"Suddenly, I'm getting nervous too. How many days have you not slept?"
"About 4 days? I'm not very tired, though."
He said lightly, but I, who had the record for longest stay up all night for three days, said.
"It's serious. The wedding is right around the corner, so you have to close your eyes."
"......."
"I'll put you to sleep. Let's go right away."
"Where?"
"To bed."
Isidore's eyes widened at my words. The pulse that touched my palm increased its speed up even more.
"That I can sleep... right?"
I tugged at the doubtful man curiously.
* * *
"Come on, lie down."
"......"
"I'll lull you."
Isidore, who had a dark imagination for a very short time, lay down on the bed with a smirk. The reason he was able to relax in the bedroom where the two of them are together was because the wedding was just around the corner.
'Okay. Be patient, be patient.'
He blinked, admiring his patience again.
"Hurry up and close your eyes."
Isidore, who was staring up at Deborah, who was patting his chest after covering his body with a blanket, slowly closed his eyes at the constant urging and threats.
She whispered a lullaby in a low, soft voice.
In the peaceful atmosphere, he suddenly felt like a child who was being taken care of. When he was young, there was never a time when someone tapped his chest like this.
'Even when I was young, I hated being touched by someone.'
The princess gave me an unfamiliar feeling like this every time.
"Go to sleep, you keep smiling."
The princess pricked his cheek and Isidore giggled.
"It's because I like it."
"If you keep doing this, I have no choice but to use extreme methods."
The princess suddenly put her hand on his eyes, and Isidore's mouth, which had been laughing, stiffened.
"Wait a minute! Divine power is a foul..."
"It's not a game where you don't sleep and hold out, how can there be a foul?"
"Ha..."
It's a tense situation where I'm alone in bed with my lover, but sleep really started to pour out like crazy.
'... If Miguel knew about it, I'd be the subject of constant teasing.'
I was dumbfounded, but her sweet voice and the divine aura spreading from her palms relaxed all the muscles in my body. Isidore muttered helplessly with dim eyes.
"I... I always feel like an idiot standing in front of you."
I get flustered every time, and I get swayed...
"That's why I'm marrying you."
Her voice lands warmly in my ears.
"If the duke was as perfect as you look, I wouldn't have loved you this much."
"Do you love me... very much?"
He asked a childlike question in his vague mind, and whispered again, "I love you very much." As soon as he heard the satisfactory answer, Isidore fell asleep for the first time in a long time.
In his dream, his grandfather appeared after a long time. The grandfather, who poured out all of his expectations he had for his disappointing son to his grandson, fell ill due to the rapid deterioration of pneumonia in the cold winter.
At the age of 14, when Isidore could not inherit the head of the household, his grandfather died suddenly.
"Isidore, the future of Visconti depends on you."
Bardo Visconti, who secretly transferred all of the net gold mine to his grandson through double ledgers, asked Isidore several times before he died.
"You're a genius enough to be considered as the next master of Blanche, so you will surely be able to take care of even your poor father."
"......"
"Because you are the perfect child..."
Isidore couldn't cry at the death of his grandfather. His chest just sank heavily, as if a lump of lead had been hung on him.
This is because his grandfather's bloody 'perfect' mantra felt forced to him every time. Forced to do even the part of his father who was lacking. He was also disgusted with his father's incompetence and inferiority complex.
"That bastard can't be my son!"
I think so too. You're not my father. We don't have the slightest resemblance. How are we rich?
He wanted to deny his father aloud, too.
Despite his temperament, which became more skewed the more he was forced to do well, the reason Isidore lived up to his grandfather's expectations was because of his childish mind, which he didn't want to look like his father who was lacking.
And people don't change easily. As time went by, the outer skin that pretended to be perfect became more solid, and at the same time, the mysophobia became more and more severe.
But it didn't matter. Because everything went the way he intended.
Isidore, who was recognized for his excellent money-raising talent early on, became the next master of Blanche, a secret organization run by Visconti's collateral. All of Visconti's vassals followed him, so it was as if the family was already in his hands.
Just when he was struggling from his utterly helpless boredom, she appeared and broke everything. The black swan that shakes him from the very beginning. A person who gently holds his lonely hands and loves even his immaturity...
After wandering for a while in a dream of the old past with his eyes narrowed, he fell into a deep sleep feeling the warm and soft voice and the body temperature wrapped around his hand.
* * *
Social circles called the marriage between Deborah Seymour and Isidore Visconti the 'marriage of the century'. And to match the reputation, the wedding of the two was held in an unusual 'Castle of Roses'.
The Rose Castle is an ancient castle that existed even before the foundation of Asteria, and was one of the most beautiful ruins that the empire was proud of. Even in winter, the scent of roses lingered around, and the interior had a unique structure, as if petals were layered on top of each other.
It is only open once a year to keep it clean, but the Duke of Visconti casually rented it as a wedding venue.
"It's to show that you have enough connections and power as well as money."
Everyone had no choice but to stick out their tongues as he rushed to rent a place that could only be used after obtaining permission from the royal family as well as the consent of the senate that manages the castle. "
"By the way, will Princess Deborah choose an old-fashioned dress, or an elaborate design like that of Empress Victoria in the past?"
Also, for the young ladies, the biggest concern was what design of wedding dress Princess Deborah would choose. It was obvious that the design of the wedding dress she wore would set the trend that year.
"Until now, the princess had never worn a pure white wedding dress before. I can't easily imagine it."
"I'm sure she will definitely choose a fancy dress that matches her appearance."
"By any chance, has anyone around you received wedding invitations?"
"There is no one around me."
Although it was a wedding that attracted a lot of attention from many luxury people, only a limited number of people were invited, which made everyone regretful.
And on the day of the wedding, the inside of the wedding hall was filled with famous people of the empire from early morning. They marveled as they looked around the beautiful wedding hall, where Isidor's delicate eye stood out.
"Oh my Godness."
"My eyes are really good this way..."
In addition, the Seymour twins, who greeted the guests at the entrance of the ceremony hall, caught everyone's attention with their handsome appearance. It was also unusual that the atmosphere was so different even though they had the same facial features.
While Rosard interacted with the guests with a cool attitude, Bellek wore a lofty atmosphere and was moderately polite.
"It's a good day, don't you look relaxed?"
At Rosard's scolding, Bellek let out a murmur mixed with lamentation.
"... Deborah is really getting married. Somehow I can't believe it."
"I never dreamed that Deborah would marry the first-class groom of the empire. I didn't know that she would get married before us, and I thought it was a good thing she was dumped by Philaf, and he went to a monastery..."
"Not that."
"...... ?"
"When it comes down to it, it's so bland. Deborah Visconti. It doesn't stick well to the mouth."
"Ha? You wanted to send Deborah out of Seymour whenever you had a chance."
"... When did I say that? She... She's the most Seymour-like kid."
"I'm going crazy because I'm not used to it every time."
Rosard rubbled the chicken skin on his arm, and Bellek snorted.
"Do you really think I don't know that you gave Deborah a separate dowry?"
"......"
"Even mentioning the tradition of the early days of Asteria. The excuse was very tearful, wasn't it?"
Rozard quickly shook hands with a high-ranking official pretending not to hear, and Bellek, who was trying to sneak out, was caught by high-ranking Mage Tower researchers who came as guests.
---ooOoo---