How did Celiana come to realize her secret preference? There wasn't a special trigger-it was just a natural awareness that she was different from others, but if she had to pick a moment, it was that day. Celiana went with other noble ladies her age to see a popular play.

"Now that we're adults, we can see things like this. It's nice."

"Hehe, I'm excited. Have you seen it before?"

"This is my first time, too."

"Oh my, how embarrassing. If we didn't wear masks, I don't think I'd have had the courage." Now that they were adults, they were curious about things they couldn't experience as minors. An adult-only play. 

Just the title was like a secret box they wanted to open. Apparently, it was somewhat risqué. All unmarried noble ladies, they blushed and adjusted their masks.

"I heard the play is sponsored by the Duchy of Ephelmar." Sponsored by the most influential Duchy in the Empire, expectations were high among nobles. 

But being an adult play was a double-edged sword-exciting curiosity, but also intimidating. Ephelmar solved this by requiring all audience members to wear masks, lowering the barrier to entry. Celiana and her friends could attend easily thanks to the mask rule.

"It's starting." With high expectations, Celiana and her friends watched the play. The play, as expected, focused on romance. It was about a male lead obsessed with the female lead, and her attempts to escape him. But-

'Huh, why...' Celiana felt something strange. Watching the play, she was caught by a curious sensation. There was a scene where the heroine was tightly bound, and as the male lead kissed her in that state...

'Ah, mm.' Her body shivered, and a tingling sensation rose inside her navel. Her face turned red-if not for the mask, her excitement would have been obvious. 

At first, Celiana didn't understand why she felt that way. But each time she saw the play at her friends' urging, she found herself blushing only during scenes of masochistic acts. Not just her face, but her whole body would heat up.

'Is this normal?' Curious, Celiana discussed the play with her friends, bringing up that scene.

"I liked everything except that. I wish it wasn't there."

"I was uncomfortable, too. Being forced like that..." Her friends found those scenes disturbing.

"Honestly, kindness is best in a man, right? Even if it's just a play, if someone did that in real life, it'd be awful."

"Right? You can never be too gentle." But Celiana couldn't agree.

'What? Is that really all there is... Is that really what's best?' But one thing was clear. She was different from others. So Celiana kept her preference hidden. 

In the autumn of Celiana's twenty-first year, She heard from her mother that Robert had returned to the Empire after about ten years.

"Celiana. Robert has finally come back!"

"Huh? Robert?" It had been a long time since she'd heard her fiancé's name.

"His studies are finished, it seems. And he's already decided to work at the Imperial Palace's Treasury. He must have worked hard in the Kingdom of Periwel." Her mother's face was full of joy.

"It's such a relief. I wondered when he'd come back." Her father, the Earl of Aberdeen, agreed with her mother's words.

"That's true. If Robert were to be delayed, we were even considering finding another nobleman for your match, Celiana, but this is a relief." After Celiana came of age, the noble ladies around her began to marry their fiancés or the noblemen chosen by their families. 

So, the topic of Celiana's marriage started coming up more often in the conversations of the Earl and Countess of Aberdeen. When her mother said it was about time for Celiana to get married, Celiana sometimes worried alone, fearing she'd be forced to break off the engagement with Robert and marry someone else. Celiana had never considered marrying anyone but Robert. 

But now, Robert was coming back. Finally.

"So, when is Robert coming?"

"Well, it seems he'll arrive the day before the wedding."

"The day before the wedding?" There was even more surprising news. Robert would return, and the wedding would be held the very next day. Did that mean the wedding date had been set without Celiana even knowing?

"When is that?"

"Robert is coming back next month, so we'll have the wedding then." But as it turned out, her parents intended to hold the wedding immediately, timed with Robert's return.

"Mother, but it's been so long since we've met. Meeting only on the wedding day..."

"What are you saying? Autumn is almost over. You can't get married in winter." In the Empire, weddings were only held in spring and autumn. Since most ceremonies took place in outdoor gardens, it was a practical choice. No couples ever married in winter. It wasn't impossible, but in noble society, it would be criticized as inconsiderate to guests, so it was essentially impossible.

"What about next spring?"

"What? No. You'd be twenty-two by then." Usually, noble ladies in the Empire married at twenty or twenty-one. Of course, marrying at twenty-two or twenty-three wasn't a problem. But it was considered late, and the Earl and Countess of Aberdeen didn't like that idea. 

Celiana had heard that the Duchess of Ephelmar, who currently dominated the Empire's social circles, had married at twenty-three. She wanted to complain, but she couldn't refuse any further. She knew her mother's nature, once she decided, she pushed through to the end.

"...Alright." In any case, it was Celiana's fate to marry Robert. Delaying the timing wouldn't change that. Celiana finally nodded and returned to her room. 

Thump- 

Celiana lay on her bed and thought about Robert.

'Has it really been ten years since Robert left?' There's a saying in the Empire that even the fields change in ten years. After such a long time, they were finally reuniting.

'How much has he changed?' She wondered how different he'd be from the boy in her memories. Would he still have that unique atmosphere? Or would he be so changed she wouldn't recognize him?

'What should I say first when we meet?' To face him on the wedding aisle as husband and wife. They might not have a proper conversation during the ceremony, but after ten years, she had to at least greet him.

'Would Robert remember me?' Celiana felt both excitement and awkwardness, and also worried about meeting him again. After all, they'd spent ten years apart. 

Her thoughts naturally flowed from Robert to their marriage. After the wedding, Celiana Aberdeen would become Celiana Dalton. She'd heard that when Robert returned, the current Marquis Dalton and his wife would hand over the family and move to the provinces, so Celiana would immediately become the Marchioness Dalton.

'Will I be able to do well as the Marchioness Dalton?' It was rare for a young lady to become the master of a noble house at such a young age. The only example she'd heard of was the Duchess of Ephelmar. She worried about whether she could manage well, given her lack of experience. She'd learned household management from her mother, but practice was different from theory. And the duties of a Marchioness included producing an heir...

"W-wait a minute." Celiana's eyes widened. To marry Robert and become his wife meant-

'So that means…’ She'd just realized it meant she'd have to share a bed with him. As a child, she'd only vaguely thought about being Robert's bride, but now, as an adult, the reality of intimacy with him struck her. Suddenly- Celiana sat up on the bed.

'W-what should I do?' Her steps around the room became anxious. It felt as if cold water had been poured over her head.

'Me, with Robert?' It would certainly be awkward to spend the wedding night with Robert after so long apart. But that wasn't what Celiana was worried about. 

Her sexual preferences were different from other women. That was the problem. Most noble ladies had romantic fantasies about their wedding night. She'd often overheard unmarried girls giggling and blushing over such conversations. 

But Celiana was different. She'd never felt any empathy for their dreamy ideals. In fact, she found their talk of gentle and warm intimacy unappealing. She knew she wasn't typical, so she pretended to agree in conversation... 

But what about Robert? Could she hide it from him when they finally shared a bed? 

'What if I accidentally blurted out that I wanted him to hit me?' Or ask to be tied up, or make some other request revealing her preferences. Think about it. If a wife asked for sadistic behavior on the wedding night, what would a normal husband think?

'If Robert finds out what kind of person I am...' Celiana was sure Robert would despise her if he realized her tendencies.

'I don't want that.' It felt like an unexpected mountain had appeared before her. Celiana bit her lip hard. But no matter how she thought about it, there was no solution. She couldn't avoid marrying Robert. The only answer was to be careful not to let him find out. 

The wedding day quickly approached. The night before, Celiana couldn't sleep. Excitement at seeing Robert. Awkwardness at starting a new life in the Dalton Marquisate. And above all, Worry that Robert might discover her preferences.