Chapter 191

Of course, Grace didn’t mean anything suggestive by that.

She literally suggested sharing the bed for just one night.

I had no problems with sleeping together, but I was curious about the reason. Given that we were already under penalty points, I wondered if this was even permissible.

“Are you sure this is okay? Getting more penalty points would be a real pain.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. Just show them the contract I gave you. It’s got the Verche Duke’s Family seal on it.”

Grace responded confidently to Luna’s concerns.

Come to think of it, I remember seeing the seal on the contract.

It could easily just seem like, “Oh, that’s nice,” to someone who overheard. But it’s a rather profound fact.

How many people in the Duke’s Family have the authority to place a seal like that?

‘Did she ask Arthas for it?’

Grace’s biological father could hardly be called a wonderful dad, not even in casual conversation.

He raised his children with a hands-off approach and was extremely strict.

Perhaps he simply used that method and stamped the seal with a flourish.

‘Or maybe there was a bit of a fight.’

Grace grew up right despite her parents’ neglectful education.

Though she couldn’t shake her somewhat condescending attitude, her kind nature remained unchanged.

She even held a small, pure child-like heart inside her.

“Think of it as a sort of convention? Since you’ll be staying at my dormitory, we’ll need to find some things. What do you say?”

“Don’t you know?”

But once we started living together, I felt a bit lost.

Was it really okay to sleep together, though? Had I really received permission?

There was an urgency in her tone that I could sense. Though her face maintained a poker face, her words betrayed her.

“It seems urgent.”

“What?”

“It sounds urgent. Why?”

“Uh…”

When I asked straightforwardly, Grace found it hard to respond. It seemed indeed that she had other concerns.

Knowing some rationale could prevent issues. I typically didn’t care much for rumors, but Grace was different.

As the child of a Duke, rumors would spread like wildfire. Besides, the moment the contract was established, all sorts of gossip would spring up.

“…there’s a reason. I’ll explain it slowly.”

“Um… okay.”

“Huh? Did you just say you understood?”

“Yeah.”

Well, I wouldn’t do anything inappropriate anyway. That would just brand me as trash.

If Grace was fine with it, I was more than willing to spend time by her side. I’d completely ignore the rumors.

“Thank you! Just wait a moment! I’ll get this approved first!”

“You didn’t have permission yet?”

Luna asked incredulously. It seemed a bit reckless on Grace’s part.

Yet, it certainly meant there was urgency, but I still didn’t understand the reason. What on earth made Grace so frantic?

“Getting permission won’t take long. If I give a specific reason, we can share a bed for just one night. I think that’s the rule.”

“Really? If that’s the case, then…”

“Hehe. Just how much effort I had to put in for today…”

What was that about? I didn’t really see the significance.

But to be honest, I wasn’t entirely against it either. Particularly given what I realized from this situation.

Being sick and alone was genuinely heartbreaking; it made me feel teary-eyed. I missed the warmth of a person.

Especially after moving away from Rize, the contrast hit me harder. Even if it bears some criticism, sleeping together doesn’t sound so bad.

“Why?! Why?! Why is it a no?!”

“It’s… difficult due to regulations. Have you signed the contract?”

“Ah, I haven’t yet, but I plan to soon!”

“Then tell me after you sign. I’m done here.”

Of course, I was firmly rejected. Apparently, I needed to bring the signed contract.

The problem was, I hadn’t signed it yet. The contract only comes into effect the next day.

In other words, tonight was a no-go. Godin tried his best to help, but he was just on duty.

“Not fair… I was really looking forward to tonight…”

“Um… stay strong?”

Luna, oh Luna. Would such encouragement actually lift Grace’s spirits?

It didn’t seem that she was completely oblivious, but she must’ve felt the urge to say something.

Fortunately, Grace accepted it calmly without getting annoyed. She didn’t want things to get noisy for no reason.

“Um?”

“Oh? Kara?”

Just as I stepped outside with a grumbling Grace, we unexpectedly ran into Kara.

It felt like I kept bumping into Kara wherever I went; perhaps it was just my imagination. Besides, judging by her outfit, it seemed purely coincidental.

She wore a short tank top that exposed her midriff. There was sweat trickling down her toned abs, suggesting she’d been training.

With the summer heat, her clothes had inevitably become skimpier. Plus, she seemed unconcerned about the exposure.

“What are you two doing? Grace is right there.”

Kara asked while drinking from a water bottle, her body glistening with sweat and exuding a certain healthiness.

“We just came back from the administrative office; there was a small issue.”

“What issue?”

“Well…”

Grace stepped in to answer. It looked like she wanted to intervene before Luna could accidentally add to any misunderstandings.

Grace explained everything that happened, with Kara listening carefully.

We both received the same penalty points, and someone might have done it on purpose.

“Oh. So that’s what you meant. You even threw up, huh?”

“…sister.”

“What? Isn’t it true?”

Kara ended up bringing up Luna’s embarrassing moment again, regarding that outrageous incident in the colorful abyss.

In any case, when all explanations were done, Kara seemed to grasp the situation well enough.

“So that’s how it was? No big deal.”

“No big deal? It’s a huge problem for me!”

“What kind of problem?”

“U-um… there’s something!”

It seemed she couldn’t quite bring herself to spill the beans. Kara narrowed her eyes, staring intensely at Grace.

But Grace stood her ground, looking right back at her. The fierce standoff between charismatic Kara and fierce Grace.

Perhaps because of the unusual tension, even passersby started giving glances at us. It felt like we’d attract unnecessary attention.

“…Fine. Do as you wish. I don’t really care.”

Kara was the first to back down. It seemed both of them wanted to avoid any unnecessary rivalry.

“But seriously, it’s better if you just sleep. You wouldn’t want to see Sivar expelled.”

“If he gets expelled, I’ll take ‘responsibility’ personally. Isn’t that the obvious thing to do?”

“Ugh. This is ridiculous. Do as you please.”

Kara shook her head vehemently and took a step back, roughly brushing her sweat-soaked bangs aside.

That actually made her look really cool; it was definitely more so because it was Kara.

“Anyway, I’ll be off first. Let’s talk about this later.”

“Alright. Take care, Crimson Sun.”

“There you go again with the ‘Crimson Sun’. But do you know?”

“What?”

Grace asked grumpily. Kara just smiled her trademark refreshing smile.

Although I wasn’t sure why, it felt ominous. Kara’s smile always hinted at some prank on the horizon.

And lo and behold, Kara threw a most refreshing bomb at Grace.

“Last night, Luna went first, and Eli did the skinship first.”

“…”

“And lastly, I kissed him first. You’re always second.”

“…J-just…”

With such undeniable facts thrown at her, Grace stumbled for words. Her eye twitched in a clear sign her anger was about to explode.

In the meantime, Kara hurried off, leaving behind a gigantic bomb.

“Seriously!! I absolutely hate Crimson Sun!!”

Only Grace’s fierce roar echoed in the air.

[Your faith is increasing!]

The laughter of Chaos danced before my eyes.

“I can’t let this happen. Sivar!”

“Yeah?”

“Just hug me once!”

“???”

Is she really craving a cuddle or something?

*****

As time marched on, the night fell and everyone else was fast asleep.

Grace wasn’t lying in bed… but sitting at her desk.

What was she doing at her desk? Reading. However, the book was a bit peculiar.

It looked like a children’s book with illustrations and contents suitable for toddlers—your typical fairy tale book.

She quietly closed the book, trying to shake off the stress from earlier.

“Haah…”

Grace exhaled deeply. This was how she managed to calm her mind down.

If not for this, memories of that recent event would continue to haunt her. Especially when she was alone, her anxiety intensified.

‘I want to forget quickly…’

Even wanting to forget didn’t help; it clung to her like a shadow. She had nearly experienced something horrific as a woman, so how could she easily forget?

Just like deep wounds turn into dark scars, the mind mirrors this. Even when wounds heal, scars will always remain.

The silver lining was that being alone felt more bearable. But with unknown people around, particularly men, her anxiety soared.

‘Sivar is an exception, though…’

But Sivar was different. He saved her from the brink of hell.

Had he not come to her aid, she might have never dared step outside again.

She wanted to repay him somehow. No, she wanted to go beyond gratitude and just be with him.

Just like the fairy tale book Lee Yeon-joo had given her, she wanted to grow up to be a princess who nurtured the foolish into great leaders.

Even if it meant being driven from her family, that didn’t matter. All she wanted was to realize that story herself.

‘For now, I should read up to this point.’

Having taken her emotional healing medicine, it was time to wrap up the day. Grace finished tidying up and finally lay down in bed.

Before lying down, she glanced over at the drawer next to her bed. There lay the prescribed medication from her family.

Since she sleeplessly battled nightmares every night, sleeping pills were a necessity. Otherwise, even falling deep asleep was a struggle.

On the outside, she tried to act like an adult, but inside she was just a grown-up kid. A child still holding onto a small fairy tale in her heart.

‘…I think I should skip it tonight.’

After contemplating a bit, Grace put the sleeping pills on the drawer.

Then, she cautiously climbed into bed, trying to recall the feelings she experienced that day as vividly as possible.

How she had wrapped her arms around Sivar, burying her face against him, inhaling his unique scent.

His broad chest felt just right, and that scent was oddly intoxicating.

Just thinking about that day brought a smile to her face. If the contract could just be established, she could enjoy those moments for a long time.

‘I wish he were right next to me right now…’

Without realizing, Grace hugged her blanket tightly, as if embracing a person.

But the blanket didn’t satisfy her. Moreover, that sensation slowly began to wane.

And what returned instead were nothing but dreadful memories. Grace scrunched her face in an attempt to flee from them.

“…This won’t do.”

Yet when she closed her eyes, the events from that time sprang back to life. Instead of Sivar’s stoic face, the heinous grin of Delphoi led the way.

She opened her eyes with a gloomy expression. It seemed tonight she wouldn’t fall asleep easily.

Thus, she reluctantly decided to take the sleeping pills that were on the drawer. How much longer would these nightmares follow her?

‘Sivar…’

Grace surrendered herself to the creeping weariness.

‘I just wish he were here…’

As the only antidote to her troubles.

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