TDWO Chapter 45

 

Ahhh!

Anri closed her eyes tightly and struggled to escape. Edwin’s arms around her waist didn’t budge at all.

No, no. My cherry jelly…

“Sh-should I clear it away?”

Alyka was at a loss for where to look. Edwin’s gaze grew even more sinister.

“Take it away quickly.”

“Yes, sir.”

Alyka, bowing respectfully, approached the table.

There was too much for her to carry alone, but she was determined to clear it away quickly.

She couldn’t afford to delay the master and madam’s precious first night, even by a second.

Alyka first tucked the wine bottle under her arm.

She quickly gathered the trifles, cake, and jelly-like desserts into her apron. The sound of items being stacked made Anri’s heart race.

‘Is he getting revenge on me? By taking away my food!’

If that was the case, Anri had her own countermeasure.

How dare he hold me without permission, I’ll touch him without permission!

Anri decided to use her secret weapon to escape his embrace. There was no way he could keep holding her after this.

Interestingly, Edwin was ticklish around his ribs.

While he was impervious to tickling under his arms or on his feet, even a light touch around his ribs made him shiver.

He might go completely crazy. That was information Anri had learned from the original work.

Finally, Anri, with great effort, lowered her hand and began to touch his torso.

He could already feel Edwin freezing as he sensed the touch. Anri’s hand brushed against the defined contours of his abdomen.

Even though there was clothing in between, the outline was thin enough to be felt.

Finally, when Anri’s fingertips reached the 5th rib cartilage below his heart,

“…!”

His abdomen contracted sharply, and his spine arched.

Instantly, the arms that had been restraining Anri lost their strength. Edwin gritted his teeth, trying to endure, but he was about to go crazy from the tingling sensation.

Seizing the opportunity, Anri pulled away slightly. She managed to speak loud enough for Alyka to hear.

“W-well, maybe just a glass of wine…!”

However, Edwin’s strength was far beyond what Anri could contend with. Her mouth was once again firmly shut. The sound of the table being tidied also stopped.

Then Edwin spoke a remarkable line.

“My wife, wine? I don’t have time for that. Isn’t the night too short?”

“…….”

It was very kind, yet it felt like a gritted-teeth remark.

Though his mouth smiled, his eyes seemed like a demon forcibly tempting her with a deadly promise.

Anri and Alyka were both startled.

Alyka, who had frozen as if in a pause, quickly snapped back to her senses and stacked the remaining fruit into her apron.

She had to get out as quickly as possible. Even though the carefully packed cake fell apart, she had no time to worry about it.

Pressing the wine bottle and holding the apron with both arms, she was in a state of utter panic.

“I-I’m so sorry!”

Alyka rushed out, unable to believe what she had seen and heard.

‘Wow. Is that really our master?’

The master’s deep affection for the madam was unexpected!

This was a major event. The biggest event to happen since she started working at the Duke’s mansion!

The door closed noisily with a crash, like breaking glass, and silence soon enveloped the bedroom.

The exchanged glances between Anri and Edwin sparked with tension.

Anri’s eyes were filled with resentment, while Edwin’s eyes revealed a shocking realization.

“You’re being too much! I was hungry!”

“Are you a pervert…?”

Blame and reproach were hurled simultaneously from both sides.

‘How did she know my weakness?’

Trying to appear as a loving couple in front of the servant almost led to screams on their very first night together.

It was too accurate, targeting his fifth costal cartilage, for it to be a coincidence.

The fact that he was ticklish in his ribs and extremely sensitive there was not widely known. It was a complex he didn’t want to advertise.

The fact that he couldn’t feel ticklishness in any area, rather than the secret about his ribs, was more widely known in social circles.

In any case, Edwin dismissed Anri’s actions as coincidence.

“And you scared me by suddenly hugging me!”

“Don’t you have any sense? Shouldn’t we show that we’ve consummated our union?”

“Eh? Ah? Oh…”

Slowly, Anri began to understand Edwin’s intention.

There was a reason behind calling the servant and hugging her in bed. Even speaking oddly in front of the servant was part of his deliberate act.

Anri had thought that simply sleeping and waking up in the same room would be enough.

But it seemed that for Edwin, that wasn’t sufficient to ease his concerns.

‘My wife, wine? I don’t have time for that. Isn’t the night too short?’

Even thinking back on those words sent shivers down her spine.

“Well, still…”

“Enough. Miss Anri, you’ve intruded into my bedroom and bathroom today, and even touched my nightclothes. Do you even know where you’ve touched?”

“Well, if you enumerate it like that… I have quite a few things to say myself.”

Anri, who had initially spoken sulkily, ended with a playful smile. Then she spoke softly and gently.

“My father wouldn’t even dare to hug me like that, but you just hugged me, I almost melted and fainted. If someone as handsome as you were to ambush hug someone, a lady like me might just suffer a heart attack! From now on, whenever I see Your Grace, I’ll be so startled I might end up charmingly avoiding you!”

“…”

“You’re also very considerate, even managing my diet. You’re very skilled at taking care of me.”

“…”

Having finished her speech, Anri smiled broadly.

Edwin looked as though he had been struck hard with a soft, fluffy mallet.

Yet, as he endured Anri’s smile, a faint smile appeared around his eyes and mouth.

“I’ve always thought so, but you have quite the talent for turning criticism into praise.”

“I seem to do that a lot around you, Your Grace.”

“It’s both pleasing to see and hear. You look especially beautiful today.”

“Oh, why the sudden praise? I almost bit my tongue! But, well, I am the bride today. But I was pretty to begin with, of course.”

“Haha…”

Though Edwin’s laughter was a bit forced, his eyes were gentler and more affectionate.

Anri’s eyes also softened as they looked at each other, their gazes filled with affection.

“I meant it sincerely.”

“And I meant it sincerely too.”

Anri’s eyes, fluttering with her lashes, sparkled enchantingly even in the subtle darkness.

Just looking at her made Edwin feel as though he were tasting the sweet honey of acacia flowers.

“Now, since we’ve both made two mistakes, let’s seek a fair and peaceful reconciliation.”

“That’s truly an excellent suggestion. There’s no one more regretful than a couple who starts their wedding night with discord.”

“I’m honored that you agree.”

For a while, tender glances exchanged between Anri and Edwin.

Yet, their eyes remained ready to draw claws at each other if necessary.

With interest, Edwin looked at Anri and suddenly said,

“By the way, I don’t have any hobbies that require permission.”

“Pardon?”

Suddenly, he lifted his upper body and leaned toward Anri.

His Adam’s apple obscured Anri’s view, and then a soft sensation briefly touched her forehead before quickly disappearing.

“…”

When they faced each other again, his gaze had grown even more serious, deep, and solemn, leaving Anri breathless.

The fleeting touch of his lips on her forehead felt electric and unsettling.

“…Good night, Anri.”

And then came the unexpectedly intimate tone.

Anri’s pupils began to dilate.

After the forehead kiss, hearing “Good night, Anri,” felt like an alarming assault on her heart.

Yet, after delivering a blow to her heart, Edwin appeared completely at ease.

It wasn’t the time for playful banter like before.

It was probably a gesture of courtesy, much like a kiss on the back of the hand.

Anri was now his wife, so it was only natural that the gesture was a bit more special than a kiss on the hand.

However, Anri wanted to respond playfully, but her heart wasn’t in it.

She subtly lifted the blanket to cover half her face.

Even then, Edwin’s gaze remained fixed on her endlessly.

“Goodnight, Duke.”

Anri quickly said this and slipped into the blanket.

Hiding her head completely, she turned to the other side.

‘Why am I so embarrassed!’

Although she hadn’t gotten to eat the cherry jelly she wanted, there was something else that was sweet.

Something that made her worry about her blood sugar levels…

* * *

It was deep night.

Anri’s gentle breathing, like a baby’s, filled the quiet room.

She had fallen fast asleep shortly after turning away from him and pulling the blanket over herself.

However, Edwin found himself increasingly awake as the night deepened.

The soft sound of Anri’s breathing, the subtly glowing moonlight seeping in, and the serene darkness that seemed to stop time kept him from falling asleep.

‘Am I really married now…’

Someone was in the same bedroom as him, lying on the same bed.

That person was, in fact, his wife. It was the first time he was with someone called a “wife.”

Feeling the weight of that fact, his chest swelled with a strange, overwhelming sensation.

Edwin turned his head slightly to look at Anri.

On the plush blanket, he could only see her hair. Even though it was tousled, it looked like it would be incredibly soft to touch.

He wanted to feel the texture, but he was hesitant to get too close, fearing even a single strand might be disturbed.

Instead, he pulled down the blanket slightly, revealing her round head buried in the pillow.

She was sleeping so soundly.

He silently conveyed the words he hadn’t yet spoken to Anri in his heart.

“Do you know what our marriage means to me…?”

It was truly the first night of their marriage—a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

It was hard to believe that he had actually married and had a wife, yet it was also awe-inspiring.

It felt like a strange and special sensation, as if light was pouring into his life.

It was a first night that anyone who got married would experience.

However, for Edwin, this night held a unique significance, almost like a secret reason.