Bridal Lessons - Chapter 18
III. Shameful Education
The next morning, the first thing Rosen saw upon waking was the large mirror adorning the ceiling.
A four-poster bed draped with lace canopies. The large mirror attached to the center of the ceiling reflected her figure lying beneath it.
“Ah…”
Blinking her eyes a few times, Rosen hurriedly sat up. Had someone washed her while she slept? She was in a white nightgown. The furniture and wallpaper patterns around her were all unfamiliar.
Judging by the emblem of crossed swords embroidered in gold on the edge of the bed sheets, it was certain she was within the grand ducal residence. However, the spacious bedroom was clearly neither her own nor Iscarion’s room.
Where on earth was she?
Rosen, startled, tried to recall the events of the previous night.
“You’re awake, Rosen.”
“…Ah— hic!”
Rosen nearly yelped in surprise at the familiar voice unexpectedly heard right beside her. Due to the room’s dimness, his expression was not clearly visible, but it seemed Iscarion had been waiting by the bed for her to wake up.
“B-Brother?!”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“What is going on? Where exactly are we…?”
“The annex.”
With a brief response, he swiftly drew back the curtains, brightening the room. Reflexively turning her head, Rosen saw a tall tree reaching up to the window. As he said, this was the annex located at the far end of the vast grand ducal residence.
Though called the annex, it was in fact a building of near-palace scale, long unused and thus Rosen’s first time seeing it from the inside. It was an old structure built several generations ago by a previous Grand Duke who had an exceptional love for his wife, intending to spend secret time with her on holidays.
Since then, it had become a tradition for newlywed Grand Duke and Grand Duchess to spend a period of their honeymoon there, a story Rosen had read about in the history of the House of Lutèce.
Even Iscarion’s parents, the previous Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, did not leave the annex until they conceived their first child…
Iscarion had ordered the restoration and expansion of the long-empty annex around last winter, when rumors began circulating about him having a secret lover. Rosen had often been tempted to ask him directly about the reason but had always put it off, fearing the answer.
But if this was the annex, then could this room be…?
A romantic bed with sturdy legs.
A large mirror on the wide ceiling.
Realizing the meaning of these two pieces of furniture, Rosen’s face heated up. Suddenly, she recalled a story her best friend Sylvia once told her.
“These days, it’s trendy among newlyweds to put a big mirror on the ceiling above the bed. When ordering new furniture for the newlyweds, artisans make it that way even without a special request.”
“A mirror? Not a dressing table, but a mirror above the bed? Why? It’s not like you need to see yourself sleeping…”
“Oh, you innocent soul… That’s exactly the point! Seeing yourselves… Couples watching their intimate moments in the mirror get even more excited.”
“That’s crazy! Why would anyone… Watching it makes you more excited? That’s so weird!”
Sylvia, who had three older sisters married early, knew a lot about such things. However, during the s-x education lesson at the temple right after her coming-of-age ceremony, Rosen had learned that marital relations were to be done with the lights off…
The priestess had mentioned that it was acceptable for newlyweds still getting used to each other to leave on a dim nightlight. Rosen had imagined herself and Iscarion kissing under a gentle, romantic light, blushing at the thought. Naturally, she had dismissed Sylvia’s story as nonsense, but it turned out such a trend did exist.
But if so, it meant this room was prepared as their bridal chamber.
So, it was true that Iscarion had a lover. Then the rumor about the impending wedding was also…
Realizing the truth behind the rumors she had been trying to ignore, Rosen felt her heart ache as if it were being torn apart.
Knowing she couldn’t stay lying there any longer, Rosen quickly sat up as if propelled by springs. In her hurry to get up, her voice trembled.
“Brother! I shouldn’t be in a place like this.”
“Why not?”
“This is supposed to be the bridal chamber, so it should remain empty until the wedding…”
“I thought so too, but I changed my mind.”
Iscarion replied briefly, moving his long legs to approach her.
“I’ve decided to use it for a different purpose until then.”
Feeling an overwhelming pressure from his proximity, Rosen couldn’t say anything.
“Shall we talk for a moment?”
As Iscarion indicated somewhere with his chin, she felt his overpowering presence and couldn’t utter a word.
“It seems you had everything prepared, Lady Dana.”
Thud.
He lightly lifted and tossed a large travel bag in front of the bed where Rosen sat. It was the bag she had packed in advance, planning to leave the grand duchy immediately after breaking off the engagement with him the previous night…
