Chapter 7 – Marriage Heart Marks
(Yvaine's Point of View)
There are hangovers… and then there are existential crises disguised as hangovers.
I woke up feeling like a marshmallow that had been stomped on by fate. My mouth tasted like betrayal. My head felt like it hosted a three-part festival featuring drums, bagpipes, and a screeching bat.
And then—my hand.
There, on my ring finger, sat a tiny mole. Heart-shaped. Impossibly perfect. Like someone branded me in my sleep with affection.
"…The hell?" I squinted at it.
I turned it this way and that. It didn't wipe off. It didn't itch. It just… existed. Like a love confession from the gods stamped into my dermis.
I groaned, rolled over, and came face-to-face with the neat tray of breakfast on my side table. Toast. Eggs. Tea. Pickled plums (traitors). And a tiny folded note from Eirian:
"You're alive. Miracles exist. Don't do it again." I snorted. Classic.
Just as I shoved a bite of toast into my mouth and tried to piece together the reason I had dreamt about being married—to my assistant, no less—Eirian knocked and stepped in with all the grace of a man trying to pretend nothing ever happened.
"Morning, milady." With a nonchalant kinda response, still with his curtain bangs covering his forehead and freckles that still fit perfectly on such hidden beauty. I really this I am indeed a sucker for any beautiful things I can imagine.
I raised an eyebrow. "I had a dream."
He paused. Blinked. "Should I be concerned?"
"It was weird," I said, showing him my ring finger. "We were married."
A flicker. Barely there. His shoulders tightened, lips pursed—but only for a second.
"That explains the pacing and mumbling in your sleep," he said flatly.
I grinned. "Oh? Did I say anything scandalous?"
"You asked me to call you 'Missus Bread Conqueror de Liquor,'" Telling me something with exaggeration to the way I speak and act. Good thing he's my assistant and I'm already used to him.
"…reasonable." Nodded, I walked towards where I grabbed my boots and he kneeled to tie it again for me since he knows how bad I am with laces and ropes.
"You're acting stiff." I stretched, then narrowed my eyes. He went back to help me with my hair tying it up for me as well, to be exact, I do have my personal maids but he insisted on doing it for me so I just let him be. Like I told you, he definitely likes those kinda house husbands in telenovelas.
"Because your brother and sister-in-law are arriving at noon. They sent word last night. Something about… checking if the Empire still stands after you rejected a knighthood like you were declining a cheap party invite." He replied as if an online delivery just dropped by something and went on his way again with kinda vibes.
I stood up and felt the chills but at the same time, I was excited to meet my sis-in-law again instead of my brother. She can tame him with just one look especially when he's being crazy again.
"Oh no no no no and no." I paled. "They're coming?!"
He nodded. "Also, a few noble heirs arrived early. Rumor says you stole their hearts—then rerouted them to your friends using false names."
I coughed into my tea. "That was strategic delegation!"
Eirian arched a brow. "It was a fraud."
"They're getting married, aren't they?" I huffed. "That's a win in my matchmaking arc. Besides, if anyone blames me, I'll just say it was all part of a divine alcohol-induced prophecy."
"Charming."
"I am!" I said proudly, but I was still anxious about my brother's arrival. I already can imagine him grinning or making a scene just after he arrives.
I padded toward the wardrobe, grabbing something vaguely presentable. "Help me look normal. As normal as one can look when hiding the fact that I may or may not have drunkenly proposed marriage to my assistant in a public plaza and danced like a goblin."
"Should I bring the emergency cloak or the diplomatic apology cakes?"
"Both. Definitely both."
As I got dressed, I caught Eirian watching me for a second longer than usual.
"You okay?" I asked while putting the end of my trousers inside my boots.
He blinked. "Yes. Just… making sure you're stable."
"Stable enough to face my brother? Who in their right mind will feel stability that even the stock market may crush with just his presence? Good thing sis-in-law is with him."
"No one is. I agree to that Milady," Answering me while he nods in agreement to how crazy my brother can be.
We both nodded grimly.
I caught my reflection in the mirror—hair brushed, clothes decent, eyes bright with impending doom. That mysterious heart-shaped mole or rather mark winked back at me.
I had no clue what exactly happened the night before. Maybe I was branded as a tribute? Am I now to be transported to Hogwarts using our helper's broomstick with only one stick remaining?
But something in my gut told me… I might've gone from jokingly proposing marriage to possibly signing something important.
And knowing Eirian? He'd stay quiet until the paperwork bit me in the skirt.
One mystery mole. One grumpy assistant. A surprise family inspection. And a gathering of confused noble bachelors who might soon realize they'd been accidentally set up with the wrong woman.
What could possibly go wrong?
End of Chapter 7...