Chapter 4

"You can move freely within the castle. It has everything you might need, so you should be able to find most of what you want here. Since our family doesn't have much contact with the outside world, try to minimize how often you go out from now on."

"You're welcome to enter any room in the castle, except for the basement at the very bottom. That's where we store goods, and there's a cold storage room. It could be dangerous if you went in there carelessly."

Only then did I notice that the stairs didn't just go up, but extended downwards as well.

This castle was unexpectedly large.

After Garrison finished explaining what we needed to be aware of, we each returned to our rooms to rest.

However, today was supposed to be our wedding night, and my heart was filled with nervousness.

Melody and I parted ways on the second floor. Wylie walked past me casually, but when he got close, he gave me a meaningful look.

Before I could decipher his expression, Garrison yanked me over to him.

Leaning against the man's chest, I was a bit slow to react. What was he doing?

"Get upstairs and go to sleep. If you try to pull any more stunts, do you believe I'll break your legs?"

Garrison's tone was vicious, leaving no room to doubt the truth of his words.Just as I had anticipated, Wylie's eyes were filled with fear. He walked past us slowly with his head bowed low, and as he passed by Garrison, his body even trembled slightly.

Although the movement was subtle, I caught it immediately.

What was going on? Why was the interaction between this father and son so strange?

At that moment, I suddenly realized that I was still in Garrison's arms.

Even though we were married, I had never dated before, not even holding hands with a man. I blushed and quickly stepped out of his embrace.

"Did I startle you? Come on, let's go back to our room."

When Garrison looked at me, his face was full of tenderness again, as if the fierceness from earlier had been just a dream.

I followed behind him, and just as we were about to step into the room, I had a sudden realization.

Something wasn't right. When I was pressed against Garrison's chest earlier, I hadn't felt his heartbeat.

Typically, a strong man like him should have a powerful, pounding heart, but why hadn't I felt anything just now?

I carefully replayed the scene in my mind, certain that I hadn't felt even the slightest heartbeat.

Now, watching his back as he entered the room, I felt increasingly uneasy."Can I... sleep with Melody tonight? Even though we're married, I don't want to rush into a physical relationship with you just yet... Can we wait a bit longer?"

I looked at the man cautiously, my face full of pleading.

Garrison was stunned for a moment when he heard my words, but quickly agreed in a gentle voice.

"I didn't think it through. You're still young, and it's certainly not right to share a bed so soon. I'll have the maid prepare a room for you two right away."

I was surprised that the man was so accommodating, and then felt relieved.

Being with Melody, even if something were to happen, we could look out for each other. It was better than being all alone and defenseless.