Chapter 93
Thank you so much for loving me like this.
“Wife, were you very frightened?”
As Lucianne was dragged away by the knights, Ruan anxiously looked Marican over from head to toe.
“I wasn’t as startled as I thought I’d be. It’s just…”
She had expected hair-pulling, but she hadn’t imagined someone would actually come at her with a knife.
Seeing the complicated look on Marican’s face, Ruan gently drew her into his arms.
“Let’s head back inside. Don’t you think it’s time to put yesterday’s practice to the test?”
Practice?
Ah. Marican suddenly recalled how, during yesterday’s dance rehearsal, she had stepped on Ruan’s feet countless times. Her face heated with embarrassment.
“W-wait. I’m still not used to dancing… how about we do it next time?”
“Don’t worry, my wife.”
Guided by Ruan’s hand, Marican entered the ballroom just as Harmon and Patricia’s dance ended. The guests were moving toward the center of the floor, joining together as the orchestra played.
“What if I step on Ruan’s feet again?”
Unlike the summer festival, Marican had no confidence at all. But Ruan only smiled.
“Even if you do, it doesn’t hurt me in the least. So stop worrying, and just dance as you wish.”
“Haha.”
That’s not much of a consolation, Ruan.
Still, Marican smiled faintly and tried her best to tread lightly.
***
“Goodness, Harmon—Marican really can’t dance, can she? Her timing is all wrong. And I’d bet anything she’s trampling the Duke’s feet. I never thought I’d see the cold-faced Duke wearing such an expression. How does he not even flinch when he’s stepped on so much… He must really adore Marican. Unlike someone I know. Honestly, I’m jealous.”
Patricia spoke while watching Harmon’s face contort every time she accidentally pressed too hard during their dance. Harmon looked aggrieved.
“Patricia, are you talking about me right now? You should look at the heels you’re wearing before you say such things. I wouldn’t be surprised if my insteps are black and blue. And sure, I may have winced a little, but I never actually complained, did I?”
“You’re complaining right now.”
“That’s different. It’s just—when you keep praising Ruan like that, I get jealous.”
Jealous? Of Ruan?
“Jealous? Don’t tell me you’re actually jealous because I praised him? Harmon, you know how to do that?”
“Of course. Our marriage may have been arranged, but we made a promise to each other, remember?”
“That’s true. We agreed to start as lovers first. But tell me—what exactly have you done for our so-called romance?”
“Well, I practice swordsmanship, don’t I?”
What?
Sword practice was something he had to do anyway, under Lord Viseluc’s orders. Patricia frowned.
“You mean… you’re saying you train with me just so we can spend time together?”
“Of course. Why else would I? And every session, I end up getting smacked by your wooden sword.”
At that, Patricia remembered their very first meeting.
***
“I dislike arranged marriages.”
That was the very first thing Harmon said to her, after the proposal had been raised and he came to meet her.
“…What?”
“I hate arranged marriages. Watching my parents was enough. My mother and father, the Emperor and Empress—they were bound for politics, not love. They lived together for decades, neither hating nor loving one another, but always keeping their distance. I refuse to live like that. So, if we must marry, let’s at least begin as lovers.”
Lovers? He thinks that’s possible between us?
Patricia had resigned herself long ago to a loveless marriage for the sake of Allomand. Yet strangely… she didn’t dislike Harmon’s proposal.
A romance within an arrangement… maybe, with someone like him, it wouldn’t be so bad.
Unknowingly, she had smiled back then and agreed.
“Fine. Then let’s start with this ‘romance’ you speak of.”
***
And so, theirs became a marriage that was arranged, yet not. But with all the chaos since arriving in the Empire, they had barely had time for a single proper date.
And now Harmon was talking about jealousy.
“So the reason you spar with me isn’t to sharpen your skills, but just to spend time together?”
“Exactly. With everything going on, we barely get time alone. This is the only way I can be with you.”
Of course, “dating” through swordplay was hardly easy…
“Haha. If that’s the case, then your skill shouldn’t be improving so fast.”
“Well, if I didn’t, you wouldn’t keep training me for so long, would you?”
When Patricia met his steady gaze, a strange shyness stirred within her.
“Harmon, stop teasing me. Ah—look, Marican’s finished her dance. I came here to start the ball, but I should speak with her a little more. Is that all right?”
Harmon smiled and nodded.
“Of course. She’s your sister, and she’s been through much today. But you owe me another dance afterward.”
Didn’t he just say he’d never dance again after being stepped on?
Blushing faintly, Patricia nodded.
“Fine. One more dance.”
***
Later that night, after much laughter and wine, Marican grew tipsy and sentimental. Holding her glass to her chest like a treasure, she looked around at Ruan, at the servants, at her newfound family.
“Everyone… thank you so much for welcoming me back to this house. You’re all family to me. Thank you… thank you so much for loving me like this.”
Her cheeks flushed pink as her words wavered. Ruan couldn’t help but laugh softly and gathered her into his arms.
“I think my wife is rather drunk. That’s enough for tonight.”
He carried her away, though she stubbornly insisted she wasn’t drunk at all—just that “the ground kept moving.”
And as she gazed at his face, bathed in moonlight, she whispered with startling sincerity:
“No matter how I look at you, Ruan… you’re too handsome.”
“I know. My looks are the reason you like me, aren’t they?”
“What? No, that’s not it.”
“…?”
“Come closer. I’ll tell you the real reason I love you.”
