Siyoon had always been an independent man, someone who was used to doing things on his own.
Now, however, he found himself cradled in a stranger's arms, being spoon-fed at a table filled with food. As if that wasn't strange enough, nearly ten maids were lined up nearby along with an older man standing to the left, all of them quiet and waiting for a command.
With an awkward expression, Siyoon or rather, Lewis, since he was currently inside Lewis's body, slowly looked up at the man holding him and asked, "Can I… sit on another chair, please?"
Draen looked down at him with a calm and gentle expression, as though the request itself was unnecessary.
"What if you collapse again?" Draen said evenly. "My bride, expect this to be your usual routine. You will eat in my arms and I will feed you. You are my bride, after all. Besides, you need to get used to skin ship with me. And let me also tell you in advance, you need to drink my blood, or you'll be in great pain. You'll drink it tonight, alright?"
From just one simple question, Draen had poured out so many words that all Lewis could do was sigh. He then glanced at the servants, who were now politely averting their eyes, some of them was even smiling as if they were holding back laughter.
'I wonder if that slap earlier wasn't enough,' Lewis thought. 'Why is he acting like this? My bride? Come on, cut me some slack. I didn't sign up for this. I just woke up in this body and now I've ended up as someone's bride? And for God's sake, I'm a man!'
His thoughts spiraled as another tired sigh slipped out of him. Seeing that, Draen seemed to misunderstand and assumed he was still exhausted.
"Are you still tired?" Draen asked softly.
Lewis didn't answer or probably didn't because he honestly didn't know what to say anymore.
After a few minutes of eating, there was a knock on the door followed by a cart carrying soup and sweets being brought in, and Alon's instructions.
"Here, you need to drink this too. It'll help you get better," Draen said while taking the freshly prepared soup from the table and gently handing it to Lewis.
"Here, say ah…" Draen instructed.
But the moment Lewis caught a whiff of the soup, he nearly gagged. He pushed it back and turned his mouth away from the bowl, wrinkling his nose.
"Gah! What is that smell? Is that even edible?" Lewis complained while holding the bowl away with both hands while pressing it to his chest making Draen frowned and worried since it was a medicine that exactly what Lewis needed to recover his strength.
"Come on, my bride. Just gulp it down and I'll give you sweets after. How about that?" Draen said calmly, pointing the bowl to Lewis's mouth.
But Lewis only glared at him that made him flinch. "What am I, a child?" he snapped, still turning his head away. "Ugh, I really can't. Just the smell alone makes me nauseous! Anything but this, ugh! What a terrible smell!"
He squirmed in Draen's lap, trying to get away from the bowl but Draen's steady hands kept it in place.
Seeing how stubborn and hesitant Lewis was about drinking the medicine, Draen finally pulled the bowl away and stopped insisting. He knew that if he forced him, Lewis would only hate him more and that was the last thing he wanted.
The servants quietly exchanged glances.
Watching their master who are feared by many, known as a monster to outsiders act like a gentle husband toward his bride felt unreal. Off to the side, Alon looked especially pleased and quite full of quiet joy expression.
"Alon," Draen said calmly, "have the physician prepare another medicine. Make it sweeter. I'll wait for the report later."
"As you command, Your Grace." Alon answered while bowing politely.
Draen then patted Lewis's back lightly. "Alright, alright," he said softly. "Look at me, will you? I won't force you to drink this but you really do need to take the medicine later tonight, okay? I'll have the physician make a sweeter version so it won't be so hard for you."
The gentleness in Draen's voice made Lewis look up at him. Their faces were suddenly very close and before he realized it, heat crept up his cheeks.
'Damn it…' Lewis thought. 'If you talk to me with a face like that, how am I supposed to refuse?'
Flustered, he quickly covered his face with both hands.
"Alright," he muttered. "But can you let go of me now? This is really awkward, you know. I'm super uncomfortable."
"I see," Draen replied easily. "Alright then." After a short pause, he added, "How about I give you a tour of the Dukedom after this? Starting today, everything here is yours as well. So, how about it?"
Lewis froze as his mouth fell open, he slowly lowered his hands and stared at Draen. "M‑mine? Everything?" he asked with disbelief clear in his voice.
Draen smiled and nodded. "Yes. Everything that's mine is also yours."
Lewis could only stare, completely stunned.
Even if he had worked his entire life back in Korea, he probably wouldn't have been able to afford a mansion let alone a palace like the one he was in now, living under Draen. The amount of money needed to maintain this place was unimaginable.
All his hard work back home would have only gotten him a small apartment, and he didn't even own a car.
So, hearing that everything Draen owned would now also be his was exciting and overwhelming. It even felt unreal. His heart raced so fast that he felt like he might burst and for a moment, he thought he might even have to run to the bathroom to relieve himself.
After being changed, Lewis wore a soft, silky shirt with long, flowing sleeves that looked elegant but felt comfortable. Over it, he had a fitted vest in dark blue trimmed with gold which made him look noble and polished.
His trousers were matching dark blue, slim but easy to move in, tucked neatly into soft leather boots with a thin gold trimmed belt held the trousers in place.
Even his collar was neatly arranged and his hair and hands looked clean and well kept.
Everything about the outfit made him look like a proper noble bride, fancy enough to show his status but still practical to walk around the Dukedom.
They started with the palace itself such as private chambers, the ballroom and the dining halls. Draen even showed him the secret rooms hidden throughout the estate.
Next, they moved to the bathhouse area, followed by the music and gallery rooms where Draen's extensive collection of art was displayed.
From there, they visited the private library and the treasury where vaults of gold, jewels and rare artifacts were stored. Draen explained a little about each room, though Lewis was mostly too distracted by the sheer wealth and size of it all to pay full attention.
The tour continued through the administrative offices, Draen's private study and the servants' quarters.
Lewis was struck again with each room was more luxurious than anything he had ever seen back in Korea. The servants even had their own bathhouse and they also passed the armory and storage rooms before finally reaching the stables.
But Draen had one more stop in mind, the training grounds.
"How about I introduce you first to our Knights?" Draen asked, his expression calm but expectant. "They will be serving you too."
Lewis froze. "H-huh? No, no! I'm not ready! What if they don't like me?"
"They will like you," Draen said confidently. "I assure you. We'll finish the tour of the gardens and greenhouse tomorrow, okay?"
"There's still more? But we've been at it for hours now."
"Hmm, are you tired already?" Draen asked gently and grab Lewis' hips.
Lewis nodded hesitantly, still wide-eyed as he tried to take in everything he had just seen and now, the thought of meeting Draen's knights only added to his nerves.
'Uh, meeting the knights is scary, damn!' he mumbled as he leaned on Draen while feeling the numbness in his feet.