My Will Did Not Mean This

Vivian rested her chin on the carriage window and glanced away. Beyond the horizon, the walls of the capital city of Minerva were getting closer. The journey that had taken her about five days when she left on her own took more than ten days when she returned. It was because Aslan put too much priority on her condition.

 

‘It doesn’t have to be this unusual.’

 

Aslan said she never wanted to return to the capital in the first place. He tore up the documents from the imperial palace and even tried to burn Duke Eleonora’s letters. But she couldn’t avoid it. An imperial order was given to both of them to enter the palace. Disobedience to the Emperor’s orders was treason. It was difficult to convince Aslan, who was furious, but she did it anyway. It was a bonus that the employees who were watching anxiously gave Vivian a thumbs up. In any case, she was the only one suffering because she had a sensitive fiancé. 

 

That was when Vivian grumbled and stuck out her lips. Two knights on horses came running from the direction of the gate. Their saddles had the mark of Eleonora’s family engraved on them.

 

“I send greetings to His Majesty the 2nd Prince.”

 

Even though they must have seen Vivian sitting in the carriage, the two knights only saluted Aslan. Aslan’s eyes twisted in displeasure.

 

“I have to gouge out your eyes to come to your senses.”

 

“I send my greetings to the princess.”

 

“Vivian, what do you want me to do?”

 

Aslan glanced at her. The implication was that if she showed even the slightest hint of displeasure, he would really gouge out their eyes. But Vivian, who didn’t know that, shrugged her shoulders indifferently.

 

“It’s nothing.”

 

“You always say you’re okay.”

 

“Because it’s true. It’s not something that happened once or twice. Rather, I think the knights my father sent me might have some business for me.”

 

The two knights who caught Vivian’s gaze lowered their heads.

 

“In obedience to the Duke’s orders, we will serve the princess from now on.”

 

“Who wants?”

 

“As soon as you arrive at the capital, there was an order to come into the family without delay…”

 

“I asked, didn’t I? “Who wants to take Vivian away?”

 

Aslan tilted his head as if he genuinely didn’t understand.

 

“Vivian is the woman who will be my wife. She is no longer of Eleonora.”

 

“Ha, but it’s still a battle, isn’t it? If the two of you live in the same mansion, it’s certain that people will talk about you. It’s detrimental to the family’s honor!”

 

“The guys who were once so anxious to sell Vivian are good at talking.”

 

The couple’s engagement certificate included a clause stating that Vivian would live in the Grand Ducal residence in advance for her bridal lessons. It was at the strong request of Duke Eleonora. But now it didn’t even seem like something to say. Aslan’s stomach twisted as he looked down at the two knights. He wanted to break their necks and throw them on the street right away. But since he couldn’t do that in front of his delicate fiancee, Aslan only engraved the faces of the men in his mind.

 

“Vivian will be living with me from now on. She will never return to Eleonora, so tell the Duke the same thing.”

 

“The Duke will not turn a blind eye to this.”

 

“Tell him to do whatever he wants. If he is willing to challenge Blackford’s power, I will accept it at any time.”

 

Blackford was the name of Aslan’s northern territory. It was a land frequented by demonic beasts, so much so that it was once called hell on earth. However, after Aslan was granted the territory, its power rapidly increased, reaching the authority it has today. He subjugated all nearby cities, raised powerful elite soldiers, and established a small kingdom. No matter how much of a swordsman Eleonora was, it was unreasonable for her to clash directly with Blackford.

 

“If I hear nonsense like this again, I won’t forgive you.”

 

The knights who had been wandering around returned to their shabby state. Aslan, who had been fiddling with his sword like a sharp-edged animal, then turned his horse’s head and approached Vivian.

 

“Aren’t you surprised?”

 

“Why wouldn’t I be surprised?”

 

“After all, we have to kill them all…”

 

“What do you mean I live with Aslan?”

 

Meanwhile, from Vivian’s perspective, Aslan’s assertion was like a thunderbolt in the dry sky. She hoped that by going up to the capital, she would be somewhat free from Aslan’s surveillance. If the opportunity arose, she thought of flying faster than the wind.

 

“Do you not want to live with me?”

 

‘Ugh, that’s what I mean.’

 

“Do you want to go back, Vivian?”

 

She didn’t answer for only a second, but the glow in Aslan’s eyes suddenly reached the freezing point and began to go down. Vivian’s survival instinct moved faster than light. Even before her brain could tell her, she was smiling beautifully.

 

“Is that possible? My fiancé is Aslan.”

 

It was a sad world of law and order.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

After passing through the gates of the capital city of Minerva, the group headed straight to the Blackford residence. Aslan was the Imperial Prince, but he preferred to be called the Grand Duke of Blackford. Perhaps that was why, unlike other royal family members residing in the imperial palace, he owned a separate townhouse.

 

“There is no place forbidden to you. You can roam wherever you want.”

 

Aslan personally guided Vivian to his mansion. All of the servants who followed were bitten, and the two of them walked around the mansion alone.

 

“And this is your bedroom.”

 

“…!”

 

Vivian’s mouth dropped open. Her eyes were focused not on the extravagant furniture of her southern home, nor on the clothes and accessories that filled the dressing room, nor on the beautiful rose garden that could be seen from the window.

 

“Why is open?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“No, my bedroom is open!”

 

“It’s natural that the bedrooms of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess are connected.”

 

This human?! It’s not at that level now! There was no door, there was no door! Vivian hurriedly approached him and almost grabbed him by the back of his neck. When she removed the curtain that was pretending to be a curtain, it was clear that the hinges had been forcibly removed.

 

‘Doubt is terrible. Isn’t it time to start trusting people at this point?!’

 

Yes, the fact that Aslan turns into a black lion was the heaviest and gravest secret in this entire universe. The moment it was revealed, his social status would plummet to the bottom, so it was natural for him to be sensitive.

 

‘But no matter what, you have to do it to the extent possible! If this is going to happen, just put up surveillance!’

 

It was a moment when Vivian cried out inwardly.

 

“Greetings to you, Madam. My name is Emma, the head maid who will be serving Madam by her side from now on. I will do my best.”

 

‘Ah.’

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

It was Vivian’s first night at the Grand Duke’s residence. She was having trouble sleeping. Vivian curled up on the bed, lost in her thoughts.

 

‘It was better than I thought. The employees were all friendly and paid too much attention to me.’

 

With just a small cough, she was immediately served warm tea, and as she sat by the window looking out at the garden, a thick blanket was placed on her shoulders. It was better than being unfriendly. However, Vivian could not erase the uneasy feeling that remained in her heart. This was because it was so different from Duke Eleonora’s servants.

 

‘It’s better than being unfriendly. But since they are so kind, I actually get suspicious. Was it really this extreme? I’m not even a Grand Duchess yet?’

 

It was at a level comparable to the kindness shown to the original heroine in the novel. There was even no sign of her being reluctant about being a patient with a lung disease. Although the setting was that lung disease was not contagious in this world, it must have felt uncomfortable from their perspective.

 

‘Hey, my head hurts.’

 

What if it’s a trap? If she had to, she would just knock them all down and run away. As long as there was no catastrophe in direct combat with Aslan, it didn’t seem that difficult to escape. She finished her rough estimate by touring the mansion earlier. That was the moment Vivian nodded her head in satisfaction.

 

“Ugh…”

 

A strange groan was heard from somewhere. Her eyes, just as she was about to go to bed, opened.

 

“Huh, huh!”

 

What was he talking about? Vivian carefully stepped her feet out of her bed. The moans were coming from the other side of the curtain that Vivian had closed tightly. From Aslan’s bedroom.

 

Vivian carefully pulled back the curtains.

 

“Ugh, wow…”

 

“Aslan?”

 

“Huh, huh!”

 

Under the pouring moonlight, Aslan was twisting his body as if in pain. He didn’t even notice Vivian’s call. He was having a nightmare.

 

‘Now that I think about it, the capital Minerva was the place where a hero defeated the devil.’

 

Aslan in the original did not like staying on Minerva. This was because the devil that permeated Aslan’s body hated this land where he died so much. In particular, Aslan overwrote the curse through black magic. Therefore, the degree of assimilation with Astaroth was more severe than that of other sacrifices throughout history.

 

‘It must be very painful. It’s not Aslan’s fault…’

 

The man who had lived his whole life like a sharp sword was not feeling any signs of normal humanity. Vivian unconsciously walked up to his bed and carefully sat down on his bedside.

 

“It’s okay, Aslan.”

 

“Huh, oh oh…”

 

“It’s all a dream. It’s just a dream.”

 

Vivian moaned lowly and stroked Aslan’s jet-black hair. Despite the soft pats, Aslan still could not wake up. However, as if Vivian’s hand was his only lifeline, he hung on to her waist. He hugged Vivian’s waist tightly, his breathing ragged.

 

“It’s a dream. It was a dream.”

 

“…”

 

“I will make sure no one touches you tonight.”

 

Vivian’s gaze, which had been patting Aslan, suddenly turned to look under the disheveled blanket. The bandages on his side were turning red.

 

‘Why is there blood…?’

 

Vivian tilted her head and remembered his wounds that she had seen in the forest. Aslan was stabbed by his spear and suffered such serious injuries that his internal organs were exposed. So she tore his dress and quickly stopped the bleeding. If he were a normal human being, he would have died instantly. So, it was natural that even Aslan, a demonic beast, would take time to recover.

 

‘If we continue like this, we’ll be in really big trouble. What did the heroine do in a situation like this?’

 

In the original, there was a scene where the female lead calmed Aslan when he was suffering from his nightmares. At that time, she sang lullabies all night long. But unfortunately she didn’t know the lullaby of this world. So she had no choice but to make a decision.

 

“Sleep well, my baby. In the front yard and back garden…”

 

Aslan was not a baby, but what could she do? This was the only lullaby she knew right now. Vivian gently patted Aslan’s shoulder, thinking that if he was dissatisfied, he should stand up and speak out directly. As such a long time passed and Vivian’s head was shaking, Aslan’s golden eyes slowly revealed themselves. He looked up at Vivian, who was sleeping at his bedside, in silence for a long time. The only desire that bloomed in the bottomless pit. A thirsty feeling of desperation.

 

The moon was waning.

 

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Translator Note: