She felt like she was forcibly kicked out of a sweet dream.
‘You postponed the execution for me?’
She looked at John with a nervous face.
‘…Why are you telling me that?’
“The execution of my parents?”
“Yes. Just yesterday was the execution day of the Duke and Duchess of Libertan. You probably didn’t know because I tried to hide it as much as possible.”
In the original work, the Duke and Duchess of Libertan died in a very tumultuous manner. They were burned at the stake while all citizens of the empire were throwing stones. John, the warlock, did not let the Duke and Duchess of Libertan die.
‘He brought them back to life using black magic.’
This was possible because a curse was placed on them while they were being tortured in the imperial palace. After the whole truth was revealed, she would be shocked to discover the Duke and Duchess of Libertan in a body that couldn’t die.
‘But now I haven’t heard anything.’
She only heard that the execution would take place, but she did not know the specific execution date or news that the execution had been postponed.
‘I guess it means that John thoroughly controlled information.’
“…Why are you telling me that?”
“Well.”
John smiled suspiciously as if he was curious as well.
“Do you want to guess?”
Honestly, she didn’t know anything.
“…Are you afraid I’ll be upset?”
It was an answer that even she couldn’t understand. Of course, John frowned and pressed his lips to the side of her neck.
“I guess that’s why.”
“Other than that, what is it?”
She gently pushed John away with the most innocent look on her face.
“My parents were guilty of death. That is why execution cannot be avoided.”
“It did.”
“But they suddenly postponed it because of me, so I don’t know anything.”
Then, John grabbed her hand that was pushing him away and kissed each of her fingers.
“I feel like their sins have not yet been revealed enough for them to die.”
John’s red eyes flashed. Somehow, it felt like it was about her.
“What kind of crime is that?”
“There are only things I can’t say for sure right now.”
John smiled lightly and came a little closer to her.
“But I’ll give you a hint.”
The chair cushions were pushed all the way to the wall. His feet were still in the basin.
“It’s about you.”
There was no way to retreat further from John. Her mind was all confused.
“Me…?”
When she thought about it that way, it got even weirder.
‘For that sin… Will what they did to me count?’
Abuse was definitely a sin. But she didn’t know if the sin that John was trying to reveal was about her wounds. Because sins like her abuse weren’t something that was worth the trouble for him to uncover. No parts for great revenge.
‘So you were trying to get revenge on me.’
In order to stay by John’s side for a long time, she had to control herself well. Because if she made a mistake, she had to go back to a state where she couldn’t even have expectations.
“Honestly, I don’t know. In fact, I didn’t even know that his parents had committed treason until I met John.”
“…”
“Even if you ask me about the Libertan duchy, I don’t know much about it.”
She knew it now because she knew the original, but originally she wasn’t supposed to know anything.
‘This may be the reason why John hates me.’
At that time, John’s eyes became a little cold.
“Didn’t the Libertan Dukes teach you anything?”
“They said that there are many scary things that I don’t know. I asked them to tell me.”
To John’s knowledge of her, she added the part about her lack of will. But John showed an unexpected reaction.
“How can they teach you nothing?”
“Instead, they taught me a lot of other things. I can be good at things like ladies’ culture and ancient languages.”
She was afraid that John might have a serious misunderstanding, so she defended them. The more she said, the colder his eyes became.
“Still, that means you are not a child of the family, but a school… no.”
John calmed his expression and smiled sweetly.
“Don’t worry. It’s okay if you don’t know anything.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.”
“I told you there was no need to be sorry. You can fill it with things about the Blanchett family instead of the Libertan family.”
“Which ones?”
“Family history or tradition?”
John stroked her head.
“Instead, you shouldn’t run away because it’s not fun.”
“It won’t happen. What a diligent student I am.”
“I know very well.”
John’s red eyes looked at her affectionately.
“How hard are you willing to work?”
Strangely, it was difficult to look at John’s face. She quickly tried to stand up. The problem was that one foot was still in the basin. Her slippery feet lost her balance and she stumbled. Even the nearby basin containing floating flowers fell over. It was water that nobles usually kept with perfume. The water inside rose up and the surrounding area became completely wet in no time. The petals fluttered and several fell out. Not only hers but also John’s entire body got wet.
“What should I do, John!”
The clothes were soaked with water, revealing the outline of the body. Because as soon as the water rose, he embraced her and protected her. It seemed like an instinctive action.
‘As if protecting from a threat.’
It would be a bit ridiculous to call this a threat. But John seemed to regard the pouring water as a danger. Her whole body was trapped in John’s arms, his face so close. The neat appearance looked even more decadent as it got wet. As he got wet, his scent became even stronger. Moisture gathered at the tips of his long eyelashes and shimmered.
“I need to clean it.”
John took off his soaked top. His bare skin was naturally exposed. Solid muscles moved along elegant and structured lines.
“Does it hurt anywhere?”
“You’re overprotective. This is okay.”
“As long as you say it’s okay, I have no choice but to do this too.”
John wiped her face and wet hair with the towel he had next to her.
‘Look at this. You are much wetter than me.’
A gentle and attentive hand caressed her.
‘Why are you being so nice to me?’
Every time John touched her, her fur tensed.
‘To the point where I want to misunderstand that it’s real.’
“I’m going to go change right away.”
She was just about to stand up when John stopped her. It was a strangely coercive touch.
“If you don’t wipe it right away, you might catch a cold.”
A towel wiped away the moisture from her bangs.
“…I can handle it myself.”
“I want to do it.”
“Why?”
She mustered up the courage to face him.
“Why do you want to take care of me?”
“…”
“Do you really take care of just anyone like this?”
John looked at her silently. The languid afternoon sunlight fell outside the window. A quiet silence gathered around.
“I only do this to you.”
Hair that was slightly wet and sticky, alluring eyes, elegantly raised nose bridge, and well-shaped lips. John quietly smiled and slowly approached.
“I feel that way especially for you.”
Warm, soft lips brushed against her forehead.
“Even if I try to avoid you, I can’t avoid you. I keep looking at you and becoming greedy.”
Soon, the lips gently moved down and carefully landed on the area around the eyes and the tip of the nose. John playfully bit the tip of his nose and pulled his face away. He looked at my face with a greedy and earnest gaze, with a mischievous smile on his lips.
“Where do you think we’ll go next?”
…Very languid in her ears. Their lips touched.
* * *
Royam Mansion was crowded with people. Compared to Crown Prince Royam, Mireyu, a poor baron, was a much inferior bride. Queen Isabella, the king’s representative, threw a party every day until her wedding to keep her mirth from shrinking. Mireyu’s friends came to congratulate her, who would soon become crown princess.
“Mireyu, I’m glad it worked out so well. I guess people should live good lives.”
“I heard the Prince of Hesse is so kind to you. When will I meet such a nice man?”
“Is there a man like the Prince of Hesse? He is handsome, handsome, and kind, and he even says he loves you so much, Mireyu.”
Above all, Mireyu was a very reputable and kind young lady, so everyone was deeply happy about Mireyu’s good fortune.
Diana asked Mireyu, who had let go of her friend.
“New sister, you’re fiddling with the ribbon again.”
“My God.”
Mireyu opened her eyes wide in surprise and pulled her hand away. Diana looked at Mireyu with concern.
“As expected, you’re still having a hard time, right? Because she didn’t even get an apology from the perpetrator.”
“…no. Now I try to forgive her for that.”
Mireyu laughed weakly.
“Because a lot of time has passed. She probably won’t remember anything about him anyway, so it’s strange that she keeps holding on to me-”
“Then no. I will take this opportunity to accept her apology.”
“But she is Duchess Blanchett.”
Duke Blanchett was one of the most powerful men in the empire. This meant that even if it was the Kingdom of Royam, it was an opponent that couldn’t be treated carelessly.
“So we need to make this fact known even more. Does it make sense that she was buried because her assailant never made his debut in the social world? It even looks like she’s about to enter the social world.”
Diana said strongly, holding Mireyu’s hand.
“If Duke Blanchett is in his right mind, when she finds out the truth, he will be angry at his wife and not my sister-in-law.”
“I don’t want to be a burden. I think it’s right to bring up something that has already happened a long time ago.”
“It’s the right thing to do. Otherwise, I’ll step in first and bring it up. Then I will take full responsibility.”
The more Diana saw Mireyu blaming herself, the angrier she became.
‘My sister-in-law is this kind.’
Estelle bullied her good sister-in-law because she was adopted and has a high social status, leaving her with a scar.
‘I can’t forgive her.’
Princess Diana, who even received her knighthood, was a just character. As her knight, she had a duty to protect the weak.
“Anyway, the people I’m inviting to this party are all my friends. Everyone knows her sister’s situation and will help her avoid getting away.”
“Thank you, Diana.”
Mireyu pretended to be moved and covered her face with her palms.
‘Look, what would you do if you were a duchess? I don’t know how to do anything.’
The corner of Miryu’s mouth quirked up.
‘With this, I can get married safely.’
The Kingdom of Royam, the core of the United Kingdom. After her wedding, Queen Isabella announced to the Crown Prince that he would succeed her as King. When she gets married, she can become queen right away.
‘I am the next queen.’
The rich and powerful Kingdom of Royam. A handsome prince who only has eyes for Mireyu. Even her in-laws who lavished support on her behalf. Now all she has left to do is enjoy everything happily.
* * *
The kiss that happened just now was like an accident.
“This is-”
It was a natural disaster that no one expected. That was the moment when she first pulled her face away and looked at him.
“Estelle Libertan.”
John’s face was expressionless. Even though he looked cold and devoid of any emotion, she felt like he was very nervous.
‘This really looks like John.’
John asked, holding her chin.
“Why didn’t you avoid it?”
“…Did you think I would avoid it?”
“…”
The crook of John’s neck twitched for a moment.
“Don’t provoke me further.”
The atmosphere was both languid and breathtaking. It bothered her even to blink.
“Before I do something stupid to you.”
“What kind of stupid thing is this?”
“Things you can’t even imagine.”
Near body temperature. His cold yet kind gaze seemed to contain sincerity. John’s hands cupped her cheeks. He raised his eyebrows and smiled.
“When I’m with you, I forget everything.”
“…”
“Do you want to forget? Should I forget everything?”
She wanted to soak in the moment and just forget everything. Was it really okay to urge John to give up revenge? The right option for her was to pretend she didn’t know anything and ask him to forget it.
“No, don’t forget anything.”
“Do you know what it is?”
“I don’t know. But John wants to forget everything-”
She looked into John’s trembling red eyes and touched his lips.
“You look so distressed.”
“…”
“I’d rather just keep remembering. Whatever it is.”
John looked at her and squeezed and unclenched his hand. As if trying to grasp something in his empty hands.
“You… You don’t know anything, but you act like you know everything. Do you really know, or do you not know?”
A white, cold finger traced her lips.
“What are you hiding?”
“John.”
“Why can’t you tell me?”
John’s gaze became even more affectionate. He looked at her and she asked in a whisper.
“You were going to say that kiss just now was an accident, right?”
His eyes widened.
“That is…”
“It was an accident.”
Unexpectedly, John laughed lightly.
“One thing that happened when the saint came was that she was like a camouflage.”
These words were exactly what she was thinking. She nodded awkwardly. John touched her ear and pressed his lips to hers.
“This isn’t like an accident.”
She asked him with a bright face.
“Then what is it?”
“My dark heart.”
John’s red eyes glowed arrogantly.
“Prepare your heart.”
“…”
“Whatever it is, I need to know.”
John whispered in an obsessed voice.
“Even the things you want to hide and the things you didn’t even know about. Every single strand of hair you shed.”
She looked blankly at his face.
‘Somehow I feel like John loves me.’
To her ears, everything John said sounded like a love confession.
* * *
The next day, Princess Diana of the Kingdom of Royam sent her an invitation.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
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