RVMPT Chapter 74

Chapter 74

The moment I saw Harold, my heart fluttered.

But since feeling strange like this was nothing new, I approached him with a calm, almost resigned attitude.

“Harold.”

As I stood next to Harold, Evan gave me a small bow.

“Have a pleasant time, Madam, Your Grace.”

He quickly turned and disappeared around the corner.

Not just Evan, but Anna too was motioning to the other servants in the hallway, backing away as well.

Anna made eye contact with me and giggled, then left just like Evan.

“…Why is everyone acting like that?”

“I think I know.”

“Really? What is it?”

Harold’s big hand cupped my cheek, and he suddenly leaned in close.

Smooch.

“Hiccup.”

Startled, a hiccup popped out of me. Harold’s eyes curved softly with amusement.

“…You could’ve just told me instead.”

“Actions speak faster than words.”

As if that’s all he meant to show me, Harold casually pulled his hand away from my cheek.

But the soft, warm touch of his lips lingered hotly on mine.

The warmth seemed to spread down my throat. I cleared my throat and quickly changed the subject.

“Ahem! What were you talking about with Evan?”

“Not much. Oh, Diana.”

“Yes?”

“The Count sent a letter agreeing to put Lady Ella on probation for 30 years.”

“So he accepted our terms.”

Ella was already on the verge of passing the Empire’s marriageable age while dating and being engaged to Kaiden.

But with 30 more years added to that, no matter how beautiful she was, her chances at the status she desperately wanted would shrink to almost nothing.

There could be no worse despair for Ella.

“He must’ve decided it’d be more of a loss to keep resisting.”

“The Count is that kind of person.”

“He asked that she be allowed to rest in the territory for her mental well-being, instead of calling it punishment. What do you think?”

Harold asked as if I had the final say. But I guessed the Count’s true intentions and felt my mood drop.

‘…He’s assuming Harold is going to die soon and made that proposal based on that.’

If Harold died, the Count could pretend none of this happened and try to marry Ella off again. He just didn’t want to lose his investment.

“Why are you angry?”

Harold pressed my frown gently with his fingers.

“Well…!”

I swallowed the words stuck in my throat.

“Because the Count is assuming I’ll die soon?”

“…”

Did it show on my face again?

I checked my reflection in the window, but I couldn’t really tell. Then I heard a soft laugh.

I turned to look at Harold. The corners of his lips were curved in a pleased smile.

“Are you… happy?”

I was glad if he was, but I didn’t get why. I was confused. The anger I felt disappeared quickly.

“Of course I’m happy. You’re mad because you know I won’t die.”

Harold rubbed his neck lazily and said,

“Diana, get mad some more.”

“…That request sounds super weird, you know.”

“Didn’t you know? I’m kind of a pervert.”

And he said it so shamelessly too.

Still, feeling good is better than feeling upset. So I lowered my voice and muttered a few things.

“The Count wouldn’t even be surprised if he got pooped on by a bird while walking. He’s just that unlucky.”

“…”

“If he tripped over a rock and made a fool of himself, it’d be well-deserved. I’m sure his own greed will get him into real trouble soon.”

“…”

“…Why are your shoulders shaking?”

“Kh…!”

“Now you’re laughing out loud.”

I tried to be nice because he said he felt good, but now he’s laughing at me? That stung a little.

I swore to myself I’d never agree to a request like that again.

“I’ll let you handle Ella’s probation. I’ll be going now—”

Just as I took half a step back and began to turn, he grabbed my wrist.

I felt the cold metal of his ring against my arm as Harold moved closer and wrapped his arm around my waist.

“Don’t be mad. I wasn’t laughing at you.”

Harold gently pressed under my eye with his fingertip.

“I just liked it. That you were mad for my sake. I liked it a lot.”

His eyes were gently curved, with a sparkle of joy in them. Even the skin under his eyes was pink, so it didn’t seem like he was lying.

The negativity I felt melted away quickly. Harold must’ve noticed too, because his smile grew even warmer.

“Diana, there’s no one around right now.”

His thumb moved lower, from beneath my eye down along my cheek. As his hand traveled lower, the warm fluttering feeling filled the space the anger had left.

This atmosphere… even I, as dense as I can be, couldn’t miss what it meant. The impression of that day was too strong.

‘…This isn’t good.’

I needed to be logical, to think realistically.

His hand brushed over my lips.

He blinked slowly, as if asking for permission.

‘It’s just… a healing kiss, right?’

I nodded.

“…Just for a moment.”

“Yeah, just for a moment.”

Harold’s face moved closer. I felt our lips meet and slowly closed my eyes.

---

I finished reading the book and laid it on my lap. The carriage was sturdy, so I didn’t get carsick even while reading. That was definitely a blessing.

I looked out the window at the peaceful scenery and suddenly remembered hearing that Ella had left early that morning.

‘I guess I won’t be running into her anymore.’

Now all that was left was to heal Harold without anyone finding out.

When that happened, my investment would more than double. Then I could sell it off and settle down in another country.

It was only a rough plan, but I still had a plan. I just hoped everything continued to go smoothly.

“Madam, we have arrived.”

I put on my cloak and stepped out of the carriage, which bore no noble insignia and looked quite ordinary on the outside.

A masked man waiting for me ahead gave a small bow.

“I’ll be back. Go find a place to rest for a bit.”

I handed a gold coin each to the guard and the coachman. It was to keep them quiet and to tell them not to just wait outside while I was at the guild—go rest somewhere instead.

The knight took the coin first. But unlike usual, the coachman, who always accepted gold with joy, seemed hesitant today.

“Is something wrong?”

“O-oh, no! I was just lost in thought… Haha, thank you again today.”

He accepted the coin and smiled brightly. I smiled faintly in return.

Even though I gave them the money to keep quiet and use for rest, the coachman always stayed with the carriage. It was because of his family.

He wanted to give as much as he could to them instead of using it for himself.

“I heard tomorrow is your daughter’s birthday. Enjoy the time with your family.”

I said what I’d heard from Anna, and handed him another gold coin while he still had his head lowered.

“I couldn’t possibly accept this too…”

“Let’s say it’s a birthday gift from me. Tell her I said happy birthday.”

“…Thank you, my lady.”

His voice trembled as he accepted the extra coin.

I gave his shoulder a pat and walked toward the guild with one of the guild members.

“The guild master is not in today, so someone else will be here instead.”

“Someone else…? The usual stand-in?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Ah, I see. I nodded and entered the room.

A guild representative wearing a plain white mask stood up and bowed. I greeted them, saying it had been a while, and received the usual report.

I glanced through the documents, only asking a few questions before nodding in understanding. Then, a random little curiosity came to mind, and I called the guild rep over.

“Hey, I have a personal question. Do you mind if I ask?”

His navy-blue eyes, which had been quietly watching me read, suddenly sparkled with interest.

—“Please, feel free to ask anything. Didn’t I say I’d help no matter the topic?”

Feeling reassured, I gave in to my curiosity.

“It’s not about me, but… I’m wondering how that confession you mentioned last time went. Did it go well? Did you do it?”

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-

• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •

If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~

Advance chapters of this novel are available of my kofi channel

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-