Chapter : 5
Unless the long-lost Diego Gaenomgard suddenly came bursting in shouting “This marriage is invalid!” and caused a scene, she would now have to live in the Solarium mansion.
Creak—
When she opened the jewelry box she had taken out of the wooden storage chest, music from the music box drifted out.
It was the only personal belonging she had brought from the Fabinyu estate—an item left behind by her birth mother.
Rosetta gently stroked the keepsake and took out a worn envelope from inside.
She had opened it so many times that the creases were frayed. The handwriting on the letter had faded with age.
Carefully unfolding it, she saw the familiar script—so familiar she felt she could copy it by memory now.
“When you grow up, I’ll come for you.
Please wait ten years.”
He had kept his promise.
Even if he had kept it only after she turned twenty—three years past her coming-of-age ceremony.
“No wonder I never heard from you…”
A bitter smile appeared on Rosetta’s lips.
If he had forgotten me, then it would make sense why he never contacted me.
The day she escaped her kidnappers and barely made it back to House Fabinyu—
She had been confined to a detached room for going out on her own without permission.
It was locked from the outside; except for meal times and cleaning, she couldn’t even see the faces of the servants.
The only reason she endured life in that detached building was this letter.
In a world where the Mage Tower had collapsed and only mage-engineering remained, there were only three people who could wield mana:
The Emperor Kailus, the Inquisitor, and Ingelros of the West.
Among them, the remote-territory count Ingelros family was the only noble house that could use mana.
That was why Rosetta had assumed “Sol” belonged to the Ingelros clan—because the paper airplane letters had been wrapped in mana.
But he was from Iglesias.
When Sol’s photograph appeared in the newspaper, introduced as the new head of House Iglesias, Rosetta gave up hope of ever meeting him again.
House Iglesias was so wealthy that people said all the continent’s gold passed through them.
There was no way the head of such a house would be within reach of someone like her—little more than an abandoned child of a mere count family.
So she decided it was better to hope for his happiness instead of coveting the impossible.
At least she had thought so.
“I’ll come tonight. Be ready.”
Rosetta squeezed her eyes shut. Her face burned for no reason.
She still couldn’t believe he hadn’t forgotten her—and even less that she would become his bride and spend their wedding night together.
But the pounding of her heart—loud enough to feel like it hurt—told her this wasn’t a dream.
She didn’t need to pinch her cheeks. Her heart was beating painfully fast.
Knock, knock.
At the sound, Rosetta quickly folded the letter and placed it back into the jewelry box.
“What is it?”
“We’ve come to attend to your bath, my lady.”
The maids.
“Come in.”
Once permitted, five or six maids entered the room, carrying warm towels and various fragrant oils. Rosetta swallowed hard.
“All done, my lady.”
Wrapped in a luxurious silk robe, Rosetta sat awkwardly before the dressing table.
A gentle scent rose from her freshly bathed skin—clearly from a high-quality oil potent enough that even she could smell it.
It’s really happening.
Once she had been bathed and adorned, the reality of spending her wedding night hit her.
As the maid brushed her dark cherry-colored hair, she heard a servant’s voice from beyond the bedroom door.
“Lord Rike enters.”
Rosetta’s cheeks reddened even more, and she saw the bedroom door open through the mirror.
The first thing visible was his loosely tied bathrobe—opening further as he approached, revealing the smooth movement of defined chest muscles.
Above that were damp strands of gold hair clinging to his thick nape.
He didn’t finish drying his hair…
His wet blond hair looked darker this way. He could’ve taken the time to dry it—there was plenty of time.
With Rike’s arrival, the maids quickly retreated.
“No one is to enter until noon.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Sol Rike dismissed the servants and then met her eyes through the mirror.
The moment his blue-gray gaze met hers, her mind went blank. Rosetta quickly lowered her eyes.
Thump. Thump.
Her heartbeat thundered like a drum.
We’re really going to spend our first night together?
Wasn’t she supposed to be just a placeholder? A decorative wife?
Suddenly, the scent of the oils on her skin felt like she was purposely trying to seduce him. Well… it was preparation for seduction.
Frozen with her eyes downcast, she heard him click his tongue as he approached.
“Does Fabinyu starve their daughters? You’re too thin.”
“…Ugh!”
His hand skimmed down her back, startling her so much she bit her tongue.
As she curled up from the sharp pain, she heard him give an incredulous snort. When she tried to wipe her tearful eyes, he tilted her chin up.
“Let me see.”
“A—”
Sol Rike held her chin and opened her mouth. He examined the small mouth inside, tilting his head.
“No blood.”
“…Leavh me be.”
“Let go of you?”
Rosetta rolled her eyes up and down to show her meaning. She wanted to nod, but his grip on her chin didn’t budge.
Seeing her watery eyes, Sol Rike smirked.
“No.”
…Is he trying to pick a fight?
Her amber eyes began cursing at him silently. Sol Rike stared at her face—then suddenly burst into loud laughter.
“Hahaha!”
At the hearty laugh, Rosetta’s sharpened eyes rounded.
What? Why is he laughing all of a sudden?
It would be nice if he used that time to let go of her chin.
Instead, he started teasing the underside of her chin with his fingers. Annoyed and embarrassed, she glared until he finally withdrew his hand.
Still chuckling, he stepped back and patted the spot beside him on the bed.
“Come here.”
“…”
“Good girl?”
“…Am I a dog?”
Her lips jutted in protest at the dog-calling tone. But grumbling eased her nerves a little.
With a sulky face, she walked toward him. Sol Rike smiled faintly and reached out.
“Ah!”
Thump.
Rosetta came to her senses to find herself toppled onto his body. She felt the firm muscles move beneath her palms.
“I’m sor—oh!”
When she tried to sit up, he pulled her back again. A moment later, she felt a sharp sting.
Startled, Rosetta clasped her shoulder. She stared at him in disbelief.
“I didn’t know you bite, my lord.”
“My teeth have been bothering me lately.”
When she gave him an exasperated look, he chuckled again and pulled her close by the waist.
“But Rosetta.”
“Yes?”
“Use my name. Are you really planning to speak formally even in bed?”
Her cheeks flushed. When she didn’t answer, Sol Rike gave a command.
“Go on.”
He clearly wasn’t letting her go until she said his name. But her lips wouldn’t move.
She had called his name easily when they were young—yet saying it now, to his face, felt unbearably embarrassing.
His arm around her waist tightened.
His blue-gray eyes fixed on her, leaving her no escape. Rosetta squeezed her eyes shut and whispered softly:
“…Sol.”
“Again.”
“Sol.”
“Good girl.”
Still holding her, he kissed her.
At the soft smack sound, she gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth.
“What was—!”
Sol, unfazed by her rabbit-like alarm, asked casually:
“Do you like the room?”
As if nothing had just happened.
Rosetta was bewildered.
Do I like the room?
Of course she did.
It’s so perfectly arranged it almost feels like he knew exactly what I would like.
The strange part was—she hadn’t known her own tastes until this very moment.
‘Valerie’s bedroom’ felt like it was telling her, This is what you love.
It was uncanny.
End Of Chapter : 05
