When I entered the bedroom hesitantly, the man was already there.
The Northern Grand Duke, Kishian Lynn Lehman, who was once small... but has now grown large enough to comfortably embrace me in his arms.
At times, he exuded an aura of intimidation more befitting the throne than my father, the Emperor.
Kishian roughly brushed away his jet-black hair, which was damp from his fresh shower, and turned his gaze to me, who had just arrived in the bedroom.
"..."
The thin slip the maids had made me wear, saying I should look good on my first night, did not protect me at all, neither from the winter cold nor from Kishian's sharp gaze.
Would it have been less embarrassing if I had been naked? As his numb golden eyes slowly scanned my body, my toes curled involuntarily.
I was about to cover my chest with both arms, feeling embarrassed as if I had been thrown naked before a cold-blooded critic.
Kishian's lips formed a slanted curve.
"I was worried. I thought you'd go to bed first even though it was supposed to be your first night as newlyweds."
"I'm sorry. I was preparing so I ended up being a little late."
Kishian looked at them in turn. My skin is smooth from washing in expensive medicinal water, and my light golden hair shines from applying high-quality rose oil.
Of course, there was no compliment.
"Ha."
There was only a cynical snort.
"Well, I heard your excuse for being late. Are you going to stand there the whole time?"
He gestured to the empty seat next to him with his chin. I thought that even if I called the bedroom slave, he would be more courteous than me.
It was so rude of him to call me a Princess...
"..."
Instead of scolding him, I went to lie down next to him without saying a word.
Of course, I had my own reasons for tolerating his rudeness.
The first reason, I understood Keshian's feelings.
In the distant past, when Grand Duke Lehman was devastated by the rampage of monsters, he was nothing more than a frail child who had lost his parents and was not even protected by his relatives.
Unfortunately, my father was not a man of such noble character, and instead of helping the poor child, he chose to take him to the palace as a hostage and abuse him.
So it was natural that Kishian, who had suffered so much as a child, would treat the royal family, including me, coldly.
In the first place, wasn't the request to send 'Princess Letie' to the bedroom today, saying that I would take her as my wife, a form of revenge against the royal family?
And the second reason is...
"Letie."
I came to my senses at the sudden sound of Kishian's call.
Before I knew it, he was on top of me.
I awkwardly smiled back at him as he looked down at me and called my twin sister's name.
"...Yes. Kishian.”
"You probably already know that I'm not hugging you right now because I love you."
"..."
"Do you know?"
Of course, I know. It's just that it makes me sad to hear it in this situation.
I tried to respond with my lips starting to hurt from forcing a smile.
"...I know."
"You came to my bedroom knowing that..."
"Yes, I know exactly how you want to embrace me, and I'm ready for it. So I won't blame you later."
"..."
"Is this what you wanted to hear?"
His eyes, which had been cold the whole time, softened a little. Did he feel a new sense of guilt about embracing the innocent Princess with the Impure intention of taking revenge on the royal family?
Of course, his actions deserved to be condemned, but he didn't intend to point fingers at me. After all, I was the one who committed the crime, too.
"So, it's okay to start."
It was a situation where I couldn't refuse anyway. I readily gave him my permission, hoping that it would at least put my mind at ease.
Of course, I didn't just give permission verbally. I raised my fingertips and skimmed over his bare chest that was right in front of me.
As befitting the one known as the greatest swordsman in the empire, his perfectly woven muscles twitched along the trajectory of my fingertips.
Although I was forced into the bedroom against my will, I didn't feel any discomfort while touching his body.
Whatever his attitude, he was clearly a strong and beautiful man.
I figured it wouldn't be such a bad thing to have a first with a man that other women would covet.
Above all, this man was unique.
The only person my sister Letie who covets everything I have and tries to take it from me, doesn't take anything from me.
"Ha..."
Kishian's excited breath was exhaled into the cold winter air.
I continued to move my hands, admiring his face as it became filled with pleasure.
When the fingertips that had been grazing down like that finally dug into the gap between his pants.
"...!"
He tore my thin slip off in one motion with both hands.
Even though I was naked, I didn't feel the cold. I was held in an embrace that was hot enough to drive away the winter cold.
“Letie...”
Kishian called my sister's name again, his breath heavy with pleasure.
I felt resentful toward him for tearing the hem of my clothes without hesitation, but every time I did that, I kept thinking about the second sin our royal family had committed against him.
Now I was deceiving him by pretending to be my twin sister, 'Letie', and that was my second sin.
"..."
Instead of answering his call, I hugged the back of his neck as if hanging onto him.
To forget the guilt that was as jarring as sand in my eyes, I focused only on the pleasure of my body.
I just hoped that the snowflakes that had piled up on the windowsill all night would hide my body and mind that were shamefully exposed.
***
After that first night where pain and pleasure were mixed.
As promised, Kishian left to subdue the monsters, and I returned to my usual, uneventful daily life.
I thought that my position in the imperial court might change a little since I was sleeping with Kishian instead of my father's most precious treasure, Savior Letie, who was also the empire's treasure, but that was not the case.
All I heard was a word of praise from my father, saying that thanks to him I was able to protect Letie.
But if there was one thing that had changed, it was my feelings towards Kishian.
I don't know if it was because I had grown fond of him overnight, but I wrote him a letter.
So that he, who is risking his life to subdue monsters, can have some peace of mind.
To my surprise, he replied to my letter. It didn't contain the kind of passionate expressions of affection that a real couple would have, but it wasn't a malicious letter either.
It had some ordinary content written on it, like, "We're working hard, so please wait a little longer for our return."
A year passed like that, and then two years passed.
After about two years, I stopped receiving letters from him.
Is that guy dead?
To me, who was living in worry, and feeling a little heartbroken, the story my father suddenly told me was quite shocking.
"You don't have to worry anymore, Elona. We've dealt with Grand Duke Lehman cleanly."
"You took care of it?"
"I personally sent a water cannon to cut off his lifeline. I have received a report that he is definitely dead, so he will never return. You will no longer have to deal with that violent man."
After hearing that, I immediately investigated what had happened.
As it turned out, the cause was that Letie had fallen in love with a man named the Duke of Herssen.
The father wanted to fulfill that, and as a result, he killed Kishian.
If Kishian came back alive, then my father really had to give him Letie as payment for subduing the monsters.
If that happened, Letie would not be able to marry the Duke of Herssen.
As soon as Kishian's death became certain, Letie became engaged to the Duke of Herssen. What a swift move.
But in the process, there was one thing that neither my father, Letie, nor even the Duke of Herssen had calculated.
That is, Kishian's lifeline was much more tenacious than others.
Exactly three years had passed since the day he left to subdue the demons. He had arrived in front of the palace, alive and well.
Even in the face of the monster's attacks and the threat of assassination, he returned alive and thrust his sword at the imperial family.
Saying that if they give him Letie as promised, he will go back quietly.
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