~Chapter 16~
As Apollyon stood there, lost in thought, Petunia quietly moved closer.
He didn’t even notice her until her white feet came into view. He quickly looked up, and there was her face, right in front of his.
Petunia reached out and gently placed her fingers on his shoulder, like a soft dance.
Apollyon flinched and trembled slightly.
“Apollyon,”
“…”
“Honey?”
“…Yes.”
“I’m not asking you to do anything bad. I just want us to do our part, right?”
“…Right.”
He nodded slowly, hesitantly.
Petunia smiled sweetly, folding her eyes into a lovely crescent shape. It was a beautiful smile—but there was something mischievous about it, too.
Apollyon stared at her with his mouth slightly open.
Petunia gently hugged his stiff body. He was big and muscular—almost too big for her to embrace properly.
She softly traced her fingers down his back. Like feathers brushing across his skin, her touch glided down.
“Eep!”
Startled, Apollyon instinctively pushed her away. It wasn’t on purpose—just his reflex to avoid danger.
Because of that, Petunia fell backward onto the bed with a thud.
“W-Wife!”
He panicked and didn’t know what to do.
After hesitating, he reached out a hand to help her up.
But Petunia just stared at his hand blankly, without moving.
“Is it hard for you to get up…?”
“…No.”
She lifted one corner of her mouth in a smirk and brushed her hair back. She looked like a proper troublemaker.
“Wife…”
Instead of answering, Petunia turned her gaze toward the window.
The once-dark sky had begun to lighten. Dawn was coming.
“The sun… it’s rising.”
They had been locked in this battle of wills all night.
Petunia looked exhausted. She had been the one actively trying to persuade him the whole time, after all.
But Apollyon wasn’t doing much better.
He had struggled to resist her, to control his own body the entire time.
“What was I thinking, trying to seduce a male lead known for his stamina…”
Petunia muttered in defeat. Apollyon didn’t really hear or understand her words.
Light began to fill the room. Since it was summer, the sun rose earlier, and being by the sea made it even more noticeable.
“The night is already over…”
With a soft voice, Petunia slowly walked over and handed him his belt.
“You can go now.”
“Wife…”
“Forget the wedding night. I’m tired now.”
“…”
“Let’s just say it happened.”
“…”
“We did spend a very ‘hot’ night together, right?”
Apollyon nodded in agreement. It had definitely been a hot night in many ways.
Petunia nearly exploded with frustration seeing him just quietly nod again.
Was he clueless, or was he trying to make her lose her mind on purpose? If it was the second one, he was doing a great job.
“I’m so tired…”
She rubbed her aching head with her hand.
“Please rest.”
He responded quickly—too quickly—and that annoyed her even more.
“I’ll tell the staff not to wake you.”
“…”
“Get some sleep, okay?”
He said, carefully adjusting his clothes.
Petunia nearly jumped up the bed in anger.
She wanted to erase the phrase “passionate male lead” from the novel with a giant eraser.
“Well, I’ll take my leave then.”
He bowed politely and left the room. The door closed, and silence filled the space.
Breathing heavily, Petunia finally let her frustration out. She kicked the blanket furiously.
The loud thud scared the birds on the window sill, making them flap away in a panic.
It was her silent scream. Her quiet tears.
***
I groaned as I sat up in bed.
My throat was so dry, I pulled the trigger to call a maid immediately.
Soon, there was a knock, and Selene entered the room.
She glanced around discreetly. When she saw the nightgown and pillow on the floor, her eyes widened in surprise.
“Y-You’re awake…?”
No, Selene. Don’t misunderstand. That’s not what happened.
My chest tightened, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth.
Part of me didn’t want to explain, and part of me… didn’t want to ruin the happy look on her face as she picked up the gown.
So I let her keep her assumptions and looked at the clock. It was well past noon.
“Selene—”
My voice came out hoarse and rough.
No surprise—I’d wasted all that energy last night yelling and arguing.
Selene looked startled, but I ignored it and continued.
“Selene, I need a bath.”
“Oh! Yes! I’ll get the bath ready right away!”
“…And food.”
“Yes!”
Selene quickly gathered the clothes off the floor and rushed out.
Soon, other maids entered and began preparing my bath.
Normally, I preferred to bathe alone. But I was too tired now. My body had no energy left.
So I gave up and let them take care of everything.
Once the temperature was checked, Rene added a citrus-scented bath oil.
I stripped off my clothes and sank into the tub.
“Ahhh…”
The warm water was soothing. Then, Selene brought me tea, and I felt like my body was finally relaxing.
It was like those old ladies who hum songs in public baths—I completely understood them now.
The maids busily washed me from head to toe.
Their eyes were different from last night.
Now, they looked like hunters trying to spot signs of Apollyon on my body—like big cats searching for leftovers.
‘Sorry girls… there’s nothing to find.’
I sank deeper into the tub and looked at them with a blank stare.
Rene looked like she wanted to ask something, but I ignored her. This wasn’t something I could talk about anyway.
Once I was done, I got dressed and had my hair dried with the maids’ help.
Then one of them came in with a message: Lady Claire wanted to have tea with me.
Honestly, I wanted lunch, not tea. After last night’s energy drain, I was starving.
But it wasn’t quite lunchtime, and I couldn’t exactly demand food from my elder.
I couldn’t keep Lady Claire waiting either, so I quickly got ready and went to the garden behind the mansion.
I thought she would call me to her own estate up north.
But surprisingly, she had come all the way to our mansion to wait for me.
Even though the distance between the two mansions wasn’t short—it took over an hour by carriage.
Considering I had overslept and just woken up, it was far more kindness than I deserved.
“Mother.”
I called as I approached the tea table where she sat.
She looked up from the book she was reading, smiled gently, and closed it.
It was such an elegant gesture.
I bowed lightly and spoke.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I should’ve come to visit you first…”
“No need. You must be tired from traveling all the way here. As your mother-in-law, offering this much care is the least I can do.”
Her lips curled into a warm smile.
“It’s nice to see you, but let’s sit and talk first.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
As I sat down, a maid brought out refreshments—hot tea, buttery croissants, and seasonal fruits.
“You probably haven’t eaten properly yet. Please, help yourself. I don’t know if this will be enough.”
“Mother…”
I was touched by her thoughtfulness.
Anyone who feeds me is a good person.
Still, I couldn’t eat like a beast in front of my mother-in-law. I used all the etiquette I’d learned to gracefully cut and eat the croissant.
…Really, using a fork and knife just to eat one croissant? I couldn’t help but feel ridiculous.
Even in documentaries, French people just tear it with their hands. I cursed the author who made such rules for this world and shoved a tiny piece into my mouth.
“Do you like the mansion?”
Lady Claire asked after setting down her teacup.
I swallowed my bite, dabbed my lips with a napkin, and replied,
“Yes, I love it. A stone mansion by the sea… it’s so beautiful and peaceful. The inside is elegant and clean, too. I really like it.”
“I’m glad. My northern estate is lovely as well. You should visit sometime. There’s a dense birch forest nearby—it’s quite vibrant and close to the city.”
“Oh, a birch forest? That sounds wonderful. I’ll definitely visit soon.”
I smiled brightly.
After sipping her tea, she continued.
“I wanted to wait until you were more settled… but we’re short on time now.”
“…Sorry?”
I lowered my cup with a confused look. A bad feeling crept up my spine.
“It’s time for you to take over the duties of this household.”
The buttery croissant in my mouth suddenly felt like a brick.
