CHAPTER 4: EACH TRUTH AND EACH HAPPINESS (VIII)
Part 074
Jenny was worried because she couldn’t bring mourning clothes because she didn’t have any matching clothes. She pointed to her dressing room without saying anything, and Jenny, who took a look around her dressing room, nodded her head without saying a word. The dressing room was so full, including mourning clothes, that she didn’t have to wear separate dresses for two or three years. The black dress the maids brought out was Madame Rosaline’s work. She wondered why she had bothered to wear a designer piece for a mourning outfit that she would never wear again, but Jenny was so satisfied with her work that she just wore it as she was told. By the time she finished getting ready, she realized that the 10 o’clock ceremony was only three hours away, so she didn’t want to come home early. While she was rumbling to myself, she heard a knock. Adrian came into the room wearing all black mourning clothes. It’s a mourning outfit with clear intentions of mourning, but if even that somewhat stoic look was sexy, then what was she supposed to do? It’s the first time Adrian has come into the room with the bed, no, it’s natural that it’s the first time. No, no, coming into the bedroom has no other meaning! She guessed her brain must have already rotted, but she packed up her bags and came in and was better than she thought. She thought her adaptability was amazing, but when Adrian came back home, everything changed completely. That man who hugged her so aggressively as soon as he arrived and then threw his arms around her was bad. Why was that ‘I’m here’ so sweet? Dating outside and living together in the same house were very different. She was just standing in the space called her room, but why did she feel so awkward?
As Jenny adjusted her skirt and stepped away, Adrian came over and held out his hand. Her heart pounded again as she felt the body heat above her thin lace gloves. She tried to kiss the back of his hand, but he grabbed her hand and pulled it towards him. After a few steps, he stood with his hands clasped behind her waist and looked down at her. Adrian’s smile, seen through the black veil, was somehow dizzying.
“I know you’re not dressed appropriately for something like this.”
Doing something like this? As she wondered what he was talking about, Adrian’s face appeared beyond the veil. Adrian’s eyes closed just before his lips touched. The lowered face, with long black eyelashes creating a shadow, was clearly visible through the veil. The rough feeling of the veil touching her lips and the warmth of her lips. Adrian’s long eyelashes trembled slightly. A long sigh escaped Adrian’s lips without even having a chance to close his eyes. When I opened my eyes after a sigh, bright red eyes were sparkling right in front of me. He smiled crookedly, his face turned away. It was an instant and she couldn’t react. A scratchy, warm feeling continued to linger at the tip of his lips. His face slowly started to heat up, but she couldn’t see it because it was covered by a veil.
If Adrian had fallen a little later, she would have hugged his back. She forgot where she was and what the situation was, and almost took off the veil with her own hands and hugged Adrian.
‘Wow, what a dangerous man he is. No, am I the most dangerous beast?’
Adrian laughed embarrassedly, not knowing what she was thinking. They took a step apart, held hands, and left the room. Adrian did not let go of her hand in the carriage heading to the royal palace. Several times he kissed the back of her hand and looked at her intently. Even though he had a beautifully smiling face, it did not cover his bloodshot red eyes. She felt upset, but Adrian just laughed, not knowing how she felt.
“Are you very tired?”
“It’s okay, Damian.”
“It’s not okay. Do you think you’re a robot, or rather an iron man? The maids have already told me that Adrian hasn’t slept properly in days.”
“I sleep whenever I can. It’s really okay.”
Why did this person always say he’s fine? Even though she knew he wouldn’t speak weakly in front of her, she was still upset.
“You have to leave soon, right?”
“I think I’ll have to go on a mission this weekend.”
Today was Wednesday, so in just a few days Adrian would be going to war. She hated the thought of her father and Rutvan, who had never even held a sword properly, let alone a war, facing off against the infamous Taln army. So, while I hope Adrian will quickly go and help, I also feel bad that this person has to go to a dangerous place. She wished this bad guy was struck by lightning and died.
She took a deep breath and composed herself. Princess Remina said that. People who couldn’t be with her needed to improve their acting skills, and she wanted to go with them and cheer them on, but her miserable body, which couldn’t even ride a horse on its own, will only be a burden. With a strong smile on her face, she stroked the back of Adrian’s hand.
“It’s going to be okay. Everyone will be safe.”
“It won’t take long.”
Adrian smiled firmly, kissing the back of my hand again.
* * *
When they arrived at the Palace, where the funeral was held, there were few mourners, even though it was a joint funeral for the king, queen, and two princesses. It is said that many nobles left for their territories to prepare for war, and the ladies and younger successors who did not participate in the war took refuge in the safety of eastern Hannam. She saw some familiar faces, including Duke Donovan, but she wasn’t in the mood to exchange greetings, so she just sat quietly and held Adrian’s hand. It was time for the main ceremony to begin, but the palace of Lethe was not even half full, and Tyrellius raised his voice and expressed his dissatisfaction. From afar, she saw Princess Remina sorting out the situation. She also saw Homer dragging Tyrellius away. Both looked very tired. As the main ceremony began, the solemn sound of many priests reciting prayers to guide the dead rang out, but no one said a word. She held Adrian’s hand, who was holding mine, and hoped that time would pass quickly. She was saddened by the sudden death of the king, queen, and princess due to a rebellion by the Royal Guard, but she was even more heartbroken to see Adrian’s scratchy profile. She still didn’t understand the blind loyalty to the royal family that this world enforces, and she hated rather than pity the king who misled his children’s education and drove innocent people into war. Since she was a selfish and narrow-minded person who only cared about her own people, she thought that she would rather have Adrian get some sleep than sit there for three hours listening to an incomprehensible prayer.
When her back started to hurt from continuing to sit in the same position until past midnight, the funeral finally came to an end. As she was about to leave in a hurry, Homer approached her and spoke to her.
“Damian, I haven’t been able to say hello to you for a while. Did anything happen?”
“Homer, Homer, is everything okay? I’m doing well.”
His amber eyes looked just as tired as Adrian’s. From what she saw earlier, it seemed like the crown prince was having a lot of trouble. The smiling face was still kind, but it looked tired, so she felt sad.
“The princess asked to see you tomorrow. Could you come to the main palace at 11 a.m.?”
“Sure.”
She didn’t know what the princess was calling her for, but before she could even think, she answered. She was still wondering if there was anything she could do to help. Because she planned to do whatever she could to help.
* * *
When she parted ways with Homer and returned to the carriage, it was well past midnight. She urged Franz, who was driving the carriage, to return to the mansion as quickly as possible. After washing and getting ready for bed, her whole body felt dull. She felt so tired that she wanted to lie down right away.
She asked Millie, her cold eyes widening, an thrilled face on her face as she dried my hair and was about to leave the room.
“Millie, where is the Duke now?”
“The Duke is in the office with the butler.”
She looked at the clock and it was already two in the morning. It’s war, Commander, this wasn’t it. If he did this, Adrian would die.
“Please guide me to the office.”
Millie seemed surprised by her request, but he obediently showed her the way. After walking along the second floor hallway for a while, they arrived at the office where light was leaking through a crack in the door. When she knocked, Ethan opened the door himself and was surprised to see her.
“Miss?”
She just nodded at Ethan, pushed the door open, and went inside. Adrian must have just washed up too, his hair was matted, and he was wearing a robe and a shirt with a couple of buttons undone. I was upset to see him holding documents while looking like he was supposed to be resting.
“Damian, why did you come out instead of sleeping?”
Instead of answering Adrian’s question as he put down the document he was looking at, he walked to the front of the desk, she put both hands on her waist, and looked down to see that he had stood up with an embarrassed face.
“Is something uncomfortable?”
He asked her again and looked at Ethan with his eyes. Ethan shook his head and tried hard to explain that he didn’t know.
“Adrian what time is it?”
“It’s twenty past two, Damien.”
“When was the last time you fell asleep, Adrian?”
Adrian couldn’t answer my question. I sighed deeply. He looked like he was having a hard time on the carriage ride back, so what would happen if he sat at his desk again at this hour? The commander will collapse from lack of sleep before the war even begins. She grabbed Adrian’s hand.
It may have been beyond her power, but Adrian did as she asked and was dragged along. Ethan followed a few steps with a troubled look on his face, but when she glared at him, he stopped walking and lowered his head. She burst through Adrian’s door and tried to push Adrian onto the bed, but she couldn’t do it, so she let go of his hand and pointed at the bed.
“Lay down.”
He blinked and just stood there looking at her, so he dragged a chair over to the head of the bed, sat on it, and pounded the bed.
“Lay down. Adrian, you need to sleep. Come on.”
“Damn, Damian. I’m going to sleep now, so Damian, please go back to sleep too.”
“I can’t believe it. I’m going to watch Adrian sleep and go to sleep. So stop talking and lie down.”
When she knocked on the bed again, Adrian made a very embarrassed face and hesitantly approached the bed. As she looked at him with the most serious expression she could muster, Adrian lowered his head and let out a long, drawn-out sigh. She was worried in her heart that she might have been stubborn and interfered with his work without knowing anything, but still, this person still needs to sleep. She continued to look up with a stern face. Adrian, with his eyebrows drooped and a smile on his face, entered the bed. She saw him getting under the blanket and lying down quietly. She lit just one candle near the bed and covered all the lights in the room, so the lighting was perfect for falling asleep. Satisfied, she sat down again on the chair next to the bed, and Adrian turned toward her and held out his hand.
“Can you hold my hand until I falls asleep?”
“Then are you going to sleep well?”
“Yes, I will sleep quietly until morning.”
“Is it so.”
She smiled and held out her hand, and he took her hand and kissed the back of it. The eyes reflected in the candlelight twinkled red. Then it quickly disappeared inside her eyelids. Not long after, the sound of even breathing was heard. Even when she ran her hand over his face, he fell asleep without any movement, but she was worried that Ethan would come in to wake him up, and she liked looking at Adrian’s sleeping face, so she looked at him for a while. As she watched him holding her hand tightly and quietly closing his eyes, the sleepiness she had been suppressing came flooding back.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
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