Violet Zerotta's Hasty Marriage - Chapter 9
She hadn’t gone out of her way to say they were married, but would that be a problem?
“He should know by the ring on my finger.”
Violet held out her hand to show him. The ring he had placed on her finger on their wedding day was still there.
He stared down at it as if seeing it for the first time. Though her fingers were still slender and delicate due to her youth, they bore the marks of a working woman more than those of a wealthy noble lady.
Embarrassed, Violet quickly hid her hand behind her back.
“That’s not enough. I’ll go tell him clearly myself.”
Tell him what, exactly? Violet couldn’t keep up with the conversation.
Was he really going to go announce that she was a married woman? Then why was he gripping his sword like that?
“What? Don’t bother! What for?”
“That guy—”
“That guy what?”
“That guy… said he’d take you as his wife…”
“That was just a joke!”
Violet spoke without thinking, lightly smacking him on the shoulder so it wouldn’t hurt. Her palm ended up hurting more from hitting his firm muscles.
Because they’d been apart for so long, Violet didn’t know much about Aldrick. Maybe he was just overly serious by nature? In truth, they really didn’t know much about each other at all.
Violet narrowed her eyes slightly.
“You’ve been calling me ‘you’ this whole time… don’t tell me, you don’t know my name?”
He hesitated for a moment, then finally let out her name like a sigh.
“Violet Zerotta.”
Hearing her name in his voice felt strangely unfamiliar. It made her heart tingle.
“Wrong.”
Suppressing her reaction, Violet corrected him. He opened his mouth to protest, but her next words cut him off.
“It’s not Zerotta. It’s Winter. Violet Winter.”
According to the laws of the Kingdom of Illo, a woman who married had to take her husband’s family name. She didn’t particularly like the rule that required her to give up her original surname, but since Zerotta was her father’s name anyway, Violet had no regrets about becoming Violet Winter.
It was the first time she had spoken the name aloud. Violet Winter. She liked how it sounded.
She was about to ask Aldrick if he agreed that her name and surname went well together, but when she looked at his face, she stopped.
His handsome face was flushed bright red. Even his well-shaped ears had turned as red as ripe tomatoes.
A very, very handsome tomato, in fact.
***
‘It must’ve looked that way only because of the sunset.’
All the way home, Violet told herself that.
She hadn’t said anything that should’ve made him blush like that. It wasn’t normal for a twenty-year-old man to turn that red so easily.
Since then, the two hadn’t spoken a word. The ride back together on horseback was awkward because of it.
As soon as they arrived home, Violet fled into the kitchen. It was to avoid the awkward atmosphere.
But Aldrick didn’t help her stay hidden.
Noticing him constantly peeking into the kitchen, Violet finally turned around in irritation while cooking.
“If you need something, just say it.”
Stop hovering so much. It’s distracting. She swallowed the rest of her words.
“There’s just nothing to do. I was wondering if there was anything I could help with…” he said awkwardly.
It felt strange having someone offer to help with tasks she’d always done alone, but Violet didn’t turn down a pair of extra hands.
“Alright. Then sit here and prep the vegetables. You know how to use a knife, right? Just be careful not to cut yourself.”
His face turned a little sulky.
Did I speak too much like I was talking to a kid? Now that she thought about it, she had probably been doing that all along.
But she couldn’t help it. From the very first meeting, Violet had cemented her impression of Aldrick as a boy three years younger than her. Or just a neighborhood kid.
That impression, hardened over three years, wasn’t going to change overnight. Even if this Aldrick who was now sitting at the table peeling potatoes was clearly a grown man…
‘He is my husband, after all—should I start using formal speech with him? Maybe I should tell him to do the same?’
Somehow, she just couldn’t picture the two of them speaking formally to each other. Violet decided to set aside the troublesome thought for later. For now, she had to focus on the stew in front of her.
Dinner passed peacefully.
The beef stew they made together filled the table richly, and the sound of spoons clinking against bowls was warm and comforting.
Just having one more person at the table where she always ate alone made it feel like a party. And that wasn’t necessarily a bad feeling.
The problem came after dinner.
After washing up and preparing for the end of the day, Violet was faced with a dilemma.
Dressed in her comfortable cotton nightwear, her hair combed smooth, Violet stood in front of the bed, hesitating.
