Chapter 17

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: Chapter 5. The Heroine is in Danger (5)

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I almost forgot for a moment.

'Right, this bastard really turned into a son of a bitch...!'

Edelaine glumly admitted that her memory was on the level of a crucian carp.

No, honestly, it wasn't entirely her fault.

Who told him to smile so happily?

Sticking right by her side, pretending to worry, telling her not to drink, saying she had a fever.

Gently kissing her while saying he'd just hold her and sleep without doing anything—where was that the attitude of a kidnapper and blackmailer...

Of course, acting like she'd completely forgotten being kidnapped and threatened just because of that was foolish.

"Shall we take a walk after dinner?"

"Do I even have a choice?"

Shane just gave a soft smile in response instead of answering.

Several days passed.

From the morning, a drizzly rain fell over Delmuse. Once this rain ended, the weather would truly turn cold, and the season would shift into winter.

The city, which had been buzzing with talk of the saintess's miracle, the resurrection, and the duke's marriage, had quieted down along with the weather.

It wasn't just because of the weather.

No major incidents had occurred since the saintess had officiated the wedding.

Without fuel, a fire dies out.

The lady from the marquis's family who had supposedly been resurrected hadn't appeared at any events since her marriage, and the Duke of Blancard was the same. It was as if they'd declared they were holing up in the estate to enjoy their honeymoon.

There weren't even proper parties during the off-season for social events. Invitations sent out were met only with polite refusals from the butler.

People quietly let their curiosity grow.

"Will they show up for services?"

"Who knows? The Duke of Blancard was never one for diligent attendance in the first place... He wasn't the type to go to church much."

"Still, starting this week, the saintess is officiating services in His Holiness the Pope's place."

"You still believe that rumor?"

"There must've been something between them. There's always a reason when everyone says so."

"Both of them got married. You could get in big trouble spreading baseless gossip."

A young priest scolded his chatty friend and glanced around. Then he lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Didn't you hear? At the ball, someone was rude to the duchess, and then to His Grace the duke..."

"He got killed?!"

"No, not quite... Not murdered, but nearly beaten to death."

"That's basically the same..."

"It's not the same. I said it wasn't murder."

"Eek..."

"You watch your mouth too. They say the newspapers that were blabbing about the ducal couple went quiet after the wedding because His Grace got to them as well."

"...Where do you even hear all this?"

"It mostly comes out if you just read the papers."

"I read them too?"

"You read but don't think..."

The young priest, who kept telling his noisy friend to keep his voice down, disappeared down the corridor.

Shane said,

"I haven't killed anyone, and I haven't done anything out of the ordinary."

"...I didn't ask."

But Edelaine pulled her hood down even lower.

Deciding to sneak out had truly been an excellent choice. She was certain that if they got caught, it wouldn't end with just a fuss.

The settings of this world were mostly similar to Korea. Not just the time, days of the week, and twelve months in a year, but Sunday being the Sabbath was the same too.

Edelaine had never been particularly religious, and that hadn't changed, but the people of this world mostly believed in God and were convinced of His existence.

That's why they were generally passionate about religious activities like services.

Edelaine had received a letter from Genevieve saying she'd be officiating services in His Holiness the Pope's stead, so she'd decided to visit the church while avoiding the Sabbath.

She'd planned to flop onto the bed if he tried to stop her from going out, but unexpectedly, Shane granted her request without conditions.

"When did I ever say you couldn't go out?"

"Didn't you say I couldn't go alone?"

"Exactly. Not alone."

"..."

"You can go anywhere if you're with me."

"What if I need to go out without you?"

"That won't happen."

Shane stated quietly with firm conviction. Edelaine wanted to ask how he could be so sure about people's affairs, but she held back.

She doubted she'd get a proper answer.

Shane really didn't go out anywhere and stuck to the house. He hadn't even stepped out once and stayed by Edelaine's side the whole time.

Edelaine, who had gotten angry saying this was no different from being locked in the house rather than a room, finally had to admit it after a few days.

'This is fucking comfortable...!'

Her quality of life had skyrocketed.

Though Shane stuck by her side watching her, the fact that she was eating well and sleeping well put her animalistic satisfaction at the highest level.

She didn't even need to go to the dining room—Shane would bring meals suited to her tastes right on time. Honestly, it was much more convenient. The table full of food every time was too much to finish anyway and made her overly full.

Though she couldn't go out, Edelaine investigated whatever she wanted to her heart's content.

She read books on warlocks and meticulously reviewed the reports Lloyd brought her.

The assaults on the saintess hadn't continued. The church's security had become extremely tight, and since she'd noticeably reduced her activities, the chances of exposure to danger had decreased.

But knowing the warlock existed meant she couldn't afford to be optimistic.

There were fewer materials on warlocks than expected, so she wanted to visit Delmuse's grand library at least once. Times like this made her miss the search engines from her previous life.

When she holed up in the study, Shane quietly read books beside her too. He didn't ask what she was doing.

But whenever she looked up because she needed something, Shane would move first and place exactly what she wanted right in front of her.

Edelaine wondered if the male lead's basic trait was mind-reading.

When she seriously asked if he could read people's minds, Shane replied in a somewhat deflated voice.

"I can tell just by looking."

"It doesn't say on my face what I need."

"It's not just the face."

Then what was it?

Shane didn't answer, but Edelaine grew more and more convinced he definitely had mind-reading.

On top of that, Shane hadn't done anything.

She'd braced herself to some extent since he'd threatened to kill everyone around her if she didn't marry him. Even if he forced himself on her, she'd resolved not to cry, to just think of it as getting bit by a dog.

But Shane kept his word.

He really just held her and slept.

The Blancard estate had a separate bedroom, study, and dressing room prepared for the duchess.

However, like most married couples' bedrooms, the wife's room connected to the husband's. Even if Edelaine fell asleep alone in her bedroom, she'd wake up in the morning embraced by Shane. Her clothes were impeccably neat without a wrinkle.

Is he a bodhisattva? Or does he have no sex drive...? Or maybe...

Is he really treating me like some toy or possession?

Edelaine thought that was quite likely. Frustration from not having something in childhood often manifests as deprivation or obsession.

'I hope that's it. Once the deprivation is satisfied, he'll let me go.'

Skinship had increased in small ways too.

Things like pulling her into an arm around the shoulders or holding her waist—precarious but acceptable for close intimates.

'It's so minor and brief that it's hard to complain or dodge...'

By the time she felt uncomfortable enough to say something, Shane had already put distance between them.

It was the same now. Edelaine glanced at Shane's arm around her waist. He stepped back a little, then took her hand after a moment.

"I won't run even if you don't hold my hand."

When Edelaine snarked coldly, Shane responded with a short laugh instead of words.

"I know I'd get caught right away here anyway. I'm not running, so let go."

"Do you know where we're going?"

"..."

"I'm just guiding you. It's kindness."

Then he intertwined their fingers. Edelaine's eyes grew even colder. This kindness was awfully sticky...

"Do you always dole out kindness by getting all clingy like this?"

"That's how my kindness works."

"You've never been reported for this...?"

"Nope."

It was the kind of behavior that would've gotten an average person arrested long ago. Without that handsome face, he'd have been charged with harassment or assault dozens of times over.

Edelaine was furious. This was why looks-based discrimination was dangerous. Alongside alcoholism and safety negligence, lookism was another social issue in this world.

Shane lifted the back of Edelaine's intertwined hand and kissed it.

"I only do this to you."

"..."

What a crazy male lead.

Edelaine walked on without a word. Shane chuckled.