Chapter 22.2

Roseline hesitated before gently touching Melchor’s fingertips. She felt a tingling sensation on her shoulder as she carefully traced the lines of his fingers with her own. His skin was pale in the moonlight but warm to the touch.

“You have such large hands, Melchor,” she commented.

“Is that so?” he replied.

“Yes, I thought that because you are tall,” she explained.

Melchor’s hands were twice the size of Roseline’s. Despite the fact that she had been holding a sword for a long time, her knuckles were strong, her fingers were long and slender, and her skin was smooth and unmarred.

“You have long fingers as well,” he observed, as he slowly ran a finger up the back of her hand from the tip of her finger to the knuckle, giving it a gentle massage.

Melchor found it strange that Roseline was touching him, but he couldn’t help feeling a strange sensation as her fingers stroked his skin. He lightly tickled the spot, trying to figure out what this feeling was.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to hold hands, Roseline?” he asked.

“What? Oh, yes,” she replied.

“We hold hands like this,” Melchor said, extending his hands and wrapping them around hers.

Roseline’s hand felt warm and soft in his. As he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, her shoulders shook in response to his touch. Melchor was surprised to find that, despite the size difference, he was able to easily interlace his fingers with hers. Her fingers were long and slender, and he found them quite beautiful.

“Hey, Melchor, you have long fingers too,” Roseline commented, as she continued to hold his hand.

“That’s not the case,” he replied, although he didn’t mind.

Roseline had never held hands like this before, as her ex-boyfriend had never touched her in such a way. She was a little perplexed at the feeling of touching a man’s hand without gloves.

“Is this how we’re supposed to hold hands?” she asked uncertainly.

“Don’t you like it?” Melchor replied, noticing the hesitation in her voice.

Roseline averted her gaze and hesitated before softly touching Melchor’s hands again. “It’s not that I dislike it, but… isn’t it a little unsettling?”

“It’s not unpleasant,” Melchor assured her.

Since it was already evening and he was off duty, Melchor had no need to hold a pen or sword, clasp his hands, or kneel in front of the emperor. He was free to do as he pleased with his hands, so holding hands didn’t bother him.

Roseline, not understanding what Melchor meant by “not unpleasant,” avoided eye contact and blinked as if she had misunderstood.

“Right, we have signed our marriage vows, so we are now officially a couple,” Melchor reminded her.

Roseline turned her head towards the balcony, where the glass door led into her room. Behind her was a large, columned bed.

“Does that mean we have to fulfill our obligations as a married couple?” she asked, her hand tensing in his.

Melchor thought for a moment about their responsibilities as a married couple.

“As the Duchess of Postenmeyer, you will need to include that last name on any future documents you sign. And we will need to attend ceremonies together as a married couple,” he explained.

He didn’t want to hold Roseline back, but as the Grand Duchess in both name and reality, he had to act and speak accordingly.

“Of course, we have to fulfill our commitments,” he added.

Roseline’s hand tensed further and her expression became tense.

“Roseline?” Melchor asked, sensing her discomfort.

Roseline turned away and avoided eye contact as she spoke.

“But… isn’t it inappropriate to do all of this with someone who looks so much like her?”

Melchor didn’t understand the meaning behind Roseline’s faltering voice. He couldn’t figure out if she was upset and why, or how her similarity to Roslyn and the requirement to use Postenmeyer’s surname and attend events as a couple was related. He didn’t want to ask directly, unsure if he was paying close enough attention to her appearance.

He approached Roseline and bent down to examine her face, causing her to jump back. He still held her hand, but now it was sweaty.

“Melchor, please wait,” she said, stumbling back and falling onto her bed.

“What’s the matter, Roseline?” he asked, covering her body with a sheet and holding her hand in his other hand. His broad back blocked the moonlight coming in through the window, casting a large shadow over her.

“We haven’t even gotten married yet!” she exclaimed.

Melchor and Roseline had assumed that their first night together would be after their wedding, even though they had formally acknowledged their relationship by signing the marriage vows. Melchor had never touched Roseline before and had thought that, given their forced marriage, they might remain a couple on paper but not share a bed. However, he had advised the couple to fulfill their duties as a married couple. It would be strange for the Grand Duke of the Postenmeyer dynasty not to sleep with his wife, even if their marriage was a contract.

“I didn’t expect this to happen tonight,” Roseline said, feeling overwhelmed. She didn’t push Melchor away, but she was confused, not excited or afraid. The sight of a strange man with a large body hovering over her was not exactly appealing.

Melchor was equally confused and didn’t know how to ask Roseline how she felt without being inappropriate.

“Roseline…” he said, getting closer to her face than he ever had before. Her red hair, which had been blowing freely when she was standing, was now tangled on the bed sheets. She looked strangely captivating to him.

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