Beneath the Surviving Princess's Joyful Facade - Chapter 3

In the grand hall where the reception was held, Eirik moved smoothly, exchanging thanks with the guests, all the while missing his bride at his side.

Everyone expected there was more to the story. After all, they had seen the bride dragged in, barely able to walk. But extracting information directly from the Cladnier heir was no easy task.

“A moment ago, the new bride seemed unwell,” a young lady remarked, feigning concern.

Eirik responded clearly, “That’s why I intend to join her as soon as the greetings are over.”

Unable to push him further, the conversation quickly shifted to brief pleasantries. The Cladnier family members also refrained from idle talk, allowing the reception to conclude quietly and without incident.

At dusk, after cleansing himself as instructed by the priest, Eirik entered the bridal chamber. He was struck speechless by the sight before him.

The princess, whom he had married earlier that day, lay on the bed, her limbs bound to the bedposts. She was dressed in a nightgown as thin as gossamer, but her emaciated body made the sight more grotesque than alluring.

Eirik turned to the maids guarding the room, and one of them, Mrs. Maleca, stepped forward to explain.

“We couldn’t administer more sedatives due to the side effects. We had to take precautions to prevent any accidents during the wedding night, and this was the result.”

Had they administered so many sedatives that there were side effects?

“How much sedative did you use on her?” Eirik demanded.

Even the usually brazen Mrs. Maleca hesitated before answering. A maid behind her whispered, urging her to speak the truth.

“About two bottles of 1 Döner each…”

Eirik was incredulous. That amount was enough to sedate a horse. For the princess, who seemed to weigh only a tenth of that, it was an absurd overdose.

Seeing Eirik’s clenched fists and the anger on his face, the maids quickly bowed and left the room, leaving him alone with the princess.

Finally able to breathe deeply, Eirik approached the princess to check her condition. The first thing he noticed was the gag in her mouth, causing him to frown.

“……”

Despite this unwanted marriage, he was appalled to see the princess treated worse than a prisoner of war. Even an enemy captive wouldn’t be starved and drugged like this.

Only the king could have ordered such cruelty. Eirik’s face twisted in disgust as he recalled Vermelique II’s vile smile.

Without hesitation, he reached out and removed the gag. As he did, the princess’s jaw began to tremble. Concerned, he touched her forehead and felt the cold sweat of someone suffering from the effects of the sedatives.

Worried she might bite her tongue, he carefully folded the cloth and placed it gently between her teeth. He then pulled the blanket over her frail body.

Their eyes met, and seeing her faintly conscious despite everything, Eirik spoke softly.

“Are you alright?”

How could she be alright? Asking such a question while keeping something in her mouth, and with her limbs still bound. He realized his words were useless and let out a bitter smile as he reached toward her legs.

“I’ll untie your legs first. You seem cold…”

As he loosened the cloth binding her to the bedpost, her frail legs fell limply. He paused, looking at her feet. Beyond the insult to his family, he felt a deep-seated revulsion toward the king who had reduced a person to such a state.

However, ensuring proper blood circulation was the priority. Without hesitation, Eirik took her cold feet in his hands and massaged them for a while. Once the chill began to fade, he wrapped them in a blanket and spoke to her again.

“Now, I’ll untie your wrists. This could be tricky, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Her gaze remained fixed on a spot on the ceiling. She didn’t seem likely to bite or thrash about, so Eirik untied the knots binding her wrists. As he held her hands, he muttered to himself.

“Your body temperature is too low. Have you eaten anything?”

Of course, there was no response. She just stared blankly into space. Eirik thought for a moment and then removed his robe.

“I’m going to get under the blanket for a bit. Please, don’t be alarmed.”

He lifted the blanket and lay beside her. As their bodies touched, a chill ran through him. Carefully, he wrapped an arm around her, feeling her entire body trembling. Her pitiful state made him sigh softly. He then gently pulled her closer, as if handling delicate sugar candy.

He sincerely hoped she would remain still, fearing he might accidentally hurt her fragile form while trying to comfort her.

“My name is Eirik, of the Cladnier family. We were married today, so I am now your husband…”

He wondered how much she could understand but felt it was important to inform her of the current situation. Holding her hand under the blanket, he continued speaking.

“I am twenty-four years old, and I have no siblings. I had a younger sister, but she died in an accident when she was young. I’ve spent most of my time on the frontier due to the war with the Principality of Sidate.”

The princess made no movement except for occasional groans. Talking to her seemed like a pointless exercise, but he pressed on.

“The winters on the frontier are harsh. Sometimes people who were fine in the evening are found frozen to death by morning…”

He explained why he was massaging her hands.

“Frostbite usually starts at the extremities, so it’s crucial to keep the blood flowing to the ends of the body. It must hurt to have your stiff hands massaged, doesn’t it?”

He realized he was talking more than usual. When he looked at her hands again, they had started to regain some color, a faint pink hue appearing. Her shivering also began to subside. He carefully removed the cloth from her mouth and sat up.

Eirik found a suitable cup on the tray beside the table and poured some warm tea. The princess lay there with her mouth open, staring blankly. After a moment of hesitation, he fetched the nightgown he had set aside and draped it under her chin like a bib.

“Can you drink this?” he asked.

As soon as the cup touched her lips, the princess’s eyes widened, and she began to drink with a fierce intensity. As expected, she spilled quite a bit, but the nightgown kept her from getting wet.

It felt less like a wedding night and more like a caregiver’s duty. Eirik, with a wry smile, propped her up against the headboard and brought over some food.

“These are nuts. Do you think you can chew them?”

The princess responded by eagerly opening her mouth. Eirik crushed some walnuts and pecans into smaller pieces and brought them to her lips. She devoured them hungrily, confirming his suspicion that she hadn’t been fed properly either.

After making sure she had eaten enough, he noticed that her breathing and body temperature had returned to normal. With the immediate crisis averted, Eirik stood up to attend to his next task.

Without a knife, he looked around the room but found nothing useful. Picking up a glass, he spoke to her again, though it was more for his own sake.

“I’m going to break this glass. Please don’t be alarmed.”

With a loud shattering sound, he broke the glass against the table corner. Bending down, he picked up a suitable shard and grabbed the sheet from the nightstand, heading to the bathroom.

Evidence of consummation.

Marrying her was one thing, but the poor girl probably didn’t even know where she was or what was happening. He had no intention of consummating the marriage under such circumstances. He locked the bathroom door behind him.

It took a long while, but Eirik eventually managed to stain the sheet with bodily fluids. Sighing, he brought the glass shard to his arm and made a small cut, thinking it would have been helpful to know how much blood was needed beforehand.

He dripped some blood onto the sheet and smeared it around. He didn’t have experience with this, but it looked convincing enough. Grabbing a towel to staunch the bleeding, he cleaned up the bathroom and returned to the room.

The princess was now sleeping soundly, snoring lightly. Eirik lay down on the large bed, keeping a distance between them. Sleep did not come easily.