Chapter 47
“Don’t worry. I will definitely protect you!”
Once again, we clasped hands and renewed our determination. After that, I put on my coat and started walking toward Kalis’ room at a slow, snail-like pace.
‘Huh… the box my brother gave me earlier is still in my coat.’
As I felt the box inside my coat, I remembered the red ribbon and smiled broadly.
By the tenth minute, I was still inching along, lingering in front of his door.
I thought I caught the guard giving me a look that said, “What is she doing?” but I decided to ignore it.
“Are you… walking or crawling?”
Gasp! Kalis had somehow crept up behind me and said this. I must have been so slow that he came to fetch me.
“Oh my~ Kalis, why didn’t you wait patiently? I’m trying my best to get there now.”
I continued shuffling along at snail speed. Honestly, the snail might have been faster—but the frustration would have been the same.
“Kalis! Put me down!”
Of course… Kalis, probably irritated by my slow pace, suddenly scooped me up and strode toward his room at a rapid pace.
‘This guy! What kind of teleportation technique is this?! Why is he so fast!’
With legs much longer than mine, even a simple walk seemed like running, and the distance closed in instantly.
I braced myself, thinking of how to escape him and prepared to swing a dagger if needed, as he carried me into his bedroom.
But all my readiness was pointless—the room was unexpectedly filled with cute little desserts and drinks set neatly on the sofa table next to the bed.
“You said you didn’t eat dinner, right? I prepared some sweets you like.”
Kalis sat me on the sofa next to the bed and sat down beside me.
“How did you know?”
I was too distracted by the sweet treats to feel scared of him at the moment.
“I heard you have to stand in front of the high nobles tomorrow. Naturally, I’ll be there too, and I got the notice this afternoon.”
Kalis scooped a bit of whipped cream cake with a fork and fed it to me.
I accepted it silently, and seeing my reaction, he smiled slightly and kept feeding me more cake.
Feeling comfortable around someone who provides for you, I finally took a good look around his room. While my own room in the palace was decorated in white and light green, his room was mainly brown and black.
Even the bedding was black, and a teddy bear I had given him sat beside his pillow.
“You’re taking good care of the teddy bear.”
I stood up, took the teddy bear, and hugged it.
‘One more weapon secured!’
If needed, I could smack him with the bear’s paw. The dagger felt a little too extreme.
“Of course. I also hugged Filina tightly last night. Naked, of course.”
At this sleazy remark, I immediately smacked his lips with the teddy bear’s paw. I didn’t dare use my hand; who knew what might happen.
“I have something good for you. I heard red means something positive.”
I took the pink box Chester had given me from my coat and tied a red ribbon on the teddy bear’s wrist.
Then, holding the leftover ribbon, I looked at Kalis and grinned.
“Give me your hand.”
Kalis looked puzzled but obediently offered his hand. I tied the red ribbon tightly around his left wrist so it wouldn’t come undone.
“You mustn’t undo this.”
The thought of this big man walking around with a little red ribbon on his wrist made me laugh. He seemed embarrassed too, his ears turning red.
“Fine. You also can’t undo it. Whoever unties first loses.”
Kalis, now red-faced up to his neck, untied the ribbon from the teddy bear and tied it on my left wrist.
‘Oh ho… he’s challenging me to a bet!’
I’m not one to back down from a bet. I never block a bet coming my way, and I never grab a bet leaving.
I decided to accept Kalis’ provocation with pleasure.
“Alright. Whoever unties first loses! And the winner gets a wish!”
Yes! I’ll ask him to sign the divorce papers with that wish.
I didn’t care about embarrassment since I could wear it like a bracelet.
“Deal. Whoever unties first loses. One wish granted. You better be ready, Filina.”
Kalis laughed arrogantly as if he had already won the game. I returned his smug grin with my own mischievous smile.
“Then… shall we spend a sacred night as a married couple?”
Kalis, clearly pleased with the ribbon on my wrist, brought it to his lips and kissed it, reminding me that tonight was our “joined night.”
My heart raced—whether from his kiss on my wrist or the thought of the “joined night.”
“Ah!… Kalis!”
He bit the wrist with the ribbon, leaving teeth marks, then bit again as if dissatisfied with something.
This guy’s really temperamental. He had to mark my wrist, and only after that did he smile, satisfied.
‘Hey! You’re going to get what’s coming to you!’
I bit his wrist over the ribbon firmly. Apparently, he liked that even more, as he laughed loudly.
“You’re definitely my proactive wife.”
I bit him again and glared at him.
And… his gaze toward me grew more lustful. I tried to evade him but ended up collapsing onto the sofa.
“Just a kiss… right?”
I watched his expression to gauge whether I should draw the dagger or not. Still, he was my legal husband, and I didn’t really want to.
“If you want, I’ll do more than that.”
His gaze promised he could do anything, and with that, he scooped me up and headed to the bed.
“No hickeys! I have to attend the nobles’ meeting tomorrow!”
I clutched his neck tightly and said this urgently, determined not to let go unless he agreed.
“Fine, if you insist.”
Fortunately, he agreed. Sitting me on the bed, he immediately began kissing me.
Enchanted by his soft, moist lips and playful tongue, I thought:
‘This guy… should I bring him to the Luna Empire? Tell him to follow me so I can feed him?’
Though he was the only one I’d kissed, isn’t there a case when you can tell just by watching? No matter what, I don’t think I’ll find a man who kisses as well as he does.
‘Right… in ten days… I won’t be able to kiss this man anymore… I should enjoy it fully before then.’
Since I planned to hand him the divorce papers in ten days, I welcomed this last kiss even more eagerly.
+++
The next morning, before standing in front of the nobles’ assembly, I heard from Belita what tying the red ribbon on my wrist meant, and I was horrified.
“Filina… red signifies luck and love. A red ribbon symbolizes a bond of love… tying it on your wrist… means… ha… that person already belongs to you… hahaha… of course, some people don’t know… commoners wouldn’t understand… hahaha.”
Belita’s flushed face and words made my blood pressure rise; I grabbed the back of my neck.
“This is perfect material for a novel! Being next to you, Filina, inspires endless ideas!”
Heine, listening beside me, excitedly pulled out a notebook and examined my wrist closely.
“Oh my!”
Then he even sketched the kiss mark on my wrist.
‘Kalis! I’ll kill you!’
I realized he knew all this and still went through with the bet. I swore I would deal with this skilled-kisser legal husband.
So… did I untie the ribbon?
Not at all. It’s a bet. You never back down in a bet.
I kept the ribbon tied for my divorce plan, and Kalis, stubborn as ever, kept his ribbon tied too.
+++
Lucas entered the main hall to rule on the <Psyche’s Obscene Material Exhibition> case involving Belita.
On the dais were a chair and table for Lucas, the judge, and to the left, thirty high-ranking nobles stood in order of rank.
Naturally, Kalis and Duke Bene were there. The two sat side by side, whispering to each other, while other nobles watched them cautiously.
Behind Kalis, Count Fame, Heine’s father, took his seat.
‘The emissaries of the other empire are still here… what a disgrace…’
Lucas then looked to the right, the source of the issue. Thirteen women, cold in the winter air, stood in line wearing coats. Belita, Filina, Vivian, and Heine were in the front row.
‘The princess, the crown princess, and… the duchess accused of displaying obscene materials…’
Seeing them, Lucas climbed the dais with a heavy heart.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”
All attendees greeted him, and Lucas gestured for everyone to be seated after he took his place.
“Today, you all know why you are here. We’ll start with the plaintiff explaining the complaint, followed by the defense.”
After Lucas spoke, a stoic-looking man in his forties stepped forward from the nobles’ side, greeted Lucas, and then glared at the women on the right before speaking.
“Your Highness, I recently received a report that in the Topaz Street square, a busy area, a store sells items that corrupt the morals of our empire. I investigated and confirmed the report. This place, called <Psyche>, specializes in women’s underwear, displaying them openly in glass windows and inside the store. This is a highly dangerous act that undermines our empire’s morals. I request that this store close immediately and prevent women from being misled by such things.”
Several nobles nodded in agreement.
“Hmph…”
“Huh. Huh.”
Coughs came from here and there. When he glanced around nervously, he met the murderous glares of Kalis and Duke Bene.
Half of the high-ranking nobles were already exhausted from listening to nagging from their wives and daughters. With the cold glares of Kalis and Duke Bene added, they were mentally surrendering. After all the nagging, even seeing the sexy underwear seemed meaningless.
“Now, we shall hear the defense. <Psyche>, please step forward.”
Lucas then looked toward the women. Vivian, wearing a pantsuit rather than a dress, stood up and moved to the center. The conservative male nobles frowned at her attire.
