~Chapter 97~
After the date, even after returning home, my mind was still tangled up with what had happened on the rowboat.
‘Maybe… he really didn’t hate it.’
Honestly, if Damien had hated it, he wouldn’t have asked me to kiss him again like the night before.
‘Or… maybe he just wanted to tease me?’
That might be it.
He looked so satisfied seeing my forehead burning red.
“If you want to see me embarrassed too, then suddenly show affection next time.”
What kind of nonsense was that?
On the rowboat, I had ended up saying he should look forward to “next time” because of Damien’s provocation.
But honestly, I wasn’t sure if I could really do it.
‘Wait… why do I even want to see Damien embarrassed in the first place?’
That wasn’t the only question.
Why was Damien so satisfied seeing me embarrassed?
Even if he thought it was unfair that only he showed his shy side—since I didn’t even remember that moment, there was no need for him to care that much.
‘Besides… this is…’
This was far from the “contract marriage” life I had originally imagined.
We had touched before, but Damien always explained it as necessary to avoid suspicion from others.
But lately, it had gone far beyond that.
This wasn’t just “practice to look like a married couple” anymore.
“Ugh, I don’t know.”
I gave up on the complicated thoughts.
I decided to clear my head by drawing. If I didn’t, I felt like I’d stay up all night thinking about this.
‘What should I draw?’
The lake we visited today? The fireworks were beautiful too.
While recalling the fireworks and the staff’s cute messages, suddenly Damien’s face came to mind—his stunned expression while staring at the sky, his violet eyes reflecting the bursts of color.
‘Damien too…’
At that moment, he had looked so surprised, so happy, and so beautiful.
So beautiful that I wanted to keep it on canvas.
“Ah!”
Before I realized it, my hand had moved on its own.
And when I came to my senses—
“…What is this?”
It was Damien’s sketch.
Even though it was just a rough sketch, anyone could clearly tell it was his portrait.
“No, no, no!”
Last time, when I entered the contest, I had Damien’s permission to paint his portrait.
But this time, I hadn’t even asked.
‘I can’t just draw him without permission.’
Even when painting curses, I always asked for permission first.
All the more for a real person.
I thought about erasing the canvas but couldn’t bring myself to do it. Instead, I brought out a new one.
Yet even with a fresh canvas, Damien’s face wouldn’t leave my mind.
“…Haa.”
I dropped the pencil.
Before me lay another sketch of Damien’s face.
Leaning back in my chair, I stared at the ceiling.
‘Well, after what happened yesterday… it would be stranger if I forgot.’
Kissing my contract husband on a rowboat.
Damien said it was too short—“like something between kids, not between a married couple.”
Still, for me—
‘Even that was too hard!’
Sometimes just meeting his eyes made my heart race. How could I kiss him longer than that?
‘Weren’t we supposed to be in a contract marriage anyway?’
When had things changed so much?
It wasn’t practice anymore, since no one was watching us, and Damien hadn’t even explained it that way.
“Really strange…”
At the beginning, Damien thought I’d want to escape this house. That’s why he set the condition—I only had to spend one night here every three months.
That was his only demand.
But now?
Instead of once every three months, I was here every single day.
Whenever I went out, it was almost always with Damien.
Since the wedding, I hadn’t spent even one night away from this house.
‘If I knew it would turn out like this, that condition was pointless.’
Life really was unpredictable.
“But this drawing… what do I do with it?”
I thought about throwing it away, but I couldn’t.
Even though it was just a rough sketch, it felt alive—almost like part of him was in it already.
I couldn’t possibly destroy it.
‘…I’ll just keep it.’
Besides, maybe my artistic spirit had been stirred, because the sketch came out better than usual.
‘I’ll ask for his permission later and finish it then.’
Deciding that, I flipped the canvas over and set it in the corner.
But then, a thought crossed my mind.
‘…I only draw things I like.’
So what did it mean that I drew Damien’s portrait?
The moment I realized this, my face went hot.
I shook my head wildly, chasing away the thought.
‘No, no! We’re just good friends who share hobbies!’
Besides, he saved me from the Aristeia family and gave me a happy life.
But then another thought crept in.
‘…But do friends usually kiss each other?’
Of course not.
The more I thought, the more tangled it got.
I couldn’t forget last night with Damien.
“This is driving me crazy…”
Covering my face, I muttered.
All of this was Damien’s fault.
Days passed, and the memory of the rowboat became bearable.
Of course, sometimes late at night, my heart still pounded under the blanket.
But during the day, I could look Damien in the eyes and act normal again.
One day, as we sat in the study together, writing our curse observation journal side by side—
“Madam, a letter has arrived.”
The butler brought a silver tray with a letter on it.
Seeing the seal and sender, I quickly tore it open.
“Where is it from?” Damien leaned forward to check the envelope.
“The Academy.”
I had a pretty good guess what it was.
[We are sending invitations to the award ceremony for the winners of the 124th Imperial Contest.]
The judges and organizers already knew who the winners were, but the public announcement hadn’t been made yet.
The list would be announced soon, and the award ceremony would take place a week after that.
‘I should attend, right?’
It worried me a little that the ceremony would be near the Imperial Palace again, but every grand prize winner in the past had always attended.
Skipping it without a good reason wasn’t an option.
“I’ll go with you, so don’t worry.” Damien reassured me.
“I’ll also ask Leonie to keep an eye on Leonard for us.”
Since we had sworn an oath that day, Leonie betraying us was unlikely.
With that, things would be a little safer.
‘Besides, I’m still a newcomer. Attending will make future work easier.’
It was a good opportunity.
At the ceremony, nobles and experts would compete to give their patronage, and I’d get a chance to present my art to the public.
‘And since it’s such a huge event, Leonard won’t easily make a move.’
Although it was hosted by the Imperial family, the Academy controlled most of the ceremony. It would be difficult for Leonard to interfere.
It wasn’t worth the risk.
So I decided to attend—with Damien.
Turning my eyes back to the letter—
‘…Hm?’
As I finished reading, I found something I hadn’t expected.
