DIETHER caught a cold.
He was used to getting taken care of the servants every time he was sick.
[I love Mother, but she’s not actually the caring type…]
Hence, he expected to see a maid gently putting a wet towel on his forehead.
But, much to Diether’s pleasant surprise, it was Celeste’s pretty face that he saw as soon as he opened his eyes.
“My wife…?”
Celeste gave him a bright smile as she nodded. “Yes, it’s me, my husband.”
“Why are you here?” Diether asked weakly. “You shouldn’t be here…”
They were married, but children involved in early marriages weren’t allowed to share the same bedroom until they reached the age of eighteen.
And there was a reason for that rule, of course.
[Does Celeste not know because she’s so innocent…?]
“Are you worried that I might catch your cold?” Celeste asked, giggling. “Don’t worry, Diether. I don’t get sick easily.”
“It’s not that…”
His wife tilted her head to one side cutely. “Then what are you worried about?”
Diether was grateful that his cheeks were naturally flushed at the moment because he was sick. If it wasn’t the case, then Celeste would have noticed that he blushed.
[Should I say it?]
It was embarrassing to talk about it, but he had to teach her innocent wife so they wouldn’t make a mistake.
“Celeste, you can’t touch me carelessly when we’re in the same bedroom.”
“Huh?”
“B-Baby…” Diether said, embarrassed. Then he shut his eyes tight so he wouldn’t see Celeste’s reaction to was he was about to teach her. “Married couples will get pregnant if they hold hands in bed. And we’re too young to have a baby!”
Celeste just laughed out loud during that time.
And Diether only found out why his dear wife laughed back then when he received sex education at age thirteen.
[Needless to say, Celeste teased me about it every chance she got.]
***
DIETHER blinked and shook his head, trying to forget the piece of memory he shared with Celeste that suddenly flooded his mind because of Sonata’s question.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
[“Are we going to have sex tonight?”]
That was his new legal wife’s question.
“Sonata, do you always have to be so blunt?” Diether asked, sighing. “You could have just asked me if we should consummate our marriage tonight.”
“But where’s the fun in that?” Sonata asked teasingly. “I wouldn’t have seen your flustered face had I phrased my question nicely.”
Ah, so that was on purpose.
He put his hands on his hips while giving his legal wife a disapproving look. “Is it fun teasing me?”
Sonata managed to look innocent while admitting to her mischief with a smile and a nod.
[She acts mature most of the time, but how come she becomes playful when she’s around me? Is this a form of bullying?]
But, to be honest, it didn’t feel bad.
[Only a few people could treat me like a normal person, after all.]
“I was actually looking for you because I want to introduce you to the servants formally,” Diether said, changing the topic for now. “But follow me for now. I’ll give you a tour.”
***
SONATA was relieved after the house tour was over.
She actually didn’t expect Diether to be passionate about explaining the story behind the architecture of the mansion. He even shared the history of some of the antique furniture and decorations in the house.
And, surprisingly, the commander was very interested in paintings.
“Was it boring?” Diether asked while the two of them were walking down the hallway leading to their bedroom. “I noticed you didn’t react much when I was talking about the art pieces that our family owns. To be honest, I thought you were going to tease me.”
Sonata looked at him curiously. “Tease you for what?”
“For being so engrossed in art,” her husband said, shrugging. “My friends often tell me it doesn’t suit me.”
She let out an exaggerated gasp. “You have friends?”
Diether gave her a dire look, as if saying he was already fed up with her antics. But it was obvious that he wasn’t being serious about it. There was a glint of playfulness in his eyes. He just really looked tired because of the dark bags under his eyes. “Sometimes I wonder what you think of me, my legal wife.”
[‘My legal wife.’]
The way Diether called her his ‘legal wife’ was fascinating.
[It’s like he’s saying I am nothing but his wife only in name.]
It wasn’t that hard to see that Diether still held Celeste Hexford in his heart as his one and only ‘dear’ wife.
“I have friends,” Diether said softly. “They are mine and Celeste’s friends.”
“Ah, I see,” Sonata said, then she teased him again. “I can imagine Lady Celeste dragging you around to make friends.”
He turned to her with a surprised look on his face. “How did you know that?”
Pfft.
“Because I can’t imagine you going out of your way to make friends,” she said, smiling. “Lady Celeste must have worked hard to turn you into a decent member of society.”
Diether smiled softly. “That, she did.”
Sonata smiled while enjoying the tender look on her husband’s face while talking about his first wife.
[He’s probably thinking of Lady Celeste.]
“You’re doing it again.”
Sonata raised an eyebrow at her husband. “Doing what?”
“Smiling as if you’re genuinely happy for me.”
“But I am,” she said sincerely. “Happiness is contagious, you know? I like it when people around me are happy because it makes me feel good, too.”
“Then I’m glad that you’re my legal wife,” Diether said in a soft and sincere voice. “Thank you for sincerely rooting for my happiness even if it’s with another person, Sonata. I may not be able to make you happy as a woman, but I’ll make sure to give you a comfortable life as my legal wife and the future Grand Duchess.”
“You make me happy, though?”
He turned to her with a surprised look on his face. “I do?”
She nodded eagerly. “Your reactions to my teasing are fascinating.”
He rolled his eyes at her, but a small smile formed on his face. Then he cleared his throat and changed the topic. “Sonata, I really see you as a comrade. Hence, I don’t want to taint our budding friendship by sleeping with you.”
“Oh. Is that your response to my question earlier?”
“That’s right,” Diether said, nodding. “I know people who don’t have feelings for each other could sleep together. That was how I was conceived.”
Pfft.
“But let’s not do that,” he said. “Let’s not sleep with each other for pleasure. And about producing an heir…”
The sudden shift in the air distracted Sonata.
“Wait, Diether.”
“Yes?”
Sonata’s golden eyes glowed. “There’s a rat in your house, Commander.”
Diether looked confused at first, then his sky-blue eyes glowered when he finally noticed the presence lurking around them. “Let me catch it for you, Lady.”