Chapter 29

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 29

Chapter Title: I Want to Sleep Together

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'Why that look on her face?'

The light in her eyes felt familiar, like something he'd seen before.

He was sure he'd seen it somewhere.

Racking his brain, he recalled the morning after she'd arrived at the castle, when she'd been caressing her own tombstone in the underground crypt.

Clodel placed a hand over her heart, gazing at him with profound emotion and joy.

"You're truly an amazing man, Your Grace."

Her unexpected words made Kaiyan's eyes widen.

"Far more than I ever imagined."

"More than you imagined?"

Even amid all this, he couldn't help wondering how she'd originally thought of him.

Clodel covered her cheeks with her hands in embarrassment but still answered his question.

"You must know this yourself, Your Grace. There were never any good stories about House Temneth coming out of Valmond."

"Hm."

It was the same principle as how nothing good was ever said about House Vermonte in Rowen, so with her stating it so bluntly, Kaiyan had nothing to say in return.

"But you are remarkable, Your Grace."

"Why is that?"

"You govern such vast lands."

Clodel's gaze drifted past the garden cafe's low fence to the bustling shopping street beyond.

"And you're only five years older than me. Even if I live to twenty-five, I can't imagine ruling a territory this large."

"That's because I was trained as heir."

"Not everyone who studies succeeds at it."

It was nothing special, yet Kaiyan felt a strange itch in his ears. Still, he didn't hate hearing her say positive things about him. Not one bit.

"For someone like you to want to save anyone without reason... that's truly admirable."

"Is it."

"Of course. Most nobles exploit their people without even seeing them as fellow humans."

Clodel seemed to realize her slip and quickly added,

"You might not think kindly of it, but Duke Vermonte is actually a good lord to his people. He barely collected taxes during that ten-year drought."

Kaiyan felt a strange mix of emotions.

Before, when Clodel had saved him and gotten badly hurt in the process, hearing a similar response had deeply offended him.

But now, after pettily throwing it back at her, getting an unexpectedly generous reply in return made him feel a needless pang of guilt.

"Let's go."

"Yes."

As they rose, a cafe maid brought over a box and handed it to Clodel.

She must have carefully selected and ordered something earlier to take with her.

"Here, let me carry it."

"It's fine. I can manage this much."

Matching his stride to the woman holding the box with both hands, Kaiyan caught Clodel glancing up at him knowingly, then flashing a bright smile.

Watching her lips curve so gracefully, he felt a sudden urgency.

'Have I smelled too much rose scent?'

His head felt strangely foggy.

Back at Rowen Castle, Hanna greeted her warmly.

"Madam! Did everything go well?"

"Yes."

Hanna, who had still been wearing Valmond-style clothes until recently, was now dressed in a light Rowen dress. When Clodel's clothes were being fitted, Kaiyan had told them to prepare a few extras, and the diligent Hanna had promptly claimed her share. She truly stood out among the maids.

"What's this?"

Hanna asked, and Clodel's eyes sparkled.

"What is it? Try guessing."

"Will you give it to me if I guess right?"

"Hehe."

Unable to wait after telling her to guess, Clodel quickly untied the ribbon and lifted the box lid.

"Wow, so pretty."

Inside was a wooden tray stacked with the small, delicate desserts they'd eaten at the cafe earlier.

"Where did you get something like this?"

"Come here. Let's sit and eat."

"I'll go grab some tea right away."

Hanna dashed to the castle kitchen and returned with tea.

As the tea leaves steeped in hot water, the room filled with a fragrant, sweet aroma.

The scent of the brewing tea mingled with the sugary treats coated in lemon juice and vanilla.

Hanna nibbled on one of the desserts Clodel had brought, took a sip of tea, and gave a thumbs up.

"Delicious. Mmm. So, where did you go today?"

"The duke bought me some jewelry."

"Jewelry?"

Hanna's eyes went wide.

"Ahh, that's great. When we were packing, I messed up somehow—the dress boxes were all flimsy ones, and I couldn't find any of the jewelry cases. I was worried we'd have to send a telegram back to Valmond."

Clodel hid her bitter feelings.

Hanna didn't know Duke Vermonte had sent her to House Temneth expecting her to die, with nothing but the clothes on her back.

She knew now that Clodel had Herzol and had been sent off as a sacrificial lamb to their enemy house, but if she learned they'd skipped even basic wedding gifts, Hanna would explode in rage.

And soothing that rage would fall not to Duke Vermonte, the cause of it all, but to Clodel herself. So she kept quiet.

"But you were at the jeweler's that long? Did you buy a lot?"

"No. Yes. Ah, no."

Clodel's vague reply made Hanna tilt her head.

They hadn't stayed long but had bought plenty, and it wasn't the jeweler's anyway.

"I bought the jewelry quickly."

"Did you find anything you liked?"

"Yeah."

Even thinking back now, she wanted to bite her tongue for saying they were all pretty.

She was starting to understand Kaiyan's way.

He was so straightforward that half-hearted answers wouldn't do at all.

In any case, with her personal funds depleted, it was a given that she couldn't match the prestige of the Duchess of Temneth. She decided to be grateful that he'd at least helped maintain her dignity this way.

The late Duchess of Temneth had been the flower of flowers in Oberon Kingdom—a twin princess cherished by the late king, Princess Elise.

With such an impossibly grand predecessor as her potential comparison, Clodel's worries were mounting now that she was alive and here.

"Did you try them on? Did they pick something that suits you?"

She nearly answered 'Yes, no, yeah' again but changed the subject.

"After the jewelry, we went to a cafe. Garden Cafe—such a beautiful place."

"Garden Cafe? Hmm... hard to picture."

"Right? Roses everywhere, with tables nestled between the flowerbeds in the garden, where you sit and have tea."

"Wow, that many flowers?"

"Yes."

Hanna's genuine reaction, as a fellow northerner from Valmond, made Clodel eager to share more.

"You should've come with us, Hanna."

"Nah, what are you saying? You needed that intimate time alone with the lord."

"Intimate time?"

Clodel's eyes widened round.

"A date?"

Hanna chuckled at her.

"He buys you a gift, escorts you like a gentleman, you walk together, have tea, and chat. What else would you call it?"

"Ah...?"

Was that it? It wasn't just about buying jewelry?

Clodel knew what a date was, vaguely.

Hanna sometimes borrowed thin books that castle maids read for fun—stories about young ladies fresh from debutante balls falling in love with handsome noblemen.

"But doesn't the man have to ask the woman first?"

Kaiyan hadn't done that at all.

Hanna swallowed her dessert and said,

"Well, you're already married and living together, so no need to set a date and time."

"A date. My first one."

Clodel's eyes drooped a little at the corners.

"I didn't realize. I was too distracted."

"Eh, as long as you didn't make any big mistakes. Maybe it was better not overthinking it for your first."

"You think?"

"Overthinking just makes you tense and prone to slip-ups."

Hanna patted Clodel reassuringly.

"The lord's completely smitten with you, Madam. He'll take you somewhere nice again soon."

"You think so?"

"Of course."

Clodel's heart fluttered.

'What if it wasn't a date?'

Once her heart started racing, it refused to calm down.

Days at Rowen Castle settled into a steady routine.

Her recovery gained momentum, and Clodel regained her former health faster than at first.

But late at night...

Lying in bed, Clodel lay awake, unable to sleep.

After her illness worsened to unconsciousness, then improving with the medicine Kaiyan procured...

For a while, she'd eaten and slept well.

But now that her body had recovered enough to breathe easy, insomnia returned.

"Third night in a row."

It had been exactly three sleepless nights.

Before, when unwell, she'd lounged in nightclothes even during the day.

Plus, before her Herzol was discovered, she'd been bedridden from the crocodile hunt injury, so even if she couldn't sleep at night, Hanna would soothe her during the day for naps.

But these days, she dined with Kaiyan, saw the doctor, practiced dancing while treating her leg—no time for naps.

Her body, which had been filling out nicely, now felt on the verge of wasting away again after a few bad nights.

"Haa."

Clodel sighed deeply.

In these sleepless nights, her mind replayed only sad, painful memories.

From her small, birdlike childhood with Hanna, their cozy nest of a forest village engulfed in massive flames like a bonfire.

'Mom! Mommy!'

How had she known?

That once those flames died, she'd never see her mother again.

Crying, reaching toward the scarlet tongues of fire lapping at the night, Clodel instinctively called for her mother over and over.

'Clodel. Let's go.'

'Daddy, no. Mom! We have to go with Mom.'

Sobbing hysterically, Clodel was scooped up by Evan.

'Mom's not here. She got away.'

'Uncle, what about our mom and dad and my little brother?'

'Them too.'

Her eyes met Hanna's, cradled in Evan's other arm.

Clodel reached out and grasped Hanna's hand.

Evan fled down the forest path with a child in each arm, escaping the wildfire.

Why lie?

She'd never once asked.

Ten years later, that moment remained vivid.

Reliving that fiery midnight a hundred, a thousand times, Clodel endured sleepless nights.

A few days in, she could barely hold on.

Clink.

During dinner with Kaiyan, she dozed off, and her fork slipped from her hand, clattering on the plate.

"What's wrong? Are you hurting somewhere?"

When she came to, she was in Kaiyan's arms.

He frowned as if angry, gently tapping her cheek.

But now she knew.

That expression wasn't anger.

He might not speak softly, but he attended to her needs with care.

"I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?"

And so the words burst out.

"I want to sleep together every night."