Ch. 70
The Young Master I Carefully Raised Became ObsessiveThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Notes
TN: Their wedding day is neaarr!! Everyone, it's not a drill ~ wiiehh. It's getting interesting
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
TN: Their wedding day is neaarr!! Everyone, it's not a drill ~ wiiehh. It's getting interesting
"… Didn’t you want to forget me?"
"Not at all. In fact, I tried not to forget you." Ardion’s voice was close to my ear. He nipped my earlobe lightly, then ran his tongue across it. As I flinched, he whispered softly, "I love you, Laila."
Our eyes met, and for a moment, it felt like the air around us thickened. In the quiet atmosphere, Ardion’s gaze slowly drifted to my lips.
His lips approached slowly, so close that I could only feel his breath. His soft lips grazed my lower lip.
It was a warm, deep kiss. As soon as our breaths met, his became slightly rougher. The carriage jerked suddenly, and Ardion naturally pulled me closer, tilting his head.
As our lips touched, the sound grew more pronounced. His breath became hotter, and his tongue gently explored my mouth.
Even as the carriage stopped, Ardion didn't pull away. It wasn’t until I pushed against his shoulder that he opened his eyes.
"Your Highness, we’ve arrived," I said, breathless.
Ardion looked at me with a slightly lowered gaze, still looking unsatisfied.
I turned my head away. Only then did he slowly pull back.
He was the first to step out of the carriage and extended his hand. I took it, and he helped me down.
As soon as I stepped out, a fresh breeze greeted me. The scent was pleasant, and slowly, a field of lilacs appeared in my sight. The entire field was purple. It was my first time seeing such a vast flower garden.
A smile instinctively spread across my face. "It’s my first time in a place like this."
As I marveled, Ardion wrapped his arm around my waist, pulled me closer, and whispered in my ear, "I can give you even better places than this."
"Give me something better?" I said, surprised.
Ardion nodded casually. "I arranged this place for you. From now on, it's yours."
I was speechless, stunned.
As I stood there in a daze, Ardion knelt before me and looked up at me. "Laila, will you marry me?"
The fresh breeze swept past, and his black hair fluttered slightly. The fragrant scent brushed my nose, and before me, a diamond ring sparkled brighter than the sun.
I couldn’t find the words to respond.
When Ardion saw me remain silent, his face darkened. He furrowed his brows and examined me closely. "Laila, if you don’t like the ring…"
"No, it’s not that." I quickly took the ring.
Ardion’s expression softened again. He gently placed the ring on my finger and stood up soon after. "I promise that you won’t shed a tear again."
Hearing that made me uneasy. Whenever someone said something like that, the opposite tended to happen. And Rowell and Serina were still a threat.
I remained quiet as Ardion pulled me into an embrace.
"When I asked you to marry me in the carriage, I regretted it a few days later. I should’ve asked in a better place."
"It’s okay. Just bringing me here means a lot…"
"Is there anywhere else you want to go? Anything you want to eat?"
"Not really…"
"How about fruit tea? You love that."
"Yes, I do like it."
I did, but it didn’t excite me at the moment, especially since I didn’t feel like having it right now.
Ardion watched me quietly, then spoke again. "What about the beach? The beach should be nice too, right?"
"Yes," I replied indifferently.
Ardion pulled away from me and cupped my face in his hands, studying my expression. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." I gave him a grin.
"Then why do I feel like you’re going to leave me?"
"Where would I go?"
I shook my head, but Ardion’s expression didn’t relax.
"Laila, you’re not regretting marrying me, are you?"
"No! How could I regret it?"
"It’s strange. You’ve never said you liked me, even though you’ve always said things like that."
"… Do I have to say it? Isn’t it enough that my heart is with you?"
"But if you don’t say it, how can I know your heart is truly here?"
"…"
"And when I asked you to call my name, you always called me ‘Your Highness’ instead."
"I… I just…"
"Laila, after we marry, call me that, okay? I wrote it in the marriage vows."
"What?"
"By the way, is there anything you want for our wedding? Anything you want me to promise?"
I was taken aback by the sudden reality of the situation. The once pleasant fragrance now felt mundane.
I looked at Ardion. His eyes sparkled, waiting for my answer.
If I say there’s nothing, he’ll be disappointed, won’t he?
Earlier, I had reacted so indifferently that Ardion seemed genuinely disappointed. But now, nothing came to mind.
All I wanted was for him to use his mana sparingly and keep me safe… and maybe let go of his obsession with me just a little.
Then it hit me—there was something Ardion hadn’t said to me.
"Your Highness, I have something to ask."
As soon as I spoke, Ardion smiled. "What is it?"
"How did you handle Rowell’s people among the nobility?"
Ardion’s face stiffened for a moment. "Didn’t I already tell you? I visited each one to shift their opinions away from Rowell."
"But using your mana like that could backfire. If you threaten people like that…"
I wanted to say that it was almost like becoming a tyrant, but before I could, Ardion silenced me with a kiss. His lips brushed against mine softly, and his tongue swiftly entered my mouth.
For a moment, I thought I might be pulled in by his force, but I managed to push against his shoulder.
Ardion, unbothered, grabbed my hand.
He said in a low voice, "Rowell crossed the line first. He tried to marry you."
"But using brute force like that is dangerous. There must have been a better way."
"But the way I did it was faster."
I couldn’t think of a counterargument since he was right. While I was meeting Duchess Heverun, Ardion had already convinced most of the nobility.
"Laila, do you think my power is disgusting?"
"No… It’s just that…"
"Never mind. Let’s drop it. It’s all in the past."
I nodded reluctantly. We walked in silence toward the carriage. Ardion opened the door for me.
As I stepped in, a sudden worry crossed my mind. Tomorrow… Will we be able to get through the wedding without any problems?
I glanced down at the ring Ardion gave me. The ring was shining much brighter than I thought. It was the only one that seemed to shine on its own in the carriage.
In the original story, Ardion had used his power violently but later controlled it with Serina’s help. The problem was that Serina had abandoned Ardion, and I had no ability to control his power.
All I could do was share his mana. But if he was in danger, I was useless.
The story seemed to have gone astray at some point, and it got tangled up here and there and became a mess. I barely held back a sigh. I could still feel Ardion’s gaze.
“Sometimes, brides get depressed before getting married.”
“…”
“It’s normal, Laila.” Ardion held my hand to console me. He met my gaze and said softly, “I might not be appealing to you, my abilities might be burdensome, and you might not like my face. My status is also…”
“No, Your Highness, what are you saying? Your Highness is perfect. No, you’re so perfect that it’s almost a disaster!”
Ardion’s handsome eyebrows hardened slightly. “Am I perfect?”
“Yes!”
To be honest, his face was so handsome that it could be said to be the best in the empire. Of course, Rowell wasn’t ugly either, but he was a loser because of his personality.
“Am I… perfect for you?”
“Uh… Yes.”
Ardion’s face brightened instantly. He kissed my cheek, my face, and my neck.
“Your Highness, wait… No, why…” I tried to avoid him, but Ardion didn’t care and pushed his lips forward.
“I love you, Laila.” He bit my lips.
❋ ❋ ❋
The mansion had been chaotic since early morning. In fact, the mansion had been busy and noisy since last night.
First, when Ardion said he would hold the wedding tomorrow, the butler’s eyes widened in surprise, and the servants ran around in a tizzy.
He said the wedding would be held at the temple. It was a wedding recognized by the high priest, and all the documents had already been submitted. The marriage would be officially recognized only after the high priest read out the marriage vows.
“Derol, I can do it, right?”
Derol held my fingertips with his small hands. “You can do it. Anyway, you just have to stay still in front of the high priest, right?”
“That’s true. But since this is my first time doing something like this, I’m a little nervous.”
In fact, I felt good thinking about getting people’s attention. But I couldn’t help feeling nervous. It would be better if it was just listening, but it felt even worse to me because I had to stand still.
“And I still have doubts. Is this really okay?”
“But isn’t this the best method for you right now, Master?”
“That’s true. But I still think I’m still using Ardion. I treated Ardion well at Duke Orchid’s mansion to get mana, and now it seems like I’m marrying him because of my mana’s condition…”
Of course, there were various reasons why I decided to marry Ardion. But among them, my mana situation was what made me the most uncomfortable.
Also, since Ardion was an obsessed male protagonist, I had thought that this marriage would make his obsession with me a little better, but that was already out of the question.
“But Master…”
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.