IWK-CHAPTER 6

Chapter 6

And so now,
Blair was suddenly enjoying the honor of dining side by side with the two most famous men in Bavaria.

Meanwhile, Cassel Hermann, who was paying the price for marrying without telling his best friend, felt his appetite—what little he had—completely vanish.

He had only planned to share a simple meal with his newly hired pharmacist and then get back to his backlog of work. But—

“How on earth did you meet this guy, Madam?”

“What on earth did you see in this block of wood that made you marry him?”

“Did this guy even propose properly? If I’d known in advance, I could’ve helped out.”

Thanks to Edwin, who wouldn’t stop firing off questions, Cassel felt like the whole thing was doomed. If Blair didn’t answer properly, there was no doubt Edwin would get suspicious.

“Could you just eat quietly, please.”

Cassel tried to stop Edwin when he saw Blair awkwardly picking at her food in silence. He felt a bit guilty seeing her like that.

“You won’t even let me talk to your wife? I didn’t know you were this possessive.”

But Edwin ignored him and just ramped things up.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m saying you’re throwing questions at her nonstop—she can’t even eat properly.”

“Uh… she looks like she’s finished, though?”

At Edwin’s words, Cassel’s eyes shot to Blair’s plate. There was nothing left on it but a smear of steak sauce.

“….”

All three of them looked at the plate. An awkward silence spread through the dining room. Suddenly being the center of attention made Blair’s face flush bright red.

Edwin just shrugged at Cassel, who looked dumbfounded.

“Ahem. I was just really hungry earlier,” Blair said, regaining her composure and dabbing the corners of her mouth primly.

“There were too many questions during the meal. I apologize for that. I was just so surprised that this blockhead suddenly announced he was getting married without saying a word about you. I lost my manners.”

“It’s all right. He’s never been the type to talk about himself, but I didn’t think he wouldn’t even tell you, Sir Edwin.”

“Thank you for understanding. You’re so generous, Madam.”

The worry that everything might be exposed right from the start proved unnecessary. The woman who had been so stiff and awkward just moments ago was now handling it smoothly.

‘Maybe I can relax a little.’

Cassel let out a small sigh of relief—until—

“We first met… near the pharmacy I run. I found him in the forest, injured.”

“Oh? Really?”

To Cassel’s horror, Blair suddenly put on a shy expression and started spinning a tale right there. Edwin, clearly intrigued, leaned closer over the table.

‘What is she doing making stuff up on her own?’

Cassel’s face stiffened slightly. There was no way Edwin—sharp as he was—would buy a half-baked lie. They hadn’t even agreed on a backstory.

Cassel turned his head slightly and shot Blair a warning look, but of course, she didn’t catch it at all.

“He pretended to be fine and refused treatment, but I gave him some medicine I’d made myself. I guess it worked well, because after that he started visiting the pharmacy now and then.”

“The more I saw him, the more I worried about him, and I ended up looking after him. Naturally, we got closer. Cassel seems cold, but he actually has a surprisingly gentle side, you know.”

“The proposal wasn’t anything grand. It was sudden and simple—but somehow that felt more sincere to me. Sometimes raw honesty has the most power, don’t you think?”

In no time at all, she’d woven a neat little love story mixing fact and fiction.

“It was only after I accepted his proposal that he told me he was a marquis. You can imagine how shocked I was.”

“Ha! That’s so like Cassel,” Edwin laughed, completely captivated by her story. The situation was so absurd that Cassel almost let out a hollow laugh himself.

From the very beginning, she had been such a strange woman. Brazen, yet somehow not annoying. The kind of person who drew people in before they knew it.

‘Maybe it’s better this way—she’s making up a cover story all by herself.’

Cassel leaned back fully into his chair, letting his tension go. Watching the two talk so naturally made the tangle in his head slowly unwind.

Anyway, now that he was marrying a commoner, ridiculous rumors were bound to spread everywhere.

The nobles who used to hover around him trying to gain benefits through marriage wouldn’t just stand by quietly.

If they could convince Edwin here and now, it would give them a decent cover story to use. And this woman seemed more than capable of pulling that off.

‘I’ll do my best to make sure it’s a satisfying marriage.’

The image of Blair holding out her hand with those crystal-clear green eyes flashed through Cassel’s mind.

He’d thought she was just saying it out of courtesy, but maybe she really was dependable. Without realizing it, Cassel’s lips curved into a faint smile.

＊＊＊

After Edwin finally left and night fell—
Blair Marie was pacing nervously around the room like a lost puppy.

After a thorough bath and some pampering from the maids, they had brought her straight to Cassel’s bedroom.

‘If we don’t share a room on our wedding night, people will think it’s strange, right?’

If it were up to her, she would have bolted out the door immediately—but she couldn’t.

‘Remember: If you quit before a year is up, or if the secret leaks out, you’ll owe a penalty.’

She could never repay that penalty in her lifetime. She had no choice.

Deep down, she knew Cassel wasn’t the type to recklessly pounce on a woman just because of the mood. The real problem… was her.

While Cassel had stepped out briefly during dinner because his aide called him urgently, Edwin’s words had planted a seed.

‘Thank you, Madam. I was honestly worried this guy would die an old bachelor without ever… you know.’

‘…A bachelor?’

‘Pardon?’

‘What?’

When she repeated the word in shock, Edwin had looked around helplessly, flustered. Blair’s eyes had started to twitch in disbelief.

‘…Don’t tell me you didn’t know?’

‘Didn’t know what—whether he’s a bachelor or not…?’

‘There were so many rumors that Cassel wasn’t interested in women—some even said he was… ahem, never mind. What I mean is, it’s all nonsense. Cassel’s pure and decent—Madam, you… you’ll… I’m sorry.’

Edwin had tried to recover from accidentally bringing up his friend’s virtue, but in the end, he just threw his hands up in surrender.

‘That was completely inappropriate of me. Please forget I said anything.’

How had the conversation even gone there? Blair had nodded awkwardly, and thankfully Edwin had smoothly changed the topic. Cassel had returned soon after, so she thought she’d forgotten about it completely.

But now, standing in Cassel’s bedroom freshly bathed, the thought floated right back into her head.

“Pull yourself together, Blair. Don’t imagine weird things. So what if the client is a bachelor? That’s normal!”

He was ridiculously handsome, with broad shoulders, a solid chest, big hands, and tall—why wouldn’t he be a bachelor?

Even if he was her husband now, it was only a contract marriage. So why did she feel this strange sense of responsibility?

‘His wife will… save him—’

“Stop!”

She smacked herself on the forehead. Her poor forehead turned red—and so did her entire face.

In a panic, she grabbed the wine that was beautifully set out on the table and started pouring.

Cassel hadn’t even arrived yet, but she didn’t care. It was already past midnight, and it didn’t look like he was coming any time soon.

‘If I stay sober like this, I’ll just keep imagining embarrassing things.’

She was halfway through her second glass when—
Clack! The door swung open.

“Ah!”