NMRJKM Chapter 98

 

Tap, tap, tap.

Not knowing where to go, I ran down the hallway. Should I go to my room in the annex?

Or to Carlothian’s room?

But if I went to Carlothian’s room, it was obvious I would run into him. Even now, walking down the hallway, I feel a bit flustered.

‘I want you as the duchess.’

I clutched my head at those words. No, what does that even mean?

I’m confused.

‘Weren’t we just in an adult relationship?!’

I didn’t know what Carlothian would say if he heard that, but that’s how I had perceived it all this time.

No, to be honest, doesn’t he think about the effort it would take to put me back in the position of duchess?

Still clutching my head, I started walking faster and eventually began to run. I felt like I wanted to scream.

‘I’m going crazy right now!’

First, I need to clear my name to be able to sit in the Duchess’s position. But to do that, I need to find evidence that the Princess of Yermondi is the real culprit.

I was aiming for the upcoming celebration of Princess Yermondi’s birthday, but I didn’t know how things would turn out.

If it goes well, it would be a huge success; if not, it would be a disaster. No, a catastrophe. A catastrophe! If I failed, I might be branded as the worst villainess in history and face execution by burning!

And yet, in the midst of all this, he wants me as the duchess! Carlothian must be completely out of his mind.

I ran until I finally reached the annex. Passing servants looked at me as if I were something bizarre, but that wasn’t what mattered right now.

I climbed to the top floor of the annex and crawled into the bed of the room I used.

‘So, let’s think about this.’

Since when has Carlothian been thinking like that?

The answer to that question came easily. It must have been after spending our first night together.

‘D-did I really do that well?’

As I muttered nonsense to myself, I eventually shook my head vigorously. No, that didn’t seem right.

I squirmed under the blanket and hugged the pillow.

‘The Duchess’s position.’

Even if Ariadeline wasn’t a sinner right now, I had no intention of sitting in the Duchess’s position.

I wanted to clear my name! Carlothian would welcome a gentle and beautiful new wife! That was the kind of story I hoped for—something like, “And they lived happily ever after.”

Because, because…

‘Carlothian doesn’t love me.’

In an instant, my chest felt tight. Feeling suffocated, I pulled off the blanket I had been wrapped in.

Ah, why does my stomach feel so heavy all of a sudden? I sat up and brushed through my messy hair. And…

‘I don’t love Carlothian either.’

Of course, this is an aristocratic society. It’s a world where people who don’t love each other can easily enter into arranged marriages. But for me, I didn’t think marrying Carlothian would bring him good results.

Even if I cleared my name, the label of having once been a sinner would always follow me, and I had no confidence in being able to do well in the position of duchess.

‘So…’

There was no reason for me to remarry Carlothian. Just then, I heard footsteps outside the door.

As soon as I heard those footsteps, I recognized them. Ah, it’s him. Carlothian.

Now, just hearing his footsteps was enough for me to realize it was him. Without even being aware of that fact, I sat stiffly on the bed.

Creak—

The door opened without a knock, and Carlothian, with his still stiff expression, entered the room.

I averted my gaze and looked down, fidgeting with my fingers. I didn’t know what to say right now.

“Can I ask you one thing?”

He asked precariously.

“Do you not love me?”

I lifted my head abruptly and looked at him. Carlothian was gazing into my eyes. His dark pupils examined my gaze and gradually widened.

His expression turned to one of disbelief. I thought about what he might have seen in me.

“…You don’t love me?”

At those words, I frowned. Ariadeline loves him. No, she loved him. But do I, Ahn Hye-in, love Carlothian?

Honestly, when asked, my answer was…

“…”

Carlothian soon turned away, leaving the door open. He vanished down the hallway as if he were being chased by someone.

I sat there quietly, unable to call out to him or even move, watching his retreating figure.

If he asked me if I felt comfortable and good, I could have said ‘yes.’ But…

My answer to whether I loved him was…

“…Why now?”

‘No.’

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

After that, the relationship between Carlothian and me rapidly cooled. We began to use separate rooms and made efforts to avoid running into each other.

Well, to be honest, it might have been just me trying to avoid him while he locked himself away in his office.

‘How should I deal with this?’

I never thought Carlothian would be thinking like that. Is this what they mean by the fear of physical attachment?

But he could meet women who were more wonderful and beautiful than I. He deserved that.

Yet he wanted me as the duchess. Even though he doesn’t love me. I sat in my room in the annex, scratching my head.

‘I think the servants have caught on to the situation between us…’

The maids who attended to me seemed taken aback when I started using the annex room again.

Still, they didn’t say anything. I was truly grateful for that. Sighing, I opened the window. I felt suffocated.

I leaned my elbows on the window sill and looked outside. The breeze seemed to ease the heaviness inside me.

‘Maybe it’s time to go somewhere else for a while.’

Should I go to the temple?

I thought of the main temple. I figured the high priest would probably welcome me warmly.

Or maybe…

I recalled a choice I had never considered before.

The Duchy of Atlosia.

Ariadeline’s family. Well, I’m no longer part of that family since I’ve been disowned.

So I shook my head. It had been a long time since I came to the capital, and the lack of contact must mean something.

‘Honestly, considering the atmosphere of “that family,” the absence of any contact so far must have its reasons.’

What should I say about Ariadeline’s family?

They were a bit peculiar for a noble family. I scratched my cheek as I thought of them.

Ariadeline had a mother, a father, and one older brother.

As a duke, her parents’ reputation and abilities were beyond question, and her brother, Erwin Atlosia, was a promising talent in the magic tower at a young age.

So, the only one who’s lacking is Ariadeline, who only has a pretty face.

‘In any case, that’s not an option.’

It would be a problem if I met my family and they noticed something unusual.

‘In the end, I guess I have no choice but to go to the temple.’

But it’s awkward to be separated from Carlothian, who I worked with on the preparations for Princess Yermondi’s birthday.

Of course, all the important discussions had already been completed. So, if Carlothian just executes the plan, it’s fine to be apart from now on.

‘What should I do?’

I gazed out at the garden, lost in thought. In the distance, I spotted a carriage.

‘What is that? Was there a guest today?’

It was a carriage I had seen somewhere before. Where was it from? It seemed very familiar.

I soon recognized it by looking at the side of the carriage heading towards the main building.

‘It’s the marquis.’

Marquis Dolorante. The man I took away from Dorothy, that is.

‘Were the two families close?’

In Ariadeline’s memories, there had never been any exchanges between the two families. I stretched my body out the window to get a better look at the main building.

‘Are they starting a new business or something?’

I hadn’t heard any such talk. Ah, I realized midway that there was no way he would share that kind of news with me anymore. That thought pricked my heart strangely.

Carlothian sometimes brought documents into the bedroom, standing beside me while reading. Out of boredom, I would glance at them.

He would lean the papers so I could see them well, and I would read along, asking questions when I was curious or didn’t understand something…

The more I thought about it, the heavier my mood became. Was this because of me? Or was it Carlothian’s fault?

Honestly, I couldn’t tell. Suddenly, I felt resentment towards Carlothian. Why did he have to say things like that?

‘To make me the duchess.’

That’s the most ridiculous nonsense. My mood soured, and I closed the window, roughly drawing the curtains. Then I crawled into bed and tried to sleep.

The best way to forget my bad feelings was simply to sleep. It had been my habit since I was a child. I could forget everything while I was sleeping.

Even though painful memories tormented me right up until I fell asleep, once I passed those monsters, I could find peace in slumber.

I curled up in bed and tried to force myself to sleep. One, two, three, four…

Slowly, time passed as I hoped to fall asleep soon.

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

Carlothian was currently in a very bad mood. He had never imagined that things would turn out this way with Ariadeline.

However, there was something even more bothersome than that. It was the man standing right in front of him.

Marquis Dolorante. Seth Dolorante. A handsome man with wheat-colored hair and kind green eyes.

He had come to see him. And he asked,

“So, where is Miss Ariadeline?”