Disappointment, sadness, and shame...all directed at yourself.
When you realized that you had kissed Giyuu last night, every single negative emotion swirled around inside your chest, flooding your body with misery.
Were you...a cheater?
No wonder your mother called you a disgrace.
Sure, all you did was kiss the boy.
There were married people who had affairs with their secret lovers without their spouses knowing.
However, you had never even kissed your own husband.
Traditional Japanese wedding ceremonies did not have that lip-to-lip component, unlike weddings elsewhere.
You, of course, had fantasies about kissing Giyuu such that strange yet pleasant tingles would shiver through your body whenever you thought about his plump lips.
Now that Giyuu's mouth had indeed laced with yours, though, guilt consumed your every cell.
Because, despite the rocky relationship, you had thought that you would share your first kiss with someone else...
"Good morning," Muzan called when he noticed you entering the living room in a daze.
Your husband sat on a floor mat in the shadows, reading today's newspaper from The Japan Times.
How and why were you in the living room?
You didn't know.
You were walking around the halls to clear your mind, and just when you thought that you could never face your husband again, you managed to bump into the very person you desperately sought to avoid.
"O-Oh, hi," you managed to utter, trying your best to not scurry away like a frightened mouse.
When you studied Muzan from afar, you felt an immense wave of remorse wash over you all over again.
From taking care of your cuts to comforting your fears, Muzan was seemingly doing his best to be a better husband.
But you?
All your attempts so far to be a good wife had sucked, quite frankly.
Plus, did your husband know about Giyuu? About your meetups with the demon slayer? About your unresolved feelings for Giyuu despite your marriage?
No. No. And definitely, no.
"Why are you upset?" Muzan asked when he quickly glanced up from his paper and noticed the sad frown all evident on your ashamed face.
"I'm not." You were desperate enough to lie if that meant an opportunity to escape Muzan's domineering presence. "Bye! See you at lunch."
Just as you were about to flee, Muzan's voice stopped you in your tracks.
"Don't tell me you're still thinking about that demon," your husband commented, referring to the monster from several nights ago.
While waiting for an answer, the raven-haired man casually flipped to the next page in his reading.
"I can assure you that she won't hurt you anymore," Muzan continued when you ultimately did not reply.
The confidence in his voice told you that he meant what he said.
You didn't know how he could be so sure.
However, that was the least of your worries right now.
"No, I'm not thinking about her," you huffed, finally turning around in place to face your husband.
"Well then, what is it?" Muzan continued as he carefully looked up from his article. "Did something happen last night?"
Your chest tightened at that.
Yes, everything happened.
You blankly stared at your husband as a sigh moved past your lips and you let your shoulders fall.
Noticing your slumped figure, Muzan decided to not ask any further. Instead, he tossed his papers to the side.
You even got a glance at the headlines.
More People in Tokyo Killed Possibly By Bear
Tokyo? That's where you lived.
How did a bear end up in Japan's largest city and kill residents? Had authorities not been able to capture the beast?
When Muzan noticed your perplexed expression and followed your line of vision, he spotted the title as well.
"Oh, this," Muzan added, turning the papers over and interrupting your chance to finish reading the front page. "Very unfortunate, isn't it?"
You slowly nodded.
"Cheer up, though," your husband advised.
You turned your attention to Muzan, who reached at his yukata's belt to retrieve two limp sheets of checkbook-sized paper.
Upon closer inspection, you noticed that Muzan was holding train tickets with the words "From Tokyo to Mount Fuji" clearly printed on the front.
Was your husband going on another business trip?
No, that couldn't be the answer. He had two passes rather than one.
"What are these train tickets for?" you asked, suspiciously eyeing them in your husband's grasp.
Muzan leaned forward in his seat to show you the papers. "Your mother bought them. She didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?" you asked as you tilted your head in curiosity. You carefully inspected the boarding passes, which were now in your hands.
You did not recollect your mother mentioning anything about a trip to Mount Fuji.
Not that you tried to talk to her now, anyway.
However, she had clearly told Muzan about this.
You suddenly remembered the morning last week, after you had spent the night in Muzan's room. You recalled hearing your mother and Muzan laughing and chatting in the kitchen.
You had assumed that they were chatting about Muzan's latest business trip.
But, these tickets...
Could this possibly be what your mother and husband were really talking about?
Upon your own realization, Muzan's lips tugged upwards into a sly grin.
"We're going on a honeymoon."
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Do you discover books mostly through tags, other's reading lists, searches, etc.? (For me, reading lists!)
Also, the chapter title inspired by a comment from sunghoonschoker!
