Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Signing Ceremony or Rather a Wedding Ceremony

After being engaged for one year after the shocking business deal, we married. Naturally, I kept the contract business a secret from my family. Hearing of the Duke’s utter heartlessness may make them faint, after all. I’m probably the only one who can bear it.

We were originally meant to hold the ceremony in six months’ time, but due to suspicious behaviour near the country’s south border, the military made its move. Naturally, the Duke accompanied them. And so, an entire year passed before things calmed down. I almost completely forgot about my engagement, the Duke’s face, and other such things.

Let’s go back to the beginning – the day of the wedding.

We were specially allowed to have our wedding in the temple in the castle. After all, it is an idol– I mean, ahem, a Duke’s wedding. Humph, I see, so rich and powerful people are treated differently!

I wore an incredibly gorgeous wedding dress that the Duke prepared for me, made of the highest quality silk, and stood next to the Duke who was handsome enough to put even a prince to shame. There must be something wrong with the world for me to be able to stand next to a dazzlingly handsome man like him. I understand this, so, young ladies, could you perhaps refrain from glaring at me? I feel like little burns are popping up all over my body. These jealousy beams are no joke.

I somehow avoided getting shot to death by the stares and lied through my teeth as I swore my vows to the priest. Finally, it’s time to sign the marriage certificate. Once we sign this certificate, our marriage is official – despite being a thin and loose piece of paper, it has a heavy meaning. Normally, after saying our vows in front of the priest and signing the certificate, the certificate is stored away in the castle’s temple by the priest.

On a side note, when remarrying, you need to trawl through storage to find your marriage certificate. It’s a huge pain and everyone hates it. Should I perhaps whisper to him later, “Oh, it’s probably a good idea for us to keep our certificate in an easy-to-reach place.”?

The Duke signs with no hesitation then passes the quill to me. He even gives me a sickly sweet smile – what a masterful actor. Please ignore my twitching smile. I sign as well with the quill he gave me.

With this, we’re now husband and wife in the eyes of the law.

But well, it feels more like a “super fancy treaty ratification/signing ceremony” than a “wedding ceremony” to me ☆.

The reception afterwards was very painful for me. To be blunt, what kind of punishment is this?

… wait, it’s a punishment I need to go through for my debt to be forgiven. Alright. Sorry. That’s right, I need to live with it.

My skin burns at the laser beam-like glares of young noble ladies who come relentless. I greet lots of people – coworkers from work, superiors, subordinates, friends from high society, whatever – with a fake smile on my face. I even ended up coming face to face with a member of royalty. Ugh, I feel like I’ve done enough socializing to last me a lifetime. I’m not proud of it, but I was basically a shut-in until now, just so you know!

Perhaps my internal screaming leaked out from inside of me, because the Duke comes up to me.

“Are you alright? Are you tired?” asks the Duke, sickly sweet smile on his face as he embraces me by the shoulders.

Yup, we’re completely in public.

Oh wait, I see, my duty has already begun! That was dangerous – I almost tripped again.

“No, I am fine,” I say, cheerfully returning his smile with my own fragile one. Mm, I think I get full marks.

“That’s good then,” he says, giving me a sparkling smile that surpasses mine. I think I’ve overdosed on sugar. Ergh, so sweet.

After that little skit, I couldn’t bring myself to eat the food and dessert, even though they looked delicious. How disappointing.

Nighttime – after the reception filled with those little skits was over.

I entered the Physalis mansion for the first time.

The Duke – no, my husband now – escorted me through the entranceway. There, the servants are all lined up to greet us. As I expected from someone rich, there’s many servants. Even though we could use even just a spare hand.

“Welcome home Master, Mistress!” they all cry.

They bow down with such great force that I almost feel like they should’ve made a swooshing sound. It frightened me since I’m a pauper ☆. And calling me “Mistress”! I’m so embarrassed I might freeze up.

But my husband splendidly ignores the servants.

“From now on, I’ll have you live here. I will show you to your room,” he says, then takes my hand to lead me to the staircase.

He brings me to an amazingly large room. There’s a sofa, desk, and a desk to put stuff on. And just how many people might be able to lay down on the impressive bed? At the very least, my entire family should be able to fit! It even has a canopy.

While the room had white as it primary colour, it was somewhat extravagant. Up until now, I’ve only ever seen a room like this in other people’s homes – I almost pinched my cheek, but I stopped myself just in time. Oh wait, this is someone else’s home!

My husband smiles wryly as I glance around, acting suspiciously.

“This is the bedroom meant for a married couple. You are free to use it as you please,” he says.

Ooh, for a married couple, I see.  But since we’re a fake couple, he must mean that I can think of it as “my room” as he said that I can use it as I please. As I understand what he means, I turn to my husband and give him a short nod.

“I understand. Um, er, where will you live?”

I will do my best to not delve into things too deeply, but it’ll be problematic for me if I don’t know basic information.

“A detached room – there is another building on the outskirts of the garden, so I will be there.”

“With your girlfriend?”

“That’s correct.”

“I understand. I will do my best to avoid that area.”

“…”

For some reason, he sports a strange expression. Did I say anything strange?

“Is something the matter?”

“No. It’s simply that you’re so very indifferent about this…”

“Well, is that not how our contract is?”

“That is true. Well then, I will take my leave now.”

“Very well. Thank you for your hard work.”

“…”

His expression is strange again.

Once my husband leaves and I’m alone, I stretch out and let out a groan.

Today was really tiring. A wedding ceremony, then a reception. I didn’t get used to acting like a happy couple even by the end. By the end, I was definitely stiff. I hope no one noticed.

Then, two maids enter as if they swapped places with my husband and take care of my needs. I finally wear my nightwear and go straight to bed ☆.

Tomorrow I’ll start my life as a cosmetic wife at last. Well, I’ll think about all that tomorrow… zzzz.