Chapter 10: After the Wedding

In the lavishly decorated venue, surrounded by countless guests… I stood face to face with Milia.

She wore a pure white dress.

The skirt, blooming like a flower, shimmered with delicate embroidery.

She looked… breathtaking.

More than ever, she was beautiful.

"Now, the kiss of vows—"

I placed my hands gently on her shoulders.

She closed her eyes, her lips slightly parted, waiting.

Relaxed. Trusting.

My heart pounded, fast and relentless.

But I steadied myself… and kissed her.

At that moment, everything else—the guests, the grand hall, the world itself—faded into nothing.

This kiss carried a different weight than any before. A quiet certainty, a promise unspoken.

I want to stay by her side forever.

The thought filled my chest completely.

---

And so, the wedding day arrived—

Surprisingly, everything went smoothly.

Yusuke escorted me just as we’d practiced. He kissed me without hesitation, without embarrassment.

…Well, what can I say?

He’s always been like that, even back when we were traveling.

Call it being clutch under pressure… or just knowing when to commit. You don’t get called the Hero otherwise.

My shitty old man, the duke’s family, my half-brothers—they all attended, but I doubt they’ll be a problem.

The most troublesome event was finally over. Yusuke and I left the venue.

I never want to do another wedding again.

With the ceremony done, night fell. All that was left was to go home.

—Or so it should’ve been.

Instead, we were dragged to the baths by the maids.

…The hell?

Some unfamiliar maid led the charge. Suspicious. But Jane was following along with a smile, so I figured it was fine.

Was this my shitty old man’s doing?

Or part of the wedding arrangements? The schedule hadn’t mentioned anything about post-ceremony events.

…Hmm.

Scrubbed down in the bath, I tilted my head in confusion.

Yusuke, of course, was in a separate room.

Obviously.

…Was he getting washed by maids too?

The thought left me… weirdly conflicted.

Maybe I should tease him to blow off some steam—

"Ah."

Stepping out of the bath… there he was.

Face bright red. Staring at the floor.

"…………"

…Nah, messing with him now would just be cruel.

He must’ve hated it.

Like some socially awkward kid dying inside during home ec class, surrounded by girls.

And so, we were led—following the maids’ instructions—to a different room than our usual one.

It was tucked away in a corner of the royal castle’s residential wing, someplace we’d normally never go.

"Well then, we’ll take our leave. Please… take your time."

"Uh, y-yeah… good work."

The maids filed out, leaving only Jane behind.

The room had a large bed—well, large relative to this space. Smaller than the one we usually shared. More like a double.

…What is this place?

Something felt off.

Better drop the casual tone for now.

"…Jane, would you mind explaining?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Jane bowed respectfully—then hesitated, her expression turning slightly apologetic.

"It is customary for newlyweds to be escorted to this room after the wedding."

"…I see?"

I didn’t see. Not at all.

Still confused, I scanned the room again—plush carpets, brand-new sheets, dim magelight overhead—

And then it hit me.

Oh.

No way.

"Where you are to spend your wedding night."

IT’S A LOVE HOTEL.

No wonder the place felt so pristine. Even the ambiance had that… mood-setting quality.

Ahhh, I get it now.

That’s what this is—wait.

Huh?

"…Wedding night?"

"Yes, precisely."

I glanced at Yusuke.

…He was crouched on the floor, head in his hands.

Stop that. Don’t do anything weird, idiot. You have no idea who might be watching.

"Well then… take your time. And, ah… do your best."

Abandoning me to my internal crisis, Jane slipped out.

Well, abandoned wasn’t quite right—more like she’d hit her limit. She’d probably planned to leave immediately, just like the others.

I could hear multiple footsteps retreating down the hall.

…Good thing I didn’t drop my guard and start talking casually.

"Milia, I—"

Before Yusuke could continue, I pressed a finger to his lips.

"Mmph…?"

Silencing him, I focused.

This unease I felt—it wasn’t because of the room’s ambiance.

No, this was the instinct of a mage.

Which meant—

"…Haaah."

I let my mana flow outward, saturating the space.

An ordinary mage could only channel mana into objects.

But I wasn’t ordinary.

If Yusuke was the "Teleportation Cheat Hero," then I was the "Reincarnation Cheat Mage."

My magic broke normal limits.

And I had thousands of times more mana than any human.

"............"

Seeing my serious expression, Yusuke nodded and stayed quiet.

I pushed my mana deeper—into the furniture, the water pitcher, the magelight, the bed, the pillows... the door, the painting on the wall.

And then—

"Yusuke, shall we go to bed?"

I touched a finger to my lips, then pointed at the bed.

"Eh...? O-oh. Got it."

Whether he fully understood or not, Yusuke obediently nodded and moved toward the bed as instructed.

And then—

I shoved him down onto it.

"H-hey—!"

Again, I pressed a hand over his mouth.

"My, Yusuke... so bold, aren't you? Not that I mind that about you... ♡"

I leaned in, my voice slow and breathy—

"We're being eavesdropped on. Keep pretending you don’t notice."

A flicker of realization passed through Yusuke’s eyes. Gone was his earlier flustered expression—now, he was deadly serious.

"…I detected two enchanted items with my mana scan. The wall painting and the eagle decoration above the door."

His gaze flicked toward them.

"They’ve been embedded with eavesdropping spells. The quality isn’t high, but assume they’re picking up most of what we say."

"…Yeah."

I shifted to sit up—

"Could you wait just a little longer, Yusuke...? I need to... prepare myself..."

And, with deliberate slowness, I slipped off my outer robe.

The fabric rustled loudly.

Yusuke's eyes darted toward my undergarments for just a second—before he immediately looked away.

...Well, whatever.

I pressed close again, my lips brushing against his ear.

"The ones eavesdropping are probably other nobles. They're trying to catch us saying something incriminating."

"…Yeah."

"I'm analyzing the spells and tracing their origin. It'll take some time, so we have to keep up the act."

"…Uh… yeah?"

Yusuke’s serious expression faltered.

Stay with me here, idiot.

"If they realize I'm tracing them, they'll cut the connection and destroy the evidence. We can't let that happen."

"O-okay, got it."

"Then let's begin. Just stay quiet and play along until I say it's done."

"Eh, ah... r-right."

Alright.

This is embarrassing as hell—but it can’t be helped.

"Well then... pardon me, Yusuke~♡"

I swung a leg over him, straddling his waist.

Slowly, deliberately, I rolled my hips against his clothed body—making the bed creak beneath us.

---

"Nngh~♡ Ah~♡"

"Right there... it feels so good, Yusuke~♡"

"Mmm~♡ So nice...♡"

"Don't stop...♡ Yusuke...♡"

"I love you...♡ Yusuke~♡"

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