Chapter 26: The Effects of an All-Nighter
As soon as I returned to the castle, I asked Perel for a list of the knights’ names.
Since I had already decided to put in effort, I thought it would be best to write the name cards myself.
Even if the gifts were all the same, receiving one with your own name on it would feel more special.
If I call out their names while handing out the gifts, it’ll make a stronger impression too.
Looking back now, it was an incredibly reckless decision.
Writing the name cards took way longer than I expected.
I forgot there are no printers in this world.
I had assumed I could finish in an hour, but I kept making spelling mistakes and ended up wasting dozens of cards.
Then, after I finally completed all 99 cards, I applied a bit of scented oil to give them a pleasant fragrance—
And that created a second problem.
The oil left stains that didn’t go away even after drying, ruining all the cards.
“Normally, you should wrap the cards in scented cloth to let the fragrance absorb.”
Leta, who had come in to bring me water, gave me this advice after I had already ruined another set of cards.
By the time I completed the second batch of 99 name cards, the sun was already rising.
I barely got any sleep before I had to spend the morning getting dressed.
Just as I finished, the embroidered handkerchiefs arrived.
The servants helped with the packaging, but I insisted on tying the ribbons myself to add a personal touch.
After tying 99 ribbons, my wrists ached.
After all that writing, dressing up, and ribbon-tying… no wonder I’m exhausted.
To make things worse, the book I was reading was extremely boring.
Since this world had strict etiquette, I figured it would be useful to learn proper dining manners.
Annette’s body seemed to have some basic habits, but just in case, I wanted to skim through the book—
But…
“On the right side of the plate, place a large fork, a large knife, a small fork, a small knife, a dessert fork, and a dessert knife in that order. To the left, arrange the soup spoon, dessert spoon, and teaspoon….”
The old, dusty book was filled with endless, meaningless details.
My eyelids grew heavier, and an overwhelming drowsiness took over.
After finally finishing his work, Loic lifted his head.
The office was silent, except for the soft crackling of the fireplace.
To avoid distractions, he had kept his eyes on his documents, deliberately ignoring the presence of the Grand Duchess.
Why is it so quiet?
By now, she usually would have spoken at least once or twice.
Curious, he stood up and glanced toward the guéridon table—
Only to find the Grand Duchess fast asleep, lying over her open book.
“Your Highness.”
Carefully, he approached the sofa.
She was curled up, resting peacefully like a painting.
With every slow breath, her delicate shoulders rose and fell slightly.
“You should sleep in your room.”
Despite trying to wake her, Loic found himself lowering his voice to a whisper.
For some reason, he didn’t want to see her peaceful expression disturbed.
But she didn’t respond at all.
Hesitating, Loic placed a hand lightly on her shoulder.
The moment he touched her, the exhaustion that had built up throughout the day melted away in the warmth of her skin.
…This feels nice.
Loic silently gazed down at her sleeping face.
Her soft, cream-colored hair lay scattered over her flushed cheeks.
The lips that had been chatting all day were now gently closed.
Her long, delicate eyelashes occasionally fluttered in her sleep.
He wanted to move her without waking her up.
Who should I call?
For a moment, he considered calling a knight to carry her—
And then his body tensed.
Let another man carry her?
Absolutely not.
He couldn’t allow someone else to even touch her, let alone hold her.
Even I, her husband, hesitate to touch her…
But leaving her here all night wasn’t an option.
And if she kept sleeping like this, her arm would go numb from being used as a pillow.
After a long hesitation, Loic finally made up his mind and bent down.
Carefully, he slid one arm under her knees and the other around her waist.
Her small body naturally leaned into his chest as he lifted her.
…!
Loic instinctively held his breath.
A sharp, tingling sensation swept through his entire body, as if his dormant senses had suddenly awakened.
This was nothing like simply holding her hand.
Last time, he had only felt warmth and comfort.
But now, the feeling was much stronger—almost overwhelming.
Why does this feel so intense?
It hadn’t been this way when he first carried her.
And she was so light.
Her soft breaths tickled his neck, and he could hear the slow rhythm of her heartbeat against his chest.
For some reason, his lower back felt heavy, and a strange tightness spread across his chest.
Even though no one was watching, Loic’s face turned red.
Is my mana suddenly circulating too fast?
Taking a deep breath, Loic pulled her body closer, shielding her from the cool air as he carefully carried her downstairs.
The Grand Duchess’s bedroom was filled with her soft, lingering scent.
Standing by the bed, Loic hesitated.
A strong resistance rose inside him—he didn’t want to let her go.
Her body was unbelievably soft against him.
Maybe it was because he had never experienced such a sensation before, but heat kept rising to his face, making it difficult to control.
How is her entire body this soft?
Are all women like this?
Just a little longer…
He clenched his teeth, forcing himself to stay in control.
Get a hold of yourself.
Still, he stood there, holding her for far too long.
Eventually, he carefully placed her onto the bed.
“Mmm…”
She let out a tiny whimper in her sleep.
His jaw tensed automatically.
Yesterday morning, he had stood outside her door, waiting for her for a long time.
Even though he was the one who warned her not to visit him at night…
I didn’t mean for her to avoid me completely. Did I scare her too much?
Loic wasn’t used to dealing with women.
He had no idea how soft his words needed to be to sound gentle.
When he remembered how children would burst into tears just from seeing his face, it was clear that his expression was too intimidating.
Even his knights sometimes flinched at his stern looks.
So no matter how much he tried to soften his words, to the Grand Duchess, it must have sounded like a threat.
Still…
He had waited to have breakfast with her.
He had even gone down to the dining hall, but she had skipped breakfast entirely.
She’s the one who kept nagging me about eating properly…
To prevent her from suddenly appearing and offering to tie his cravat, he had stuffed it into his pocket.
He had even gone to his office early, but she never showed up there either.
Only the guéridon he had ordered remained beside the sofa.
He couldn’t focus on his work at all.
Maybe he had been too harsh on the delicate young lady from the capital.
He kept thinking about how her shoulders had drooped as she walked away in the darkness.
By midday, he was so restless that when he left for a watchtower inspection with Perel, he deliberately took the path through the garden.
And finally, he saw her.
In the middle of the overgrown garden, where the neglected trees stood bare and lifeless, she bloomed like the only flower in spring.
Even though it had only been half a day, relief spread through him at the sight of her.
He had been about to call out to her—
But—
“Your Highness, the Grand Duchess!”
That foolish aide of his had beaten him to it, acting as if he were her husband.
All his earlier frustration suddenly felt meaningless.
The Grand Duchess looked the same as always.
No, if anything, she was even warmer toward Perel than she ever was with him.
Of course, she wouldn’t treat me differently.
“A Hundred Recipes for a Wife to Win Her Husband’s Love….”
But so what?
No matter what, Loic was still her husband, not anyone else.
“The feeling of the ring Sir Perel placed on my finger is still fresh in my memory.”
…Even if that bastard was the one who put the ring on her hand.
I should have been at the wedding.
Whether they were married for a year or just a few months, Loic should have been at that ceremony.
I should have been the one to put the ring on her finger.
Miserable fool.
For the rest of her life, whenever she remembered the wedding, she would think of Perel—not him.
Does it even matter? We’ll be strangers in a year anyway.
He didn’t know.
But at the very least, when she left Blenheim, he didn’t want her most vivid memory to be a wedding with a stand-in groom.
Watching her take care of the knights had made him feel… strange.
It irritated him how those rough men couldn’t take their eyes off her.
But at the same time, it wasn’t unpleasant to see his people being looked after by someone.
I don’t even know what I want anymore.
Loic let out a deep sigh.
Just then, the bedroom door opened, and a maid entered—
She saw him standing there, towering over the sleeping Grand Duchess—
And she gasped, shrinking in fear.
