She had been talking about singing for a while now… Did she really hear me singing last time?

Belladonna swallowed hard nervously.

She brought his large hand that was on her waist to the front.

Belladonna raised her right index finger and placed it on his palm, using it like a pencil, and slowly moved it.

‘What. Song?’

Furrowing his brows and staring down at what Belladonna was doing, he opened his mouth.

“You’re asking what song I want?”

Nod nod.

“If I say, will you really sing it for me?”

Escalion smirked as he lifted the corners of his mouth.

Of course that wasn’t the case, but she wanted to know if he really remembered the song she had been singing.

Belladonna just stared at him silently.

“What song should I ask for…?”

Escalion exhaled a low breath and rolled his golden eyes.

If words like ‘work song’, ‘sky’, ‘bountiful harvest’, or ‘little bird’ came out of his mouth, she was prepared to leave this place immediately.

In that case, she would have to flee to Astanya right away, marriage or not, and hide deep within the papal palace.

‘Since he’s caught on that I can make sounds…’

Belladonna held her breath and stared at his lips.

Soon, his lips curved upwards again in a smooth arc.

“The song is just an excuse. I made an unreasonable request to a wife who can’t speak, but I didn’t expect you to ask what song.”

Ugh… I fell for it instead.

Belladonna frowned without realizing it.

Escalion gently rubbed her furrowed brow with his thick finger and opened his mouth.

“I’ll let it go today, so relax your face. It’s not scary at all.”

Let it go?

When Belladonna made a puzzled expression, he playfully poked her cheek.

“Anyway, I’m a bit tired today too, so I won’t touch you.”

“……”

“I shouldn’t hurt my wife by pushing too hard from the first night, right?”

Though Belladonna couldn’t fully understand what Escalion was saying, it didn’t seem to be a pleasant meaning.

She tried her best not to provoke him and slowly inched her body backwards.

“But you know.”

Failed.

Belladonna, who had been gradually moving towards the edge of the bed, was caught by him again and dragged back.

He grabbed her thin wrist and examined it this way and that.

Her white, slender wrist that was much smaller than his grasp fluttered up and down following his hand.

“How do you survive with wrists like these?”

That’s because you’re abnormally huge…

Belladonna protested in her heart, but outwardly she put on the sunny smile characteristic of the Holy Maiden.

Hehe…

“What am I supposed to do if you just smile like that?”

Oh, it’s not working…?

Belladonna stiffened her mouth slightly in surprise.

Until now, no matter what question was asked, if she just smiled, people would either nod in agreement or find new meaning and accept it in their own way, but the man in front of her was not so easy to deal with.

Escalion tilted his head and fidgeted with her wrist.

“When you moved your finger on my palm earlier, I thought it was a feather moving, not a finger.”

Again, that’s because you’re abnormally huge…

Belladonna kept her smile, putting strength into the corners of her mouth.

Escalion raised his golden eyes and stared at her.

Why, what, why.

“Are all women like you?”

Women?

This time she couldn’t properly maintain her smile.

Women?

Belladonna’s twitching mouth corners quivered as she recalled the elaborate necklace she had found in the room she had been assigned earlier.

‘What is this man doing now? Is he putting on an act in front of his wife?’

After blatantly bringing one of his mistresses to the castle, women?

Where does he get off acting innocent?

“I really don’t know how much strength to use.”

Escalion alternately looked at his rough, calloused large palm and her small palm, then seemingly lost interest and gently placed it on the bed.

Belladonna looked down at her freed wrist.

Is this how he seduces women?

“To think I’d be a husband rejected on the first night, how sad.”

Escalion spoke with his eyes closed, lying on his back and using his arm as a pillow.

Belladonna looked down at him, then snorted inaudibly before lying down next to him in the same position.

Go relieve that sad state with your other women!

Though unintended, she was glad to have noticed early on that he had other women.

If not…

‘It might have been mentally burdensome to keep refusing the wedding night.’

Belladonna shifted slightly, looking for a comfortable sleeping position.

From now on, I’ll have to make excuses like being sick, or having my period, or needing to keep my body pure for prayer week!

Even if not that, Escalion was the lord of Griblata, so he would surely be busy every day.

‘He won’t be able to come to me every night!’

Three months.

If she could just endure for three months, she could return to the papal palace.

“……”

Belladonna, who had been lost in thought, slowly blinked her eyes.

…Return? To the papal palace?

‘Is that really what I want?’

Belladonna unconsciously bit her lower lip.

‘What is there for me if I return to the papal palace?’

If she returned to the papal palace, she would once again be confined to the confessional booth inside, listening to people’s troubles day after day.

She would have to interpret the greedy Pope’s parables and occasionally be dragged by his hand to perform emotional labor.

‘If the papal finances hit rock bottom again…’

She might have to enter into a second or third political marriage with men in the same situation as Escalion.

Belladonna glanced at the man beside her with troubled eyes.

He seemed to have fallen asleep, his firm chest rising and falling visibly.

‘But I can’t drag out this marriage with this man either.’

Whether she wanted it or not, in three months the Pope would expose Escalion’s secret and nullify their marriage at the same time.

Belladonna closed her eyes at the sudden feeling of suffocation.

‘Compared to my previous life, this is an incomparably peaceful life.’

At least I won’t go hungry or be in pain.

Yes, this is enough. Don’t keep being greedy.

This kind of life is fine…

She kept repeating it to herself like a mantra until she gradually fell into an uneasy sleep.

[This is the timeline separator]

Heavy.

It’s heavy… Suffocating…

Belladonna frowned as she woke up from her sleep.

Something heavy and huge was wrapped tightly around her.

‘What is this…?’

As she forced her eyes open, an unfamiliar ceiling and room structure came into her dazzling view.

Where is this…?

‘Ah right, the bridal chamber.’

As she slowly blinked and looked down, she saw a thick, scarred arm wrapped tightly around her body.

‘No wonder I couldn’t sleep properly…’

Belladonna groaned and struggled to break free from him.

Augh, why is he clinging so tightly!

Belladonna moved irritably, then looked down at the arm that wouldn’t budge an inch.

Seeing how it didn’t move at all despite her struggling this much, it seemed Escalion was the type to sleep very deeply once he fell asleep.

Should I hit him lightly?

‘But I can’t move my arms.’

Then should I bite him?

After serious consideration, she moved her head to adjust the angle so his arm was near her mouth.

Will he even feel it if I bite him?

What if I just hurt my teeth…? Should I bite with all my might…?

As she was turning her head this way and that, calculating with his arm in front of her mouth, a slightly hoarse laugh fell on her ears.

“Kuk kuk…”

She could also feel the body pressed tightly against her shaking.

Ugh…! You were awake?

“What are you doing first thing in the morning?”

Escalion asked in a low voice.

Embarrassed by what she had been about to do, Belladonna just blinked without moving.

“If you were hungry, you should have said so. Don’t think about gnawing on your husband’s arm.”

“……”

This is embarrassing.

As she hung her head in frustration, he moved his thick arm to pull her even closer into his embrace.

“You’re more of a handful than I expected.”

Escalion nuzzled his nose against Belladonna’s messy hair.

“You’re soft and surprisingly squishy, which makes for good cuddling.”

Seriously… Am I a pillow or something?

He hugged her a bit more and let out a satisfied groan, then slowly separated his body from her.

“As much as I hate to, my wife seems hungry so I’ll stop here.”

Yes, thank you.

Belladonna finally raised her freed body.

Escalion turned his back to her, seemingly preparing to get out of bed.

As she absent-mindedly stared at his back, Belladonna was startled and quickly averted her gaze.

‘W-when did he become naked?’

His well-sculpted back muscles, uncovered by any clothing, were gleaming in the morning sunlight.

He got up and lightly stretched, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck.

‘Please put something on while doing that!’

Feeling her face heat up from embarrassment, Belladonna just stared at the innocent window.

“You’ll eat breakfast, right?”

Of course I’ll…

Ah, why aren’t you wearing clothes!

Belladonna had unconsciously turned her head to answer him, but seeing him still naked, she quickly whipped her head back in the opposite direction.

She fumbled around the bed and grabbed the robe he had taken off, holding it out to him.

“So picky.”

Escalion grumbled as he started putting on the robe she handed him.

It’s not being picky, people are supposed to wear clothes normally, you know?

Belladonna finally turned her head and got up from the bed.

“Just stay lying down. I’ll have them bring the meal here.”

Escalion said as he glanced down at her getting up.

Huh? Here?

Belladonna had never eaten a meal in bed in her entire life.

In her previous life because she didn’t have a bed, and after becoming the Holy Maiden because there were so many restrictions on her behavior…

“You probably couldn’t sleep well because I was hugging you. You should at least eat comfortably.”

Escalion reached out and cupped her cheek.

He looked down at Belladonna, who clearly showed signs of just waking up, for a moment before turning away.

“I’ll eat separately, so lie here and eat comfortably by yourself.”

Huh? Aren’t we eating together?

Having finished speaking, he walked to the door with long strides and slammed it shut, disappearing from view.

Belladonna leaned back against the headboard, feeling relieved.