She Became The Devil’s Stepmother Who’s About To Be Killed - Chapter 7

Chapter 7 – A Sacred Oath Between Husband And Wife

“Wife.”

“Yes?”

“How much more do you intend to drink?”

Gerard took the wine glass from my hand and placed it on the table.

‘Am I drunk?’

I can’t believe it was taken away so easily.

Well, I just sipped a glass of wine to soothe my nervous and anxious mind.

‘Do I look like I’m extremely drunk?’

I quietly touched my cheeks with the back of both hands.

‘They’re hot.’

Was I as hot as a juicy peach on a summer day?

Or as red as an ugly tomato?

Ugh, the tip of my nose was red that I probably looked like a drunkard.

I was a bit worried.

But I was surrounded by people eager to kill me like the Emperor, Empress, my younger brother Yan, and Marquis Michael.

But the only one they couldn’t touch was…

Gerard Vonzeyer.

So I had to stick as close as possible to my new husband for survival.

And I smiled brightly at those who congratulated him or saluted him.

If it got a little boring, he shouted “Here,” “Here,” “Here,” and “Here,” and sipped the most expensive drinks and wines from the tray of the passing employee.

And then,

“Why doesn’t the Grand Duchess go put the child to bed so we may start the second part of this act?”

Gerard’s gaze was directed at Theodor.

Five-year-old Theodor, still in his stuffy suit, was dozing off, a fork still held in his small hands as his upper body shook.

“If the second act is putting the child to bed…”

Gerard looked straight at me with those green eyes.

In fact, even then, I had no idea what he meant.

Is there anything else?

I stared blankly at his face, so like a sculpture.

He bent toward me and whispered into my ear.

“It’s 19-Rated, that last offer.”

A sweet yet heavy scent enveloped me.

I tried reflexively to free myself, and he hugged my shoulder lightly.

‘Wow, what’s this? Who is this lascivious man?’

If you’re going to come at me like this so suddenly, you should turn a blinker on!

My breathing was shallow, and I couldn’t help but tremble.

“Haha Rated 19 proposal? Hahahaha R-19.”

I laughed and looked around, dumbfounded.

But perhaps my voice was too loud, because everyone’s eyes were on me. And those eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“The Grand Duchess says the Second Act is about to begin!”

“Woah!”

Clap, clap, clap!!

Clink, clink, clink!

At Gerard’s announcement, the distinguished guests applauded and cheered, striking their glasses with spoons.

“Haaa…”

I pressed my temples.

I had a headache, likely due to alcohol or irritation.

“I won’t take it off if you’re drunk.”

Oh god! oh god, god god!!

I was startled, so I ground my molars together and whispered softly into his ear.

“We are in a strictly arranged marriage.”

“Yeah, arranged marriage. So, shouldn’t we do our best?”

“What do you mean, Grand Duke?”

I was flustered. I pulled myself away from him and looked at him.

“You clearly said you would do your best as Grand Duchess.”

“Yes, I’ll do my best.”

“Then, we are required to prepare for the traditional First Night and the Certification Ceremony.”

“?”

I wondered what the hell he meant, as I stared at the beautifully sculpted man sitting right next to me.

His expression was as firm as the Headteacher’s.

Gerard rested his strong shoulders on mine, tilted his face toward me, and raised his index finger to point to the night sky.

“Can you see the Orion constellation in the eastern sky? It’s already past nine o’clock when you see the great hexagon including Tartaran. Shouldn’t we make haste to prove our marriage on the first night?”

What do you mean by the first-night proof!

What does this mean?

People began to leave quickly, and sleeping Theodor was carried from the banquet hall in the arms of the butler Thomas.

I looked around, not understanding what was going on.

“Your Grace, a warm bath is ready.”

The words of the Maid Madeleine cooled my head.

* * * 

“This is Barbara Teriman. May you enjoy the beauty that cannot be seen anywhere.”

After escorting me to the bathroom, the maids bowed their heads deeply and left.

‘What does that even mean…’

As I sighed, a cold spring breeze blew into the robe. My soft hair fluttered.

I quickly wrapped the gown more tightly with both hands.

I heard that it was built in the Demon Realm, so there was a place where hot spring water came out on one side of the Castle—was it here?

The floor was warm.

I wiggled my toes and looked down.

The floor was made of perforated basalt, designed to drain quickly even if it overflowed with water. Near the entrance, under a stone chair, a hot spring flowed like a brook so that I could enjoy a foot bath.

I couldn’t help but smile.

I sat down and discovered the stone chair was warm too.

Splash, splash.

I looked around, splashing water with my feet. Beautiful statues supported the bathroom ceiling.

The bodies supporting the ceiling, covered with only a modest towel around their hips, boasted perfection, as if reproducing the golden proportions of the Renaissance era.

In the middle of the huge statues of male gods, magic stones illuminated the bathroom with a bluish color, creating an atmosphere of mystery.

Moonlight poured through holes in the middle of the ceiling, reflecting on the water.

The surface shone fantastically in the moonlight.

“Woah…”

The exclamation escaped unbidden.

The ceiling was carved with various reliefs. Figures like a knight running on horseback or a winged angel blowing a horn were gracefully etched.

And a glorious waterfall of hot water was flowing from the mouth of a large beast with a mane like a lion.

‘Even the thick mist?’

Ooh… That was quite fantastic.

If so, was there any reason not to enjoy this place?

‘Is it all mine?’

After possessing Sinclair’s body, I was in continuous stressful situations so my reward was to relax a bit and go straight into the bathtub.

“Gre~at.”

Using words you’d expect from a middle-aged man in his 40s, I washed my face with both hands in the warm, floral-scented water.

And suddenly,

“Wife.”

“Hyaaak!”

I couldn’t help but scream. One of the perfectly sculpted, perfectly proportioned, golden male Gods slipped into the bathtub.

“It- it was a person?!”

I looked around. Obviously, the rest must have been stone statues.

Splash.

The towel covering his nether regions floated like seaweed above his strong thighs as he descended the stairs in the tiered bathtub.

It is said that 70% of human muscles are under the navel, so why was my gaze so fixed on his upper body?

As he walked through the water, his rectus abdominis and external obliques, (the so-called wings) rippled, and even the pectoralis major muscles of both sides of his chest flexed.

He was my husband, Gerard Vonzeyer.

Uhmm… He said he was a swordmaster, I guess he wasn’t bragging.

My breathing got shallow again. It must be due to the hot spring water.

Because this scorching heat from the top of my neck rose to just below my nose and throbbed. I was in a daze.

‘Oh?’

His body was made more divine in the water mist rising like a haze, and he suddenly disappeared into the water.

Whoosh!

The petals scattered in the bathtub spilled out onto the floor.

‘What is this? What are you trying to do?’

I shook my head to clear it and looked around. Nothing. I couldn’t see anything, then breaking through the mist suddenly, Gerard reared before me like a leopard.

Thump, thump, thump.

My heart rang loudly in my ears like a drum.

“Wife… Why are you so mesmerized?”

“Ah, th- that’s… (because of your body!)”

I couldn’t say that.

“It’s my first time in a bathhouse.”

Sitting next to me, he smiled, sweeping his scattered hair from his forehead with both hands.

It was the first time. That straightforward smile on his face today.

Drops of water fell from his hair and down his face like transparent diamonds.

“It was my mother’s taste. That you like it— is a little unexpected.”

“What’s unexpected?”

“I’ve heard a lot of people say that there is a demon atmosphere here.”

“Ah…”

Well, evil beings and witches were expressions of hatred in the Empire.

“I like it.”

“!”

Gerard looked at me with wide open eyes.

“What?”

“It’s nothing. It looks like we’re ready, so let’s get started, shall we?”

He rose in front of me without hesitation.

Aggk!

I felt like hot steam was coming out of my ears like a speeding locomotive.

No, it would be better if it did come out! My face was so hot I thought it was going to explode!

The rectus femoris, inner and outer obliques, and iliopsoas muscles between those legs, and the manhood displayed between.

“So, let’s begin the Ceremony.”

His quiet and charming low-pitched voice echoed through the bathroom.

I hurriedly grabbed his clothes.

“What does that mean?”

For a moment, it seemed he was bowing down, and then whoosh! There was a flash of motion, and I was suddenly embraced by his strong body.

Water poured onto the surface from my sodden gown.

Hiiiik.

“Grand Duke! What are you doing right now?!”

“Shouldn’t you wash your hair first?”

With the sound of water, he moved somewhere.

“Where will you wash my hair?”

“In an individual bathtub?”

“Wh- what?”

“We’re just fulfilling our duties as a couple, why don’t you just relax? For the good of our innocent wedding?”

“Innocent?”

Even before I could finish speaking, splash!

WIthout warning, I sank into an effervescent single-person bathtub filled with water bubbling as if submerged in a cloud.

As if to compensate for the hardships of the past, soft foam, like the topping of a cappuccino, gently soaked my body.