Deeply immersed in slumber after having been lulled to sleep by the carriage, Rose was abruptly awakened by a pat on her back.
Opening her sleep-laden eyes, she found herself face-to-face with Russell.
"Ahhh!!!"
Startled by her own reaction, Rose quickly bit her lip as she forcefully swallowed her high-pitched screech, realizing she had fallen asleep against the carriage wall and was now nestled in Russell's arms.
"I thought you would be embarrassed if I laid you down on the chair, so I lended you my shoulder instead."
Russell grinned at the blushing young lady.
"I didn't know you would snuggle into my arms in your sleep."
Rose let out a silent scream.
As she was hugged by Russell, she discreetly checked for signs of drool, catching a whiff of a salty scent.
Before she could gaze out the window, the carriage came to a halt.
Russell disembarked, and she followed suit, eager to see what lay beyond the carriage doors.
The location was a cliff, desolate and surrounded by nothing, and below, the deep sea appeared almost black, its waves crashing against the cliff with an intimidating force.
Raising her head, she took in the vastness of the blue sea, a sight previously confined to books, as the sun rose beyond the horizon.
"Here is..."
"This is why I brought you here."
Russell revealed the mirror that once held Abaddon's body, promptly tossing it over the cliff's edge.
The waves devoured the mirror in a single gulp.
Observing the descent, Rose, gripping Russell's arm, voiced her concern.
"Won't the mirror ever come to land? "
"I don't know. It might be swept away by the waves and return to the palace, or it may be forever lost in the depths of the ocean."
Anxiety flickered in Rose's eyes, and Russell clasped her hand firmly.
"But as long as you live, that mirror will never return to the palace and put you in harm's way."
Rose found solace in Russell's resolute tone.
Together, they watched the sun ascend, its red glow mirroring the hue of Rose's eyes.
As the sun fully revealed itself, Russell turned towards Rose.
"Alright then. Should we go to the port now?"
Donning the blue wig Russell had prepared, the duo made their way to the port.
Upon their arrival, daylight had already permeated the bustling harbor, where people commenced their daily tasks.
Taking in the lively atmosphere, exploring the fish market for the first time, and indulging in a seafood-filled lunch, the couple savored the vibrant surroundings.
Despite Russell's robust constitution, the early departure had left him appearing a tad fatigued.
"Your Majesty, if you're tired, could you close your eyes for a moment? "
"Are you tired? "
"No, not me, but Your Majesty may very well be."
With concern etched on her face, Russell grinned and surveyed the harbor's buildings.
"Hmm. Where can we stay?"
Rose swiftly caught onto Russell's jest, playfully tapping his arm.
"Oh, no! That's not it...! The carriage! The idea was to get some sleep in the carriage!"
Russell burst into laughter at Rose's embarrassed, red-faced response.
"I know, I know. I know what you meant."
He enveloped her in his arms.
"Let's go by carriage together. I'm a little tired."
Locating the carriage from the capital was not a challenge. Russell instructed the coachman to awaken them in two hours and settled into the carriage with Rose.
"I'm tired."
Once seated, Russell sank into the backrest as Rose joined him.
"Please get some sleep. Or shall we return to the capital right now? "
"No. I don't like that. That would be wasting all the time it took to get here. After getting some sleep, let's go to the beach. There is a sandy beach nearby."
"Is it so? Then that's great. So go to sleep quickly."
Rose hesitated a little and then covered Russell's eyes with her hands.
With his long legs resting on the opposite chair and his arms crossed, Russell quickly fell asleep.
After seeing that his breathing had become even, shit bit her hand and smothered the girly squeals as she observed a new side of the slumbering man.
His eyes were nicely closed.
"You look beautiful when you sleep."
Rose observed Russell sleeping.
They say that when you look at something pretty, you don't even notice time passing.
That was exactly Rose's situation right now.
After looking at Russell's face for a while, Rose moved her body and leaned her face on his shoulder.
"Sweet dreams, Your Majesty."
Rose said in a low voice and closed her eyes to sleep.
Rose and Russell, who spent the day in an instant, headed to the beach next to the harbor as the sun began to set.
Seeing the people around her taking off their shoes and dipping their feet in the sea, Rose did the same.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please come in!"
Following his fiance, Russell took off his shoes, stood next to Rose, and dipped his feet in the beach water.
It was also his first time directly dipping his feet in the sea.
As the seawater rose and fell, it felt like her body was being sucked in as well. Rose smiled and clung to Russell's arms.
Her laughter never stopped.
At the sound of that pure laughter, Russell whispered to her as he straightened Rose's hair, which had become tangled in the sea breeze.
"Sorry."
"What for?"
"It took me a while."
"..."
"I promise to let you see the sea. After a long time, I'm finally keeping my promise to you."
"...You remembered."
"Of course, I would remember. How could I ever forget?"
Rose let go of the skirt she was holding.
The end of her skirt touched the sea water and got wet.
Russell was shocked, thinking that she lost her grip in shock at his revelation.
Instinctively, he bent down slightly to grab the hem of her skirt.
As soon as Russell was at eye level, Rose grabbed both of his cheeks without letting go. Then, without warning, she kissed him on the lips.
"I'm sorry too."
Russell, bending down in an awkward posture and making eye contact with Rose, questioned her in a voice full of laughter.
"What are you sorry about, Rose? "
"That day, you brought me safely to the Honeywell family, but I couldn't even say thank you."
"..."
"Thank you for saving me when I was lost."
"..."
"Thanks to you, I learned the feeling of love for the first time. of course---I misunderstood who my savior was and mistook another for you."
Rose groaned and muttered as Russell wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Then, from now on, please don't mistake that feeling."
He then kissed her deeply on the lips.
Each other's breath and the salty scent of the sea seeped into each other.
Every time the seawater-soaked skirt was swept away by the waves, Rose would pull on him, her arms around his neck as if she would not be washed away.
Entangled in the arms of each other, the two people's lips touched even more deeply.
One summer day with the hot sun beating down.
The Emperor of Tristan and the Rose of Honeywell held their wedding.
The location was the Imperial Palace Hall.
Rose held Wells' hand and walked onto the red carpet leading to the altar.
At the end of the path, her husband-to-be, Russell, was waiting with a smile on his face.
...This scene. Where did I see it before?
The marching song sounded, and Rose walked in step with Wells.
They reached the end of the carpet, and Rose, holding Russell's hand, stepped onto the stairs where the officiating priest patiently awaited.
Before climbing the stairs, Rose looked back at the wedding hall and the guests.
On one side, Wells was struggling to hold back tears, and on the other side, Allison applauded non-stop in congratulations.
Lady Dawson, with whom she became close friends after meeting at the Gloria Temple, was also congratulating her, wiping away tears.
Only then did she realize where she had seen this scene.
It was in the crystal ball that Kate showed me.
Ah! I see...
In the end, it was fate that I would end up with Your Majesty.
Rose climbed the stairs with Russell towards the priest.
High Priest Heilmann officiated, asking for God's blessings and wishing the couple happiness and well-being.
Amidst everyone's cheers and congratulations, the two became husband and wife.
[TL/N: Slight spiciness ahead.]
That night, Rose, who was about to spend her first night with Russell, felt like her heart was going to jump out of her chest.
But what made her even more nervous was none other than Russell, the man himself.
Sitting next to him on the bed, Rose spoke restlessly.
"Your Majesty, please..."
Rose spoke as if pleading, but Russell made his point clear.
"As empress, you are the only person in this world who is on equal footing with me. So, please allow me to treat you accordingly."
"Huh, permission...? You don't have to ask me for permission! "
Rose shouted in a gasp.
One corner of Russell's mouth rose.
"Hmm? Really? I don't have to ask you for permission?"
"Of course! Well, now I... I am now His Majesty's woman!---no, even if it weren't for that, is there anyone who would be opposed to what Your Majesty desires?"
Russell, who was smiling strangely, looked sullen.
He grumbles softly.
"If the vassals thought the same way as the empress, government affairs would be easier."
"Maybe... even those who oppose it are probably speaking for the sake of His Majesty and the Empire."
Rose raised her hand and gently touched Russell's silver hair.
Russell grabbed the hand that lovingly caressed him and buried his face.
"Let's go back to our earlier topic, my Rose. Can I really do whatever I want? "
"Uh... Yes."
Rose tilted her head.
"Do you have something to do? "
Russell, looking at Rose with an innocent expression, lightly kissed her palm.
The sound of lips touching and falling resonated particularly loudly.
Russell turned his gaze to face Rose, his lips still pressed against her palm and smiled seductively.
Although she had seen him laugh many times, Rose was mesmerized because it was the first time he had laughed like that intending to seduce someone.
However, an ominous energy soon caused her to wisely remove her hand from Russell.
"Well, I'll sleep on the couch."
Rose crawled to get out of bed.
However, the bed was so soft that before Rose could move properly, Russell hugged her waist from behind.
"Ahh---!"
Rose, grabbed by Russell and held in his arms, let out a short scream in surprise as his lips touched her earlobe and then moved away.
"My wife, the couch is not a place to sleep."
Rose trembled as she heard Russell's voice softly whispering in her ear.
"Are you going to leave the bed you chose so carefully to sleep alone without your beloved husband? "
The bedroom where the two would stay was Russell's suggestion, and all the furniture was chosen by Rose.
The bed was no exception.
Rose let out a laugh.
"Well, what's lonely? "
Rose was shocked and speechless.
Taking advantage of her momentary lapse of awareness, Russell pulled down the thin gown covering Rose's body.
Her face turned red as her shoulders were exposed in an instant to his hungry gaze.
He laid her body down, and for a moment, Rose's vision turned to the ceiling.
Before she could even recognize what she now saw, Russell covered her body.
Russell wrapped his large hand around Rose's heated cheek.
"My wife, would you look at that? My wife's cheeks are the same color as her eyes."
Rose's face became even redder.
Rose tried to say something, but Russell was a man on a mission and all but swallowed her words as he fervently kissed her.
Tongues are tangled, and the saliva that could not be swallowed dripped from their lips.
Even as they kissed frantically, Russell's hands steadily removed Rose's pajamas.
Tuk.
As soon as the last button fell undone, Russell opened his mouth and completely pulled apart his wife's pajamas.
Rose's skin appeared as white as porcelain.
As Russell gazed down at her, Rose felt her face and body heating up.
"Your majesty..."
Rose called out to him with a moan.
Russell smiled for a moment at that voice, but the smile on his face soon disappeared.
Rose felt worried, forgetting her shame as a dark cloud appeared on Russell's face.
"Your Majesty, what troubles you? "
Instead of answering, Russell placed his hand on Rose's left breast and enclosed the flesh in the palm of his hand.
Rose's heart began to beat wildly at his bold action.
Just as her face was about to turn red again, he spoke, killing off any shyness.
"...It's small."
Rose looked at Russell blankly as his voice muttered softly.
What did I just hear?
Rose raised her eyes in disbelief.
"Your Majesty, no matter how much truth you may feel those words hold, it hurts."
"It's so small."
Russell's voice was unusually serious as if he hadn't heard her.
In his distracted tone, Rose realized he was talking about something other than her breast size.
Rose listened quietly to his words.
"How can this tiny, harmless place contain the soul of that monster? "
Russell frowned as if in pain.
His amethyst eyes quickly became watery.
His tears made Rose feel like she was crying too.
Rose reached out and wiped Russell's eyes with her thumb.
"I'm not in any pain, Your Majesty. It's not scary. I wasn't scared, as I knew you would protect me."
Russell made eye contact with Rose, then he maintained eye contact as he slowly lowered his head and lightly pressed his lips to her left breast, where her heart was.
As if to comfort him, Rose tangled her fingers through Russell's silver hair and stroked him.
With his lips still buried in Rose's chest, Russell spoke as if making a declaration.
"I swear. More than what you sacrificed, I will protect and treasure you until the end of our days."