“Haa…”
For some reason, I feel restless.
Abel Hardenberg.
He really is an unpredictable man in many ways.
His lack of resistance when I was captured by kidnappers a little while ago—was he worried that I might get hurt?
Or was it all a staged act to win my favor?
The latter seems unlikely since he has no reason to do so. Frankly, it’s an absurd thought from the start.
“..Is he worried about me?”
But that’s ridiculous, isn’t it? There’s no way the Abel from the original story, who was labeled the mastermind, would worry about me. Yet, I can’t think of any other plausible reason. It’s maddening.
“..Let’s wait and see if he comes.”
Of course, even if he does return, I can’t ask him about it.
What’s the point of asking a man who has no memory of his past when all I’d get is a scolding for making nonsense inquiries.
As I was thinking this, I opened the door and froze at the sight of a man lying on my bed.
Silver hair, a scar on his face, and dressed in elaborate attire, the man lay comfortably on the bed, his face pressed into the pillow as he slept deeply.
“..Abel?”
Why is he here?
My already overworked brain started working again. Then it hit me—he’s a grand mage, so did he use teleportation magic to return?
“Jealous.”
While it took me over a year just to learn basic shield magic, some people go ahead and become grand mages capable of teleportation.
I let out a sigh and sat on the bed.
Abel, completely unaware of my thoughts, lay there sleeping. Despite his sharp and imposing demeanor when awake, he looked like an angel when asleep.
If he were in the modern world, he could easily become a top idol with that face. Even as the antagonist in a romance fantasy, his looks are fitting for the genre.
“…If only he were as kind as he looks.”
Every time he messes with people. Completely oblivious to others’ feelings, he behaves tactlessly.
Ironically, it’s also infuriating how perceptive he is when it matters.
With a hint of resentment, I poked him on the face with my index finger. He slightly furrowed his brow and turned his head to the side.
“..Is he actually more at ease now?”
It seems we’ve grown somewhat comfortable with each other, to the point where I can play little tricks on him secretly.
Above all, during the month I’ve spent with him, I haven’t had any painful memories.
Originally, I was destined to be hated by people for the label of being the “evil woman” and face threats to my life.
Most of the people around me rejected me simply because I was labeled as an evil woman and treated me without hesitation.
But, the people in Duke Hardenberg’s household were different.
Not only the maids but Abel himself treated me as Adelle, not as the evil woman.
It’s quite unlike my own home, the Count Estel’s family estate, where most servants openly hated me.
Now, I even feel like this place is my sanctuary.
“..Hmm. I must have been tired.”
It seems I was exhausted from constantly facing meaningless hostility and life-threatening situations. To the point that the residence of Abel Hardenberg, the antagonist of the original story, feels like my sanctuary now.
“Ugh…”
A sudden sound made me look at Abel’s face again. He was twisting his face slightly, muttering incoherently.
“Is he having a nightmare?”
It didn’t seem like he was having a pleasant dream.
Perhaps he’s cold. Thinking that, I took a blanket from the wardrobe and covered him with it.
Finally, Abel relaxed his expression as if he were more comfortable.
“…And now, where should I sleep?”
Normally, I’d just sleep in this room, but with Abel sleeping soundly next to me, I can’t relax.
On the other hand, going to sleep in another room isn’t right either.
After all, officially, we’re engaged in a good relationship.
If it gets around that the fiancée, who fell in love at first sight with the fiancé, didn’t share a bed with him but slept in another room…
“..That would be problematic too.”
I’m in a bind, either way.
It’s uncomfortable to sleep here with Abel next to me.
But if I sleep in another room, the servants might suspect the good engagement relationship we’ve supposedly built.
As Abel correctly said before, only Alan and Evan know the details of our contract.
“Haa… I’ll endure the discomfort.”
Reluctantly, I burrowed under the covers and lay down next to him.
His peaceful sleeping face came right into view.
“…He’s taller than I thought.”
Although we’ve talked many times, it’s the first time I’ve seen him from this close. Come to think of it, did I see him this close at the ball today?
Back then, I was too focused on dancing to realize that Abel’s figure is much larger than I expected. His broad shoulders and sharp jawline make his stature even more prominent.
“…Romance fantasy novels?”
It’s almost alienating how perfect he looks.
Because of that, the perfect appearance didn’t really attract me.
Even when I embodied Adelle, I didn’t react strongly to the looks of my originally favored Crown Prince, thanks to this sense of alienation.
To put it bluntly, it’s like looking at a flawless doll.
While people might say a doll is beautiful, it’s rare for someone to genuinely like a doll.
It’s exactly that kind of feeling.
“…And his belly is full too…”
I probably can’t even have love or marriage in this world.
Meeting a plain man would be pointless now because my standards have become too high, and encountering an attractive man would leave me feeling alienated because of his looks.
“…Let’s go to sleep.”
I felt strangely despondent and closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep shortly after, lulled by the softness of the bed.
*
“Haa…”
Was it because I didn’t cover myself with a blanket? I had dreams of my memories from childhood.
The vivid image of my biological father, Duke Ain von Hardenberg, abusing me still remained fresh in my mind.
Now, I can vent those memories with curses, but back then, they were truly difficult to bear.
Perhaps it’s the influence of the child’s body or the peak of my sensitive years.
Having endured such abuse during a critical time in my life caused a great amount of stress at that period.
If I hadn’t had my past-life memories, those memories surely would have become lifelong traumas.
He was that harsh to me.
While pondering on this, I opened my eyes and was momentarily startled at the strange ceiling. Normally, I should be greeted by a white one, so why am I seeing a pink ceiling?
As I turned my head to check, I saw a woman lying next to me.
Her wavy black hair, her sharp eyes.
It was clearly Adelle.
But why is she sleeping in her nightgown next to me? Hurriedly sitting up, I began reminiscing about last night.
“…Fool. Me.”
Even if I was tired, sleeping in my fiancée’s bed is not acceptable.
Fortunately, I don’t recall making any mistakes with her.
After all, I got rid of any alcohol-induced stupor before sleeping, so there’s no worry about forgetting any drunken actions.
I also don’t have bad sleeping habits, so I mustn’t have disturbed her.
“Umm…”
At the sound from the side, I turned my head. Our eyes met.
“..Abel?”
Adelle looked at me with a dazed expression before slowly sitting up. She glanced at her disheveled negligee and then looked at me with a blank face.
Why does she still look beautiful even in situations like this?
Her disheveled negligee, along with her slightly messy black hair, enhanced a decadent charm.
“It’s not good for the heart..”
As I thought this, Adelle’s face scrunched up slightly.
“..Could it be.”
She quickly pulled the blanket over herself to hide her negligee. Though her expression seemed shocked, I could clearly see the muscles in her face twitching with joy at finding a way to tease me.
Thwap.
“Ugh!”
Slapping her forehead, Adelle gave me an aggrieved glare. She rubbed her forehead with her right hand while letting out a pained groan.
“Uuuh..”
“Teasing your fiancé is a nasty habit, Adelle.”
“Tch. I understand.”
With her spirit dampened, Adelle let out a sigh and buttoned up her negligee. While she was about to tidy up the bedding, she suddenly grinned mischievously and spoke.
“By the way, Abel, why were you in my bedroom last night? Could it be.. perhaps?”
Does she even remember that I hit her head earlier? She is already looking triumphant.
“…”
Sighing, I realized that the answer when dealing with her personality is to go straight for the frontal assault.
“Of course, it was to see my beloved fiancée.”
“…”
“Maybe out of excitement, I fell asleep while waiting.”
The blush that spread across her face as I delivered this embarrassing line clearly showed her discomfort.
As her face turned red like a ripe persimmon, I leaned closer and continued.
“This time, I fell asleep first, but… next time, you can have high expectations. Adelle.”
With that, I smiled at her slightly, and Adelle lowered her head.
“Alright, stop it. I give up..”
Hearing her declaration of surrender, I smirked and pulled my face away.
Victory for me, with my longer experience in this world of fantasy.
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