What’s Wrong With My Marriage? I Was Bought as a Wife, Yet My Husband Is Madly in Love With Me! - Chapter 4

“I just… I really wanted to see you eating the things you love.”

“O-oh, thank you.”

Luce began to eat as encouraged, but Klaus did nothing but watch her with a beaming smile. Even though the same dishes were set before him, he made no move to touch his own cutlery.

“Um, Klaus, aren’t you going to eat?”

“My heart is so full just looking at you that I’m already satisfied.”

Even being told not to mind him, it was nerve-wracking to be stared at while eating. Just as she was wondering what to do, the butler, Deck, leaned in and whispered something into Klaus’s ear.

Startled, Klaus hurriedly picked up his silver. “My apologies! You’re right, I’ll eat with you. I was being impolite. Let me enjoy these favorites of yours as well.”

The rest of the meal proceeded harmoniously. Whenever she asked about him, Klaus happily shared his history. He had recently inherited his title; he was unmarried with no history of divorce; and he managed several businesses that made him incredibly wealthy.

“I own diamond and emerald mines abroad. At home, I own several hotels. And in our territory, we run a magic stone processing plant.”

Magic stones. As the name implied, they were mysterious stones imbued with mana. They were a convenient fuel source for daily life, much like coal, but Luce knew they were notoriously difficult to handle, requiring specialized technology and highly skilled craftsmen to process.

The fact that he could maintain such facilities meant Klaus possessed staggering financial power. Between the processing and the distribution, his territorial income and personal assets must have been astronomical.

With his refined looks, he seemed like the type to be the talk of the social season. There should have been countless young ladies wishing to be his wife, yet Luce had never heard a single rumor about him.

“Ah, well… I was studying abroad for a long time. I only recently returned to this country.”

“Oh, I see.”

(But if that’s all it is, there’s no reason to choose someone like me. There has to be another motive.)

Dinner ended, and after preparing for the night, Luce waited for Klaus in the master bedroom. She was certain that if he had any secret business to discuss, it would be during their first night together. She sat there with a tense expression, determined not to show shock regardless of what he might say.

At the very least, Klaus had been incredibly considerate from the moment she arrived until dinner. The servants had treated her with nothing but politeness and respect. Compared to her life at her parents’ house, this was a world of difference. Even if it was all a fleeting dream, it wasn’t a bad experience.

As she sat on the bed in her nightgown, Klaus entered. Upon seeing her, his expression turned serious as he approached.

(Here it comes… the catch.)

Luce unconsciously gripped the hem of her nightgown. Klaus knelt before her, looking as though he were about to confess to the “crime” of buying her with gold.

“Luce, I beg you to forgive me for spending money on you so lavishly.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I got so carried away with excitement because you agreed to marry me that I ended up buying about ten sets of engagement and wedding rings.”

“You what?!”

“I know, I know! Such things should be chosen together by the couple. This is the foolish result of me losing all self-control. I am truly sorry.”

(I have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about.)

Or rather, she didn’t want to understand. Looking down at Klaus as he gazed up at her with such a remorseful face while still kneeling, the thought ‘He’s actually kind of cute’ popped into her head.

“U-um, if you prepared them for me, then I’m happy, so…”

“You’re happy? Thank you, Luce! You really are so broad-minded and kind.”

Klaus gripped her hands in gratitude, causing Luce’s face to turn bright red. When he asked if he could sit beside her, all she could do was nod.

“Oh, truly… I want to pour money on you like water every single day.”

“Er, well…”

“Luce, it seems the only talent I was born with was the ability to make money.”

“I-I see.”

“So, would you mind signing this? It names you as the sole heir to my estate in the event of my death.”

“Klaus, wait! We just got married, didn’t we?”

How on earth did the conversation jump to inheritance? Even if she were a gold-digger, no one talks about wills on their wedding night, let alone asks for a signature. To have the proposal come from Klaus himself was beyond baffling.

“Yes, marriage. We are married, Luce.”

“Yes, we are.”

“…As I mentioned at dinner, I’ve been abroad so long that I’m a bit out of touch with ‘common sense’ here.”

(I wonder what his definition of ‘common sense’ is…)

Though bewildered by his words, she looked up at her husband’s face.

“I’d like for us to take our time and get to know each other slowly. How does that sound?”

“Um… yes.”

Luce was stunned by the unexpected proposal. She had braced herself for a “bought bride” to be treated poorly.

(Or is this an act?)

A play to make her let her guard down before dropping her into an abyss of ridicule? But even for an act, Klaus’s behavior was far too eccentric. She looked up at the man who was now her husband, wondering who Klaus Barth truly was.

“…Luce.”

Klaus reached out and touched her cheek. She flinched instinctively. It was the first time in her life she had ever been this close to a man. Furthermore, he hadn’t said a single disparaging word to her. It was only natural for her heart to race.

She had the basic knowledge of what happened between a husband and wife at night, but the experience of being looked at with such heat and being touched was entirely new. Her heart was beating so loudly it was noisy, and the heat in her face made it impossible to think straight.

“I’m sure you aren’t mentally prepared to suddenly be called a ‘wife.’ I moved far too fast.”

Klaus apologized for filing the marriage papers in just three days.

“I didn’t want an engagement. I wanted a stronger bond with you than something that could be called off at any time.”

(People can still get divorced even if they’re married, though…)

To Luce, who lived in fear of being told “I have the wrong person” and being sent away, engagement and marriage felt equally fragile. Yet, Klaus spoke as if, once married, he had no intention of ever letting her go.

That can’t be it, she thought, dismissing the idea. Klaus took her hand; his palm was as warm as hers.

“Would it be alright if we just slept like this together tonight?”

In the glow of the bedside lamp, Klaus’s face was just as red as hers. Perhaps that was why she found herself nodding and nervously lying down in bed beside him. Klaus reached out with a bit of hesitation, and when Luce didn’t pull away, he pulled her close.

Held in his arms, Luce pressed her face against his chest. A mysterious scent sweet yet slightly sharp brushed against her nose.

(…This is way too embarrassing.)

She wondered if the day would ever come when she’d get used to sleeping with a man like this. Her heart was pounding violently. But then, she realized the sound wasn’t just her own. She could hear a heartbeat coming from Klaus as well.

(Is he nervous too?)

He was holding her, and he was this nervous. Thinking about it that way made him seem incredibly endearing. Luce let out a tiny smile he couldn’t see, closed her eyes, and listened to their synchronized heartbeats.