Chapter 2
People nearby noticed the sunset-colored hair showing beneath his hat and immediately recognized Roerston.
“Look! That’s Duke Ipsel!”
“Oh my, he even brought his wife all the way to her laboratory. He’s so kind.”
Hearing them, Adelia’s cheeks turned even redder.
He truly was the most handsome man in the Kingdom of Regan.
Even if someone placed him in the busiest street in the capital, Del Bottom No. 3, no one could possibly fail to recognize him.
He was tall with a strong, well-built body trained through years at court. His perfectly fitted frock coat, polished top hat, and the sunset-colored hair beneath it made him impossible to overlook.
A poet had once described him in a collection of poems given to friends:
A fairy who slipped from the edge of a path of light as a blazing sunset slowly entered a deep, lush forest.
Just the simple gesture of lifting the brim of his hat in greeting was enough to leave dozens of young ladies unable to sleep that night.
Maybe even some men.
Adelia felt a strange sense of jealousy rising inside her.
Meanwhile, Roerston calmly enjoyed all the whispers around them before lightly kissing her cheek.
Smack.
“…!”
Her already red face became as red as a baked apple about to burst.
Startled by the sudden attack, Adelia instinctively stepped backward.
But Roerston quickly wrapped an arm around her waist.
She ended up falling straight into his embrace.
The whispers around them grew even louder.
Roerston lowered his voice.
“You can’t run away over something like this, Junior. What kind of relationship do we have?”
“W-We… we’re married…”
“That’s right. Don’t ever forget it.”
Only then did he let her go.
He smiled with the kind of smile that could charm anyone instantly.
Then he gently kissed the back of her hand.
“Have a good day, my wife. I’ll see you this evening.”
Adelia carefully lowered her head and played along.
“Y-Yes… Dear…”
She turned around stiffly like a wooden puppet.
Her mind was spinning.
She was finally standing in front of the Royal Research Laboratory, the place she had dreamed of entering for so long.
Yet only one thought filled her head.
Is this really right?
I know we’re pretending to be married, but do we really have to go this far?
***
The Royal Research Laboratory.
It had been established to allow the top graduates of the Royal Academy to continue advanced academic research.
The laboratory welcomed not only science and mathematics, but also literature, music, fine arts, and many other fields.
For every student at the Royal Academy, it was the ultimate dream.
Adelia spent quite a while searching for the office of the professor who would supervise her.
Professor Siern.
He was considered the kingdom’s greatest expert in microbiology and fungal research.
Every researcher trained under him had gone on to hold important positions in related institutions.
His skills were beyond question.
Of course, he was also infamous for giving brutally harsh evaluations of research papers.
I’m so nervous…
Standing outside his office, Adelia tried to calm herself.
She reached for the doorknob before suddenly stopping.
Wait… I almost walked in without knocking!
Taking another deep breath, she gently knocked.
Knock. Knock.
“Come in.”
A cold, deep male voice answered from inside.
She carefully opened the door.
A man with long black hair, left untidily loose, was looking through a microscope.
“Hello! My name is Adelia Whitton. I’m the new research student…”
“Lower your voice.”
Gasp.
Adelia immediately shut her mouth.
She stood there awkwardly for a moment before carefully approaching him with the gift she had prepared.
Her lips stayed tightly closed.
Three petri dishes and a microscope sat on Professor Siern’s desk.
She couldn’t help wondering what he was studying.
Could it be a new fungus? Or some unknown microorganism?
Amazing… I really want to see it.
“What are you staring at?”
“Huh? O-Oh! I… this…”
Ignoring the luxurious gift package she held out, Siern said,
“Leave it over there.”
“Yes!”
“Lower your voice.”
“Y-Yes…”
He’s just as scary as everyone said, Adelia thought.
According to former students, Professor Siern’s nickname was “The Iron Wall.”
Once he made a decision, no amount of pleading or begging would ever change his mind.
He was… famous for that.
“Would you like to take a look?”
The moment Siern straightened up and looked at her, Adelia felt an indescribable pressure.
His black eyes, matching his hair, were incredibly cold.
He really does feel like an iron wall… He’s scary!
Cold sweat ran down her back.
Just as she took a deep breath to answer, Siern pointed at the microscope.
“This. Would you like to see it?”
“O-Oh! Yes! Of course! If you’ll allow me, I’d love to.”
“Look carefully. And don’t make any loud noises.”
Her entire body tense with nervousness, Adelia looked through the microscope.
Inside, an unknown triangular microorganism was moving around as if searching for its direction.
She completely forgot Professor Siern was standing beside her.
Her hands clasped together as she stared in pure fascination.
“They’re… they’re absolutely adorable…”
Realizing she had spoken too loudly, she quickly covered her mouth.
But what exactly are these?
I’ve never learned about them in school, and I’ve never seen them in any recent research papers.
“Watch closely.”
Siern lightly tapped the side of the petri dish with one finger.
The triangular microorganism instantly lost its shape.
Then, little by little, it gathered itself back together until it became a triangle again.
“My goodness!”
“That’s why I told you not to make loud noises. They react to vibrations by changing their shape.”
Adelia’s large eyes sparkled.
“P-Professor… what exactly are these microorganisms? Bacteria? Fungi? I’ve never seen anything like them.”
“Of course you haven’t. I discovered them recently.”
“…!”
“There’s a type of moss called Changer that only grows in the western forest. I found them inside that moss.”
“‘Changer’… Is it named that because it changes its shape?”
“That’s right. It reacts to vibrations such as birds flapping their wings or animals’ footsteps and falls apart. When it collapses, it looks rotten, so other creatures don’t try to eat it.”
Adelia’s eyes shone as brightly as gemstones.
“That’s incredible… Truly incredible! Such tiny little creatures have developed such an amazing survival method!”
She had completely fallen in love with the adorable microorganisms.
If I stay in this laboratory, I’ll get to see little cuties like these all the time.
And I’ll even be one of the first people to see newly discovered ones!
Coming here was definitely the right choice.
Even if I had to enter a fake marriage to do it.
***
“Listen, Junior.”
“Yes?”
“I need a fake bride to save me from everyone constantly nagging me to get married. And you want to work in the laboratory, don’t you?”
“I-I do want to…”
“Getting married won’t change your life. In fact, marrying me will probably give you even more support.”
At first, Adelia had completely rejected the ridiculous idea.
But Roerston had been surprisingly persistent.
It was almost as if he had been waiting for someone exactly like her.
He simply wouldn’t stop persuading her.
Maybe if I’d kept refusing, he wouldn’t have let me leave…
No, that’s kidnapping. Senior isn’t that ungentlemanly.
Anyway, after endless persuasion from Roerston, who absolutely refused to give up, Adelia finally answered,
“Yes.”
By then, she had already been so sleepy she was practically half asleep.
She wanted to argue that she hadn’t been in the right state of mind.
But after she agreed, everything moved incredibly fast.
They filled out the marriage registration.
They received the church’s approval.
Then their marriage announcement was printed in huge letters in the newspaper.
Roerston had handled almost everything himself.
Even so, Adelia had struggled terribly to adjust to her new life.
Just having maids following her around all day, insisting on taking care of her, had been exhausting.
But still…
Being able to come to this laboratory made every bit of it worthwhile.
