CH 83

“Ah!”

Asella gasped in a startled breath as she opened the door.

It was not Margo, nor any of the other maids. The slow shadow moving in the faint light at the bedside certainly belonged to a man.

It was a man, and one with a strong physique.

She instinctively stepped back.

An intruder? No, that thought hadn’t occurred to her from the start. It was ridiculous to even think that the knights of the Grand duchy would allow an intruder that easily. 

A man who could enter the Grand Duchess’s chamber freely without seeking permission in advance.

There was only one such man in this castle.

“Wh-Who’s there?”

And yet, this was all Asella could manage to get out of her mouth at last. Feeling pathetic and stupid at what she said she pursed her small lips together.

“Why are you here… Is there anything I can help you with…?”

She struggled to keep her composure but completely failed. Her voice was shaking with strain, and her words trailed off.

She heard no response from the man, but she knew that he was staring at her. She couldn’t help but notice his intense gaze, which seemed to penetrate through her body.

While she was puzzled, not knowing what to do, Calix began to walk toward her.

“D-Don’t come any closer!”

Asella hastily grabbed the front ends of her nightgown and exclaimed, causing Calix to halt. However, his stride was so wide that the two were now only a few steps away from each other.

The flickering candlelight created a dark shadow over Calix’s face. Between the dark shadows of his face, his bright red eyes shone like rubies. His hair, messy and disheveled, was somewhat erotic.

At the sight of this seemingly dangerous figure, Asella swallowed her breath quietly. He then asked, tilting his head slightly to one side.

“Why?”

“Th-That …”

Asella stuttered. It was a question that, on its own, did not make much sense even if she thought about it herself. With the ceremony officially authorized by the Emperor, the couple had only one last procedure left to complete.

‘The first night….’

It was certainly a thing she had mentally prepared herself for until the day before the wedding, but before she knew it, she had completely forgotten about it. She was oblivious to the overly concerned attendants about the nightgowns, the rose petals floating in the bathtub, and all the scented body oils that lined up the bathroom.

‘Don’t be nervous, Asella. This is natural. You knew it was coming. It has to be done.’

If things had gone according to plan, the wedding night would have been done a week ago, but due to unavoidable circumstances, it had only been postponed until today. Asella took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

But unfortunately, that wasn’t a very smart choice.

The more she inhaled, the more the sweet scent wafted her way, to the point that she felt light-headed.

The scent of Calix Benvito…

Despite having experienced this many times before, she was still very far from being used to it. It was an intoxicating scent that made her eyes go giddy.

‘Why on earth…?’

No matter how strong the scent of perfume was, she had never had such a reaction to it.

Yet, she could not understand why his scent seemed to be so strong. No, she felt as if the scent intensity was getting stronger and stronger as time went by.

Her head was spinning with a terrible feeling of dizziness. Her legs naturally gave out, and her body staggered as if she had lost her sense of gravity.

“You have to be more careful.”

Calix approached in a blink of an eye and took hold of Asella’s waist with a firm grip of his arm. She could not bear it anymore and squeezed her eyes shut. There was not a single ounce of strength in her legs, let alone her entire body.

It was as if she were a marionette with broken strings. She probably would not have been able to support herself and stand without his support.

Somehow that very fact alone was so frightening that Asella shivered slightly.

“Are you cold?”

The breath she felt against her skin made every single hair on her body stick out. She hoped she was just mistaken about the intoxication she felt hearing the low tone of his voice, and with her eyes still closed, she finally answered.

“No, I was just a little surprised… it was so sudden.”

“Is there any other reason?”

“No…”

Something else seemed to mix in between the sweet scents that filled the space. Something that blurred people’s consciousness and made them feel clear about their feelings. She couldn’t be certain, but that didn’t mean she wanted to confirm it or anything.

“Perhaps you wished I wouldn’t come?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

Because of her blocked vision, her other senses seemed more acute and alert.

Now that he was holding her close in her arms, almost as if he was embracing her completely. Their tightly pressed bodies, with no gaps between them, conveyed the warmth of the man who had become her husband.

She could vividly feel his strong arms wrapped around her body and his sturdy, muscular frame through the thin fabric of her gown.

“Open your eyes.”

After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth. His voice was clear yet muffled, and there was even a hint of impatience in it that she couldn’t make sense of.

“Asella, look at me.”