Violet Zerotta's Hasty Marriage - Chapter 12
He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, struggling for breath, and only after a long pause did he finally speak.
“Your… Your hand…”
“What? Are you feeling sick? You have a fever? Your face is so red. And why are you stammering like that? Are you cold? Oh no, are you coming down with something?”
“No, that’s not it.”
She saw him rub his face hard with his rough hands. He looked completely exhausted.
“Did you sleep badly because I was next to you?”
“Yes.”
He answered as if blaming her, which left Violet a little hurt.
He was the one who insisted they sleep together, and now he was complaining?
“Let’s go to town today and buy a big bed. No. Actually, maybe we should just get a second bed altogether. It might be better if we sleep separately.”
At that, he quickly looked up.
“Separately? No way. Married couples are supposed to share a bed.”
“But you just said you didn’t sleep well because of me.”
“That’s not really because of you… I mean, it is because of you, but…”
“Don’t trail off—just say it properly.”
“Haaah… Never mind. Anyway, we don’t need to buy a bed. We’re going to be leaving this house soon anyway.”
“What?!”
His sudden comment made Violet’s eyes go wide with shock.
“Leaving here? Why? Are you going off to war again or something?”
No way. She had waited three years already, and now she was supposed to start another indefinite wait? Absolutely not.
Besides, Violet had just started to realize that she actually liked Aldrick more than she expected, which made it all the more disappointing.
“No, I said we. We’re going together.”
“To where? Why?”
He paused to choose his words, then answered simply.
“I earned some merit in the war. So I’ve been granted a fief and a title.”
The answer was so straightforward that Violet didn’t fully process it at first.
His tone was as casual as if he were saying he’d borrowed some farm tools from a neighbor.
“A fief and a title?”
“Yeah. I heard I’m going to be made a Count. I think that’s right.”
“A Count…”
That was much higher than her father, Antonio Zerotta’s paltry Baron title. Violet was momentarily at a loss for words.
“And you’re getting a fief, too? That means you’ll be a lord?”
“Probably.”
“Why are you only telling me something this important now?”
“…Yesterday, I was kind of all over the place.”
“Seriously, a fief? A title? What is even happening… When do we have to go?”
“First, we have to go to the capital for the investiture. It’s in two months, so there’s still time. But after the ceremony, we’ll have to go straight to the estate. The people there would be in trouble without a lord. So… I was thinking…”
He hesitated, as if unsure how to continue, then said,
“It’s kind of a sudden idea, but I thought maybe we could travel together on the way to the capital. You’ve been stuck here for three years, and, well…”
He, who had spoken so dryly about titles and territory, was now blushing and stammering again. What’s he trying to say this time?
“W-We never had a proper h-h-honeymoon trip after the w-weddingceremony, so I thought maybe sightseeing a bit might make you happy, and I—”
“Alright, alright, calm down!”
To settle his complete fluster, Violet grabbed his arm.
And maybe his embarrassment had rubbed off on her too, because she could feel her own face heating up.
Perhaps it was the words he’d suddenly thrown out—wedding, honeymoon—that had caught her so off guard.
Wedding. Honeymoon. Out of nowhere.
Violet’s face turned bright red. To be honest, she had long since erased that rushed, runaway-like wedding from her mind.
Three years had passed since, and with Aldrick gone, there were times she even forgot she was a married woman. So now, for him to suddenly mention something so fresh and romantic as a honeymoon… It was unbearably embarrassing.
And Aldrick seemed to feel the same. He couldn’t meet her eyes, and even the breath he exhaled was heated.
“Fine. It’s all fine. I agree with everything. If we’re leaving anyway, then let’s go whenever you’re ready!”
Unable to say the word honeymoon again, Violet tossed out her words in a rush and fled the room.
Her ears were burning, and her heart was pounding—it was all so unfamiliar.
Is that why I don’t like this feeling?
She asked herself.
No, that’s not it… Her heart answered.
She didn’t dislike it. In fact, Violet was a little moved by Aldrick’s proposal.
Even though their marriage had been sudden and haphazard, it felt oddly refreshing to know that Aldrick now regarded it as a proper, official marriage.
Of course, Violet hadn’t ignored their vows either. That’s why she had stayed in this place all this time, waiting for him.
