Chapter 90

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 90

Chapter Title: No Mistress for Me

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Arpad's mood, which had been excellent just moments ago, plummeted to rock bottom at one woman's remark.

"Because the woman who will become your lover later is to be pitied."

Lover.

What the hell did that mean?

It wasn't the word itself that bothered him.

The problem was the person who said it.

Is that something a wife should say?

Of course, in a political marriage like theirs, it wasn't unusual for spouses to keep separate lovers.

His own parents were a rare exception.

But he didn't have any other woman right now, yet Hilia kept talking about it as if it were a foregone conclusion.

As if she were certain it would happen.

Thinking about it only soured his mood further.

Hilia sometimes acted like she'd seen the future.

Starting from the moment she'd approached him with her bride abduction proposal.

Just a few days ago, predicting the dragon's eclipse and laying out all her plans.

So... had she predicted he'd take another woman too?

"Why would I ever have a lover?"

"...Because you never know what the future holds?"

Her response only made him feel worse.

That was why.

Why Arpad spoke so curtly.

"I have no intention of keeping a lover."

Hilia's violet eyes, usually brimming with composure, widened in surprise.

"...Why not?"

"That's a strange question."

"No, but you never know how things might turn out later?"

"True. The future is uncertain."

Hilia always acted like she knew, but he didn't.

Which was exactly why he could say this with certainty.

"I know myself. I have no plans to take a lover outside of my wife."

"......"

Hilia gaped at him, seemingly at a loss for words.

To her, Arpad drove the point home.

"So you should give up on the idea too."

"Pardon? Give up on what?"

"Keeping a lover."

"When did I ever say I was planning to keep a lover...!"

Hilia started to flare up, then realized something.

"Wait. You still haven't let go of that misunderstanding?"

"What misunderstanding?"

"Sir Beltein!"

The moment the word lover and Beltein's name came from her lips, Arpad's mood began to sink even deeper, burrowing into the earth.

His stomach churned.

No, more precisely, he felt low enough to want to drag that knight standing guard outside the door and kill him on the spot.

Of course, he couldn't act on it because of Hilia.

Oblivious or not, she launched into excuses.

"I've told you so many times. Sir Beltein is just a loyal knight. You know that—you're just teasing me, aren't you?"

"......"

She was right.

He'd misunderstood once at first, but it hadn't been serious.

It had been more like teasing her.

But not this time.

Right now, Arpad was genuinely, fiercely enraged at the mere mention of Beltein—his blood boiled, and his nerves frayed.

Like soothing a child, Hilia continued.

"There's really nothing between Sir Beltein and me. Of course, I'm grateful for his loyalty, but that's all. He would've shown the same devotion even if he served another house."

"......"

Arpad fell silent.

Not because he agreed with her.

Quite the opposite.

If I hadn't seen that guy's face earlier, I might've thought the same.

That he was the epitome of chivalry—stubborn and unyielding.

That his loyalty to Hilia was purely knightly.

But he'd already seen it.

The clear agitation on Sir Beltein's face at the words "Hilia's husband."

A flicker of resentment and jealousy—he'd seen it plain as day.

I could tell because we're both men.

And now, here in this private bedroom, that knight's name came up again.

Arpad didn't like that one bit.

"......"

"......"

Hilia and Arpad stared each other down, both stubbornly refusing to yield.

An awkward, uncomfortable silence filled the room.

With a sigh, I made the first move.

"I don't know why you keep bringing up Sir Beltein, but... there's really nothing."

"...I know."

"Then why do you keep acting like that?"

I asked, utterly baffled.

Arpad shot back.

"And why do you keep talking like I'm bound to cheat someday?"

"......"

"Do you not trust me otherwise? Am I that unreliable?"

I had no idea what to say here.

Because I know your future?

But explaining that would require too much.

And before that, I was a little scared.

Of seriously telling someone else that I'd regressed.

I'd tried it once before, and it had ended disastrously.

"Actually, I came back from the future."

That person...

I suppressed the bitterly painful memory.

I couldn't say it after all.

But I couldn't just gloss over it entirely either.

At least showing some sincerity might clear up the misunderstandings.

So I answered honestly—omitting only the regression part.

"Actually, I'm just preparing for it."

"...Preparing for what?"

"Preparing not to expect anything. That way, I won't get hurt."

Saying it aloud surprised even me. Knowing Arpad would soon fall for another woman, I'd unconsciously braced for it.

...What is this?

If I didn't like Arpad, it shouldn't matter who he fell for, right?

Why was I even thinking like this...?

Then Arpad asked in a subdued voice, snapping me out of it.

"...So you're saying you have no expectations of me?"

To be precise, having no expectations would be better for me.

But admitting that felt wrong.

Even though moments ago, I'd wanted to share my true feelings.

It was too complicated.

As I agonized over how to respond, Arpad nodded as if understanding.

"Well, I suppose it's hard to fully trust a mad crown prince. I get it."

His expression looked even more hurt than yesterday's.

Seeing that, I couldn't just let it slide.

"No."

"...What?"

"It's not because I don't trust you."

"But just now you..."

"I've been betrayed so many times, I have trouble trusting people. And I have this habit of assuming the worst beforehand."

This was a real habit I'd picked up after regressing.

"If I truly didn't trust you at all, I never would've asked for the bride abduction in the first place."

"......"

An expression I'd never seen before crossed Arpad's face.

For some reason, this situation felt unbearably embarrassing and hard to endure.

Not that I'd revealed the regression, but baring even a raw piece of my inner thoughts to someone else for the first time?

That had to be it.

It felt more humiliating than being stripped naked.

So I whipped my head away, dove into bed, buried my face in the covers, and shouted.

"We're sleeping separately tonight!"

It was too mortifying.

Arpad's clear laughter rang through the room.

Soon, the rustle of movement approached from beside me.

"Go to your own bedroom...!"

I'd just popped my head out from under the covers, fuming.

Arpad's face was suddenly right in front of mine.

"No."

My face flushed bright red without warning.

Arpad replied in a serious tone devoid of humor.

"I have no intention of sleeping in another bed."

I squirmed backward, trying to slip off the bed.

"Then I'll go to another room...!"

But he grabbed me.

"We're officially newlyweds—a lovey-dovey pair. Announcing separate rooms wouldn't be a wise choice."

He was right, which only made it more infuriating.

So I shouted out of sheer stubbornness.

"I'll sleep without looking at your face!"

His wife did exactly as she said.

She turned her back with a huff and fell asleep. Arpad carefully embraced her from behind.

It hit him anew: since sharing a bed with her, he'd been sleeping more deeply.

True to his dragon bloodline, he didn't need much sleep.

One or two hours a day sufficed, and in tense times, he could go days without rest.

Yet with her, sleep came unusually easily.

Deep, uncharacteristic slumber.

Like right now.

Arpad rarely dreamed.

Perhaps because he slept so little, opportunities were scarce.

Or maybe because he had few regrets to mull over.

Either way, he wasn't used to dreams.

Especially nightmares.

"No! I hate it! Nooo!"

A woman was screaming. A voice he knew well.

Through hazy vision, a familiar face appeared.

Pink hair crudely chopped and soiled. Pale, fragile skin marred with wounds and bruises everywhere.

And above all, a face twisted in terror, weeping.

"P-please... spare me... please..."

It was Hilia.

Pinning the wailing woman down like a beast was unmistakably himself.

Pale pink hair splayed across the black stone floor burned vividly into his mind.

But the "current" him lacked the reason to judge properly.

He followed only beastly instinct.

He began licking the blood flowing from Hilia's wounds.

"—!!!"

When he opened his eyes, Arpad realized he'd had a dream.

His first nightmare since birth.

Unnaturally vivid. And vicious.

Arpad slowly turned his head.

Hilia, oblivious to the dream her husband had just had, slept soundly in his arms.