Chapter 67
Was it because I saw the Rosier bud?
Or because I had realized on my own why the bud had formed?
I couldn’t fall asleep no matter how late the night grew.
Afraid that Richard might notice the restlessness stirring in my heart, I turned away from the bed he was lying in.
Facing the window, I was bathed in soft moonlight. In the night sky blanketed by darkness, only the moon and stars shone.
I simply stared silently out the window where the moonlight poured in.
From behind me came the occasional sound of rustling.
Each time, I held my breath and tensed up.
My body had become so sensitive, reacting instinctively to Richard’s every movement.
Had sharing a room with him always been this uncomfortable? I couldn’t remember.
The only consolation was that this would be the last night we spent together in this Starlight Hotel.
But strangely, the thought of leaving brought with it a bittersweet feeling.
When I had first arrived here, I’d been weighed down by the anxiety of preparing for the trial.
Of course, it was never going to be something I could go through with peace of mind.
To make matters worse, a reservation mix-up had led to me sharing a room with Richard.
But looking back, not everything that happened was bad.
In the end, I won the trial that Richard and I had prepared for together.
I reclaimed my rights from Baron Hazel and Cecilia,
and above all, I found a clue toward curing my chronic illness, the Darnnella’s disease.
Maybe in the near future, the Rosier would bloom and we’d be able to create a remedy for it.
Things I once believed impossible had started becoming reality during my stay here.
In fact, this place had been where unbelievable things came true.
Maybe that’s why I felt a little wistful about leaving.
But it was time to go.
Starting tomorrow, we’d be staying for a few days at Duke Tristan’s estate.
And once our business there was done, I’d return to Count Theodore’s territory.
Could I stay by Richard’s side even then?
So far, he hadn’t shown any signs of hatred or contempt toward me, not like in the original story.
Then, would it be alright for me to take Aileen’s place in his life?
The story had already changed so much.
I, who should’ve died without gaining anything, had defeated Baron Hazel in court, reclaimed the title of Duke of Tristan, and obtained the Rosier plant, which was the key to curing Darnnella’s disease.
These were all things I was never meant to have.
The Diarna who was supposed to die miserably in the original story no longer existed.
It had all started with a small change.
I, who had been nothing more than a background character to show off Richard’s coldness,
was gone.
Now, only I remained—Richard’s wife, and the Duke of Tristan.
It might seem trivial.
What real impact could changing the life of a mere extra have?
But for me, the one living this life, those trivial changes meant everything.
And they made me wonder—could an even greater change take place in my heart?
Like… staying by Richard’s side as his wife.
Like… keeping Richard from falling in love with Aileen.
I had changed so much already.
Maybe it wasn’t such an impossible dream.
Holding back the rising excitement in my heart, I quietly closed my eyes.
I felt like I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep for a long time.
—
“…Ma…’am…”
A faint voice, as if underwater, reached my ears.
It was so familiar, so comforting, that I naturally focused on it.
“…Madam, Madam!”
“Mmm?”
The once distant voice suddenly rang clearly beside my ear.
I finally forced open my heavy eyelids and looked to see who had called me.
As always, it was Olivier who had woken me.
“Good morning, Olivier.”
“Yes, my lady. It’s time to get up. Morning has arrived.”
Confirming that it was Olivier, I closed my eyes again and smiled.
Judging by the brightness around me, it must have been morning already.
When had I even fallen asleep…?
Maybe because I’d fallen asleep so late, getting up wasn’t easy.
I raised both hands to cover my face and let out a small sigh.
My body was still weighed down with fatigue, but I couldn’t just lie there forever.
“Olivier, could you help me?”
“Yes, my lady.”
Olivier naturally supported my upper body.
With her assistance, I sat up, blinking against the heaviness that still clung to my eyelids.
“What time is it?”
“It’s nine o’clock.”
“What?”
I had expected it to be no later than seven, so her response caught me completely off guard.
My eyes snapped open in surprise, and the weariness that had been pressing on me vanished in an instant.
“It’s already that late?”
I hurriedly threw off the covers and sat up.
But the moment my feet touched the floor, a wave of dizziness hit me, and my vision went black.
My legs gave out beneath me, and I almost collapsed to the floor.
If it hadn’t been for Olivier’s quick grip, I definitely would have.
“My lady!”
I clenched my eyes shut as Olivier held me up.
After a moment, the dizziness began to fade, and my vision slowly returned to normal.
Changing positions too quickly had triggered the vertigo, and a chill ran through my fingertips.
It was a sensation I could never quite get used to, no matter how often it happened.
Not that there was much point in getting used to something like this anyway.
“Are you alright?”
I nodded at her worried question and gently pulled away from her support.
“It was just a bit of dizziness. I’m fine now.”
“If you’re feeling unwell, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”
“I will, I promise.”
I hadn’t realized how comforting it was to have someone worry so sincerely about me.
Richard, and the people I met through marrying him, were all more than I deserved.
“But why did you let me sleep so late? You usually wake me earlier.”
Curious, I couldn’t hide my surprise.
Olivier smiled warmly in response.
“I was planning to wake you early, as usual,” she began as we headed to the bath so I could wash up.
While the maids helped me undress, Olivier untied the ribbon at my back and continued.
“But the master stopped me. He said you looked tired and should be allowed to rest a little longer.”
“…Richard said that?”
“Yes. He said you must have gone to bed late and needed the rest.
Since today is the last day at the hotel and there’s still plenty of time until checkout, he told me to let you sleep a bit more.”
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
It was unexpected.
Could he have known I hadn’t been able to sleep until late last night?
Last night, I had been so conscious of not facing him—partly because it felt awkward, but also because I worried it might seem creepy to look at someone sleeping.
So I deliberately avoided looking at Richard.
Because of that, I hadn’t been able to tell whether he had been awake or not.
Maybe the rustling I heard during the night hadn’t been from discomfort but because he was awake.
But then… how did he know I hadn’t fallen asleep early?
I had my back turned to him the whole time. There was no way he could have seen my face.
The questions kept swirling in my head.
Normally, I would have let it go, but ever since I saw the blooming Rosier flower, my thoughts wouldn’t stop circling.
Still puzzled, I sank into the warm bath filled to the brim.
My weary body began to slowly relax in the heat.
I leaned back in the tub, feeling noticeably lighter as the maids assisted me.
The sound of gently lapping water helped soothe the whirl of thoughts in my head.
“So where’s Richard? He must’ve been up early.”
Since Olivier said he told her not to wake me, that meant he had been awake during the morning hours.
If he was up early, he likely finished breakfast already.
If he had somewhere to be, he would have gone out by now.
If not, he might have returned to the room to handle some work.
But when I woke up, Richard wasn’t in the room.
So he must have gone out on business.
“The master woke up early this morning and said he would be exercising with the knights.”
“Did he?”
“Yes. But he said he would still eat breakfast with you, even if it was late.
He must’ve been notified as soon as you woke up.”
“He wants to have breakfast with me? Even this late?”
Why would he?
He was someone who always woke early and finished breakfast quickly.
Though I hadn’t spent much time with him, I’d never seen him break from his usual routine.
While I kept to a regular schedule thanks to the help of those around me, Richard was a little different. He seemed to have been disciplined in that lifestyle for a long time.
Normally, he would’ve eaten while I slept. But now he was skipping his meal just to have it with me?
I found myself glancing toward the bathroom door.
Of course, Richard wouldn’t be standing just beyond it, but the thought of going out and facing him felt awkward somehow—enough to make me instinctively glance that way.
