoke as if he had wanted to set it up outside but had specially hung it indoors for her. Lydia frowned, not understanding at all.

“For me? Why is that for me?”

“I’ll explain.”

Arsen approached Lydia as if there was some grand reason. He stood behind her, looking at the hammock side by side, and placed his hands on her shoulders. By this point, Lydia became very curious about the reason.

“Actually, I wouldn’t mind if it were outside.”

Arsen’s hands, which had been on her shoulders, swept Lydia’s hair to the front of her shoulders and then untied the ribbon of her dress.