* * *

“Is this what you meant by going to sleep?”

Luna asked as she sat across from Antes. He leaned back in a chair on the terrace, eyes closed, seemingly drunk and didn’t respond.

She had anxiously imagined all sorts of things upon hearing he’d be sleeping here, but it unexpectedly meant that he got too drunk to leave.

She wasn’t sure whether to be disappointed or happy about it. As Luna subtly teased him about it, Antes lazily opened his eyes and said:

“Would you believe me if I said so?”

“No.”

Her terse response was met with a low chuckle that echoed in the terrace. Recognizing the humorous situation, he spoke again.

“I just went overboard trying to match the rhythm to cheer up the Viscount.”

It was his way of excusing his behavior to make himself look good in front of Luna. A smile formed on her lips.

She never expected her future husband to show such consideration, but it wasn’t unwelcome. In fact, she felt very grateful.

So, Luna got up from her seat and approached Antes, who wasn’t far away, and gave him a light kiss on the lips.

“I’ve given you what I promised earlier, so that’s really the end of it.”

She no longer felt awkward.

That’s not to say she wasn’t nervous. She still felt shy and fluttery, but she realized that this was just one way of connecting with Antes, and that felt okay.

At her unexpected gesture, Antes paused for a moment, then widened his eyes in surprise.

“End… of what?”

He looked shocked, as if wondering if she no longer wanted anything to do with him.

Considering how to respond to his unfamiliar expression, Luna ambiguously replied:

“Of practice.”

“…”

Antes’s eyes wavered. It looked as if he had lost everything.

Was it that disappointing? Luna laughed at his overwhelming disappointment, then leaned in and kissed his forehead, completing her previous statement.

“That means we only have the real deal left. We’ve had enough practice.”

“…!”

It was only then that Antes fully grasped Luna’s meaning. He took a deep breath, as if he had sobered up instantly, and a newfound intensity appeared in his eyes.

Soon, unable to resist his fondness, he pulled Luna onto his lap.

“You won’t regret this?”

“My goodness, are you planning to do something regrettable?”

It was somewhat of a warning from Luna, but Antes replied with a cheeky grin.

“Never. But if by some chance it happens, I’ll take full responsibility.”

With that, he seemed to suggest that he wouldn’t be as forgiving from now on and gently laid Luna on the table.

Wait a second. Even if you’re drunk, this is way too sudden!

Startled, Luna grabbed Antes’s shoulders, swiftly scanning the surroundings to ensure no one was watching.

Thankfully, due to the late hour, there was no one around. That didn’t mean she was ready for what might follow though.

“Have you lost your mind?! What if someone sees us!”

Luna playfully slapped his shoulder, her face turning red, then added in a softer voice:

“…Let’s get out of here first.”

Antes embraced Luna tightly and picked her up, his face now devoid of any humor.

She had a bad feeling that she might regret this, especially with a drunk man on a whim.

As Antes quickly left the terrace and headed to his room, Luna, clutching his clothes, hurriedly spoke.

“Since you’re drunk, let’s just-“

Before she could suggest moderation for the night, Antes cut her off.

“Thankfully, I’ve sobered up completely because of you. I’m perfectly fine.”

His gaze, which suggested he would even slap himself awake if he hadn’t sobered up, fixed on Luna.

No, no! It absolutely can’t happen before marriage!

With their wedding still a little ways off, anything unexpected could be a big problem.

Antes, reading the refusal in Luna’s eyes, let out a deep sigh and caressed her face.

“It seems I lost my mind for a moment. Don’t worry. I won’t do anything unless you’re okay with it.”

With that, the usual warmth returned to his eyes.

She was glad he was understanding, but Luna didn’t want to completely avoid intimacy either. She whispered against his chest:

“…It doesn’t mean we can’t do anything at all. We can go a little further than now.”

* * *

Every day, Luna, tired of discussing dresses with Rosemary and the Marchioness, hastily chose any dress and finished her engagement ceremony preparations.

Of course, even though she said ‘any dress’, every dress was crafted by one of the Empire’s top designers, so they all looked undeniably beautiful.

Therefore, the longer she pondered, the more she felt she was wasting time. Rosemary couldn’t hide her disappointment at Luna’s hasty decision.

“I think you could have thought about it a little more…”

“Why? When the dresses are all beautiful enough not to require any pondering? Plus, we still have to choose the wedding dress. Let’s just go with this for the engagement ceremony.”

“But…”

They were already in the final stages, about to see the final version after several alterations. The engagement ceremony was in two days, yet Rosemary had wanted to study the catalog three more times before making a decision.

Thinking that at this rate, Rosemary might insist on choosing a dress on the day of the engagement, Luna asked her with a concerned expression:

“Do you think the dress doesn’t suit me? Or is the model not good…?”

“Is that even possible! Whatever dress you wear suits you well, doesn’t it?”

At that, Rosemary responded vehemently.

I knew you’d answer like that. Luna regained her smile as she saw the end of the tantrum.

“So, this dress will do. Whatever you wear will suit you, so whatever you choose will be similar, right?”

“That is…!”

However, Rosemary, who wanted to do a fashion show in front of Luna, twisted her words.

In front of such a Rosemary, Luna, who turned around once, smiled brightly with her cheeks red.

“Then compliment me a bit. It’s my last check, and I’m feeling unconfident because of your lack of reaction, okay?”

“Oh…! I’m sorry. I was slow to appreciate. You look so beautiful, I want to mount you in my room. I really mean it!”

Fortunately, there was no need for further coaxing. With twinkling eyes, Rosemary began to praise Luna as if she had never been moody before.

There was a bit of a hit, but if it made Rosemary feel better, that was enough. As always, Rosemary praised Luna in the first verse, followed by the second, third, and fourth verses.

Rosemary’s praise went on for a while, and even the Marchioness visited to continue the admiration. By the time Luna was showing signs of exhaustion.

“Huh? Lady Luna, did you get bitten by an insect?”

“An insect? Where?”

“Your neck. It’s red and swollen.”

Rosemary pointed to the right clavicle with her finger. Not being able to see it, Luna checked in a mirror and immediately froze in horror.

‘This, this isn’t…! It’s not an insect bite…! Ahhh!’

It was a mark caused by Antes’s embrace.

The Marchioness briefly froze after glancing at Luna’s collarbone, having a realization. Rosemary examined Luna’s neck with suspicion.

“Hmm? It’s not just one. There seem to be more. What kind of bug bit you so much? But these don’t look like regular insect bites…”

The Marchioness, regaining her composure, quickly interjected.

“It’s nothing, Rosemary. It’s a mark that can be easily covered with makeup. Let’s not fuss about it.”

“Really? Then that’s a relief.”

Thanks to the Marchioness’s timely intervention, the embarrassment was averted. But Luna, feeling ashamed, instinctively covered her collarbone with her hand.

Why did she do that all of a sudden? As Rosemary tilted her head in confusion, the Marchioness hurriedly took her away.

“Come to think of it, your father said to come home early today.”

“…Again? Last time we left in a hurry for a similar reason, but father wasn’t even there.”

Even though her daughter was clueless, the Marchioness forced a smile.

“This time it’s true, Rosemary. He really said to come back early. And since we’ve seen all the dresses, shouldn’t we leave? Lady Luna needs to rest.”

As much as Rosemary wanted to stay longer with Luna, she had been bothersome since morning.

“I’ll come again tomorrow! Let’s check with makeup on! Understand?”

Although Luna didn’t want to, she nodded vigorously to hurry Rosemary out.

After the two left, Luna changed into a blouse that could hide her neck and stayed in her room.

Why didn’t she notice before meeting Rosemary? She should have seen it when changing her clothes!

Was it because Rosemary was coming this morning and she was too tired to greet her?

While Luna was agonizing, the cause of all this, Antes, appeared.

The always punctual Luna had not greeted him today, so he had sought her out in her room.

She rushed at him, pounding his chest in mock anger. He tilted his head, asking what he had done wrong.

“Look at this! This!”

She unbuttoned a few buttons to show her collarbone. Antes was briefly stunned but then realized why she was so angry.

“It showed when I wore the dress! Lady Rosemary asked if I was bitten by an insect! With the help of the Marchioness, it was covered… but it was almost revealed! You said you wouldn’t do anything to regret!”

When Luna said that she wanted to go beyond regret and turn back time, Antes embraced Luna, trying to console her.

“Are you laughing now? What if Lady Rosemary tells others on the day of the ceremony!”

The marks looked like insect bites but were well-hidden with makeup.

Since they were planning to gather only close people, it wasn’t strange if it came out as a joke.

Luna was on the verge of shedding tears, so Antes patted her on the back and told her not to worry.

“Can we just take care of that? Don’t let Rosemary make a fuss.”

“…Is that even possible?”

Covering Rosemary’s mouth? Antes gave a confident look, though Luna doubted him. He felt hurt by her skepticism.

“I’m sad to see your eyes.”

When Antes expressed his disappointment, Luna excused herself by saying that she didn’t mean to mock him.

“No, you’re saying something so absurd, like you’re trying to destroy the sun.”

“Don’t worry. It’s really preventable. Or rather, I can make sure she can’t talk to anyone.”

“…Really?”

Luna couldn’t help but doubt Antes again. How was he planning to do it? She hoped he wasn’t implying something violent…

Of course, there was no way Rosemary would shut up if you hit her, but there’s no way he would hit her in the first place.

Antes lightly kissed Luna, who still couldn’t shake off her worries, several times as if he was sincere.

Luna put her hand into Antes’s hair without realizing it. The soft blonde hair was sparkling and dazzling.

‘He’ll take care of it… Let’s just trust it for now.’

Antes laughed for a moment as Luna touched his hair, then found her lips again.