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TL: And here yah goes with lots of kisses. If you’re enjoying this novel, please do share your thoughts about it. We’ll be reading your comments!
Today, I felt a bit better. I was going through some documents I had organized when Ardion came to visit. And he brought several servants with him.
"Laila, which one do you like?"
The servants spread several flowers across the room. There were so many that the room was nearly filled. The variety was vast, from red roses to yellow tulips and purple lisianthus.
"Do we really have to choose now?"
On top of everything, the retrial for the Duke Orchid mansion incident had been approved. The trial was in a week.
"Just take a little more time. I've been preparing everything you picked. Now, we only need to choose the flowers."
Reluctantly, I picked the yellow tulips, thinking how I wished my future would be as bright as the flowers.
I had always liked yellow. It always drew attention because of its brightness, and above all, it was a hopeful color.
Ardion smiled and pointed to the yellow tulips. The servant bowed and started removing the other flowers from the room.
"If you're going to do this, you could have just prepared a catalog. There's no need to go through all this trouble."
"But this way, it's livelier, and we can actually see how they look. It’ll help with the decorations for the wedding."
"By the way, what's going to happen with the trial?"
In truth, I was more curious about the trial than the wedding preparations. It felt like the evidence I had collected at the Duke Orchid mansion was finally going to be of use.
Back then, everything ended so quickly, and I was exhausted afterward…
Ardion gently brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "First, Jonok will testify. It looks like Rowell has someone prepared too."
"Do you think Jonok will be able to testify well by himself?"
"Don't worry. I've assigned someone credible to him. As long as the testimony goes well, it'll be only a matter of time before he turns against Rowell."
"But Rowell will surely have a strong defense. After all, he quickly covered up the incident and even set fire to the mansion."
"Laila, remember all the documents you prepared carefully back then?" Ardion moved closer to me. His lips were so close to mine that I could almost feel his breath.
When I raised my gaze, I met his deep green eyes. His gaze was so intoxicating that I couldn’t look away. His handsome features made it even harder to break free.
As I kept staring at him, Ardion's lips curved into a smile. "Derol is sleeping, you know."
When have I ever seen him sleep… Wait, does he check if he's asleep before coming to my room?
I cleared my throat awkwardly and stepped back. "I think I should go to bed now."
But Ardion followed me, and now his lips were almost touching mine.
I lay down.
"Laila."
I could almost hear his soft sigh.
"Aren’t you sleepy, Your Highness? I'm ready to sleep." I motioned towards the door, signaling him to leave. But Ardion lay down beside me instead.
"Your Highness?"
"Can't I sleep here? Like that, I can give you mana easily." Ardion turned over, smiling as he propped himself up on a pillow with one hand.
"But you have your own room."
"My room is so big that I get scared."
I stared at him, dumbfounded. Wasn’t he someone who could sleep anywhere?
Besides, even when he was a child, he used to sleep in rooms with mold in them. And honestly, the Duke Orchid mansion had a ghostly, eerie vibe.
"Your Highness, please be reasonable. Normally..."
Ardion pulled me into his arms, and my face naturally ended up against his chest. "Your voice itself lulls me to sleep."
His scent lingered lightly in my nose. It was like the scent of a forest or fresh morning air.
Thump, thump.
I could feel his heartbeat.
Ardion held me tighter, and I was almost buried in his embrace.
"When we only held hands in that mansion, I dreamed about you." His voice lazily drifted to my ear.
"What kind of dream?"
"A dream where I was holding you."
"…"
When I didn’t respond, I heard Ardion’s laughter. His chest trembled slightly from the movement.
"Did you think about me like that back then?"
“Of course," Ardion answered without hesitation.
I was quite surprised. He had liked me since then. And now, he wasn’t hesitating at all. He was openly telling me.
In some ways, it felt like I was the only one still stuck in the past. Ardion was actively expressing his feelings, while I had never spoken about mine.
I think I had been confused all along.
No, even when I tried to understand my feelings, I just wanted to hide.
First of all, this wasn’t my world. Originally, my role here was just to die to Ardion.
That was why I had avoided him. Because my role, which kept becoming bigger, was too much to handle. On top of that, Ardion was someone who shouldn’t like me. He had to go to Serina…
In the end, I found out that Serina had memories of the original story, and she had tried to kill me and Ardion.
It was really a terrible fate. I was caught in the middle of it all…
I felt like I had to make a proper statement, especially since I had decided to marry Ardion.
I took a deep breath. It was finally time to tell Ardion how I felt.
But my mouth wouldn’t move easily. My heart still felt uncomfortable, as if it were blocked by a wall.
I let out a faint sigh.
Then Ardion said, “Laila, I hope you don’t feel burdened when you think about me. Just think of it as a simple business. If we get married first, Rowell will be talked about quite a bit among the nobles, and at least he’ll suffer."
"…”
"Take it easy. I can love you alone, so just stay by my side."
I couldn't easily bring myself to say what was on my mind. On the contrary, the more Ardion talked, the more a stone settled in my heart.
I hesitated for a moment. The words I originally wanted to say were stuck in my mouth. But I still wanted to say something. "Thank you, Your Highness."
In any case, that was all I could say. In fact, it was true that I was grateful to Ardion. He had saved my life more than once and had given me mana easily.
However, if it weren't for Serina, I wouldn't have had my mana taken away, and things wouldn't have gotten this bad.
By the way, where did Serina go?
Since I had only focused on the incident between Rowell and Jonok, it was only now that I became curious about her whereabouts.
“Your Highness, do you know what happened to Serina?”
“Serina hasn’t been seen since then. It’s clear that she’s not dead. When I went back to look for you, she wasn’t there.”
I felt inexplicably uneasy. She would probably show up again someday.
“Laila?” Ardion pulled away slightly and looked at me. He frowned slightly at my face and hugged me tightly again. “Are you worried about me?”
“Why wouldn’t I be worried? Ultimately, Serina will kill the crown prince.”
As I spoke, I remembered all the truths I had heard from Serina. Should I tell Ardion about it?
But even if I told him, he would have a hard time understanding. After all, he was different from the original Ardion.
He didn’t care about Serina now.
“Laila, just by you worrying about me, I feel like I’ve already gained in life.” Ardion’s voice brushed past my ear.
“Your Highness…”
“And don’t worry about me. I’m more worried about you.” Ardion let out a low sigh. “I was stupid back then. I should have stayed by your side instead of chasing after Serina.”
Ardion wrapped his arms around my shoulders. His breath spread between my neck. My whole body was in contact with him, and I felt a shudder when he kissed my shoulder. “But now, I’ll never lose you again.”
His faint breath tickled. When I flinched, he kissed me again. He pressed his lips against mine for a long time and slowly raised his head.
“Thank you for marrying me, Laila.” Ardion met my eyes and smiled. Then he immediately kissed my lips.
❋ ❋ ❋
It was the day of the retrial for the Duke Orchid arson case. Ardion couldn’t come forward because of the crime that Rowell had framed him for.
“I’ll go, Your Highness.”
“No, you haven’t recovered yet.”
“But thanks to you, I am well.”
My head was still spinning, but I wasn’t about to collapse.
Ardion stared at me expressionlessly. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, and I’ll come back right away if I feel any signs of illness,” I reassured Ardion. I really wanted to go to the courthouse, if only to see if the evidence I had collected would work. And I also wanted to see Jonok being punished justly.
“Okay, but if you feel sick, return right away.”
I smiled and nodded. Ardion looked at me for a moment and then suddenly kissed my cheek.
When I hesitated, he said, “You need to recharge before that.”
A low voice brushed past my ear. Before I could think about it, his tongue invaded my mouth. The sound of Derol squeaking grew distant. I must have already lost my mana, so I unconsciously gave Ardion my lips.
My breathing became increasingly rough. His large hands pulled my waist closer.
Then I heard a knock on the door. Only then did my mind start to work properly. I quickly opened my eyes.
Ardion’s tongue went deeper inside.
But I heard a knock on the door again.