Chapter 23

“Would it be difficult to have a meal together?”

Briseyes asked this because dinner time hadn’t passed yet.

“Well……”

“Madam, we already had dinner together at a restaurant.”

Delilah said cheerfully.

“Instead, I’ll sit beside you and watch you eat, wife.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Demian’s heart was racing because Briseyes, who had been looking at him like an enemy, was now speaking like she used to. Briseyes felt strange when she saw his excited face and the way his heart pounded when he embraced her.

His appearance hadn’t changed at all.

Yet why did his actions seem so trivial and unpleasant, like faded behaviors?

“Dili, go up first.”

“What? But you promised to help me with the portrait painting.”

“We’ll do it tomorrow.”

Delilah looked at Briseyes once and said:

“Alright. After all, Madam should have the child first.”

When Delilah spoke as if she were sad, Briseyes said:

“Thank you for your consideration, Miss Delilah.”

She said this and took Demian’s hand first. It felt as unpleasant as having a bug between her fingers, but she avoided his gaze and headed to the dining room.

⁕⁕⁕

“Is it really okay if only I eat?”

“Yes, of course.”

Briseyes said this as the main dish was served in front of her. She deliberately skipped the appetizers and finger foods and started with the main course.

— Creeak.

“I’m hungry too, Madam.”

Delilah sat down with a smile.

“Where is Mother?”

“She said she would stay overnight at Count Rostina’s residence.”

Briseyes relayed to Demian what she had heard upon arriving at the mansion.

“Oh my. I didn’t know that and sent Bri home early.”

“It’s fine. I had a lot of time to think while waiting.”

The three were seated in a D-shape. Demian sat at the head, with Briseyes on his left and Delilah on his right.

“Please serve a dish for Miss Delilah too.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Then Demian took the dish that was in front of Briseyes.

“Demian?”

“I’ll cut it for you.”

Demian began carefully cutting the salmon steak and said to Briseyes:

“Bri has a rather small mouth.”

“Is my mouth small?”

“Yes, Bri’s mouth is on the smaller side. Even though it looks big from the outside.”

“Do you mean the inside of my mouth is small?”

“Yes.”

Briseyes had quite full lips. So she thought his words were nonsense.

“Isn’t that why you always cut your food into small pieces?”

“I suppose so.”

Briseyes smiled, pretending to agree with him even though she didn’t. In reality, she cut her food into small pieces for the sake of dignity, not because her mouth was small.

Her lips were full even from the outside, so there was no way her mouth was small.

“I’ve heard that women with small mouths inside are good to their husbands.”

“Good at what?”

“Marital relations.”

“Ah, yes.”

Briseyes was disgusted by him making such vulgar comments at the dinner table. However, remembering the words of attorney Jeronis Abein, she smiled as she used to.

“I’m… not ready yet.”

“I know. But I hope you’ll be ready soon. That way Dili can have my child too.”

Briseyes momentarily frowned because his reasoning was so absurd.

“Madam only needs to give birth to one heir. I promised to give Demi ten children.”

“I see, Miss Delilah. But speaking while chewing goes against noble etiquette, so please be mindful.”

“Yes, Dili. Don’t talk while eating.”

“Okay.”

Delilah looked at Demian with a carefree smile, and Demian smiled back as if he found her endearing.

“How about tonight? The wedding night isn’t anything special.”

“Not tonight.”

“Then how about tomorrow?”

“Demian, I’m in the middle of eating.”

When Briseyes spoke with a forced smile, Demian seemed to come to his senses and said:

“I’m sorry. I was in a hurry because it seemed like you had completely forgiven me. We should start with a kiss.”

“……Yes.”

Briseyes wondered if she would have to kiss him for the sake of divorce, but looking at Demian’s expression, she didn’t want to do even that.

“Instead, why don’t you two have a child first?”

Because there could be no better evidence than that.

As she said this, a corner of her heart felt unpleasant and uncomfortable.

She couldn’t pretend to smile with effort.

“I absolutely won’t do that. The kiss was a mistake, but I will definitely sleep with Bri first.”

Demian said this happily when he saw Briseyes’s expression.

“Was kissing Miss Delilah a mistake?”

“Of course. I wanted to share all my firsts with Bri.”

Briseyes was shocked that he would say such things with his mistress present.

“But didn’t you kiss her because you were attracted to Miss Delilah?”

“Dili is closer to lust. You are love.”

“……Demian.”

“I’m sorry for being so harsh all this time. But look at this. Didn’t it make you come to your senses?”

Even though she thought there was nothing left to be disappointed about.

Briseyes felt as if a corner of her heart was crumbling again, and she said with a bitter smile:

“You’re right.”

After saying this, she began eating the salmon steak that Demian had handed her. Perhaps because it was cut into bite-sized pieces, it was easy to eat.

But it felt as unpleasant as chewing sand, and she couldn’t taste anything.

“Brother Mihail visited recently.”

“Ah, yes. I heard. He left without seeing me too.”

“He told me to get along well with Demian. Since we’re married and will spend our lives together anyway, he said to forgive you.”

“Young Marquis Mihail said that?”

“Yes.”

Demian’s expression brightened as if he were deeply moved. Seeing his expression, Briseyes forced herself to smile too.

“I’m happy. You are indeed a wise wife, Bri.”

“I suppose so.”

“Yes, it’s a wife’s duty to please her husband.”

Briseyes struggled to maintain her smile at his words.

“Demi, want a bite of this?”

Delilah picked up a piece of salmon with her fork and offered it to him. Demian frowned for a moment and glanced at Briseyes.

“I’m full.”

“Still.”

He accepted what Delilah offered. While doing so, he tested Briseyes, wanting to confirm if she was truly okay with this.

Briseyes pretended not to care and ate her food.

Seeing her expression, Demian felt strangely pleased. He realized she still had feelings for him.

“I want to feed Bri.”

“Alright.”

Briseyes pretended to be happy at his words and handed him her plate. Demian took her plate and used the fork to pick up pieces one by one and offer them to Briseyes.

Briseyes hated this undignified behavior, but seeing Delilah’s expression that was both smiling and not smiling, she didn’t hate it that much.

The dinner time passed like a silent war.

⁕⁕⁕

Briseyes was studying in her room and headed to bed when she started feeling tired.

At that moment, she remembered what Callisten had said.

‘Make sure to move the key from the second compartment of the bedside drawer to the first.’

Because of this, she opened the second drawer beside the bed and took out the chastity belt key that he had forcibly given her.

“Sigh.”

She unconsciously sighed, put the key back in the second compartment, and slammed it shut.

Then she went to bed to forget the unpleasantness.

⁕⁕⁕

“How about quitting the Academy while you’re at it?”

Unwillingly, Briseyes was in a carriage with Demian and Delilah, heading to the Academy.

“Three years would be wasted if I did that. It’s also true that thanks to the Academy, I was able to confirm my feelings for Demian.”

She absolutely did not want to quit the Academy. She would graduate from the Academy and divorce Demian.

Then she would get a job as an imperial civil servant and start a business.

It might be difficult as a woman, but with her Academy grades, it wasn’t completely impossible.

The Marquis Philia family would surely demand the return of the dowry if she divorced.

If she couldn’t pay it back, they would obviously sell her off in another marriage deal. Rather than that, it would be better to return the money she had saved to gain her freedom.

She also needed someone who would maintain a fake marriage relationship with her and then divorce her.

She also wanted to reclaim the money she had earned for the Grand Duke’s family when she left. That’s why she was trying to divorce with a lawyer involved.

“That’s true. We confirmed our feelings for each other at the dance party.”

When Briseyes mentioned the dance party, she unconsciously said:

“It’s almost the season for the dance party again.”

“Indeed.”

“Attend with Miss Delilah this time.”

“But……”

“In exchange, attend the graduation dance party with me, Demian. I can’t give that up.”

Briseyes pretended to be a generous lady, but in reality, she didn’t want to be stuck with him all day during the dance party.

“Who would be Bri’s partner if not me?”

Briseyes unconsciously answered his question:

“Duke Rozefel.”

She realized why she had answered that way only after saying it.

A person with a gentle character who had a title but lacked wealth, plus someone reliable who was a close friend of Gael.

And a generous character who would divorce her whenever she asked.

In her opinion, Casius Rozefel was the most suitable person for a contract marriage.