MPGF 25

Chapter 25: A Hot and Intense Wedding Night
“Are you the one who’s going to be my new sister-in-law?”

I turned around and saw a young girl with voluminous pink hair standing there.

She was about a hand span shorter than me, dressed adorably in a dress with a big ribbon.

“And you are?”

“I asked you first. Are you going to be my sister-in-law or not? Are you the one Hertian brought home?”

Was that tone of hers a family trait?

But… Hertian didn’t have any family.

A girl dressed so flamboyantly in a ducal household that was supposedly family-less? She looked like a noble’s daughter.

“Yes. I’m Anette. And you are?”

“I’m Lili.”

Lili.

A name I’d never heard before.

I looked around. If I saw any servants nearby, I would’ve asked them to take her away. But in this vast space, there was no sign of anyone.

“Tch. Of all people, why do you have to be pretty?”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“It wasn’t a compliment! Don’t go trying to seduce Hertian!”

I was tempted to tease this rude little Lili.

“I’m not seducing him. He’s already mine now.”

“No, he’s not!”

Lili screamed so loud it echoed through the manor. My eardrums almost burst.

“You two didn’t marry for love, did you? It was weird how sudden the wedding was. Lili knows everything, you know?”

“Lili, you might still be young, so you don’t understand yet, but we really do love each other.”

“I’m not young! I’m having my coming-of-age ceremony next year, thank you very much.”

Coming of age?

I had been fooled by her youthful face.

So that means she’s nineteen right now.

If she’s that old and acting like this, then I can’t just let it slide.

“Lili. When you’re at the duchy, you should speak to me formally.”

“Why should I? Did Hertian tell you to say that?”

“No. This is a request from your new sister-in-law.”

“What kind of sister-in-law can’t even get through her wedding night properly?”

Ah, right. The wedding night.

Seeing Lili made it clear: the others in the ducal residence probably weren’t pleased with me either. They’d all likely be suspicious of our rushed marriage.

“Hertian and I promised to make our wedding night hotter and more passionate than anyone else’s.”

Lili’s eyes widened in outrage.

“You’re lying.”

“Want to bet? If we get through the night without issue, you’ll speak respectfully to me.”

“Fine then!”

I snorted loudly.

“You sure had a lot of talk earlier. Are you scared now, Lili?”

“No, I’m not! Do it, then! If you fail, I’m kicking you out of here!”

“Be my guest.”

I answered coolly and passed by her with my head held high.

I’m doomed.

I hadn’t even thought about the wedding night.

“Found you at last.”

Ugh.

The ducal mansion was so huge, it had taken me ages just to find Hertian’s office.

Even though the butler had shown me the way, the place was like a labyrinth.

My legs were about to give out—at that point, I didn’t even care anymore.

I burst through the door.

“Hertian… our wedding night should be hot and passionate—huff, huff…”

It was a promise I made to Lili.

I was so out of breath that I couldn’t finish the sentence.

Realizing the room was unusually quiet, I looked up—and saw only Hertian’s chair turned away from me, with his aide Ossen standing nearby.

“The butler said Hertian would be here…”

Did I come all this way for nothing?

Do I need to keep searching?

“…Your Grace?”

Ossen adjusted his glasses and bowed politely.

“Where is the Duke?”

“I’m right here.”

Hertian’s voice came from behind the turned chair.

“What are you doing over there?”

Even after I entered, he didn’t turn around.

“I was just… enjoying the view of the territory—cough.”

“It’s cold in here. What if you catch a cold?”

“Don’t come closer.”

I had planned to wrap a blanket over him, but he quickly stopped me. Disappointed, I put the blanket down and turned to Ossen.

“Ossen, I’m sorry, but could you step outside? I need a moment alone with His Grace.”

“Understood.”

Once Ossen left, I got straight to the point.

“Hertian. You didn’t forget tonight is our wedding night, right? It’s a contract marriage, sure, but for now, we should share a room.”

“…I understand.”

Thankfully, he agreed without hesitation.

“Please come in early tonight.”

Leaving only those words, I exited the office.

After Anette left, Ossen reentered the office.

Was it just him, or had the room felt warmer than before?

Maybe the Duchess had asked for a fire?

But the fireplace was nothing but ashes.

Well, she doesn’t seem the type to have that kind of foresight.

But the heat… it was coming from somewhere else.

Steam was rising faintly from the chair facing the window.

“Commander…?”

Ossen cautiously approached his master.

“Ossen.”

Startled by the flustered voice, he froze in place.

“Make preparations… for a hot and passionate wedding night.”

“The butler said there were herbs in the duchy.”

After leaving Hertian’s room, I sought out the butler again. Since Jackson’s skin condition had improved, I thought of getting some redleaf plant for him. It wasn’t hard to find in the capital’s pharmacies, but here, I hadn’t seen anything like that.

“My Lady, is there something you wish to know?”

“You said there are herbs here in the duchy, right?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“I’d like to see them. Can you show me?”

Normally, noble houses had glass greenhouses with controlled temperatures. But the harsh winds and cold weather in Blandeiche made that hard.

When I looked around the mansion, I didn’t see anything like a greenhouse—so there must be another location.

“Of course. Please follow me.”

The butler led me deep into the mansion and opened a door—not to a garden or greenhouse, but to a stone staircase leading underground.

“Down here?”

“It’s at the end of the stairs.”

He handed me a lantern.

Down there, it looked like there would be prisoners and the echo of their breaths.

Plants growing in a place like that? Really?

Without doubt, I took the lantern and headed down.

“Have a safe trip, My Lady.”

The butler didn’t follow—just bowed at the door.

“You’re not coming?”

“I have other duties to attend to.”

Going alone was scary…

But if I want the herbs, I have to go.

I gathered strength in my heavy legs and began the descent.

Who knew how far underground I’d gone?

Getting here was easy. The return trip felt overwhelming.

No wonder the butler didn’t come with me.

“If I find nothing but some weird prison, I swear—!”

Grumbling, I finally reached the bottom of the stairs. In front of me was a door that looked just like the entrance—made of wood and oddly reminiscent of a cell door.

I pulled it open.

“Wow.”

I gasped.

It felt like something out of a movie.

A vast field stretched out, bathed in an unknown, radiant light from the ceiling. Grassy plains stretched on endlessly.

Taking a single step forward, I caught the rich scent of earth.

“It really exists.”

Grass grew, flowers bloomed, and butterflies fluttered—it was a real underground garden.

How such a place could exist underground was beyond me. It felt magical.

“And it’s warm here.”

Strangely, the further I went down, the warmer it got.

Just a few steps above, I’d felt like I might freeze to death. But here, it was warm.

A small spring flowed beside the field. The more I looked, the more surreal it seemed. A sudden, silly thought popped into my head.

“Could I live down here with a bed or something?”

The temperature felt like the capital.

“Anyway, I should find the herbs first.”

I rolled up my sleeves and went searching. Surrounded by colorful fruits and plants, it felt like I was back in the estate’s garden. I felt oddly at peace.

There wasn’t any redleaf here—but I did find Houttuynia cordata, which had similar effects. After studying medicine for so long, identifying it was a breeze.

After collecting the herbs, it took two hours to memorize the estate layout, an hour to be introduced to the household staff, and three hours to study the ducal traditions.

Half that time, I spent shivering.

Rubbing my arms, I curled up. Before I knew it, the sun had set.

Betty, Bonisa, and the other duchy maids had been scrubbing me down for an hour to prepare for the wedding night.

“Let’s not overdo the scrubbing.”

“My Lady—no, Your Grace! The Duke will be pleased to see your skin so clean.”

“No… I think I need some dirt left on me to survive this place.”

I pushed aside the dried loofah in Betty’s hand.

Not even thick clothes were enough to block the cold—maybe grime on my skin helped keep me warm.

After a long scrubbing session, I was finally free.

I ran through the chilly halls of night.

When I opened the bedroom door, the scent of flowers greeted me.

The firewood crackled, candlelight flickered, and rose petals were scattered across the bed.

“Why bother with these petals…”

I brushed them aside and slipped under the thick blanket.

The soft texture and warm heat made me drowsy. My eyelids began to droop—then suddenly, a man’s broad chest filled my vision.

“Ah, you startled me!”

Without thinking, I smacked his chest.

“S-Sorry. You scared me.”

My hand throbbed from the unexpected firmness—Hertian stood there.

“My apologies if I startled you.”

He quickly pulled his white robe closed. His hair was still wet from the bath.

“Ossen said you’d be late. Did you finish everything?”

“You insisted we must… ahem… have a hot and passionate wedding night, so I rushed back.”

I leaned against the headboard beside him. His earlobes were bright red. Apparently, even a man with no libido could still get embarrassed.

“Hertian, am I making you uncomfortable?”

It’s not like sharing a bed is easy.

“Should I sleep on the couch? I really don’t mind.”

The sofa in front of the fireplace was quite warm—it wouldn’t be uncomfortable.

I waited for his answer and picked up a pillow.

“I’m not uncomfortable.”

But he immediately stopped me, gently taking the pillow and returning it to the bed.

“You should sleep here with me.”

I chuckled and flopped onto the bed.

“Come on, Hertian. Lie down already.”

I patted the pillow next to me, and he stared quietly.

With a soft smile, I said,

“You’ve worked hard today. Sleep well.”

Then I pulled the blanket up again. I was sure I’d catch a cold by morning. Just as I was about to close my eyes—

“…May I hold you?”

His trembling voice reached me.