Haruka The Intrigue of Marielle Clarac

1. Auflage 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7183-2234-9
Verlag: J-Novel Heart
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 317 Seiten

Reihe: The Tales of Marielle Clarac

Marielle is finally married to Simeon, the gorgeous military officer who is everything her heart desires! After a stressful wedding day, it's time to relax as they set sail on their honeymoon.
Marielle's first-ever sea voyage fills her with excitement. Not only does she have a whole new environment to explore with new people to observe, she even gets to see Simeon looking extra dashing out of uniform! Her only apprehension is about meeting Simeon's grandfather for the first time-what if he doesn't like her?
But their newlywed bliss is interrupted when the ship is attacked by pirates! It looks like troubled waters ahead-and perhaps there's more going on than meets the eye...
The fifth volume in the adventures of the now happily married fangirl who obsesses over her husband and everyone around him!

Autoren/Hrsg.

Haruka, Momo

Weitere Mitwirkende

Maro

Reuben, Philip

Leseproben

Chapter One

Bathed in glorious rays of light, the bride shows off a beaming smile.

It’s her moment of supreme bliss—the very scene that every maiden dreams of and longs to experience one day. In her pure white dress, she is more joyful, more beautiful, than anyone else in the whole world. If she is sharing that day with the one she loves, her spirits cannot help but soar even higher. It’s as though she has transformed into a fairy tale princess.

But...the dream does not end there. It continues ever onward. The journey to the ceremony may have been fraught with peril, but even after successfully reaching that goal, life is bursting at the seams with possibilities.

And so, the story does not simply conclude with a “happily ever after.” Quite the contrary—this was only the beginning.

After the ceremony came the reception. I doubt I’ll ever forget what a frantic experience it was, or the degree to which my nerves were frayed. House Flaubert is one of the most distinguished noble houses in the country, so its circle of acquaintances is vast, and even the number of relatives in attendance was quite large. The guest list also included some highly esteemed individuals with lofty social ranks, so I couldn’t let myself relax no matter how exhausted I was. I knew that, but it truly was a struggle. I was used to being beyond even a wallflower. I was typically a shadow cast by the wall, a part of the scenery that went unnoticed by everyone. That day, I had to be the exact opposite: the main focus of a large-scale celebration.

I certainly didn’t have time to enjoy it! I wondered, I had to dedicate all my efforts to enduring behind my smiling facade so that I didn’t make any mistakes.

I said hello to people over and over—more times than I could count—and the last stretches are largely a blank to me, my memories too fuzzy for me to recollect much. I don’t even remember leaving. At any rate, by the time I got through it and reached our bedroom, it was late at night. After I had a bath and was blessedly able to change my clothes, the brand new silk bedsheets called to me. When I slipped into the large four-poster bed and felt its soft comfort, that was that. The next time I opened my eyes, it was morning.

“Are you awake?” said the man beside me. In the same bed, sitting up and leaning against a pillow, was Lord Simeon. He sipped at his coffee while reading a newspaper. The morning sun, shining in through the lace curtains, made his pale blond hair glow in the light.

His eyes, the color of light blue gemstones, looked towards me. His face was as beautiful as always, but as I looked over at him in a daze, I felt he had something of a different aura than usual. I began to wake up properly and noticed that his attire was different. His thin nightclothes hung loosely and showed parts of him that were usually hidden, such as his clavicle and his wrists. His smooth hair was not especially disheveled even after waking up, but it did convey a more relaxed impression, and left the nape of his neck exposed in a way that exuded an indescribable sensuality.

A beautiful voice came from his beautiful lips. “Why do you appear to be praying?”

I had linked my hands together to worship the gorgeous man who gleamed in the sunlight before me. “Such seductive appeal, so early in the morning! It’s some sort of prize, seeing the thing I fangirl over most of all right before my eyes as soon as I open them. A prize for all the efforts I went to yesterday, perhaps. I’m so happy that I could pass away into eternal sleep right now and not even mind. Oh, thank you!”

What could I do in this situation but worship, I ask you? I was seeing Lord Simeon...in the morning! Even in his civilian clothes, he always dressed rather formally, with his whole body tightly covered. But this! This was how he looked when he woke up! Seeing him in such a casual state for the first time was so amazing that it was beyond even a nosebleed! Instead, I felt my soul surging out of my body!

Lord Simeon stared for a moment, then wordlessly drained his coffee cup and put it on the small bedside table along with the folded up newspaper. “Pass away into eternal sleep? You’ve only just woken up—although I suspect you’re still half asleep.”

“No, I’m fully awake. I’ve experienced a sudden shock that reverberated through my head!”

“Is that so? And how is your head feeling now?”

“Like it’s been blessed! Like it’s in a sacred presence!”

As soon as I answered, a large hand came down and pinched my nose.

I brushed him off, and he let out a sigh. I wondered, At that point, I finally sat up. I glanced around the room, looked down at myself, and then realized.

No surprise there, of course. After all, we were married now! We had become husband and wife!

I had long since been told that this would be our marital bed. I knew that from now on, I would sleep here with Lord Simeon every night. But after the reception, I had entirely lacked the energy to be aware of that. I was so exhausted that I was practically falling over, and I couldn’t think about anything except slipping under the covers.

What a thing to have done. I had slept like a log through what was supposed to be a memorable and noteworthy experience: our first night together.

“What a waste!” I cried out involuntarily.

He knitted his well-formed eyebrows. “A waste?”

“Our first night as newlyweds! That precious night that occurs only once in a lifetime... I let it end in an instant! I closed my eyes and opened them again, and it was already over! I wanted to truly savor it!”

Only now realizing the mistake I had made, I cradled my head in my hands.

The lines on Lord Simeon’s forehead grew deeper and he pressed a hand against his glasses. Even though it was first thing in the morning, he spoke in a weary tone. “I’m the one who should be pitied over our first night ending in an instant. Don’t worry, however. Tonight I’ll ensure that you savor it very fully indeed.”

I groaned. “It won’t be the first night, but the night! We can never get the first night back.”

“In the truest sense, our ‘first night’ is still to come,” he said offhandedly, getting up off the bed.

“What do you mean?” I replied, but he didn’t turn around, instead walking straight to the door and putting his hand on it. “Lord Simeon?”

I saw the motion of his broad back as he sighed again. “It’s only natural that you’re feeling restless at the moment. We don’t have any plans for today, so you should rest thoroughly and recover your stamina.”

Even though this was our first morning as a married couple, Lord Simeon was as serious and composed as ever. He opened the door and left. We were married, after all. Even though we had exchanged vows only one day earlier, he didn’t show any of the sweetness I’d have expected.

Instead, I was left in bed alone. I felt a tiny bit sullen. Still, the root cause of this was that I had fallen asleep so quickly, wasn’t it? For me, what had held the sweetest appeal last night was the silk bedding. Did Lord Simeon feel disappointed because of this, I wondered?

This was our first day as newlyweds. It was a rather unfortunate start to our married life, but it did seem somehow fitting for us. Our love was like a storybook romance, but unlike in a story, everything was always slightly off-kilter. That was exactly what made every day so interesting, and why I was never bored.

Having changed my perspective, I got out of bed. I stretched hard and put on my glasses, then went over to the window and opened the curtains. Looking out, what lay before me was not the small garden I was used to from my family’s home, but one large enough to fit another house two or three times over.

Grass and flower beds, a hedge maze, fountains, a gazebo, arches, and obelisks—all of it cleverly designed and always kept in perfect order by the gardeners. In this season, where spring was fast turning into summer, it was more impressive than at any other time of year. The greenery was bright and vivid, and the various flowers vied for the title of most beautiful.

The freshly blooming roses were bursting with innocent character, while in the beds of flowering plants, the stems of the campanulas poked out boldly. The paths were bordered with beds of begonias. Thick shrubbery at a low height stretched out like a ribbon over a great distance. In that manner, a variety of elements were brought together, painting a single picture across the vast canvas that was the garden.

It was magnificently planned and implemented. Gazing out at it gave the clear sense that it was a Lagrangian-style garden. While my brother’s efforts in my own family’s garden emphasized natural beauty, which suited his tastes, House Flaubert’s garden could boast of its impeccable man-made splendor. It had a level of scale and perfection...