Married To A Savage Duke

“How can you do this when you haven’t even heard the pledge yet?”

“I blame you for being so overwhelmingly beautiful.”

A kiss was added to the same area again. Cherryl clenched her fist and pushed him slightly on the chest.

“My Lord.”

“I haven’t kissed you that much recently. Can’t I do it?”

“Looking at you, you’re becoming a little more brazen. Let’s go.”

Cade held out his arm belatedly, replacing the answer with a light smile. The two, who crossed each other’s arms, stood side by side from the large garden’s entrance and headed to the ceremony. Even upon entering the green garden, they even looked like a picture-perfect painting from the back. On the other hand, the more Cherryl walked, the more difficult it was to breathe. She thought it would be alright if she just stood up the whole time but the discomfort was unbearable.  Cherryl unlinked her arm didn’t even touch Cade’s and pulled the hem of her back for no reason. It was an act of rebelling against Lily if she ever saw that the jewels were falling. Still, there was no improvement. Recognizing her little movements and disturbed breath, Cade lowered her gaze and stared at the same place. Cherryl quickly dropped the hand touching her back.

“Is there a problem?”

Cade asked, looking down at her back.

‘My corset is uncomfortable.’ Instead of saying that, Cherryl shook her head. “No problem.”

He narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

Soon after, Cherryl, who saw the glass greenhouse for the first time, took a very long breath. When she saw the glass surface reflecting the sunlight even in the midst of a busy situation, she thought it was very beautiful.

“Oh, my!”

Cherryl raised her chin in admiration as she measured the magnificent size of the greenhouse.

“I heard that it was under construction since I came to Carlsvik, but I didn’t know it would be this huge.”

“We planned to have more than 200 guests, so we have set a large scale for the construction.”

Cherryl cast Cade a bitter glance.

“It’s a waste to use it as a wedding hall once. Have you thought about how you could use it after the wedding ceremony?”

She sounded like she was nagging at her husband for spending money like crazy. Cade liked it strangely enough.

“I’ve never thought about it, but it can be used as a banquet hall or just simply a garden. You could try to decorate it later on if you want, Lady Cherrryl.”

“Oh, my!”

As soon as his words were finished, Cherryl let out a short scream, startled as if she had been stabbed with a needle. Cade, whose brows were narrowed, observed her with a questioning gaze. Cherryl pretended to be fine even if the discomfort had shown in her countenance.

“Well, then, the garden——— A garden would be nice. It would be so pleasant to read a book and drink tea in there.”

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

Cherryl’s condition seemed strange from the moment she got off the carriage and walked. She looked absent-minded as if she was distracted by something, but suddenly she would frown and occasionally shrink her shoulders as if there was something bothering her. However, even when asked if she was alright, Cherryl would vigorously shake her head. Cade was about to ask if she had drunk, but he kept his mouth shut. Not only did she not smell like alcohol, but the drunken Cherryl wouldn’t even be this absent-minded.

When two servants tried to open the door, Cherryl said without soul. “It’s time to go into the wedding ceremony, My Lord.” It was a moment that Cade had been looking forward to so much. The reason why many guests were invited to the wedding was to firmly inform the entire empire that Cherryl was his. Not a few of the guests gathered today were influential in other countries, but it might be possible to spread the rumor there that they were officially married. There was no greater fruit than this among the achievements Cade had made in this second shot at life. However, right now, he couldn’t be satisfied with Cherryl, who acted as if one of the screws she had was missing.

“Cherryl, if there’s any inconvenience you’re experiencing——-”

The glass door was already opening when Cade spoke. At the same time, the stringed instruments’ warm melodies resonated as if welcoming their entrance. Regardless of who was first, the guests who got up from their seats looked at them with admiration.

“…….”

The couple, who began to march on the wedding aisle under a cluster of brilliant purple flowers, looked like an ecstatically matched pair. The lovely sight of them, smiling and making eye contact with each other in the middle seemed intimate enough to squash the rumor about the marriage being made through a dirty money deal. Nobles from all over the country looked up to the bride and groom, exclaiming nonstop.

Meanwhile, Cade and Cherryl’s minds were complicated for different reasons.

***

While the bishop of the ceremony recited the marriage vows, Cherryl had to try everything just to be able to stand calmly. She knew that the purple flowers hanging from the high ceiling and the golden branch-looking chandeliers were beautiful, but she couldn’t afford to pay attention. Not to mention her poor breathing and the corset’s wires poking her wing bone felt even more painful every time she moved her body. She didn’t even know what kind of spirit she exchanged rings with.

“Do you have a problem with your clothes?” Cade, who had been scanning her face as she wriggled her upper body, whispered.

“Is your wedding gown uncomfortable?”

“It’s not the wedding gown.”

The dress was innocent. However, she couldn’t be honest with him as she wondered what to do about this, so Cherryl smiled bitterly. At the end of the pledge’s particularly long reading, the bishop said in a loud voice. “I hereby declare that in the name of God, the marriage of these two has been fulfilled.”

Applause erupted as guests sprinkled colorful flowers over their heads.

‘It’s finally over.’

As the ceremony neared its end, her heart became more urgent. Cherryl couldn’t wait to return to the castle and throw off these clothes. She wanted to go back to the castle in a carriage, climb the long staircase, and rush to her bedroom but the wedding, which she thought was over, was still in progress. Cherryl noticed that the guests were waiting for something with their sparkling eyes.