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Chapter 24 – I Have No Intention Of Breaking Up With You
Chirp chirp~
‘Huh? What is this obvious morning ASMR to wake up with? Besides, what about this coziness?’
Last night, which was like a nightmare, came to mind and I jumped up. Gerard, who had held the blade in front of me, was now asleep in a chair next to the bed. Without even changing his uniform. My heart was pounding with fear. I quickly looked at my body. Unlike yesterday, I was wearing comfortable pajamas.
‘Did the maid change my clothes?’
I bent my knees and crept like a cat and waved my hand in front of his face. He was asleep.
‘What is it? Did you stay here all night? I thought you’d kill me. What kind of twist in the plot is this?’
I looked around the room. It was a space, an unfamiliar bedroom, and an unfamiliar landscape. The wide window in front of the bed was in the form of a folding door, and spring sunlight poured into the room. In addition, a large lilac in front of the window, and a knee-high southern purple hydrangea cast shade in the room. The scent of flowers gently tickled my nose.
I wanted to jump and run away from the bed, but I slowly got out of bed without making a sound, trying not to wake him up. Crossing the sofa and table in front of the bed, I opened the window and looked back at his back.
‘Goodness! His back is as wide as Park Tae-hwan’s!’* In addition, his back glowed like that of an actor in a movie.
‘If I hug you wide in my arms… ahhhh! What are you thinking, Kang Joo-hee? He’s someone else’s man. Besides, he tried to kill you yesterday. He’s a person who lacks even a single letter of affection. Let’s stop falling for his looks, okay~!’ Shaking my head, I stood on my toes and crept over to him, and covered him with the blanket. And I shoved the window sill. The outside was covered with granite, so I could walk barefoot. In addition, there was a long awning above the window, which gently filtered the shiny sunlight. As I took a step into the garden, a cold chill rushed up the soles of my feet. The cells of the body trembled at the refreshing cool.
I walked out quickly. The garden was quite spacious. There was a water channel on one side of the garden, so the clear sound that calmed my mind like a brook fluttered in my ears. I wanted to sit down, dip my feet in, and splash. Then a bunch of flowers fell from a chrysanthemum tree next to the waterway. Light pink petals glistened and flowed in the transparent sunlight. It was pretty as it flowed gently.
I was seduced without realizing it, and while chasing the flowers, I rushed to my feet and then stopped. It was because a silver iron fence was blocking the waterway. Two knights in golden armor were guarding the entrance unmoving.
“You’re working hard.”
I quickly greeted them out of embarrassment, but they didn’t even budge.
‘So hard…’
‘Well, gatekeepers guarding the prison will never be kind to the imprisoned, right?’
The taste was bitter. Gerard decided to incarcerate me in this large outbuilding instead of prison. I returned to reality and looked around the prison I would be trapped in. It was a small, two-story house. To the left of the bedroom was a large living room, and next to it was an entrance door. As if there was another room next to the door, the round window was like an entrance to a fairy tale house.
‘It’s pretty cool. It looks like a luxury pension. Like a hotel, the maid will clean and wash the laundry.’ I also looked over the walls surrounding the prison, it was too high for me to pass. However, the fence was made of porous stone bricks. It was amazing, so I touched the brick and looked closely outside. In the middle of the garden, a fountain was leisurely spouting cool water in the sunlight. Beyond that, Shlezen’s nature could be seen. I searched for the castle where Theodor was staying, but I couldn’t see it. I wouldn’t be able to fulfill my purpose like this. Such a failure.
“Are you okay?”
When I turned around, Gerard was looking at me with bloodshot eyes.
‘Looks like you didn’t sleep well? If you locked me up, just go to the main castle. Pretending to be kind is a disease.’
“As you see?”
He came up to me and handed me a thin shawl. ‘My shoulders and back were a little chilled, how did you know?’
Is it a positive sign?
Are you sorry about what happened last night?
Instead of a prison, you give me this annex and take care of me all night?
I put on the shawl he gave me.
“The healer and the court physician were here. You had a high fever all night.”
“Sure thing. I thought you would kill me, but will it end in confinement?”
“Because it is an arranged marriage.”
He answered my question without thinking for a second.
“Ah. If that is the case, it means that I can officially start performing as the Grand Duchess.”
“That’s it.”
“Then I’m legally Theodor’s mother.”
Gerard tilted his head at my words.
“Why are you so obsessed with Theo? Usually, stepmothers don’t like children they didn’t give birth to.”
“Don’t generalize prejudice.”
He laughed bitterly.
“I want to meet Theodor first.”
“That’s difficult.”
“Why? You said I’m legally Theodor’s mom.”
“…”
Gerard seemed a little hesitant.
“I told you yesterday–”
Gerard cut my words right away.
“Okay. But to see Theodor, you must always be with me.”
“I’m going to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner with Theo.”
“…!”
“I won’t ask a nanny nor a maid to bath him, I’ll do it myself. And most of all, before Theo goes to sleep, I will write a picture diary with him and read a children’s book together.”
“Impossible.”
“Why? It’s bad to unconditionally suspect someone who’s not affected by magic. After all… am I not a symbol of peace? Strategic solidarity between the imperial faction and the former Emperor faction. Magic and its practice were banned in the Empire five years ago. In addition, the Owen family emphasizes the typical pure blood. Neither my family nor I knew that I was impervious to magic. I’m flustered, too.”
“Hmm.”
“And, as I said before, I’ll do my best as the hostess of Shlezen Castle.”
“Didn’t you talk about divorce?”
I was a little taken aback by his words. I did spill something like that in the carriage. I never thought I’d keep it in my mind like that.
“There was talk of a divorce, but now that I look at it, the Archduke doesn’t seem to want a divorce with me. Given that you did not kill me, nor return me to the Owens.”
“Not me, but you.”
“I have no intention of breaking up with you until the Theodor curse is lifted. Because I want to save Theo and the Empire. Let’s solve the curse together in this peace. Together.”
I deliberately used the word ‘together’ once more to emphasize my will. ‘That way you live, Alfred lives, and I live.’
“What if I bring an attendant knight and a maid?” They were meant to be sentinels.
“And can… I go out?”
“What if you have a maid and an escort?”
‘It means you’ll attach surveillance…’
“Okay.”
It wasn’t bad. After all, noble wives are accompanied by escorts and maids.
“What if I have guests?”
“I will order to escort them here. You are sick and in home treatment after all.”
“Is it a secret that a monster appeared?”
“…?”
“Why are you hiding it? Do you think the Imperialists will attack?”
“…!”
“In my opinion, it would be better to announce it. Then, of course, you will have to officially leave for the subjugation of the Demon Realm, and then you will quickly find clues to break the curse. It’s a curse from the Demon Realm anyway.”
“…!”
“Then the status of Schlezen castle will be as strong as before. The cowardly Emperor might consider relocating the Imperial capital. This place and the capital are close, but they are too close. That’s why they’re always keeping you in check.”
At my words, Gerard’s face gradually turned white.
Gerard’s head was a mess as he walked out of the annex.
‘Who the hell am I married to?’
She was indeed the daughter of the Owen family. And yet, the moment she got married, she became her father’s political opponent and began to solidify her own power?
He felt pity for her slender back, which she had desperately laid down to protect Theodor despite the attacks of the monsters. However, when he rescued her from the group of monster crocodiles, the grip that hugged him was stronger than that of a normal knight. Besides, ‘what? You want me to kill you without pain?’ Yesterday in the silver grass field, she spoke calmly as if she had given up, and he felt a chill run down his back. ‘How could you give up your life so recklessly?’ Even when she was desperately protecting Theo from the attack of the monster birds, she was reckless with her own life. He, of course, couldn’t not doubt her, but that attitude of treating her life so insignificantly caught his attention over and over again. Furthermore…
Like a fallen purple flower on the silver grass field, long white fingers drew a picture diary and broke his heart.
Gerard recalled the sorrow of his dying sister thinking about Theo’s future while losing consciousness.
“Father.”
Only then did Gerard return to reality when he saw Theodor running toward him with a worried look. His sister’s son. A precious being he needed to protect. The child ran as fast as he could on his short legs, panting.
“Grand Prince, Your Highness-”
Behind him, his nanny Molli and his tutor Viat presented a silent greeting.
“What about Stepmom?”
Gerard knelt down and met Theodor’s eyes.
“The fever has gone down a lot.”
“Then, will she come to the castle now? Theodor can see her?”
“No. But you can go to the separate annex. We’ll have breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. She will bathe you, too. When you sleep, we will read a book and draw a picture diary together.”
“Woah!”
Theodor was so happy that his face turned red, and he covered his ears with both index fingers, puffed up his flushed cheeks, and closed his eyes.
‘Perhaps if it was Sinclair, she would immediately raise her hand and remove Theodor’s fingers, right?’
“Didn’t your stepmother tell you to smile as much as you want if you want to?”
Theodor’s eyes and mouth widened at Gerard’s words. His red eyes looked up at him in disbelief. Gerard smiled and nodded.
“You see? Nanny!”
Theodor put his arms on his waist and looked at Molli with a very arrogant expression.
“That can’t be, Your Highness.”
Molli politely said no, but Gerard retorted while holding Theodor.
“Why not? It’s not even an official meeting. Does he have to act formally like in the wedding ceremony?”
Theodor hugged Gerard’s neck and smiled. His smile resembled Theo’s father and Gerard’s colleague, the late Count Kyle. Gerard placed his forehead on Theodor’s round forehead and grabbed his cheeks tightly.
“Hurt.”
Theodor’s mouth suddenly pouted sharply. It was so cute that Gerard’s eyes narrowed like a crescent moon. If there were Sister and Kyle, this fight would have been a little easier. He especially missed them on days like this.
As Sinclair said, he did not give Theodor as much love as his parents would. Because he had to break the curse.
‘But will the curse be lifted in a corner of the room?’
Going back into that earlier scene. Announcing the monster commotion and going in and out of the Demon Realm. Sinclair’s spring-like fluorescent pink eyes that shone like pink siberite pushed him hard. Just as his sister.
As Sinclair said, five years ago, when war was declared with the Demon Realm, he couldn’t even mention nor send people because the Emperor had driven out all related to ‘Ma’ from the Empire and was really wary of him. He felt chills as if his heart was ripped open.
[tl/n: ‘ma’ as in magic. In Korean words like magic, wizard, and such start the same, with ‘ma’]
‘Ho…’ It might be a trap. Yet he kept wanting to fall into that trap.
“Miss Viat, the Grand Duchess will check Theodor’s academic achievements and study plans, so please tell each teacher to complete the report form and visit tomorrow afternoon. She said she wants to see all the faces.”
“Yes.”
Viat bowed her head.
“Your Highness.”
Molli raised her voice a little and chased Gerard as he headed toward the main castle.
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“What is it?”
Gerard looked at her as she called him urgently.
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Park Tae-hwan is a South Korean swimmer, Olympic, and world champion representing South Korea.
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