Chapter 51

Chapter 51

“What kind of ring are you kissing so tenderly? You might as well give me one inst—”

As though he had been waiting for just that moment, a large hand cradled Irenea’s head, and two pairs of lips met.

While Irenea remained frozen in surprise, only her eyes blinking, Leonard gave her lower lip a gentle nip before straightening up.

Then, as though nothing had happened, he pulled the blanket over her once more.

“Now, get some proper sleep. Your sister might worry that Elly will end up marrying someone she doesn’t even love if your eyes get all puffy.”

“Huh?”

Irenea’s eyes widened at the sudden change in Leonard’s tone.

As though he had been expecting that reaction, Leonard smiled, then lowered his head and kissed her lips once more.

“Sleep well, my love.”

The moment their softly touching lips parted, Irenea opened her eyes and looked up at Leonard’s face, which was right before hers.

Had their conversation the previous night helped, or had he simply grown accustomed to the kisses she had forced upon him with one excuse after another?

The stiff, stone-like expression he had worn during their first kiss was now nowhere to be seen.

Far from it, a tender warmth shone in his eyes as he gazed down at her.

As Irenea smiled brightly at him, the officiating priest’s voice rang out across the venue.

“I hereby pronounce you husband and wife.”

A thunderous round of applause erupted from the guests, accompanied by cries of delight.

Playful whistles and heartfelt wishes for a happy marriage rang out from every corner, mingling with the applause.

“Congratulations on your marriage, Marchioness!”

As Irenea walked down the wedding aisle once more with Leonard, the guests showered them with handfuls of flower petals.

It was said that a bride would enjoy a happy married life if her veil was covered in blessed flower petals by the time she reached the end of the wedding aisle.

Fortunately, by the time Irenea reached the end, a considerable number of petals still remained on her veil.

Since she couldn’t see the top of her own head, the guests smiled and applauded in celebration on her behalf.

While Irenea beamed at their reaction, Leonard stepped off the wedding aisle ahead of her.

Wait, wasn’t the groom supposed to leave the aisle before the bride?

The guests were so astonished by this unprecedented sight that they forgot to clap and stared with wide eyes.

Meanwhile, Leonard reached into the flower basket held by the flower girl and gathered the remaining petals in both hands.

Then, he carefully sprinkled them over Irenea’s head himself, making sure they piled up on her veil.

Realizing what he was doing, Irenea burst into laughter without even daring to lift her head, her gaze fixed on Leonard’s neck at an awkward angle.

“Are you allowed to do that yourself?”

“Of course I am. Isn’t it a husband’s duty to make his wife happy?”

Leonard’s voice was perfectly calm, as though he were stating the most obvious thing in the world.

His words drew several delighted gasps from the women nearby.

“How romantic… So they really did marry for love, just as the rumors say.”

“Exactly. Some husbands wouldn’t even think to place a single flower petal on their wives’ heads.”

“Ahem. Ahem.”

While a few men cleared their throats and pretended not to hear, under their wives’ sharp gazes, Leonard carefully removed every last petal clinging to his gloves and placed them on Irenea’s head before offering her his hand.

Irenea took his outstretched hand and confidently stepped off the wedding aisle.

The movement sent more than half the petals that had been piled on her head tumbling to the ground, but far more remained.

Of course, even if not a single petal had remained, none of the guests gathered there could have denied that Irenea was a happy bride.

After all, her face was radiant with joy as she took the flower basket from the flower girl and scattered a handful of petals over her husband’s head.

For a businessman of the Marquis Blair’s standing, a wedding couldn’t simply end with the ceremony itself.

Even the reception, which should have been a time for the newlyweds to bask in the spotlight, laugh, and enjoy themselves, was nothing more than an extension of business.

If there was one consolation, it was that Viscount Calio hadn’t attended the wedding, sparing them the need for another battle of wills.

“Congratulations on your marriage, Marchioness Blair. By the way, our trading company is currently…”

“Your dress is absolutely stunning! Such a beautiful shade! Is that the frost silk imported from Illum? When will it be available on the imperial market?”

“I heard the cosmetics you’ve been developing are almost ready for release. Will Blair Beauty Salon be opening around the same time? Have you settled on an exact date?”

“Do you have any plans to sell cruise tickets separately? I’m terribly unlucky, so I doubt I’d ever win the lottery… I don’t mind how much they cost. I’d gladly pay anything, if only you’d sell me one!”

“I heard that once the railway opens, the Blair Trading Company will be operating its own dedicated freight trains. Would it be possible for our trading company to share some of the cargo space?”

From small personal inquiries to major business investments, Irenea busily made her way around the banquet hall, answering the questions of everyone who sought her out.

Since every conversation began with an introduction to her husband, Leonard had to remain by her side from the very moment the reception began.

He had assumed that would be his sole responsibility for the evening, but, unexpectedly, quite a number of people had business to discuss with him as well.

“Count Elpiers, a mine was recently discovered in our territory. Would you perhaps be interested in acquiring the mining rights? We suspect it contains a diamond deposit…”

“Even at this very moment, countless children are starving and freezing to death. If you could make a recurring donation of even 100,000 Larcs, you could save so many young lives.”

“We’ll be holding an art auction in our territory a month from now. If you’re interested, you’re more than welcome to visit us.”

‘Are they making these offers because I’m the Marquis’s husband?’

Thinking this, Leonard handed the business cards people offered him to a servant without even bothering to examine them closely.

Watching him, clearly exasperated despite his efforts to hide it, Irenea giggled to herself.

Only after the number of business cards Leonard had collected exceeded ten did Irenea finally take him to the balcony for a short break and explain the reason.

“Ray, don’t you remember? The dowry I gave you.”

“Ah…”

He had genuinely forgotten all about it.

Aside from repaying his debts, he rarely had any reason to spend money.

Even during his days as a mercenary, Bin, who handled the group’s finances, had taken care of expenses such as lodging, meals, and weapon repairs.

After paying off his debts, setting aside portions for Edward and Thompson, and giving Jenis a generous allowance, he still had approximately 400 million Larcs left.

It was certainly enough to make anyone in need of money come running with their mouths watering.

“Leaving it in the bank and collecting the interest would be quite profitable, of course, but I think it’s perfectly fine to use it for business ventures, investments, or charitable donations, whatever you want.”

“I’m not very knowledgeable when it comes to spending money…”

Business investments were one thing, but charitable work was no different.

There were plenty of people who established orphanages or hospitals in name only, then siphoned off the donations they received or used them for money laundering.

Even finding places that genuinely needed help was a task in itself.

“I could narrow down some suitable businesses for you.”

“Even though you’re already so busy?”

“There are plenty of capable people besides me. Besides, there’s someone I’ve been wanting to introduce you to.”

Irenea gave him a playful wink.

Who on earth was she planning to introduce him to?

For some reason, he felt more apprehensive than curious.

“Come to think of it, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“Hm? Just a moment.”

A voice calling for her came from outside the curtained balcony doors.

The moment she gave permission for them to enter and drew back the curtains, the door suddenly swung open, and a woman strode into the balcony.

“Irenea! Congratulations on your wedding!”

She wasn’t dressed in the imperial style.

Even to Leonard, a former mercenary, the dark-skinned woman wearing a rather daring dress looked strikingly bold.

Without so much as a greeting, she threw her arms around Irenea.

The gesture might have seemed downright rude at first glance, but Leonard made no move to stop her because Irenea looked just as delighted to see the woman.

“My goodness, Belma! What brings you here? I sent the invitation so late that I thought you wouldn’t be able to make it.”

“Hehe, even if you’d sent it just one day before the wedding, I would’ve come. You didn’t deliberately send it late to keep me away, did you? Otherwise, I’d look terribly inconsiderate for showing up.”

“Of course not! You know you’re always welcome. Ray, let me introduce you. This is Belma Rubivia. As you can tell from her clothes, she’s from Farodia.”

Then Irenea lightly linked her arm through Leonard’s and introduced him to Belma.

“And this is my husband. Belma, I respect Farodia’s free-spirited customs, but please don’t proposition my husband to become your lover.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Marquis Consort. But are you really not tempted by the prospect of a sweet night of passion?”

To say something like that to a man who had only just gotten married, with his wife standing right beside him?

The sheer audacity of it left Leonard speechless.

Before she could mistake his silence for hesitation, he quickly shook his head.

“No, I’m afraid not. I’m Leonard Elpiers. My surname hasn’t changed yet, but you may address me as the Marquis Consort of Blair.”

He rejected her before even properly introducing himself.

Recognizing the firmness of his refusal, Belma let out a disappointed sigh.

“I’m Belma Rubivia. I’m still unmarried, so please feel free to call me Belma. Or you can call me Belle, if you prefer.”

Belma followed that with a playful wink, prompting Irenea to shoot her a sharp glare.

“I’m afraid my husband doesn’t address other women by their first names so casually. Let alone by a nickname. Isn’t that right, darling?”

It was the first time Leonard had heard anything of the sort, but instead of asking what she meant, he obediently nodded.

“My wife is quite right, Miss Rubivia.”

“Darling, don’t let Belma’s lovely appearance fool you. She’s unmarried, yes, but she’s hardly young enough to be addressed as ‘Miss.'”

“My goodness, Irenea. Aren’t you being a little mean? You’re revealing a woman’s age to such a handsome man without her permission!”

“If Belma hadn’t suggested spending a sweet night of passion with my husband, I might have kept quiet, don’t you think?”

A chilling smile appeared on Irenea’s lips.

Realizing that this was her final warning, Belma let out a deep, regretful sigh.