Chapter 50
First Night of the Wedding (3)
The side of Brody’s neck felt unusually warm—Aidan’s face, flushed from the alcohol coursing through him, was even hotter than usual.
“……”
Was it really okay to be this close?
Up until now, Brody had tried to keep her distance, matching his attitude.
No—ever since the moment she decided she could not accept him, she had resolved that physical contact with him was neither polite nor proper.
So the only one who held the key to closing that distance was Aidan.
Brody tried to calmly sort through her thoughts—or at least, tried to be calm.
This is fine, right? He’s the one who approached first… And besides, to, um, complete a marriage, don’t they have to… confirm it, or prove it, or something like that?
It was obvious what married couples were expected to do on their first night.
They were supposed to consummate it.
But how exactly was that confirmed? How did one prove it?
If we don’t… does that mean the marriage vows won’t be complete?
Brody had no idea.
But his breathing was slowing, becoming more even…
She knew he hadn’t been sleeping properly lately. Honestly, she had wanted nothing more than to let him sleep soundly tonight…
I’m telling you, I don’t know the marriage procedures. What am I supposed to do here~
After patting him gently and hesitating many times about whether to speak, Brody finally made up her mind.
She had no choice.
“Your Highness, Your Highness. Please, wake up for a moment.”
Brody shook Aidan awake.
He turned his head slightly, peeking one eye open to look up at her.
There was something almost petulant in his gaze, and Brody, unsure how to react, gave him an awkward smile.
“Um… we’re still in the middle of our wedding, you know.”
He blinked a few times, and finally seemed to understand.
“Ah, the wedding. Right… of course…”
Muttering, he propped himself up on one elbow, half-sitting.
In doing so, he leaned toward her, almost hovering over her.
Caught in his gaze, Brody looked up at him nervously.
The soft lamplight in the room reflected a deep blue glow in his eyes.
His low voice spread slowly through the air, heavy with passion.
“I vow to take you as my wife and love you for the rest of my life.”
“……”
Brody froze, staring at him.
Though her body stopped, her heart began pounding so hard it felt like it might hit her skin from the inside.
That’s…
It was the same vow he had made during the ceremony earlier. Was he just repeating it?
Then why… why does it feel like I’m going to go crazy?
A shiver ran through her whole body, her pulse clamoring to make its presence known.
Unable to bear the feeling, Brody clenched her fists.
His face drew closer to her eyes, still tense.
When she closed her eyes lightly, a faint chup brushed her eyelids.
Is… is it happening? Yeah, of course it should. We have to, after all.
She had no nerve to be the one to approach him.
But tonight… there was no choice.
This was business—an act legally required for the contract.
It’s just a contractual necessity, right?
She asked him that with her eyes.
Then why are you looking at me like that?
But his heated gaze seemed to say something else.
To make me flutter. To make me hope. To shake my heart.
When Aidan lifted his lips from her eyes, he held her gaze.
It was an intense look that said he wanted her.
“Brody…”
The closeness of his breath made her heart skip.
As he lowered his face, their noses brushed.
Their lips hovered on the edge of touching, heat trembling between them.
Then Brody noticed the deep crease between his brows.
“Does your head hurt?”
“Mmh.”
Was that a yes, or a no?
He pressed his brow gently against hers, letting out a groaning reply.
And with that, their lips finally touched.
It was a kiss that barely grazed, ticklish in its lightness.
Her eyelids trembled, brushing against the corner of his eye.
Could moonlight tremble too?
Their images wavered, and in an instant, the hesitation closed.
Aidan slid his hand into her hair, pulling gently at her nape.
This time their lips met more deeply.
Soft sounds of contact and parting stirred the air.
Brody’s fingers slid along his neck, tangling behind it.
Aidan tilted his head lower, seeking her lips with growing urgency.
His heated hand stroked her shoulder cautiously.
Her hair spilled wildly over the pillow.
Leaning half over her, Aidan brushed strands of hair from her face with a tender touch.
Brody looked up into his eyes—now calmer, but deep and lingering.
Heart pressed to heart, there was a strange resonance between them.
She savored his warmth with her whole body.
Familiar, yet somehow foreign warmth.
A warmth she would no longer be allowed.
Brody, with a pang, admitted she had missed this warmth.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders with a trembling heart.
His familiar weight and heat pressed down on her, soothing her.
Truthfully, she had been anxious.
She had acted nonchalant, but entering the North…
Even if she had the confidence to endure, it meant living in a place where she wasn’t welcome.
To her relief, she had been welcomed far more warmly than expected—yet in exchange, she bore the burden of enormous expectations.
Like when the princess had ambushed her at the fortress gates…
The sudden fall from her horse, the way her body lifted and her vision shook with fear—she hadn’t forgotten.
And that fear paled in comparison to experiencing the overwhelming domination of two spirits.
A moment so painful it felt like her mind was shattering, her body being torn apart—she would have preferred her heart to stop.
She had recovered after meeting the priest, but she couldn’t pretend the pain had never happened.
She had only hidden it under a façade of calm because the situation had moved so quickly after she woke.
She knew what it meant to stand at the side of the Northern Grand Duke.
She felt she had to become a dignified presence worthy of that responsibility.
For the North. For him.
So I was anxious after all.
The comfort of being pressed against him… ironically, feeling that comfort made her aware of her anxiety.
Hold me tighter. Want me more.
Accepting his touch, Brody let go of her unease.
At least for this moment, she wanted to think of nothing else.
Not the North. Not the three years ahead. Nothing…
She drew up the leg not pinned beneath him, pulling herself closer. Their bodies pressed more tightly together.
“Your Highness…”
Her soft, breathy voice spilled out like a sigh.
“Ah…”
At her voice, Aidan’s body shuddered. He buried his face against her neck.
And then…
His body stiffened, freezing in place.
“…?”
The sudden change in warmth made Brody glance at him in confusion.
“Your Highness…?”
He abruptly pushed himself up, almost springing away from her.
“No.”
“…What?”
His eyes were wide with shock.
Then he cupped his head in both hands and began smacking it.
“Have you lost your mind, Aidan? You’ve gone mad…”
What on earth was going on?
Brody blinked, dazed, then pushed herself upright.
“…Your Highness?”
“This… this can’t happen.”
Can’t? Why? She didn’t understand—especially since he had been the one to come to her first.
“You… won’t…”
His low muttering, muffled by his hands over his face, was too faint for her to catch.
“To complete the marriage… isn’t this necessary?”
Brody reached out to the panicking Aidan.
But he quickly pulled away, retreating to the far end of the bed.
“……”
The warmth in Brody’s chest, stoked so intensely, now lay battered and cold on the floor.
The heat in her body cooled instantly.
Watching him sit there in distress, her face cycled from pale to flushed, simmering with a mix of humiliation and despair.
Moments later, Aidan got off the bed entirely.
With his back to her, his voice was cool and dry.
“No, it’s just a formality. We only need to meet the priest in the morning.”
“…Ah.”
Brody’s face twisted.
So that was it? All she’d had to do was wait for morning?
She bit her lip hard.
It wasn’t her fault, yet she felt humiliated—betrayed by the situation itself.
They stayed in tense silence for a moment.
Aidan seemed to collect himself, moving toward the sofa.
“…Your Highness.”
Her voice stopped him.
He flinched, but didn’t turn.
“Sorry, Brody.”
“Your Highness.”
Her voice grew colder.
Feeling that something was wrong, Aidan cautiously turned his head.
As expected—
Brody was looking at him with an expression of absolute zero.
She slowly stood and walked toward him.
“Enough. Lie down there.”
“…Hm?”
She pointed firmly to the bed.
When he hesitated, she shoved his shoulder irritably.
He was not the kind of man to be moved easily—but her sudden force tipped him backward onto the bed.
Of course, he caught himself on his elbows, not fully falling.
Brody stared down at him with a stony face.
Then, vines suddenly sprouted from the bed, wrapping tightly around him.
“B–B–Brody?”
Confused, tangled in vines, he watched as she approached slowly.
The bed creaked under her weight as she climbed up.
She braced her hands on his shoulders, leaning down.
Her curly hair fell like a curtain over his vision.
Then their lips met.
“Mmph.”
Once. Then again—deeper this time.
Mouth to mouth.
At the same time, a fresh, grassy scent filled his mouth.
“……!”
At her practiced motion, he swallowed without thinking.
She had chewed and passed him a leaf of meshu—it slid down his throat.
Confirming the bob of his Adam’s apple, Brody straightened.
“Now, get some proper sleep in the bed.”
Her cold gaze and dry tone flickered in his vision.
Already exhausted, he soon sank into darkness.
❖ ❖ ❖
When he woke the next morning, he was alone in the bed.
His body and head felt refreshed, but startled, he jumped up and looked around.
Then he saw her—Brody, curled up uncomfortably on the small sofa.
“Good heavens…”
Aidan went pale, rushing over to her.
He bent down, intending to lift her into bed.
But her eyes snapped open, locking on him.
Her look seemed to ask, And what do you think you’re doing?
He stammered defensively.
“I… you just looked uncomfortable…”
Whether she was listening or not, Brody rose at her own pace.
Feeling the mood, Aidan stepped back, unable to touch her, watching anxiously.
She stretched and yawned lazily as if he weren’t there.
Their eyes met—her languid gaze and his trembling one.
Then she smiled faintly.
“Good morning, Your Highness. Now, let’s finish the marriage contract.”
A bead of cold sweat trickled down Aidan’s back.
