Translator: Nox

Ch#89

* * *

It was the second day Odellie faced as the Grand Duchess.

Having just sent Belloa back to her family, Odellie mentally sorted out what she needed to do from now on.

Truly…… there was a mountain of tasks.

First, she had to reorganize the interior of the Grand Duke's castle.

She needed to tighten discipline among the vassals eyeing Rudvil's position covetously.

She had to breathe new life into this barren northern land that would decay in an instant if neglected even slightly.

She had to check on Rudvil's physical condition and find a suitable match for him…….

And above all…….

‘……I need to do something about that insomnia first.’

Odellie was trapped in bed again.

Did she anger him again?

No, she had already changed out of that bedroom inscribed with the useless magic circle long ago.

Yet even after moving to another room, Rudvil had inevitably found her.

‘He can only sleep if he holds me. Does that even make sense?’

Odellie let out a short sigh as she stared at the ceiling tinged with the dim light of dawn.

Rudvil, who had initially said he would just lie beside her for a bit before leaving soon, had ended up falling asleep while fully embracing her.

Even when she tried to slip away during moments when his arm loosened slightly, she would be pulled back in, repeating the cycle of being suffocatingly held.

“……Stay here.”

“I’ll…… never let you go……”

“This time for sure……”

“Don’t cry……”

In the midst of it, his sleep-mumbled words only gave her a headache.

Each time, Odellie lost all will to resist and could only remain motionless in his arms.

‘It does seem like I have an effect on his sleep.’

Knowing it wasn’t exaggeration or trickery, she could no longer escape this ant hell.

She couldn’t abandon him and leave.

‘No. Get a grip.’

She steadied herself.

‘From today, I must come up with a solution.’

As if reading her thoughts, Rudvil pulled her even tighter into his embrace.

The warmth pressing against her back was oppressively hot.

And so, he didn’t let her go even once until morning came.

“…….”

No, correction.

He didn’t let her go even after morning arrived.

“Your Highness.”

“Rudvil.”

“……Rudvil.”

“Hm, ‘Ru’ does sound nice after all.”

Odellie pressed her lips into a straight line, then ignored his pointless remark and got to the point.

“Why on earth are you holding me like some attachment pillow?”

“Article 1. We shall dine together at least once a day.”

“……What does that article have to do with this situation?”

As she openly frowned, Rudvil replied with utter nonchalance.

“If we stay like this, we’ll end up having breakfast together, won’t we?”

“I can still go have breakfast if you let me go.”

Can’t we just normally go to the dining hall together?

As Odellie asked incredulously, Rudvil feigned hurt in an infuriatingly shameless way, trailing off.

“Yesterday too…… you suddenly pushed me away and ran off.”

“…….”

Well, of course she had to run in that situation.

Rudvil had suddenly fiddled with her scar and shown interest.

And moreover…… he had said something like, did you engrave it for me?

Her heart had dropped in that instant, fearing he would uncover her identity or recall his past life.

But…….

‘From Rudvil’s perspective, it must have looked like we were peacefully greeting the morning together, only for me to suddenly snap and flee.’

Hm.

Thinking about it, it did seem a bit…… too much.

Odellie wavered for a moment before steadying herself again.

Even so, what did that have to do with holding her immobile all night?

“Anyway, I won’t run off like yesterday, so let me go.”

Rudvil chuckled.

Far from releasing her, he pressed his body even closer, resting his chin on her shoulder.

A low, husky voice flowed into her ear like a sigh.

“I know I’m being weird too.”

Feeling her ear heat up from his breath, Odellie quietly covered it with her hand.

And tried to put some distance between them.

“Strangely, when I hold you like this…… everything gets better.”

“Everything gets better?”

“Yes, everything.”

He narrowed his eyes as if gauging something and continued.

“Nightmares, insomnia, headaches, the thoughts rattling in my head…… all the negative things vanish. Like a nerve stabilizer. Far more effective than any medication I’ve tried.”

Probably because of your Purification Ability.

He added that, continuing without averting his gaze.

“And after getting a good night’s sleep once, I don’t think I can go back to how it was.”

“…….”

“Take responsibility.”

The words were tossed out as if a casual joke, but his tone carried a strangely sincere undertone.

Only then did Odellie realize why Rudvil clung to her so obsessively.

All the pains tormenting him vanished cleanly with a single embrace.

‘But…….’

The nightmares, insomnia, headaches, tangled thoughts…… they all seem to stem from me in the first place.

Finding solace in the very source of it all. What a tragedy.

At that moment.

Leona entered with breakfast.

“Madam, breakfast……”

Seeing Odellie immobile in Rudvil’s arms, she let out a startled “Eek!”

“Y-Your Highness is here too……. N-No, sorry for interrupting!”

Her face flushed red, she tremblingly set down the tray on the bed and fled.

“…….”

It happened so fast Odellie had no time to explain.

No, it would be weirder to explain when a husband was just embracing his wife.

That made it all the more despairing. That she couldn’t even deny the act between them…….

That they had to appear as an inseparably devoted couple in front of others like this…….

‘My heart won’t hold out.’

It’s already so weak.

“Breakfast has arrived.”

Rudvil said casually as he tore into freshly baked, steaming bread.

And pressed it firmly against Odellie’s lips.

She unwittingly opened her mouth, and a piece slipped right in.

“…….”

Rudvil probably hadn’t expected her to accept it so readily.

His drowsy morning eyes sparkled for an instant.

‘Oh no…….’

Because he offered it so naturally, she had acted overly intimate.

And memories of their past life resurfaced…….

“Eating like a baby bird.”

“…….”

“You said there’s no need to act in the bedroom. It’s just us two right now, Madam.”

Odellie let out a short sigh and pushed him away.

Leaving him to obediently retreat, she left the room.

“What about Article 1?”

“I just ate, didn’t I? A piece of bread counts as a meal.”

“Oh dear.”

Seemingly caught off guard by her escape, he let out a hollow laugh.

Yet that smile carried the leisure of a predator deliberately releasing prey it could recapture anytime.

She didn’t know where she was going, but anywhere without Rudvil—that was her only thought.

“In the end…… you’re running away again.”

Odellie pretended not to hear Rudvil’s mutter, loud enough for her to catch.