Lian walked backward, and she followed quietly, remembering to close the door behind her.
Before her lay a living room, illuminated by candlelight hanging from the ceiling, with faint light seeping through the curtains on either side. The man strode straight to a chair and sat down, lifting the crystal sphere in his hands, studying it with keen interest.
Celia's fingers, clutching the ring, were slick with nervous sweat. Frozen in place, she stared at his cold, imposing figure, unsure of what to do.
As a man, marrying an ordinary person as a wife might have been acceptable.
Maybe.
But this man looked terrifying. If she made even the slightest mistake, he'd probably beat her to death.
Celia couldn't help but think—why hadn't the clan elder's contract just ended after producing a child?
Standing here now, she felt awkward.
Maybe she should just give him the ring first…
If she could just hand over the ring, Lian might not be so harsh.
With that thought, she hesitated for a moment before cautiously inching closer to him.
She had expected him to glance back at her, but he remained absorbed in that stupid sphere, completely ignoring her.
She remembered touching that sphere as a child.
Back then, the clan elder had left it floating in the bathtub while bathing and forgotten about it. Later, she'd found it by chance in the pond.
The incident had shocked the entire clan.
From this angle, she could see his profile clearly—sharp features, defined angles, and those piercing red eyes that seemed to see through everything.
Elves were naturally beautiful, but this man surpassed even most of them.
If only he weren't so cruel.
The elven maidens would've adored him—except for her.
After all, she was still a man.
After carefully considering her words, she finally mustered the courage to speak.
"Lord Lian… you…"
"What? Can't wait already?"
"N-No!" she blurted out, her cheeks instantly burning.
Of course, she understood what he meant.
Even though…
Technically…
It was unavoidable.
And it *was* their clan who had proposed the terms.
But Celia still couldn't bring herself to say it outright—it was too embarrassing.
"I mean… Lord Lian, I'm your wife now."
Having been interrupted once, she started again, placing the ring from her palm beside Lian's hand on the table.
"This is for you."
"Oh?" Lian raised an eyebrow, glanced at the ring, and immediately frowned. "Is this all the sincerity your elven clan has to offer?"
Celia stiffened at his words.
She waved her hands frantically, hurriedly explaining, "That's not true! Lord Lian… this is the kind of ring elves use for marriage! It's made of… um… earthen mystic stone! It's really hard to mine…"
"If you don't like it… I can go back and ask the elder to forge a better one…?"
As she spoke, her heart sank like a needle piercing through it.
It was all fake—there wasn't a trace of warmth in his eyes. Nothing like her brother.
And flirting with someone like this? How was she supposed to do that?
She just wanted to go home…
"Don't bother. I doubt your elven clan has anything of value besides treasures."
Lian returned to studying the crystal sphere, completely disregarding the ring.
"I'm sorry…" She bit her lower lip, lowering her head.
The more she thought about it, the more her eyes stung.
Celia lifted a trembling finger, reaching out to take the ring back.
"What the hell?" The man turned and glared at her. "Trying to kill me?"
His sharp tone startled her, and she yanked her hand back, tears welling up despite her efforts to hold them in. Her voice was barely a whisper. "I wasn't…"
"Quit moving around, you idiot." Lian sighed, extending a large, veined hand toward her. "This contract is such a pain. Fine, just put it on me already."
"I acknowledge you as my wife."
"…Huh?"
"Put the damn ring on. What are you waiting for?"
Leaning back in his chair, he lifted his hand again.
"O-Okay…"
Her fingers curled slightly, and she pressed her lips together, wiping away the tears blurring her vision.
Celia picked up the ring from the table and gently cradled the man's hand—his palm was so large it could probably engulf both of hers.
Had her hands always been this small?
She carefully slid the emerald-embedded ring onto his ring finger, fumbling a little in the process.
Her father had told her to give the ring to her husband. Now, she'd finally succeeded.
Once it was done, the man withdrew his hand, refocusing on the crystal sphere.
Celia stood obediently beside him, watching.
She had no idea what she was supposed to do now.
What did a wife do? If flirting could earn her food, maybe she should try?
No.
She'd only just become a female elf—she had no experience with flirting.
Or… was she supposed to bear children?
Lost in thought, Lian's sudden question snapped her back to reality.
"What's your name?"
"Ah—!" Celia jolted. "My name… It's Kae— No, wait, Celia."