The Art of a Brilliant Political Marriage - Chapter 2

One month after that dinner conversation with her father, Cielin wore her bridal gown and held her ceremony at a famous church in the Royal Capital.

On the day of the wedding, in the church waiting room, she met her husband and his family for the very first time.

“Saves Zikkeldocra,” the man introduced himself briefly. He made no effort to hide his reluctance, his face twisted in a displeased scowl. Even so, there was no denying his incredibly handsome features. Being beautiful really is an advantage.

Although this was their first meeting, Cielin had heard the rumors. In fact, Saves was a frequent topic in the gossip papers she loved to read. While gossip papers are just entertainment for the masses, they provide amusing looks into the private lives of nobles. Someone once said that the misfortune of others tastes like honey, and these papers were full of unhappy stories: messy love affairs and lives ruined by drama.

Saves was a regular in those papers. Thanks to that, Cielin knew all the rumors. He never lacked lovers and spent sweet moments at evening balls, but it was always for just one night. He was a cold, icy man with no affection for his partners.

Her father, who was always quick at his job, had apparently found this man and pushed his daughter onto him in no time at all. Why he was so desperate to marry her off remained a mystery, but he had certainly picked the right person for her goal.

Even if there had been strong demands from the other family, Cielin’s arrogant father would never have listened. She suspected there was some hidden motive—perhaps a massive profit that caught his eye—but she believed he had listened to her specific request. When it came to business, her father was reliable.

And so, Cielin was now at the Earl Zikkeldocra estate. They had finished the church ceremony and arrived at the mansion just a short while ago. With the help of Litte—the maid she brought from home—she had just taken off her pure white wedding dress in her assigned room and finally caught her breath.

Although there was no wedding reception dinner, it was already pitch black outside. Because they had rushed to book the church, the wedding had been held at a strange time. She didn’t know when her father had started preparing, but a wedding usually doesn’t happen in just one month. Noble weddings typically take much longer.

Litte had gone to ask if dinner would be served soon, so Cielin was all alone in her room.

Suddenly, Saves came to visit. He was still in his groom’s clothes; it seemed he hadn’t changed yet.

Cielin panicked internally, wondering if it had been a mistake to take off her bridal gown so soon. She hadn’t been told a single thing about the schedule for the rest of the day, nor for tomorrow. She didn’t know if there was a honeymoon planned, or if her husband would be taking a wedding leave starting tomorrow.

However, Saves didn’t care about her confusion. He simply ran his fingers roughly through his styled hair to mess it up and tossed off his jacket.

“Apparently, this is your room starting today.”

The Zikkeldocra mansion had been very grand starting from the front gate. Beyond the gate with its intricate vine patterns, the bright white walls of the house stood out, lit brilliantly by lamps. After passing through the entrance hall with its crystal chandeliers and climbing the delicately carved stairs, she saw that every single door in the long hallway was decorated with jewels.

The items placed throughout the house were all expensive and flashy. Compared to that, the room she had been led to was certainly very bare. The curtains were fancy, but the furniture was rugged and old. It had no unnecessary decorations and felt very heavy. The bed could only be described as “simple.”

She could see why her visiting husband would look down on it. She didn’t know who had prepared this room, but the malice behind it was clear. It wasn’t a shared room for a couple, either. She guessed his room was far away, as there wasn’t a single man’s item in this empty space.

She didn’t know her husband’s true feelings as he spoke like it was someone else’s problem. She could only guess that he wasn’t the one who prepared it.

However, back at her father’s house, Cielin had lived in a room without windows that the servants used. This room was better simply because it had a window. Besides, she couldn’t feel relaxed when surrounded by expensive items. The things here weren’t delicate at all; they looked sturdy, which made her feel more comfortable using them.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“Hmph. Is that sarcasm?”

“I did not intend it that way.”

He laughed coldly; he didn’t seem to believe her words at all. He turned his emotionless eyes toward her and unbuttoned his shirt. The line from his neck to his collarbone, visible through the opening, was quite sexy. He truly was a husband worthy of the gossip papers. As she trembled with a bit of excitement, her husband gave a mocking smile, likely misinterpreting her reaction.

“Unfortunately, it seems the people in this house have no intention of serving you. No one has come to show their face, even though the master of the room has returned.”

“I have brought one person from my home to take care of me, so I do not mind.”

Cielin’s desire was to be mistreated by her new family. Therefore, she had expected this kind of treatment. In fact, she had practiced for this in her head—even if her “textbooks” were just gossip papers.

“I see. Even if you’re just acting tough, I suppose you have some resolve. Normally, a girl would leave in tears. I don’t know what your goal is—but you are undoubtedly the most unhappy bride in this country.”

He leaned his lips close to her ear and whispered those cruel words as if they were sweet nothings. Cielin simply swallowed hard as he seemed to get lost in his own performance. In this room alone with a man she had just met today and who had just become her husband, Cielin didn’t know the “correct” way to act, but she felt that just standing there looking up at him wasn’t right either.

She blinked and thought over his words. The most unhappy bride…?

That was exactly what she came here to be. Since her wish was coming true, she felt she should thank God. However, she couldn’t tell if it was okay to be honest about her feelings. If her husband was a sadist who enjoyed this situation, she had to keep it a secret that she was actually happy. She shouldn’t ruin his fun, right?

The cold room was filled with tension, but Cielin could only stand there, not knowing what to do. While she was dazed by the situation, Saves suddenly and roughly pushed her down onto the bed. He then climbed over her.

“—!”

She felt the texture of the bed against her back—not top quality, but soft enough. The creaking sound of the bed sounded vividly real. She felt the heat and the large size of her husband’s body on top of her. Since they were married, she understood that physical intimacy was expected, but her heart gave a loud thud.

Is it… right now?

With this sudden development, the headline “The Love Hunter” from the gossip papers flashed through her mind. As her eyes wavered, he looked down at her face with a stiff expression.

“I have no intention of sharing a bed with you. I plan to keep our bedrooms separate. If you have some grim determination to give birth to an heir for this house, I thought I should tell you that it’s a waste of time.”