“Um, didn’t you have any thoughts about her appearance at your first meeting?”
“I’m sorry. I know I met her face-to-face, but I can’t remember what she looked like.”
“You’re joking, right?!” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My sister was known as the red rose of high society, yet he couldn’t recall her face? It was truly unthinkable.
“Again, I’m sorry. I know I also would’ve seen her in the capital before, but...”
“Adele is a thousand times more beautiful than me!”
“I see.” Despite my insistence, Gabriel still wasn’t convinced. Apparently, he’d never been able to distinguish between women other than me. “The ladies at soirees all have similar hairstyles, similar dresses, and similar demeanors, and they all talk about similar topics. I can’t tell the difference between them.”
“Oh, I can understand that.”
At gatherings where socialization was the main purpose, everyone tended to dress alike. And since they all wore the currently trending makeup, their facial features would inevitably resemble each other too. I recognized people by memorizing hair colors and nose shapes paired with names. This method had been taught to me by my sister, and ever since adopting it, I had been able to avoid incorrectly addressing any acquaintance.
“To be honest, I still can’t quite differentiate between young women,” Gabriel said. “You’re the only exception, Fran. I always find myself thinking you’re beautiful.”
“I-Is that so? I’ll have to endeavor to appear pretty at all times, then.”
“No, it’s not your appearance that’s beautiful, rather it’s your— Wait, that’s not right! You are definitely beautiful!”
It was an oddly forceful assertion coming from someone who was usually quiet and soft-spoken.
“Um, as you once said to me, I love you for your inner beauty, Fran,” he continued. “There are many people and things in the world that are pretty, but surface-level beauty isn’t eternal. Your inner light will continue to shine forever, though, and I find it very dazzling and precious.” He raised his glass, perhaps to distract from the embarrassment of having said so much.
“Thank you, Gabriel. I’m overjoyed.” I’d never known a simple toast could warm my heart to this extent. I’d have to thank the delegation for gifting us the wine.
“That aside, how was your reunion with your sister?”
“It was much more peaceful and relaxing than I expected.”
“That’s good. I was fretting about it all day, since you were always referring to her as ‘Your Highness.’ I thought something might have happened between you two.”
“If people saw that we were close, my existence could become a weak point for Adele, so I took on that distant attitude whenever we were in the presence of others.”
“I see. It would certainly be dangerous if the wrong person noticed that the crown princess doted on her younger sister.”
“Exactly.”
I mentioned that my sister and I would be attending the Fowl Knight Festival tomorrow, and Gabriel told me to be very careful.
“Make sure you bring Wibble with you,” he said.
“I will.”
My sister would probably be surrounded by a large escort of knights, so I didn’t need to worry about her safety.
“I wish I could accompany you,” Gabriel said. “Prince Axel is arriving tomorrow, so I’ll be spending the whole day attending to him. I never would have dreamed that dignitaries from multiple countries would be gathering in Triste.”
“I’m sure this event will be reported on widely, both here and in the Empire. Everyone in the world will be curious about the slime duke family.”
“It’s simply unbelievable.”
Our marriage was likely going to spur major growth in the region of Triste. Things were definitely going to get busier. I’d have to keep an eye on Gabriel to make sure he didn’t overwork himself while also doing my best to support him.
Gabriel finished his second glass of wine. The alcohol seemed to already be flowing through his system—his face was flushed.
“Tomorrow will be a long day too, so let’s call it a night,” I said.
“Yes. I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep, though...” His eyes had that tired, unfocused look, but apparently he wasn’t drowsy at all.
“Shall I lull you to sleep like I did this morning, then?”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Of course not.”
He had to make preparations for bed, so I waited in the room for a while. In the meantime, I called for Constance and asked her to clear the table. Even though I had offered the lap pillow so enthusiastically, I found myself growing gradually more flustered as time passed. Had I unknowingly gotten drunk from a single glass of wine? It was too late to take back the suggestion, so I was forced to endure the embarrassment as best I could.
After about fifteen minutes of waiting, Gabriel called to me, “Sorry for the wait, Fran.”
“I-It’s fine.”
The adjoining room was dimly lit by a lone slime lamp on Gabriel’s nightstand.
“Please take this lamp when you return to your room,” he said.
“Thank you.” It was my first time entering his bedroom, and I was very nervous.
“Even though I agreed to this, I feel terribly embarrassed.”
“Me too.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at our shared plight. In the first place, a man and woman weren’t supposed to be in a bedroom together before marriage. What in the world were we doing? Perhaps so many extraordinary things had happened today that we’d lost all sense of what was normal and what was not.
“Should we stop, Fran?” Gabriel asked.
“No, I’m fine. Just watch—I’ll definitely put you to sleep!”
Gabriel burst out laughing at my enthusiasm. “I’m counting on you, then.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
Through our conversation, my embarrassment faded. It was time to fulfill my duty and get this man a good night’s sleep.
Gabriel lay down, and I tucked him in, pulling up the blanket to cover him. I took a seat on the chair next to the bed, patted him on the back, and said in a gentle, singsong voice, “Gabriel, you worked very hard today. Sleep well...”
Repeatedly running my hand over his back, I continued to speak as if singing a lullaby. Not five minutes later, he had completely nodded off, his chest rising and falling softly at an even rhythm. He was so deeply at rest, I couldn’t help but doubt whether he had been telling the truth about not being sleepy.
Apparently, I had a talent for lulling Gabriel to slumber. From then on, I’d put it to good use on nights like these when he couldn’t fall asleep.
I picked up the slime lamp, stood, and silently bid him good night before leaving the bedroom.