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TL: Sorry guys, took a long time because of some things happening on my side. Huhu, I hope you're having a good read though, was this chapter interesting?
Although it wasn't visible, I could feel the weight on my feet. Earlier, it had felt like a burden, but now…
Is there no way to escape?
At this point, avoiding Ardion seemed like it would only make him more obsessive. Moreover, I had received so much help from him, and it didn't seem as if he was ever going to give up on me.
But what about Ardion's mana?
I couldn’t properly control his mana. That was something only Serina had handled before.
Just then, the old healer spoke. “Then, we'll be on our way. Please rest well. If you feel unwell, don’t hesitate to call us.”
Ventu bade farewell as she left.
I returned the goodbye before lying down on the bed. I stared blankly at the closed door, lost in thought. Why is there a reaction on my wrist right now?
Since it seemed to be related to Rowell, I felt uneasy. I scratched at my wrist, but it only stung the skin without revealing anything. I stared absentmindedly at the ceiling before playing with the little figure of Derol. For a moment, it reminded me of the time when I had returned to Duke Orchid’s mansion.
Before I knew it, I fell asleep.
Something gently pulled me in. An unfamiliar yet familiar scent filled the air. Something cool brushed against me.
Startled, I opened my eyes. The room was dark, but I could clearly feel someone’s gaze on me. Green eyes—Ardion.
Our eyes met, and he spoke. “Laila, you’re awake?”
I blinked as he gently patted my back and pulled me into a tight embrace. “I’m sorry. Go back to sleep.”
“Where’s Derol?” I asked.
Ardion’s voice came softly near my ear. “I sent him to another room for a bit. I wanted to be alone with you.”
Now that I thought about it, I had suddenly been sent to prison when we had gone to the beach together. We had even had our wedding before that. Those events seemed so distant, as if they had happened a year ago.
But it was just a few days ago.
Ardion’s embrace was warm. He had grown so large that he could envelop me entirely now.
I lay still for a moment before opening my mouth. “I think the magical drug might be in my wrist.”
“Your wrist?”
“The healer found something on my wrist, but he said it wouldn’t be clear until a week passed.”
While speaking, I felt awkward for some reason. It truly felt like I had become involved with Ardion in some way.
He wrapped his hand around my wrist, his soft fingers gently caressing it. “Here?”
His voice vibrated against my ear. I nodded. His voice dropped in pitch, and for some reason, the mood felt strange. My body instinctively tensed. Then I became suddenly aware of his solid body pressing against mine.
I pulled back, but Ardion tightened his grip around my waist and pulled me closer. “Laila, I’ve been so lonely. Hold me.”
But he was already holding me.
As I stayed silent, he pulled me tighter and continued, “Rowell will likely hold his coronation in two weeks. Before that, he’ll announce that you didn’t kill the emperor, and others have decided to help you. They’re grateful that you saved them.”
“I had to get out of that prison, so it wasn’t much of a choice.”
At least the water barrier had worked well. If it hadn’t, I would have fallen and died there. If I was lucky, I might have barely survived.
“After you got out of the prison, I stocked up on a lot of almonds and mealworms. The moment I placed them, the rats suddenly appeared, and Delzion was shocked.”
I chuckled. Despite their appearance, the red-eyed rats were not much different from Derol.
Ardion’s low voice reached my ears. “Laila, you were in fatal danger earlier. Why did you escape so recklessly?”
“They said that was the only way out. I had no choice.”
“Don’t do that ever again.”
Even if someone told me to go back there, I wouldn’t. The stench of filth and the trash underfoot… just thinking about it was enough to make me sick.
What was I thinking when I escaped that way…?
Thinking back, it felt like something might have risen from within me.
Suddenly, Ardion’s fingers brushed through my hair. “Laila, I won’t ever let you go like that again.”
As he spoke, I saw a brief flicker of mana light. Different colors of mana swirled around his body.
“Ardion, is your mana alright?” I asked, concerned. His mana seemed brighter and stronger than before. I worried that he might be consumed by his mana if he kept this up.
I felt powerless to help.
“I’m fine, Laila. You’re even worrying about me.”
“No, it just seems like your mana is stronger than before.”
“Then, will you kiss me?”
“…”
His sudden question threw me off guard. I looked up, and there was his smiling face. Despite the darkness of the room, it felt as though a radiant light was shining on his face.
Ardion met my gaze and spoke. “No, honestly, right now, I want something even more than a kiss.”
“…”
“Answer me, Laila?”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Ardion smiled and nodded. But then his expression stiffened. “Laila, are you still in a lot of pain?”
His neat eyebrows furrowed slightly. I shook my head as his hand lightly brushed my cheek. I looked at his hand. It felt as if he were gently caressing me, but there was an undeniable firmness in his grip. I raised my ankle slightly, and the weight still lingered clearly.
What exactly does Ardion feel for me?
Then again, he had always said that no matter what he did, he wanted me to love him. What did that mean? I suddenly became curious about something he had said before. I wanted to know the answer before this overwhelming feeling of unease rose any further.
“Ardion, how’s everything outside? You must be busy every day.” I tried to probe subtly instead of asking directly.
Ardion answered immediately, “I’m keeping an eye on Rowell’s situation. Duchess Heverun has been quite helpful in the social scene, and I’m trying to find proof that Rowell killed the emperor.”
“Are you using a lot of mana?”
“Why are you asking about my mana all of a sudden?”
“Oh, I heard that using too much mana could be dangerous.”
Ardion chuckled lightly.
I looked at him, puzzled. “Why are you laughing?”
“You seem to worry about me a lot.”
“…”
“I like it.” Ardion kissed my cheek. As his lips neared mine, the heat around me grew stronger. “Laila, do you know?”
I could feel his breath on me. The warmth seemed to wrap around my body.
“Every time I kiss you, my mana becomes stable.”
“Stable?” I stared at him in surprise.
He gave me a smile. “Laila, you might think you don’t need me anymore, but I still need you.”
I wasn’t sure what to say. That was a development I hadn’t seen in the original story.
This is a setting that’s supposed to be for Serina and Ardion. Why me…?
At that moment, Ardion intertwined our fingers. His fingers fit perfectly between mine, leaving no gaps.
“And Laila, you can’t escape from me anymore. We’re already married.”
“… Since when?”
“Since when what?”
“Since you became stabilized by my mana.”
“I actually felt that way at Duke Orchid’s mansion. When I first held your hand, I felt my body calming down.”
“So you deliberately got closer?”
“No, not really. From the start, you caught my attention. Everyone else ignored me, but you looked at me with interest.”
“…”
Ardion’s lips brushed against my cheek. He smiled, glancing at my lips, then slowly raised his gaze. His handsome eyes curved perfectly. “I’ve liked you from the beginning. I’ve had many dreams about you.”
“Dreams?”
“If I told you all about them, you wouldn’t be able to sleep. Would you like that?” Ardion gently nipped at my earlobe.
I flinched.
He lowered his head to the side of my neck. “It still feels like a dream, Laila. Having you by my side…”
Ardion inhaled deeply as if he were trying to take in all the air around me. He placed his nose gently on my collarbone. Slowly, he raised his head. His eyes, half-lowered, revealed an undeniable longing. “I get sad sometimes, Laila. Because I can’t smell your scent.”
“… Did you know?” I asked.
Ardion tilted his head slightly. “What?”
“Not being able to smell.”
“Oh, that’s something I learned on my own when I was young.”
“How? Usually, you wouldn’t know that unless someone told you.”
“I had a dead rat in my room. But strangely, whenever the servant came, he would frown. I thought I smelled and kept washing, but one day, the servant found the dead body while cleaning my room. He got angry at me and said, ‘How can you not smell this?’”
Ardion didn’t look that sad as he talked about his past. His voice was emotionless, as if he were just watching a passing cloud.
He continued calmly, “I didn’t smell anything at all. Those people seemed to have a really hard time smelling it, but I couldn’t smell anything. That’s when I realized I was strange.”
As soon as I heard that, Rowell felt like even more trash. I told him what I had heard in the interrogation room.
“Rowell tried to kill you using that.”
“Rowell said that?” Ardion had a smile on his face. He seemed relaxed, as if it wasn’t much of a threat.
When I looked at him curiously, Ardion hugged me tightly. In an instant, I was trapped in his arms. I could hear a heartbeat, but I don’t know whose heart it was.
His voice rang softly in my ears. “Things I can’t feel or smell are not a threat to me.”
“That means…”
“That means Rowell can’t kill me like that. And I’ll protect you no matter what.”
He tightened his arms around me.