Chapter 39
Her heart dropped.
…Is that a threat or a confession?
Normally, considering Edward’s personality, it had to be the first one.
But if you only looked at the words…
Didn’t it sound like he was saying he wanted to stay with her forever?
He’s making people misunderstand.
Lucy’s heart pounded wildly.
If she wanted to keep him in a good mood, she should probably say what he wanted to hear.
But…
There are things I can’t compromise on.
She swallowed hard and steeled herself.
I can’t sign without a safety clause.
A contract is important. My life is important too.
She carefully watched Edward before speaking.
“H-Hey…”
“…”
“No matter how ambitious I am, how could I stick a straw into your precious, beautiful back and live off you?”
“…Beautiful?”
“Yes. It’s really beautiful.”
That wasn’t flattery.
It was simply true.
I saw it while I was washing him. His back was unbelievably beautiful.
It was probably the prettiest back she had ever seen.
Well…
Aside from her older sisters, Edward was the first man’s bare back she had ever seen.
“I could never take advantage of such a beautiful back.”
Edward’s expression became strangely stiff.
…Did he get offended because I called him pretty instead of handsome?
That was what Lucy assumed.
But Edward was thinking about something completely different.
“Master, you’re beautiful here… and here too.”
“That’s why I want to do this for you.”
He remembered the Lucy from his dream whispering those words.
He remembered the seductive smile she wore.
The way she had climbed onto him and moved.
How slender her waist had been.
How her chest had swayed under the moonlight every time she moved.
…And how desperately he had wanted to put those small pomegranate-like buds into his mouth.
Who is she calling beautiful?
To Edward…
Lucy’s soft, graceful body was the truly beautiful one.
…No.
That had only happened in his dream.
So saying, Your body is beautiful, might not make sense.
I won’t know until I actually undress her.
The moment that thought crossed his mind…
Something Lucy had said earlier came back to him.
“For example… even if the Duke and I do something that could result in a baby!”
Such a bold thing to say.
Exactly.
So she really did want him to cherish her.
It wasn’t only him.
Lucy clearly wanted him too.
Just imagining those shameless thoughts hiding inside her tiny, adorable head pleased him.
He still hated the clause she insisted on adding.
But realizing she desired him…
And thought his body was attractive…
Instantly improved his mood.
After all…
If someone called you beautiful…
It meant they liked you.
Feeling refreshed, Edward thought,
…Fine.
I’ll agree to it.
He still disliked the clause.
But…
It only matters if we ever separate.
If they never divorced…
Then whether the clause existed or not made no difference.
The moment he reached that conclusion, his mood improved even more.
The strange pressure filling the room disappeared.
Relieved, Lucy added,
“Um… this clause is for your benefit too. You remember our agreement, right? Once you become a complete Dragon Avatar, you’ll be able to find your true mate.”
“…”
“When that person appears, it’s only natural that I step aside…”
Crack.
Lucy froze halfway through her sentence.
Edward glanced at the broken armrest he had crushed…
Then calmly fitted the broken piece back into place as if nothing had happened.
He smiled brightly.
“A true mate…”
“Right.”
“Exactly.”
“But now that I think about it…”
“Lucy.”
“Hm?”
“This sounds like it applies to you too.”
“What?”
“It sounds like you’re asking me to agree that if you find someone better than me someday, you’ll leave peacefully.”
“…Surely that’s not why you want this clause?”
“What? Of course not!”
“Good.”
“There’s no man better than me anyway.”
Is he angry… or bragging?
Sweating nervously, Lucy hurried to agree.
“That’s true. Where would I ever find another man like you?”
“For your information, even the Crown Prince is uglier than I am.”
“Of course! You’re the prettiest man in the whole world!”
“…You like me that much?”
“Don’t even ask. I could stare at your face for a hundred years.”
“…”
“Anyway, I’ll never be the one asking for a divorce because of this clause.”
Afraid the mood might sour again, Lucy added sweetly,
“Besides… who else would I ever marry?”
She meant it.
He’s rich.
He’s handsome.
And… he’s probably amazing in bed.
At least for now…
There was no better marriage candidate than Edward.
This contract would be both her first and last.
The red eyes staring at her slowly softened.
“…Fine.”
Edward stamped the contract with the added clause.
Holding the completed marriage contract in her hands…
Lucy smiled brightly.
A few days later…
“Thank you for your time!”
“We’ll come again soon!”
The enthusiastic dress designers left the reception room one after another.
Lucy waved until the last one disappeared.
The moment the door closed…
She collapsed onto the sofa like a limp rice cake.
“…I’m exhausted.”
The table was covered with countless fabric samples and dress sketches piled up like mountains.
They were all designs for the dresses she would wear as the Duchess.
Honestly, I could just wear the dresses already in the mansion.
At first, she had been excited.
But now…
It all felt excessive.
Changing into dozens of dresses every single day is too much…
She had carefully mentioned this once.
Edward’s answer had been simple.
***
“Just make everything from scratch.”
“What? But…”
“All the Duchess’s dresses belong to the Dowager Duchess anyway.”
“So make new ones.”
“If you want, buy every single one.”
Of course…
She wasn’t unhappy about getting new clothes.
But…
This is exhausting.
The biggest problem wasn’t the clothes.
It was having to change into dozens of outfits every day.
And why are there so many wedding dress designs?
There were endless wedding dress sketches for the ceremony that would soon take place.
Far too many.
On top of that…
The requirements for a Tesseron wedding dress were absurd.
It had to be luxurious yet modest.
Modern yet traditional.
Sexy yet innocent.
Elegant while also making the people of the territory feel close to their Duchess.
It sounded exactly like the impossible demands of a nightmare client.
Yet the designers were thrilled.
“We’ll create the perfect masterpiece!”
“Please look forward to it, future Duchess!”
They had spent hours making Lucy try on dozens of wedding dresses.
Completely drained, she muttered,
“Can’t we just choose one at random…”
“No, Your Grace.”
Oops.
She had forgotten she wasn’t alone.
Rosendal had quietly stayed beside her the whole time.
“There are still more things to review.”
As always, he looked at Lucy with a strict expression.
“Um… can’t we do the rest tomorrow, Rosendal?”
“You have etiquette lessons tomorrow.”
“And you must stop speaking so formally to me.”
“The same goes for Tepe and Gorgo.”
“Sorry… I mean…”
“You must correct that before the wedding.”
His words were polite.
But cold.
“I acknowledge that your holy power is remarkable.”
“…”
“However, becoming the Duchess requires far more than holy power.”
“I hope you understand.”
Oh dear.
While Lucy nervously watched him…
The maids quietly entered and began organizing the fabrics and sketches.
“Then… please get some rest.”
“Your Gra… no…”
“My Lady.”
“…”
They awkwardly greeted her before stiffly leaving the room.
Watching them go…
Lucy smiled bitterly.
Things were already awkward…
Now her relationship with the servants had become even more uncomfortable than before.
Even if she explained that she was technically just another contracted employee…
And that the contract happened to be a marriage certificate…
She knew no one would believe it.
So… just like Rosendal said…
I really do have to act like the Duchess.
Whether she could actually do it…
She wasn’t confident.
Besides…
The Dowager Duchess was still alive.
Just as that thought crossed her mind…
Someone hurried into the reception room.
It was the only maid who never acted awkward around Lucy.
“My Lady, I asked the kitchen to prepare some herbal tea for you.”
“Clara?”
