Chapter 8: The Wedding Night’s Unexpected Turns

“Wow—I’m exhausted.”

It was already past midnight when the wedding concluded.

Qing Yu, too weary to bother with washing up, stumbled into the bedroom and immediately collapsed onto the soft, expansive bed.

He buried his face deep into the covers, rubbing against them.

“What a hassle, truly.”

Flipping over, Qing Yu murmured, gazing up at the ceiling.

After the wedding ceremony, various royals and nobles had swarmed Qing Yu and Aldoran, eagerly offering toasts and extending invitations for future dinners.

Qing Yu had been forced to plaster on a smile and offer polite responses throughout.

‘It’s a good thing Aldoran drank all that wine; otherwise, with my tolerance, I’d probably be throwing up in the bathroom after just a few cups.’

The mere thought of the endless stream of nobles approaching with their glasses, and the multitude of differently colored wines, sent a shiver of dread down Qing Yu’s spine.

Despite being surrounded by so many beautiful maidens for the first time, Qing Yu found himself utterly devoid of excitement.

“So tired, so very tired.”

The prospect of attending the celebration performance tomorrow only deepened Qing Yu’s exhaustion.

On their way back, Aldoran had informed Qing Yu that the celebration would last a full month, during which they would be obliged to attend numerous events and receive a constant stream of nobles.

‘How utterly exhausting.’

Qing Yu felt he needed to devise an excuse to avoid some of these obligations; otherwise, a whole month of such relentless fatigue would surely overwhelm his small physique.

“What’s wrong? Are you thinking of an excuse to get out of things?”

Aldoran had appeared at the bedroom doorway at some point, having already shed her wedding attire for a comfortable white nightgown.

“A-Aldoran?”

Looking up to see Aldoran, whose fair, smooth skin was now largely exposed, Qing Yu couldn’t help but swallow.

His spirits seemed to lift considerably.

Aldoran’s body, small and fair…

“Alright, your mind is truly brimming with lustful thoughts,” Aldoran remarked, stepping into the bedroom and locking the door with a flick of her wrist.

“T-then, Aldoran?”

‘Tonight is our wedding night, so Aldoran wouldn’t, would she…?’

“Since we’ve already held the wedding, there’s no longer any need to sleep separately.”

“Eh?”

“Do you have any doubts?”

Aldoran approached Qing Yu, gently sat beside him, and took his hand, which rested by the edge of the bed.

“In your world, isn’t this how all married couples are?”

“B-b-but… still…”

Despite his mind being filled with lewd thoughts, Qing Yu’s face flushed crimson when Aldoran actually brought it up, leaving him at a loss for how to respond.

Indeed, he and Aldoran had been wed under the gaze of everyone, becoming an officially recognized married couple.

However, Qing Yu had never slept with a girl in his entire life, and the thought of sharing a bed with Aldoran, whom he had only known for a short time, made him feel somewhat uneasy.

‘Besides, she’s been so kind to me; I can’t just defile her like this.’

‘Wait, speaking of which, shouldn’t it be her defiling me?’

Pondering Aldoran’s immense strength and contrasting it with his own frail physique, Qing Yu was overcome with a wave of sorrow.

“It’s alright; after all, we’ll be living together from now on, so sleeping together is perfectly normal,” Aldoran said, patting his hand reassuringly, having discerned the burden in Qing Yu’s heart.

“What’s more, we’ll have our own children in the future.”

Before Qing Yu could react, Aldoran pressed him onto the bed, firmly pinning both of his hands with one of her own.

“T-that… Aldoran? Are you drunk?”

Caught off guard by Aldoran’s sudden hold, Qing Yu struggled to process the situation.

He attempted to break free, but Aldoran’s grip was unshakable.

“Hmph~”

Aldoran leaned down, and after a brief kiss on Qing Yu’s neck, she exhaled a slow breath across him.

Qing Yu, clad in a wedding gown and his face flushed crimson, found himself stirring under Aldoran’s touch.

“A-Aldoran.”

“There’s nothing to fear; I won’t devour you,” Aldoran stated, straightening up and looking down at Qing Yu.

Her glacial blue eyes stared at him, devoid of any discernible emotion.

Aldoran’s demeanor was perpetually cold, yet Qing Yu could distinctly perceive her underlying care and tenderness towards him.

‘How strange. Is this feeling also a result of the gem?’

“Yes, as a deity who wields the authority over marriage and family, your perception of emotions is inherently more acute.”

Aldoran’s eyes gleamed as she took Qing Yu’s hand and placed it upon her chest.

“Can you feel my emotions?”

“Eeek—”

Qing Yu hastily withdrew his hand, his entire body growing warm.

‘I, I just… I actually touched Aldoran’s chest?!’

“It’s alright; since you are my wife, my fated other half, I will certainly give my all to cherish and adore you,” Aldoran said, gently stroking Qing Yu’s head with surprisingly tender movements.

“Mmm…”

To say Qing Yu was unmoved by such a beautiful and gentle Aldoran would be a lie, especially considering he was a pure-hearted young man who had never once been liked by a girl.

“So, shall we try it?”

After speaking, Aldoran calmly began to caress Qing Yu’s cheek.

She showed no haste, simply stroking his face as she awaited his response.

Qing Yu felt as though something had struck his heart, causing it to tremble slightly before erupting into a furious “thump-thump” rhythm, as if it intended to burst from his chest.

‘Th-th-this… is this what love feels like?!’

Aldoran was both adorable and dashing, held a high status, commanded everyone’s reverence, was almost always accommodating to his requests, and was so gentle.

She was virtually flawless.

For someone who had been ‘mother-born solo’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term referring to someone who has never been in a romantic relationship since birth), to be favored by someone like Aldoran was truly a blessing cultivated by saving the universe in a past life!

Given this, what was there to hesitate about?!

“In that case, will you be on top, or shall I?”

Finally, after a prolonged silence, Qing Yu managed to blurt out this sentence.

The scene once again fell into silence.

‘Did I say something wrong?’

Qing Yu suddenly recalled that in this world, ‘those kinds of things’ were typically initiated by females.

‘If I were on top, Aldoran would surely lose face, wouldn’t she?’

‘If the supreme deity of this world, Aldoran, as the divine sovereign, were to be on the bottom during her wedding night, as the divine queen and wife—which is to say, me on top—wouldn’t she lose all face if word got out?’

“No, I was referring to the act of sleeping together; I have no intention of ‘being on top’ of you right now,” Aldoran stated calmly, dispelling the myriad of positions flashing through Qing Yu’s mind.

“Oh, is that so?”

For some inexplicable reason, a hint of disappointment mingled with his shyness.

‘Especially when Aldoran mentioned ‘being on top’ of me, was there actually a tiny flicker of anticipation?’

‘Don’t be like this, Qing Yu! You can’t fall so easily!’

“How interesting.”

Aldoran’s voice was frigid, yet Qing Yu still discerned a different emotion within it.

“Alright, if you’re not ready yet, I’ll give you time to prepare.

When that time comes, I’ll properly teach you these matters.”

With these words, Aldoran pulled back the covers and lay down on the bed.

“A-Aldoran?”

“Come in.”

“B-but I haven’t washed up yet,” Qing Yu stammered, his face red and his head bowed.

“It’s alright.”

With a crisp snap of her fingers, Qing Yu felt as though a cool stream of water had swiftly washed over his body.

Within mere seconds, a sensation of invigorating freshness replaced his previous exhaustion.

“H-how amazing!”

Qing Yu spun around, this being the first time he had witnessed Aldoran use magic.

“If you wish to learn, I can find time to teach you tomorrow.”

Aldoran gazed at the astonished Qing Yu and snapped her fingers once more.

The wedding gown on Qing Yu’s body instantly transformed into a thin layer of sleepwear.

Meanwhile, the original wedding gown suddenly materialized on a nearby coat rack.

“These are all highly useful spells for daily life; if you’d like, I can teach you this one too.”

Aldoran pulled back the covers, gesturing for Qing Yu to join her.

Only then did Qing Yu timidly slip under the covers.

“Um, can you really teach me?”

Qing Yu stared intently at the ceiling, avoiding Aldoran’s gaze.

“Of course; I will always heed my wife’s requests,” Aldoran affirmed, gently pressing Qing Yu’s head to make him look at her.

“But, Aldoran, even if it’s fate’s guidance, aren’t you being a bit too kind to me, someone you’ve only known for a few days?”

“Have I not told you already?”

Aldoran gently kissed Qing Yu’s forehead.

“You are my wife, and of course, I will treat you well.”

“Furthermore, from the moment I was chosen by the Odin Crest, I sensed the summons of the Frigga Crest.

It informed me that you would be my future wife.”

“And the Odin Crest also granted me the ability to perceive the actions of all things in the world, as well as their inner thoughts.

So, in essence, I watched you grow up.”

“S-so, that means, Aldoran, you—”

‘My life has been constantly spied upon?! And when I was doing *those* things, wouldn’t she also—’

“It’s alright, because I knew you would be my future wife, I always watched attentively, never feeling any aversion.”

Aldoran’s words only intensified Qing Yu’s embarrassment.

“If you dislike it, I will no longer casually peer into your heart and life.”

Noticing Qing Yu’s mortified expression, Aldoran drew him into her embrace, gently stroking his back.

“Mhm, mhm, mhm.”

Qing Yu, at this moment, paid no mind to being held in Aldoran’s arms, hastily nodding his agreement.

“No backing out!”

“Of course,” Aldoran affirmed with a nod, and the lights extinguished accordingly.

“Alright, let’s sleep now.

You’ve had a tiring day, and tomorrow, I’ll devise a reason for you to stay home,” Aldoran said, placing a kiss in Qing Yu’s hair.