Episode 22
The carriage, dimly lit by a single light source, was quiet.
The sound of horses’ hooves and the faint murmur of the streets seeped in through the cracks, breaking the silence—but not to the point of making it noisy.
Sigh.
Leaning against the sofa inside the carriage, I let out a short breath as I gazed out at the darkness beyond the window.
I hadn’t even done much, yet the day of Count Lockwood’s party had already arrived.
I had intended to gather some information about the Count’s household beforehand, but I hadn’t been able to.
Not only had I failed to meet Pinky, the informant I had hired, but I had also been stuck with Lu the entire time, making it impossible for me to move independently.
— Charles, are you awake?
For some reason I couldn’t fathom, Lou wanted to stay by my side from morning till night.
— Shall we have dinner together and go for a walk?
Of course, I understood that showing such affectionate interactions was necessary for people to believe we were a “couple.”
Does he really have nothing else to do?
He was sticking to me a bit too much.
Could it be that he’s suspicious of me and trying to keep me from going anywhere?
It was possible.
Either way, I can’t afford to let my guard down.
Hah. I exhaled again, running a hand over my chest.
And I made up my mind.
No matter what happened, I absolutely couldn’t let my identity be exposed.
If the moment ever came when my cover was blown… then—
— If your cover is blown, you die.
I had to follow the commander’s orders.
The existence of the Empire’s secret organization could not be revealed in the Holy Kingdom.
This was something I had known from the moment I infiltrated the Holy Kingdom as a spy.
So I thought it was nothing.
I thought it was only natural that exposure meant death.
…But it bothers me a little.
Images of Lu and Mardi flashed through my mind.
I had no idea why Lu’s face would come to mind at a moment like this, but thinking of them made my chest feel heavy.
I can’t afford to waver.
If my cover is blown, I die.
That was the final mission I had to complete.
Get it together!
I slapped my cheeks a couple of times to steady my breath.
And just then—
Click.
The sound of the carriage door opening. A gust of chilly night air rushed in.
“Sorry. I’m a bit late, aren’t I?”
Lu stepped into the carriage, his silhouette clear even in the darkness.
His neatly styled golden-blond hair gleamed faintly under the dim light.
No matter how many times I saw him, he was always handsome, I murmured to myself.
His sharp nose, smooth jawline, and well-defined cheekbones stood out like a sculpture, even in the dark.
But what drew the most attention—was his eyes.
Cold, ocean-blue eyes.
Their icy, intelligent glow gave them a depth that made it hard to look away once you met his gaze.
It’s those eyes that make my skin crawl.
Oblivious to my thoughts, Lu pulled up the collar of his coat slightly and shut the door.
The long, flowing black coat only accentuated his tall frame.
I stared at him blankly for a moment before quickly gathering myself and averting my gaze.
For some reason, my throat felt dry, so I reached for the water placed inside the carriage and took a sip.
“I’ll come earlier next time. I had something to discuss with the butler today.”
Hmm?
I tilted my head.
“What were you talking about?”
“About whether we should combine our rooms soon.”
“Pffft!”
I spat out the water before I could stop myself.
Wait, wait, what?
“Why, why, why? Why would we share a room already?”
“Because we’re engaged. People might find it odd that we’re living in the same house but still using separate rooms.”
I rolled my eyes.
Logically speaking, that actually made some sense.
A couple who had been together for years, now officially engaged and soon to be married, yet still using separate rooms while living under one roof…?
That could be seen as strange.
But—
But!
I was already on edge, afraid of having my cover blown, and if we shared a room, my heart might explode from the stress!
Avoiding Lu’s gaze, I stammered,
“But we’re not married yet… So isn’t it fine?”
“I did say that as well, but we’ve been rather affectionate lately. I think that’s why people are paying attention.”
Lu had been openly affectionate with me lately…
Could it have been a ploy to push the marriage forward?
Ughhh…
I clutched my stomach and curled up.
“Charles? What’s wrong?”
“My stomach hurts…”
“Are you that opposed to sharing a room with me? That kind of hurts, you know.”
“I’m already hurt. My stomach hurts, and my heart aches too.”
Lu chuckled softly.
Damn it. I said I was in pain, and he laughed.
“Well, you do have a point. Some conservatives believe even holding hands before marriage is improper.”
“Yes! That’s exactly what I meant!”
“So, we should hold the wedding as soon as possible.”
Why was it heading in that direction again?!
My stomachache had turned into sharp, stabbing pains.
“Lu.”
I cautiously lifted my head.
“Do we really have to get married?”
“Hmm?”
“I mean… Now that the other noblewomen know about me, they’ve stopped approaching you, right? Isn’t that enough to achieve our goal?”
Lu smiled.
“You mustn’t be aware of the secret letters that still find their way to me. Would you like to know how desperately those young ladies are searching for me?”
“…I don’t want to know.”
Damn it.
There was no escape.
Reality felt bleak.
“Once this party is over, let’s start planning the wedding together. It’ll be fun.”
“It’s a fake wedding, so just do it simply.”
I shook my head.
There were professionals for this kind of thing—just leave it to them.
But Lu’s expression was oddly amused.
“Even so, it’s still a wedding. Shouldn’t we at least add some romance to it?”
I let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity.
“If it were a real wedding, sure, romance would be important. But this is fake. There’s no need to put in that kind of effort.”
“Hmm.”
Lu folded his arms and blinked slowly.
His gaze, fixed on me, was unreadable.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just… Because you’re cute.”
“…?!”
I hadn’t even done anything.
All I’d done was protest!
Feeling a strange sense of unease, I instinctively crossed my arms over my chest and leaned away.
Lu chuckled again.
“If you don’t want a fake wedding, then we just need to find the relic quickly. That way, we can both return to the Holy Kingdom.”
That was the most reasonable conclusion.
If we found the relic before the wedding, there’d be no need for a shared room or a ceremony—we could just leave the Empire immediately.
Of course, that was assuming I was really a Guardian agent.
I have to make sure we don’t find the relic.
But then… wouldn’t that mean we’d have to get married?
Ah, my stomach hurts.
I lowered my head.
“By the way, Charles.”
Lu’s voice was cautious.
“Have you ever considered this possibility?”
“What possibility?”
“The relic.”
I wasn’t too thrilled about discussing the relic, but it was far better than talking about marriage or sharing a room.
“Yeah? What about it?”
“We’ve searched so hard for it, yet there’s no trace of it anywhere.”
Lu smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth.
“Have you ever thought that maybe… the relic doesn’t exist at all?”
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
