Princess Shu

On the wedding day, the bride and groom did not immediately spend the nuptial night together.

They were obliged to serve the guests who came, but only one of them went to greet the guests. When a woman of a higher status gets married to a man, it is customary for the bride to entertain the guests. Likewise, when a man of a higher status tied the knot with a woman, it was customary for the groom to entertain the guests.

It was the first time that Valia was grateful for the Gel Empire’s wedding laws. She felt sorry for Schuden who had to entertain guests alone. But, as she wanted to avoid being in front of many people as much as possible, Valia entered the manor alone.

“Nice to meet you, madam. I’m the housekeeper of Marquess Garth’s manor.”

The housekeeper respectfully showed her manners. Standing behind her were the servants and maids who also politely bowed. Having just relaxed for a bit, Valia felt the tension coming back and solemnly straightened her back.

“Nice to meet you, housekeeper.”

“My apologies, madam, but please do not speak so formally to me. You are now the only one who is on par with the Marquess. You must speak with dignity and superiority not only to me but also to all the employees of this manor.”

Valia nodded. She also had this experience in the past when she worked in the Imperial Palace. For the old and experienced nobles, they found their dignity on their own. But for fresh nobles who had just entered the palace, sometimes they spoke formally to Valia. She knew they did not mean anything bad. Rather, they spoke formally because they respected her. However, they also could not help being upset when they were scolded by the royal attendant for doing that.

“Then, housekeeper, I’ll do that.”

“Yes, madam.”

The housekeeper smiled with a warm impression. The lady with silvery-gray eyes may still look young but she was more aristocratic than expected. As the lady of the house of Garth, one could not just be too nice. It was also necessary to know how to be dignified to those below her. In that respect, Valia was a great lady of the house.

“Madam, I have already invited a painter to paint your portrait. Please head inside.”

Valia nodded. While the groom entertained the guests, the bride must have her portrait painted by a painter who had been called in advance. The wedding was completed only when the portrait was hung in the portrait room of the head of the house. It was not applicable to the commoners, but the nobles had to follow it.

“It is an honor to meet you, Marchioness. It is an honor to paint the portrait of someone so beautiful.”

“Do your best for me.”

The painter was waiting with his tools lined up in the pre-arranged room. He was an impressive man with an appearance that seemed to be announcing that he was a free artist. Despite his shaggy beard and informal attire, he had a neat attitude toward Valia. Perhaps he was a painter who specialized in painting for nobles.   

“Marchioness, the lighting is just beautiful today. Please sit here and look at me.”

Valia obediently followed the painter’s words. The moderate sunlight pouring by the window tickled her cheeks. Valia, having never had her portrait drawn like this before, had to be rather nervous not to show too much tension. Fortunately, the painter drew her portrait without any criticism.

“Your eyes are so beautiful.”

The painter was absorbed in painting for such a long time that he only opened his mouth after an hour had passed.

“Eyes like yours give off a different impression depending on the angle of light. Right now it looks clear and clean like a glass bead made by a craftsman, but it’s actually silvery-gray in color.”

To think of it as a compliment, it was too rhetorical, and to conclude that it was flattery, his tone was too plain. However, there were quite a few people in the world who could flatter someone even with only a bright tone. When Valia worked as a lady-in-waiting in the Imperial Palace, she often saw people with such talents.

“Thank you for saying such nice things.”

So this kind of answer would be appropriate. A gentle surprise crossed the face of the housekeeper, who stood behind Valia. Whether nervous, arrogant, or ignorant, there have been many nobles who, upon receiving this kind of compliment from a painter, gave either a longer or shorter response. Free-spirited painters used to portray the subject of their portrait’s nature based on the response at such moments during the process. But Valia simply had a calm and determined appearance. There was nothing unnecessary in her answer.

‘When will it end?’

Valia had no idea what the others were thinking, she just wanted this time to pass quickly. Having been sitting in a chair without a backrest for a long time, her back was numb. And having been smiling for an extended period of time, her mouth was cramping. And just when she was worried of turning to stone after sitting like this, the painter finally said something.

“It’s done. Marchioness, you had it hard sitting down.”

“You did a good job too.”

‘Finally!’

Valia endured her urge to get up as soon as possible and spoke as gracefully as possible, just as a proper noblewoman. The portrait drawn on the day of the wedding was simply drawn because it needed to be on time. A more complicated and colorful portrait using various paints would be painted in the future. It was not an ordinary skill to draw a portrait with limited tools in such a short amount of time.

The housekeeper walked to the painter and received the portrait. The portrait was put in a frame prepared in advance by the maids and given to Valia. Inside the splendid frame surrounded by gold, there was Valia painted by the experienced painter.

“Madam, we don’t have much time. Let’s go right away.”

Valia nodded her head before she could even examine her portrait closely. As the housekeeper said, it had been quite some time. She guided Valia to the exhibition room where portraits were hung side by side.

“This place is…”

“This is where the portraits of the lord and the lady of the House of Garth were hung. I have already made a place for you.”

Even if the housekeeper did not tell her much, Valia could know where to hang her portrait. Her husband, Schuden, had already gotten his portrait hung. The vacancy right next to the frame seemed to be waiting for Valia’s portrait. She hung her portrait straight away.

Before looking at her portrait, Valia could not help but pay attention to Schuden’s portrait. Wearing the same suit as today, Schuden looked polite and a little decadent even in the portrait. Valia looked up at the red eyes in the portrait and thought.

‘Did he hang it himself?’

It was customary to hang the portrait personally. But for some reason, she thought Schuden would have had an employee hang it for him. Valia thought so and smiled gently. And while looking around, she tilted her head.

‘Why doesn’t he have a portrait of his childhood?’

Even Schuden’s predecessor displayed a series of portraits of his childhood. Strangely, there were none for Schuden.

‘Is it not displayed here?’

The exhibition room was very large. Valia thought that it might have been displayed deeper inside. Nevertheless, she did not think about going in.

“This way, madam.”

The housekeeper guided Valia from the exhibition room to the bathroom. A warm gust of steam suddenly rose when the maids opened the door. After passing through partitions made of thick curtains and ebony woods, a large bath that filled a small hall caught her eyes. The maids skillfully stripped Valia off her dress. After quickly becoming stark-naked, Valia walked cautiously into the bath.

The water was warm and there were even soft, colored petals sprinkled on top. Valia felt a little grateful and soaked herself in the bath. She smelled a faint scent on her nose and it made her feel drowsy. It felt like her body started to loosen up after being tense all day.

‘Nice…’

Valia closed her eyes for a while. She did not spend a lot of time alone. About four or five maids, including the housekeeper, came in and began to wash her every nook and cranny. They did not even skimp on any one place.

After they were satisfied with washing Valia, the maids placed a towel soaked in warm water on her body. They massaged her muscles gently and applied a moderate amount of perfume.

Thus, after well over an hour, Valia was finally done. She did not even know how she ate the food that was put in her mouth in the meantime. Valia was absent-minded as the maids dressed her up with a soft silk robe.

‘I don’t think there’s even a single dust on my body.’

She thought that she was probably in the cleanest state she had ever been in her life. Whether or not she knew that Valia was exhausted in a different sense from before, the housekeeper politely guided Valia.

The sun was setting and the lights were lit all over the hallway. It was already dark outside the window. It seemed that a lot of time had passed while she was getting her portrait done.

‘Everyone must have gone back already.’

As evidence of that, it was quiet outside. It was not polite to the newlyweds to stay until the sun went down. In return for their attendance, they would have been treated with a sumptuous meal and a souvenir.

“This is your bedroom, madam.”

Valia heard the housekeeper’s voice and shifted her gaze. She was already in front of the door in no time. It was a rule that only the couple would enter the bedroom on the first night. Valia thought that Schuden was probably not inside yet. But at the same time, she took a deep breath so that she would not be nervous. She slowly opened the door.

“Are you coming now?”

Before she could even close the door, Valia was startled. Schuden, who was leaning on the bed, got up. He was also wearing the same silk robe Valia was wearing.

“Come here.”

Valia had never experienced such a situation before. When she stood still, frozen on her feet, Schuden reached out his hand first. Valia held his hand more carefully than ever. With their skin touching, Valia noticed that his hand was moist. Looking closely, his hair was half wet. He also seemed to have just finished taking a bath.

Schuden led Valia to the bed. In fact, there was no place else to go. There was a luxury leather sofa, tables, and chairs in the bedroom but it was not a place to carry out a nuptial night. She did not know why her heart was pounding so hard when she said that in her head.

Schuden acted courteously. Valia was able to lean on the bed, it was fluffy due to it being full of feathers. Regrettably, Valia could not afford to be happy with this just like how she usually was. And there was only one reason for that─Schuden Garth. Unlike Valia, Schuden showed no signs of anxiousness. He slowly leaned on the bed.

“Did you just hang your portrait, milady?”

“Pardon? Oh, yes. I just did.”

“We can go take a look together tomorrow.”

Schuden spoke softly. Listening to his words, she recalled the question she had earlier; the absence of his childhood portraits. Valia thought that she could probably see it tomorrow and asked what she was curious about the whole time.

“Well, but Your Excellency…”

Valia hesitated and opened her mouth.

“…Why…are you speaking formally to me all of a sudden?”

Valia asked about Schuden’s way of speaking. Before, he had been speaking informally to her, and yet, suddenly he was speaking formally. 

As he was rather curious, Schuden asked back.

“Is there a problem if I do so?”

“No, that’s not it…”

But you did not do it before.

Valia rolled her eyes without saying anything out loud.

“We are married now so we are a couple. It is unfair if only one person is speaking formally.”

“But before this…”

“Before this, my status was higher.”

Schuden spoke the truth. Valia could have never imagined that he would say that, she was speechless. Schuden looked at Valia and smiled.