Chapter 76
As Lilien continued to answer half-heartedly, Cairn—who had been quietly observing from the sofa—finally stepped up onto the platform.
“No, Lili. It’s your one wedding day. You have to pick a dress you really like.”
Having been steamrolled so many times in the past few days, Lilien couldn’t help but let out a snippy remark.
“Funny, you do everything else your way and now this is supposed to be my choice?”
She scuffed her shoe against the edge of the platform, grumbling under her breath.
“What was that?”
“You said I could choose the dress. And what do you mean, ‘only one wedding’? Who knows, maybe I’ll get married twice.”
Lately, Cairn had been uncharacteristically lenient—except when it came to wedding-related decisions. Just like now.
“If it’s two, you’ll have to marry me again. We’re already signed and sealed. Are you throwing a fit because you want another ceremony at sunset?”
The dressmaker, sensing the mood, quietly slipped out and closed the curtains for privacy. Cairn moved in closer to Lilien, who turned her head away, visibly annoyed.
“If Baroness Bercy can remarry, why can’t I?”
Lady Denisa had recently announced her second marriage; the whole town knew how her ex-husband had lost his temper and flung his cane down the town hall steps in front of a crowd.
“No, you can’t marry twice.”
Lilien neither agreed nor disagreed, keeping her gaze averted.
“Lili.”
“….”
“Lilien.”
“….”
“Lilien Headington.”
Hearing her new surname only made her more annoyed, so she kept stubbornly ignoring him.
After a long silence, Cairn reached out and touched the edge of her dress’s low neckline. He traced the fabric gently, then—without warning—pressed a finger into the soft skin near her underarm. Startled, Lilien bit her lower lip.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit too low-cut?”
In truth, the dress wasn’t even that revealing, but Lilien was too caught up in her silent protest to respond.
His finger lazily traced along the fabric toward her cleavage, sending a strange shiver through her. She finally grabbed his hand.
“Don’t.”
“Okay.”
But his hand hovered, teasing just at the edge of her cleavage. The cool touch between her skin made her flinch, and she smacked the back of his hand.
“I said, stop.”
“All right. If you say so, I’ll listen.”
But lately, Cairn hadn’t listened to a thing she said. He only pretended to listen—then did as he pleased.
Suddenly inspired, Lilien reached up and squeezed his cheeks firmly.
“Lilli, what are you—?”
She scrunched his face and planted a quick peck on his lips. As she hoped, his expression immediately twisted with discomfort. Seeing how much he disliked it, she felt oddly satisfied.
“That’s your punishment. You hate kissing, right? Gross, isn’t it?”
She was secretly proud of her clever idea.
“For the record, I don’t mind kissing you at all, you know?”
Actually, she liked it a little more than not minding, but she didn’t want to look desperate.
“So from now on, every time you annoy me, this is what you’ll get.”
Maybe it wasn’t the healthiest dynamic for a married couple, but with Cairn so impossible, she felt justified.
“You’d better be careful. Listen to me, okay? Got it?”
She threatened him as if she’d finally found his greatest weakness.
To Cairn, her threat sounded more like the chirping of an indignant little sparrow than a real menace. But stubborn Lilien never realized just how ineffective her punishment really was.
“Oh, I’m terrified, Lili. If you’re still mad, maybe you should do it again?”
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