WMEEM Ch 22

Wedding Night Instruction

Because Terkan had business with Batizo, he offered only a slight bow before taking his leave.

I had no desire to talk to him, so his early departure came as a relief.

Time moved quickly, and evening arrived soon enough. It was time for dinner with Batizo.

I had already betrayed my tense expression during our brief encounter earlier, so the thought of sitting through an entire meal with him felt overwhelming.

I decided to hide my feelings behind a polite smile while I wrestled with whether to bring up the matter of the wedding night instruction.

No matter how devoid of affection our marriage might be, basic human decency should still matter. Yet bringing it up risked angering Batizo or earning a scolding for a lack of decorum.

Asking Terkan for advice on the matter was just as impossible.

As I sat in front of the vanity, lost in thought, Tarega brought over a box filled with several rings.

[Tarega] "Your Highness, which one will you wear tonight?"

Dining with Batizo required wearing one of the rings he had given me, so choosing one from the box was a daily routine.

Looking at the jewelry brought the masked stranger from the masquerade back into my thoughts.

I picked a ring that looked nothing like the ones the stranger wore and slipped it onto my finger, only to take it off and put it back into the box a moment later.

Suddenly, every ring reminded me of Batizo himself.

[Celeste] "I will go as I am."

Tarega noticed the change in my mood and spoke softly.

[Tarega] "Did something happen at the Countship?"

[Celeste] "No."

Should I ask Tarega?

She was older and had far more life experience than I did. Above all, she genuinely cared about me. She was discreet and treated my worries as her own.

In Calyx, she had been like a mother to me, but coming to Kellinev had slowly pulled us apart because of my relentless schedule.

If this dilemma had happened back in Calyx, I would have asked for her advice without a second thought.

[Celeste] "Tarega."

[Tarega] "Yes, Your Highness. Please, tell me."

She replied right away, as if she had been waiting for me to confide in her.

I poured out my frustration without holding back, my voice rising as anger flared inside me. Tarega listened in silence and nodded gently.

[Tarega] "What do you think about the situation, Your Highness?"

[Celeste] "I think it is insane."

[Tarega] "Then refuse it."

[Celeste] "I only learned imperial etiquette after arriving here. What if I am scolded for my ignorance...?"

Terkan had claimed that no such precedent existed in the imperial family, but Batizo's word was law.

[Tarega] "Even if it were imperial protocol in Kellinev, if you feel it is unfair, you have the right to refuse. Should you not at least make your feelings clear?"

[Celeste] "Will it jeopardize my plans for the future?"

That was my real fear. Failing to become Empress, failing to uncover the truth behind my mother's death, and failing to reclaim Calyx from Raff.

Achieving those goals was the only reason I was here. If my plans were ruined, I didn't have the strength to survive the consequences.

[Tarega] "Your Highness."

She took both of my hands in hers and looked at me with deep sympathy. She held my hands for a long moment, then gently stroked my hair and tucked loose strands behind my ear.

[Tarega] "I will not stand in your way. I couldn't stop you even if I tried. But whether you achieve your goals or fail, I only hope you find happiness."

Her warm gaze and gentle touch melted the anger tight in my chest.

[Celeste] "I... think I can only find happiness if I achieve my goals."

Tarega let out a long breath and offered a faint smile.

[Tarega] "Speak openly with His Majesty. Did you refuse to wear a ring tonight because you find him unpleasant?"

[Celeste] "Yes."

I left out any mention of the man from the masquerade, afraid it would only double her worry.

[Tarega] "Choose one anyway."

[Celeste] "Must I?"

[Tarega] "If you want to refuse his order without putting your position at risk, wearing at least one ring seems wise, does it not?"

Her logic was sound.

I picked a ring at random and slipped it onto my finger. Making sure, of course, to choose a design different from the ones worn by the stranger at the masquerade.

[Celeste] "I will speak with His Majesty directly."

I spoke to Terkan before entering the dining hall. The look on his face showed that he understood completely.

[Terkan] "I hope you get the outcome you desire."

His steady, serious tone was completely different from how he had acted at the observatory yesterday morning.

Yesterday, the tension between us had been so thick it felt as if chaos might break out at any second. Even though only a day had passed, it felt as if months had gone by.

At the same time, I realized that the "next lesson" Terkan had mentioned was scheduled for tonight. Unless I forced a clear refusal out of Batizo, that lesson would happen just a few hours from now.

Steeling my resolve, I stepped inside.

I greeted Batizo, who was already waiting for me, and took my seat.

[Batizo] "Did you rest well? Your complexion looks healthier than it did earlier today, which pleases me. Did you stay up talking all night with the young lady?"

A pang of guilt hit me, but I forced a polite smile.

[Celeste] "Yes. Thanks to Your Majesty's permission, I had a wonderful time with her."

[Batizo] "Feel free to visit her from time to time."

[Celeste] "Thank you."

Dinner began.

Batizo asked far more questions than usual tonight. I gave distracted answers, completely consumed by thoughts of how to bring up the wedding night instruction.

Before long, the meal ended. Batizo made a move to stand before tea arrived, mentioning that he still had official duties to finish tonight.

I moved quickly to stop him.

[Celeste] "I have something to discuss with you."

He sat back down.

[Batizo] "Speak."

[Celeste] "I heard from... Terkan."

[Batizo] "Heard what?"

I took a deep breath and chose my words carefully.

[Celeste] "That we will spend the night together... on the day of our engagement."

The words felt awkward and heavy as they left my mouth.

[Batizo] "Is that not normal? What is wrong with that?"

He flicked his finger, and an attendant stepped forward to refill his glass with liquor.

[Celeste] "That is not what I mean..."

Batizo looked at me over the rim of his glass, his gaze locking onto mine.

I took another deep breath and blurted out the rest of my thoughts before I could stop myself.

[Celeste] "Did you order Terkan to give me wedding night instruction?"

I didn't know why heat flooded my face so suddenly. Even without looking in a mirror, I knew my cheeks were burning bright red.

[Batizo] "I did. What about it?"

His casual tone left me completely stunned.

[Celeste] "How could you order your subordinate to educate your fiancée for the wedding night? I... I am..."

...inexperienced.

I couldn't bring myself to say the word aloud, so I bit my lip instead.

Batizo sipped his drink, looking completely unbothered by the situation. He finished his glass, his face settling into a deep scowl.

My thoughts spun in circles.

Should I have just endured it? No. Tarega was right. Making my refusal clear was important.

I couldn't reach a decision because Batizo was not done speaking. My hands trembled with tension, and I gripped the fabric of my gown tightly.

[Batizo] "This is turning into a problem."

A smirk touched his lips, the same cold sneer I had seen before.

[Batizo] "When you proposed marriage, I pointed out that a young wife who needs a lot of instruction is tiresome. Do you remember what you said back then?"

Did his idea of "instruction" include this from the very start?

I had told him that I learned quickly, and he had responded with that same faint smirk.

[Batizo] "You didn't even understand what I meant by 'instruction.'"

He had planned this absurd requirement from the very beginning.

[Celeste] "I told you that I... learn quickly."

[Batizo] "Indeed. You did. I am glad you remember. That promise is the entire foundation of our agreement. If you had not given me that assurance, I might have rejected your proposal."

[Celeste] "What happens if I refuse this instruction?"

[Batizo] "Our agreement ends, and you will have to pay back all the time and money I have invested in you so far."

Batizo let out a quiet sneer, looking thoroughly cruel.

What kind of rumors surrounded this man? He was someone who cared about nothing except bloodshed. Countless people had died by his hand in war.

When Terkan told me about the wedding night instruction yesterday morning, a realization had taken root, and now it sank even deeper.

Perhaps I had sat down at this table holding onto a tiny sliver of hope. Hope that if I expressed my refusal, Batizo might back down.

I blamed myself for getting distracted by his gifts and his gentler moments, but I had still held onto the foolish hope that he would listen to my request.

As that hope died, a bitter laugh bubbled up inside me, replaced by a surge of defiance.

[Batizo] "If you want to cancel the engagement, feel free. But you will still receive wedding night instruction before any wedding takes place."

Delaying the engagement was no escape. I had no desire to delay or avoid the engagement anyway.

Wedding night instruction. I could endure something like that.

I only wanted the Empress's throne from Batizo, and to reach that goal, I would do whatever it took.

[Celeste] "I want this marriage. Besides, I have no way to pay you back. Nor will I delay the engagement. If this instruction can't be avoided, it makes sense to get it over with beforehand. I will accept the wedding night instruction."

Batizo's relaxed expression hardened into a tight line, as if my answer had caught him completely off guard. Then the smirk returned to his face just as quickly.

[Batizo] "I will look forward to it. Make sure you learn your lessons well."

An overwhelming urge to hit him surged through me. I hated Batizo so much in that moment that I wanted to cry.

---

I desperately wanted to collapse into Tarega's arms for comfort, but I held myself back.

Now that I had steeled my resolve, there was no need to burden her with my worries.

[Tarega] "How did it go?"

[Celeste] "I agreed to go through with the instruction."

[Tarega] "Did you tell His Majesty that you refused?"

She asked, brushing my hair down in slow, gentle strokes.

[Celeste] "Yes, I did. But after talking it through, accepting the instruction turned out to be necessary."

Tarega didn't push any further. She brushed my hair with care, making sure I was ready for bed.

She smoothed the bedsheets, fluffed the pillows, spread the blanket neatly, and spritzed a light perfume over the mattress.

[Celeste] "Why are you spraying that on the bed?"

[Tarega] "I am hoping it helps make the experience a bit more pleasant for you."

[Celeste] "Ah, that. Is it even possible to find pleasure in something like this?"

Finding pleasure in this situation was impossible.

[Tarega] "One can only hope so, can one not?"

[Celeste] "Thank you."

[Tarega] "For what, Your Highness?"

[Celeste] "For not thinking I am pathetic."

[Tarega] "Your Highness."

She stepped closer and dabbed a touch of perfume behind my ears and along my neck.

[Tarega] "Hold your head high. You are doing nothing wrong."

Though her gentle pats offered comfort, holding my head high felt impossible.

Uncertainty weighed on me, leaving me torn between questioning if this was necessary and trying to accept what was coming.

[Tarega] "I am always on your side. Remember that, and tell me if you need anything at all. Ah, I will return to change the sheets tomorrow."

I wished time would stop. Yet time moved forward without mercy, and Terkan entered the room.

When I saw him, memories of yesterday morning rushed back, making my body tense, but I greeted him with as much calm dignity as I could muster.

[Terkan] "It seems you have accepted your fate."

[Celeste] "It is not acceptance, but recognizing a duty I can't avoid."

He took a seat across from me.

[Celeste] "Did you not come here to begin the instruction?"

[Terkan] "Shall we start right away?"

[Celeste] "No!"

The word burst out of me in a panic.

[Celeste] "Take... take your time."

Terkan summoned a maid, who placed a tea set onto the table.

I wondered why tea was necessary for wedding night instruction, but I stayed quiet and watched him work.

His movements while brewing the tea were fluid and refined. Then again, elegance marked everything he did. Even when he kissed me yesterday morning, that had been true.

I had been too overwhelmed at the time to fully process the memory, but now every detail returned piece by piece. The flutter of his long eyelashes before his eyes closed. The cold, vivid red of his eyes. The heat of his lips against mine.

A sudden wave of warmth rushed through me, making me fan my face with my hand. Meanwhile, Terkan poured the freshly brewed tea into a cup and placed it in front of me.

[Celeste] "What kind of tea is this?"

[Terkan] "It is a blend to relieve fatigue."

I lifted the cup and caught the aroma.

[Celeste] "The scent is lovely."

[Terkan] "It also helps lift your spirits."

It seemed the instruction was starting.

Both Tarega and Terkan were trying their best to put me at ease.

Knowing deep down that tonight wouldn't end with a simple kiss like yesterday morning, I drank the tea in silence.

As I slowly finished the cup, a pleasant fog settled over my mind. Yet my vision stayed clear. Everything around me remained sharp and distinct, and I retained full control over my body.

Only my mood had changed. The feeling was similar to the quiet contentment of enjoying a sweet dessert.

I leaned back against the cushions of the sofa.

[Terkan] "You took off your ring tonight."

He glanced down at my bare hand as he spoke.

[Celeste] "It is time to sleep."

[Terkan] "Sleep is still a long way off."

He made the intent of tonight's lesson clear.

[Celeste] "To be honest... I didn't feel like wearing it tonight. Did you know about this from the start?"

[Terkan] "About the wedding night instruction?"

He shifted his posture, sitting at an angle on the couch. The flickering candlelight made his dark hair look soft under the warm glow.

[Terkan] "I knew."

[Celeste] "Mmm. Then did you instruct all of His Majesty's previous women?"

A soft chuckle escaped his lips.

[Terkan] "How did you know His Majesty had other women?"

[Celeste] "He could hardly live alone at his age. I am capable of figuring that much out."

[Terkan] "Since you received no such instruction in the court of Calyx, I assumed you were completely unfamiliar with these matters."

[Celeste] "I am not a complete fool. Though I have my moments, of course."

[Terkan] "Don't be so hard on yourself."

He took a sip of his tea, a smooth, charming smile gracing his features. I realized then that having him guide me was slightly less miserable than the alternative. If a complete stranger had been assigned to do this, agreeing to it would have taken much longer, and enduring this moment would have been unbearable.

[Celeste] "You didn't answer my question."

[Terkan] "I never instructed any of the women who entered His Majesty's bedchamber. They were all experienced."

[Celeste] "That is a relief."

The porcelain cup clicked against the saucer as he set it down. He stood up, and I looked up as he walked over and sat right beside me.

Is it starting? I swallowed hard.

Terkan crossed his long legs and draped an arm along the back of the sofa, making it feel as if he were resting his arm across my shoulders.

[Terkan] "Are you ready?"

He unbuttoned the top button of his coat.

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