[Physis' POV]
"What were you talking about?"
"Ah, my mother gave me some advice about marriage."
"I see."
Without much doubt, Adilun nodded. I immediately went straight to bed. Considering how busy we had been with wedding preparations, she must also have been very tired. So on an occasion like this, shouldn't I express my love as much as possible?
Love is something to be exchanged between two people. One-sided love can never last long, so one must always be mindful of that.
Lying on the bed, Adilun looked tired. Whether it was from being too busy with work or something else, signs of fatigue were evident. Of course, the eyes looking at me still contained undying affection, but her weariness seemed unavoidable.
"Are you tired?"
"...Yes, but it's manageable."
"Then we shouldn't do any more today."
"I think so, too."
I climbed onto the bed and, lying down beside her, gently embraced Adilun.
"Go to sleep if you're tired."
"Mm-hmm."
I wasn't sure if it was the sleepiness seeping through, but she buried her face into my chest. Before long, I felt Adilun's breathing became more rhythmic. She had fallen asleep.
It was only natural, considering we had been so involved in wedding preparations and hadn't even taken a two-day break from our love making.
Holding her in my arms, the warmth combined with the scent wafting from her hair gradually calmed my heart.
Unknowingly, I began to feel drowsy, and sooner than expected, we both drifted into sleep.
.
.
.
.
Sunlight bathed me. Along with the warmth, I felt softness in my arms.
"Um..."
Realizing it was Adilun even without looking, I immediately hugged her and stroked her hair as she gradually snuggled closer into my arms.
Waking up in the morning to see the sleeping face of the person you love—could anything be more blissful?
How long had we been like this?
Basking in the warmth radiating from Adilun, I held her tightly in my arms and felt her twitch and stir.
"Physis?"
"Yes."
"Ah, it's already morning."
"Do you feel a bit refreshed?"
"Yawn... Yes, I feel invigorated. And... I like seeing your face as soon as I wake up."
Seeing her tired eyes reluctantly open and her drowsy smile, I couldn't help but smile back.
"Shall we get up soon?"
"Yeah, I'm hungry."
"Ah, right. I had plans to briefly go out with my mother today."
"With your mother? For what reason?"
"I'm not exactly sure, but she insisted that we go out together. Judging by the way she said it should just be the two of us, it seems like there's something on her mind."
"Really?"
A palpable sense of disappointment washed over Adilun's face. However, I had to deliberately ignore it. A proposal was generally more touching when it remained a secret, wasn't it?
It did sting a bit to lie to her. I might have to apologize for this lie when I eventually propose.
Yet, even with that in mind, the desire to see her surprised and joyful face outweighed the slight guilt I felt. So, I did my best to hide my conflicted feelings.
"Don't worry, it won't take long."
"Alright."
"I'm sorry for leaving you alone. My mother insisted it should be just the two of us, so there was nothing I could do."
"It's alright. If it's something my mother-in-law needs, then it can't be helped. But, you have to be with me until you leave."
Her slight smile, doing its best to hide her disappointment, looked so lovely that I pulled her into my arms and planted a kiss.
"Yess..."
As our lips met, I felt a surge of desire. There was still time before I had to leave... once more time wouldn't hurt. Besides, Adilun seemed pretty invigorated too.
As a result, it took us a little extra time to leave the room.
.
.
.
.
"What are you doing? Follow me."
"Yes, Mother."
After a light meal, I accompanied my mother to meet a jeweler.
We moved toward a shop not far from the mansion, a rather antiquated-looking jewelry store appeared in view.
"Alright, let's go in."
"Yes."
And all I could do was repeat, 'Yes.'
I had no other choice. What else could I say when that was the only thing I could manage?
I was nearly clueless about jewelry, so taking the initiative to place a custom order was out of the question.
"Welcome, I-- Ah, who do we have here? Countess Ortaire, it's been a long time."
"It has, Evan. How have you been?"
"Excellent. But what brings you here today?"
"Oh, it's not me who has business here. It's my son, here."
"Ah. Could it be you, Young Master Physis?"
"Yes, that's correct."
For the moment, I simply nodded my head. To be frank, I was quite bewildered.
"This young man is getting married soon. So, we're here to get a wedding ring..."
"I see... A wedding ring, you say."
Evan immediately began to pull out various rings from the display case.
"Is there anything here that catches your eye?"
Honestly, I couldn't tell one from the other. My eyes were bombarded with an array of rings, from rather plain ones to dazzling pieces, leaving me utterly incapable of discernment.
What was good or bad, what looked pretty or unimpressive, I had no way of knowing.
I had never been someone who had much to do with jewels in my lifetime. I spent my childhood brawling and that pattern continued into my adulthood. Even before my regression, it was the same.
Jewels and ornaments never played a significant role in my life.
But now, things had to change. No, to be precise, they needed to change from this point on.
This was no ordinary trinket, but the most monumental gift I would ever give to the life partner I was to spend my days with—a gift imbued with a vow of lifelong commitment.
While it might seem ludicrous to say that a ring holds a mortgage to people, the story changed when it was a wedding ring.
Of course, one might argue that there was no need to place too much significance on a mere ring.
But I wanted to imbue it with meaning. Had I ever given Adilun any piece of jewelry, even a simple one, before? Not once. Adilun was indeed a woman, and she had considerable interest in her appearance.
That interest had only intensified since her transformation. Seeing her indulge in all the adornments she had missed out on brought me genuine joy as well.
In any case, this was the first piece of jewelry I'd be giving her. While I'd likely give her more in the future, none would carry as much weight as this wedding ring.
I had to choose carefully.
So, I scrutinized the rings intently. I never imagined that eyes trained to discern the essence of things would be useful in a situation like this.
I could see even the tiniest flaws in the diamonds, flaws that would go unnoticed by the average person—or even an artisan.
I felt oddly out of place as I found myself identifying imperfections, however minuscule and seemingly irrelevant they might be.
After a while, my mother intervened.
"Are you planning to look forever? I think this ring and this one seem fine. This one could be good for an engagement, and this one for the wedding."
What my mother had selected was one ring with a rather large diamond at the center that looked undeniably luxurious at first glance, and another that seemed relatively plain.
Even the plain-looking ring was clearly crafted from premium material; it was apparent that no corners had been cut.
Inspecting the two rings my mother had chosen, I couldn't help but be stunned.
They were completely free of the imperfections that had marred the other rings. How she managed to pick these out with just her naked eye was beyond me.
Still, a question lingered as I examined them, so I asked my mother.
"An engagement ring and a wedding ring?"
"Oh, you don't even know that? Ha..."
Seeing my mother heaved a sigh, I couldn't help but tense up. Maybe I should have done some research beforehand.
"When you propose, you give an engagement ring, and during the wedding, you exchange wedding rings. That's why you need to pick out two rings. Since your purpose here is to propose, you'll need to order the engagement ring first. But since we're already here, let's also prepare the wedding ring. After all, we owe the Rodenov family because they are giving their precious Adilun to you, haha; it's only right for us to cover the cost of the rings."
"Ah, I see."
"Furthermore, because you wear the wedding ring regularly, it usually has a simpler design, whereas the engagement ring is generally more extravagant since it's only worn on special occasions," Evan added, supporting my mother's explanation.
"Are you satisfied with these rings, then?"
"..."
"Physis."
"Yes, Mother."
"Do you know Adilun's ring size?"
"Uh, well, actually..."
"It's understandable that you wouldn't know, but if you're planning to surprise her, you should have figured it out."
"I apologize."
"It can't be helped. For now, try on my finger."
"Alright."
"How does Adilun's hand size compare to my ring?"
"Her hands are slightly smaller than yours."
"Good. By how much, exactly?"
"About one size down, her hands are on the smaller side."
"What about the width of her fingers? The wedding ring goes on the inside, and the engagement ring goes on the outside, so you should know both."
"Um, I remember it being about this size."
Racking my brain, I tried to recall the exact size of Adilun's fingers, particularly her ring finger on her left hand.
"This should be about right... Yes, this size seems correct."
My mother skillfully conveyed the size to Evan, who then also measured my finger size. After measuring carefully, Evan nodded as if satisfied, and brought out new rings designed to fit both my finger and Adilun's.
"Will this suffice?"
"Yes, this should be more than enough. How much are they? Physis, you step outside for a bit. It'll be easier if I handle the remaining procedures."
I exited the store and stood still, waiting while my mother made the preparations.
I couldn't help but feel that asking for my mother's assistance was the right decision.