An Early Engagement - Chapter 5
Marriages of convenience leading to show-window couples were common in high society.
Marrying a suitable partner for the sake of the family, having heirs, and then not caring what the other did afterward—whether they kept mistresses or lovers—was the norm.
But Shirley didn’t want that. Growing up watching her parents, who were so deeply in love, had a big influence on her.
Shirley wanted to become a couple like that too. A couple who cherished and supported each other for a lifetime, whose hearts would race just by locking eyes.
With Damian, they were already good friends, so they wouldn’t end up glaring at each other like strangers… but still.
So, with Damian…
They would have to fulfill “marital duties.”
“…Does that even make sense?”
“You’ll know once you try it.”
The sound of the fork stabbing into the cake seemed unusually loud. Shirley suddenly had a strange thought. How could Melissa say such embarrassing things so casually in broad daylight? Could it be… could it be…?
“Have you… have you done it?”
“Me?”
Melissa asked without a hint of expression.
“Do you want to know?”
Seeing the mischievous smile spreading across Melissa’s lips, Shirley’s face turned pale.
“You… don’t tell me you’ve done it with my brother…”
Melissa was engaged to Shirley’s older brother, Terban. In other words, the two were about to become very close relatives.
“Who knows?”
Melissa smiled ambiguously and popped a strawberry into her mouth. Shirley stared at her in shock.
“Who knows? What do you mean, who knows?!”
Are you serious? Did you really do it?
“Should I tell you?”
Gulp. Shirley swallowed hard without realizing it. No matter how close she was with Melissa, she never expected their conversation to go this far.
Both of them had grown up as sheltered young ladies of noble families, after all. They were raised like precious jewels, with their private lives strictly managed.
“How was it…?”
Shirley asked cautiously, as if stepping into forbidden territory. Melissa, who had been observing her friend’s expression, chuckled lightly and then smiled coyly.
“Anyway, you’ll know once you try it.”
“…”
“Whether you and Damian can truly become a couple or not.”
“Really?”
“You can’t do ‘that’ with just a friend.”
Melissa bent her index finger and thumb to form a circle, then inserted her other index finger into it.
“Melissa…”
Shirley was so shocked by the gesture that her mouth hung open, unable to close.
“If you think it’s absolutely impossible, then it’s just friendship. You can’t become a couple.” The fingers that had been poking into the circle now formed an X.
“That’s why I’m saying, you’ll know once you try it. If you can’t do it, then it’s nothing.”
“Is that really how it works?”
Shirley grew even more confused by Melissa’s blunt words.
Me, Damian, and… that?
“Just try it once.”
“But my mom…”
What if they find out?
“Wouldn’t they just ask if you still haven’t done it yet?” That made sense too.
“But my dad…”
“Hmm, that might be a problem.”
Shirley’s father, the Duke of Lafez, was famously doting on his daughter. Of course, he was even more devoted to his wife, so he wasn’t the type to go against her wishes. Still, if he found out his daughter was getting “close” with her fiancé so soon, he’d definitely throw a fit.
“Well, if the Duchess approves, then…” Melissa’s words always carried a certain weight of trust. But still, how could she and Damian possibly…?
“How do other people even know about these things?”
“How do they know? They know because they’ve done it,” came Melissa’s indifferent reply.
“Hey, with their fiancés?”
At Shirley’s naive question, Melissa stifled a laugh.
“Well, does it have to be with a fiancé?”
……
Shirley’s face looked as if it had cracked under the weight of the shock.
“Then again, you’ve never met or had the chance to meet any other men besides Damian.” At those words, Shirley visibly deflated.
“Even if we went on a trip to Reichen together, you wouldn’t be able to exchange a single word with the men there, huh?”
“Isn’t it the same for you?”
“I lived in that country for 15 years. I’ve met way more people than you have,” Melissa said casually.
