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“…I heard the wedding is in a week.”
“Huh? Ah, yeah…”
“It’s late, but congratulations… Sister.”
“Thank you. Uh, Re…”
“…”
“Hmm…”
Faced with his intense gaze, I opened my mouth hesitantly. Should I call him by his nickname again? Or just use his name? While I was awkwardly gauging Lennox’s expression, he spoke up.
“You can call me the way you did earlier. Please… call me ‘Reno.’”
“But…”
“I’ve heard from Father about your current condition, Sister. I’m glad you still remember that nickname you used to call me often. So please, keep calling me that.”
“Alright then… Reno.”
“…Yes.”
When I carefully called his nickname with a nod, the stiff expression on his face finally softened, and he smiled brightly.
Seeing the little dimple appear on his cheek made my heart almost leap out of my chest.
Isn’t this little brother just too adorable?
Really, Lucious and Lennox… everyone here is so lovable. I wonder what the previous possessor disliked so much about them.
I truly couldn’t understand any of her actions. She was strange in so many ways.
Anyway, let’s put aside the complicated calculations and stick to what I do best: taking the straightforward approach.
Still a little nervous, I held my teacup tightly and spoke to him.
“Reno.”
“Yes, Sister.”
“I know it may be hard to ask you to forget what I was like before, but… I want to say this even if it’s shameless. I want to apologize for everything I’ve done to you up until now. You must have suffered a lot, and I’m really sorry.”
“…Sister…”
“This might sound strange, but I hope from now on you can believe that the way I act is the real me. I want to just chalk up the past to me being out of my mind for a while… though I know that doesn’t make it okay. Still, I hope you can forget about it. Instead, I’ll try to do much better from now on.”
“…”
“After the wedding, I’ll be moving out of the estate and going to the Grand Duke’s residence, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be able to see each other. I’ll ask His Highness for permission. I don’t have all my memories back yet, but I really want us to have a proper sibling relationship again.”
Tiana had only one younger brother, but for me, Lennox was my first brother ever. The previous possessor was long gone, and what mattered now was repairing the broken relationship between us.
I don’t plan to follow the original story exactly—at least not if it means turning Lucious into a villain. But the possessor had ruined relationships that were once warm, and I felt I needed to restore those to feel at peace.
Also, I just really liked Lennox. Aside from Lucious and Rose, my favorite characters were Angelica and Rayel, but that might change after today.
His curly red hair and sky-blue eyes were exactly my type. And who could ignore such a sweet little brother?
While I waited for him to speak, we met eyes. Perhaps sensing my sincerity, Lennox smiled brightly and nodded.
“I want to be with you again too, Sister.”
✦✦✦
Once I treated him with genuine sincerity, Lennox came to me without hesitation. For the remaining days at the estate, we talked every day.
There were still awkward moments, but I knew time would resolve that, so I decided not to rush and take things slowly.
And then… the night before the wedding finally arrived.
After dinner, I came out to the garden alone and sat on the swing I had discovered earlier, gazing up at the bright moon.
“Tomorrow… is the wedding.”
Two months had passed since I woke up in this world. After a long but short journey, tomorrow I would finally marry Lucious.
Marriage. Something I never even considered back in the modern world. Yet here I was, about to do just that—with my favorite character, no less.
Moments of hardship flickered through my mind like snapshots.
But now, the hard part is over—happiness begins! There’s still a lot to do, sure, but I could endure physical exhaustion if it meant being happy.
A joyful married life awaited me. How could I not relish it? No matter how busy things get, I’m going to enjoy this newlywed period for the next year.
They say the honeymoon phase is the flower of married life. Of course, with Lucious, I could spend a lifetime in bloom, but the best time to savor sweet moments with him undisturbed is now.
The unusually bright moon tonight felt like it was celebrating my marriage too. Maybe I should make a wish under it.
“Beautiful moon, please… let me be happy with Lucious.”
I’ll be the one to ensure Lucious’s happiness—so, Moon, just give us a little help from up there.
I pressed my hands together in prayer and was just about to say, “Please watch over us,” when a familiar voice cut me off.
“…Please watch over us.”
“…Lucious?”
“So that Tiana and I may create happy moments together…”
Appearing silently, he stood in front of me with a gentle smile. His golden eyes sparkled like the moon behind him, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
“What are you doing here, Lucious?”
I asked, startled by his sudden appearance. He smiled softly and replied:
“I came because I missed you.”
…He’s being sincere, right? There wasn’t a trace of falsehood on that clear face. Ever since he dried my hair that day, he’d started to say things like this outright. Was this Alexandra’s influence?
Whatever advice she gave him was clearly effective. It was probably just “Be more assertive!” or something, but Lucious was following it flawlessly using his instincts.
I sighed inwardly and spoke of something that had been on my mind.
“Ah, I’m sorry about last time. You came all the way to see me, and I couldn’t even talk to you properly…”
“It’s fine. I had a good conversation with the Duke instead. Have things been going well with your brother since then?”
“I’m not sure about ‘well’… but it’s been okay. There’s still some awkwardness.”
“That’s good to hear. Awkwardness will pass with time.”
“Yeah, I think so too.”
As I stood up from the swing, Lucious stopped me and knelt slightly before me. The moonlight fell over his head as he naturally took my hand.
His golden eyes shimmered as he kissed the back of my hand. The image was so dreamlike, it made me sigh without realizing.
As I silently looked at him, he spoke with a slightly worried expression.
“I couldn’t come the past few days, so I wanted to visit tonight. I heard… you haven’t been feeling well lately. Are you okay?”
“Who told you that?”
“One of Tiana’s maids.”
“Ah…”
It must’ve been when I cried after finding the Duchess’s ledger and felt down. Inabel must’ve said something.
I had been upset, yes, but not anymore. The ledger still pained me when I saw it, but it was a precious item, and I planned to bring it with me to the Grand Duke’s house.
It was the only connection I had with the Duchess—someone I would never meet again. Every time I saw it, I felt something tender, so I wanted to keep it close.
As I fell silent, Lucious looked even more concerned. He held my hand tightly and asked slowly.
“If… if you’re feeling uneasy about the marriage… is there something I can do?”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I heard brides often feel anxious before their wedding, nostalgic for their past life… Are you feeling that way?”
He looked at me with anxious eyes. Wait, who told him that? I tried to calm him down quickly.
“No, no. Who told you that?”
“Alexandra… she said women often have many emotional struggles before marriage…”
“Ah…”
Of course. I had a feeling it was her. She even gave him that kind of advice? Isn’t she unmarried herself? Isn’t she younger than me?
Anyway, I needed to clear up this massive misunderstanding. I sighed and held his hand as I said:
“Not at all. I wasn’t feeling well before, but it wasn’t because of our wedding. I’m not the least bit anxious or worried about marrying you.”
“Really…?”
“Absolutely. Why would I be anxious or worried? Sure, there’s a lot I’ll need to learn as your wife, and that worries me—but that’s a separate issue. It has nothing to do with being afraid or unhappy about marrying you.”
Of course, I was concerned about whether I could support him well as the Grand Duchess. But that wasn’t something that made me doubt the marriage itself.
Why worry when I already don’t have enough time to enjoy this? My life with him would be nothing but happiness.
Maybe brides here are as emotionally anxious before marriage as they are in the modern world, but that didn’t apply to me.
From morning to night, being able to see Lucious’s face… how could I not be happy?
Forget worry or fear—I wanted to shout, “I love this!”
Even after all that, he still didn’t look entirely reassured. I let go of his hand, cupped his cheeks, and gently pulled him toward me.
“…!”
“Lucious.”
We were so close I could feel his breath. When I lowered my head to meet his eyes, he stared at me silently with wide, surprised eyes.
“I accepted your proposal. I even proposed to you, remember? Asked you to marry me?”
“I haven’t… forgotten. Not at all.”
“If I was anxious or scared, do you think I’d have asked you to marry me?”
“No…”
“Our life together will be filled with new experiences and challenges, sure. But I’m not worried. Because… you’ll be by my side, right?”
“Ah…”
“With my strong husband beside me, why would I worry or be afraid? I’m filled with joy and excitement. Aren’t you, Lucious?”
“Yes. I feel the same, Tiana.”
He finally smiled as the anxious look on his face faded. Enchanted by that bashful smile, I unintentionally tightened my hold on his cheeks.
His smiling red lips were vivid even under the night sky… Before I knew it, I kissed them softly, unable to resist.
“…!”
It was just a brief touch, but real. Lucious stared at me, wide-eyed. As I saw his red face, I felt my own heat up and tried to laugh it off.
“I know we’re supposed to wait until tomorrow, but the moon’s watching… so I figured, why not do it a little early? …A kiss of vow.”
“…”
“The moon’s our witness. So it’s valid. As the bride and groom to be.”
“…Tiana.”
His gaze deepened with seriousness. I had acted impulsively, trying to pass it off, but the growing warmth in his eyes made me more self-conscious.
I had talked so boldly—now how was I going to recover from this? As the silence stretched between us, I looked up and noticed the moon beginning to tilt. I quickly stood up.
“N-now it’s getting late, right? You should go, Lucious. We can’t be late for the wedding tomorrow…”
“Tiana.”
“…Ah!”
Lucious pulled me into a sudden embrace as I tried to pass him. Surprised by his strength, I stumbled backward, but he held me tightly around the waist.
Before I could say a word, his lips met mine.
Not a fleeting kiss like before—but long, deep, and warm.
As his lips gently caressed mine, I slowly closed my eyes. And just before I did, I thought I saw the moon smiling down at us.
