CH 52

In the wavering candlelight that flicked back and forth, the outline of his nape and collarbone exposed below his shirt collar cast a shadow that flickered in and out, going back and forth rapidly.

As a diligent knight who never slacked on his training, even before his first battle, Kalix’s body was tough and powerful. His sleek muscles were smooth and held perfect balance. His sleeves were rolled up to display powerful forearms that looked easy enough to lift Amber by the waist.

If her husband, who had experienced numerous battles and wars, was comparable with a wild animal, her young husband who hadn’t had any experience in battle yet was comparable to a perfectly sculpted stature.

Amber unconsciously shifted back, slightly back.

Kalix’s eyes that looked down at her became deeper in shade. His crystal clear eyes were suddenly covered by an unknown shadow. The way he looked was as if…

‘Goodness, what am I thinking?’ Amber shook her head and got rid of the useless thought in her head.

“Please, sit down already.” She then spoke with a calm tone of voice.

At her voice, Kalix came to his senses like someone who had just awakened from a spell. Um… next to you?”

The unfamiliar and dangerous feeling she felt from her husband disappeared in a second and her husband returned to his usual young and inexperienced look.

“You can sit on the other side if you wish. We still have to talk.” Amber once again tapped on the bed with her hand. Kalix walked awkwardly towards her and sat on the edge of the bed. To Amber’s eyes, it looked like he didn’t want to get any closer to her. “About us being intimate with each other.”

Kalix jumped from his position when he heard the words from Amber’s mouth.

“… Please don’t worry about it, I’m not going to say we should.” Amber let out a sigh and pulled Kalix towards her to make him sit again. Even though he could have easily pushed away Amber’s hand, Kalix simply let himself be pulled by Amber like he was a paper doll.

“Excuse me?”

Frozen in place again, Kalix asked for clarification with a confused expression.

“I said we won’t need to.” Amber spoke again with emphasis. “I know both of us would rather die than be intimate with each other, so I’m saying we shouldn’t even bother.”

“Would… rather die?”

“Wait, you don’t?”

Kalix’s eyes wavered heavily in his sockets at Amber’s question. He kept his mouth shut instead of asking any further.

“We should just share a bed for now. If we both succeed, we just need to act naturally and everyone will simply think we shared our first intimate night together.

“So you’re saying we should put on an act.”

“It’s all just an act after all.” Amber shrugged her shoulders. “Even if we put on an act, there are methods to find out whether we did or not. I can’t stress how glad I am that the terrible tradition of checking for signs of blood after the first night was declared illegal a decade ago.”

In the past, there was a tradition where a priest would stand watch outside of the newly wedded wife and husband’s bedroom all night long. He would only declare their marriage legal after checking for traces of blood.

“But it will be very troublesome for us if other people learn that we haven’t spent our first night together.”

Even though the terrible tradition had been forbidden, the moment that the truth spread that the newly wedded husband and wife did not spend their first night, the wife would be shunned within the castle. Some would go as far as to think that she was lacking in some manner.

Amber didn’t want to be treated that way.

The constant whispers and lack of successor were critical failures of Amber. Though not all were her fault, she still shook with anger and humiliation that clearly showed on her face.

Kalix, who had been keeping an eye on Amber’s shifting expressions, felt his face fall.

“There’s no helping this part. You promised that you would have to undertake your role as a husband and respect me, after all.” Amber spoke quickly as the memories of Kalix’s lack of care and delay were refreshed.

“I…”

At that moment, Kalix opened his mouth.