DGCBYH 49

Chapter 49. Meeting with Scarlett (1)

That night, Escallion came into the bedroom late, stripping off his shirt and tossing it to the floor as he walked to the bed.

Isn’t he cold…?

Belladonna, bundled up beneath the blankets in a thick velvet nightgown, watched him approach, looking at him as if she were staring at a wild bear.

“You’re all bundled up in there,” Escallion said, grinning at the sight of Belladonna curled up under the covers.

He slipped beneath the blanket, pulling her tightly into his arms.

Pressed against his warm skin, Belladonna snuggled even closer.

“Does my wife not have the ability to regulate her body temperature? Why are you always so cold?”

“…”

“Hang on, I’ll ask them to put more wood on the fire—”

But Belladonna grabbed him, stopping him from getting up.
He looked down at her, puzzled, and she shook her head.

“It’s warm like this, when I’m close to you.”

At her soft little voice, Escallion clenched his jaw and gripped the blanket tighter.

“Do you realize what that sounds like to me right now?”

“…?”

“It sounds like you want me even closer. I know exactly how to warm you up quickly—how about it?”

Oh, seriously!

Blushing, Belladonna gave him a playful smack. It didn’t seem to bother him at all; he just chuckled, ruffling her hair.

“Not much strength behind that, is there?”

“…”

“There’s one big downside to being back in Griblata. A fatal one.”

“…And what’s that?”

She brushed her hair back, and he shrugged.

“I can’t just undress you whenever I want. It’s too cold—you’d catch a cold.”

“Is that really all that’s in your head?”

“Perfectly normal thoughts for a man with such a beautiful wife, wouldn’t you say?”

Belladonna found herself smiling at his mischievous golden eyes, only to roll away in protest. Escallion laughed again and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

She closed her eyes, comforted by the solid embrace around her waist.

Let’s just get some sleep!

“Wolf told me.”

A little later, after the laughter faded, Escallion’s low voice reached her. Belladonna opened her eyes, listening.

“He said you sent a letter to Scarlett today. One you wrote yourself.”

She remembered the invitation she’d carefully penned. After all her time in Astanya, she’d written so many invitations that it was second nature by now.

But Escallion’s next words were heavy.

“She hates me.”

Belladonna turned to look at him.

“Well, I guess I get it. She must find it annoying for an ‘older brother’ to suddenly appear and start meddling in her life.”

“…”

“It probably doesn’t help that I’ve never introduced her to anyone as my sister, either. I just hover around, making myself a nuisance…”

“Still…”

Belladonna rolled over to face him fully, looking into his deep eyes.

“Tell Scarlett,” she said softly, “Don’t hide it anymore. Tell her everything. Tell her that all your choices were for her sake, and that you’ve always cared—more than anyone else.”

“Belladona…”

“If you do that, she’ll realize just how much you cherish her.”

He fell silent, looking at her. Her clear blue eyes and gentle touch seemed to put his heart at ease—something he’d never quite felt before.

Unable to hold back, he closed his eyes and muttered,

“…She’s a stubborn brat, not easy to talk to.”

“Maybe she takes after you, then.”

“What?”

He opened his eyes, only to see Belladonna covering her mouth to stifle a laugh.

He couldn’t help but laugh along.

“Now you’re teasing me, too, huh?” he said, sliding his hand under her nightgown and shifting his weight over her.

“You’re going to pay for that.”

Belladonna pushed at his shoulder as he began peppering her cheek with kisses, laughing softly.

A few days later, Belladonna stood nervously, staring at the distant castle gates.

Escallion drew her gently into his arms.

“We could just wait in the dining hall, you know. It’s cold out here.”

Belladonna shook her head, refusing to look away from the gate. No matter how cold it was, this was her first meeting with her husband’s sister—she wanted to greet her properly.

Soon, the carriage Escallion had sent out arrived at the gate.

She’s here…!

“Miss Scarlett Layton’s carriage has arrived,” Wolf announced from ahead.

He opened the carriage door and offered a hand to the woman inside.

Belladonna watched as Scarlett stepped down—tall and slender, with long black hair flowing down her back, just as she remembered from Euphranga Street 76.

But up close, Scarlett’s eyes were a deep golden-wheat color, not quite the same as Escallion’s but distinctly similar.

They really do look alike…!

Scarlett bowed politely.

“Thank you for inviting me. I’m Scarlett Layton.”

“…”

“…”

Belladonna, unable to speak, and Escallion, with nothing in particular to say, both fell silent.

Wolf, unable to stand the awkwardness, jumped in.

“Th-thank you for coming such a long way! Shall we go inside? Dinner is ready.”

“Ah, yes.”
Scarlett’s expression hardly changed.

Belladonna smiled, gesturing for Scarlett to follow her.

As they walked, Belladonna glanced at Escallion. Say something! She squeezed his hand, prompting him to speak.

“What were you doing before you came?”

Oh no—not like that!

Belladonna glanced anxiously at Scarlett, but she just answered calmly,

“Just at home.”

And that was the end of that.

In the heavy silence of the corridor, Belladonna swallowed nervously. She had a feeling this dinner would be far from easy.

“This is a stew, simmered with mussels for hours.”

The servants brought in dish after dish, filling the table. Belladonna watched in silence.

“Eat plenty,” Escallion said.

“Thank you.”

The siblings immediately focused on their food, saying nothing more as they ate.

Belladonna couldn’t help but let out a small giggle.

“…?”

The two siblings, both hunched over their plates in exactly the same way, looked up at her in unison.

She reached for a notepad and scribbled:

[You two really do have a lot in common.]

“Me?”

“Ugh.”

“Did you just say ‘ugh’?”

Scarlett pulled a face, and Escallion frowned.

“Show some manners in front of my wife.”

“Sorry.”
Scarlett ducked her head to Belladonna. The sight made Belladonna smile—she really did seem like a little sister.

She wrote again:

[Do you like the food? Thank you for coming.]

“No, thank you for inviting me. I didn’t know Escallion had told you about me…”

Scarlett glanced at her brother, calling him by name. Escallion, for his part, just kept shuffling the tomatoes on his plate.

Belladonna wrote again:

[He told me quite a bit. I hope we can meet often, from now on.]

Scarlett’s expression shifted slightly. She looked at Escallion, then back at Belladonna and nodded.

“Thank you for being so kind. Honestly, I wanted to meet you too. There were so many rumors…”

Rumors? Belladonna looked puzzled, so Scarlett explained,

“They said a beautiful saint came to Griblata—someone completely different from Escallion.”

Completely different? Belladonna looked at her husband. In appearance, at least, she supposed they were opposites: his broad frame, sun-browned skin, golden eyes, and magnetic presence couldn’t be more different from her own.

Scarlett continued,

“Not just in looks, but personality too—they say you’re gentle, gracious, and warm.”

“Are you saying that for my benefit?” Escallion grumbled.

Scarlett ignored him and pressed on,

“There’s something I’ve always wanted to ask: How did you two end up getting married?”

“Everyone in Griblata wants to know. One day Escallion went to Astanya, and the next he’s back with a saint as his wife. If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer. Forgive me for asking.”

Belladonna smiled and shook her head—she wasn’t offended at all. In fact, she found the question refreshing.

Why did I marry Escallion…?

To be honest, it had been nothing more than a political match. Even now, though her feelings for him had grown so much deeper, when they’d first met all she’d felt was anxiety and unease, afraid her voice would be discovered…

Before she could answer, Escallion spoke up,

“I fell for her at first sight and brought her home.”