chapter 19
As footsteps drew closer, my heartbeat grew louder. I pressed both hands tightly over my mouth and sank into thought.
“Should I leave now?”
For some reason, I couldn’t move my body despite wanting to act immediately.
“It feels like it’s already too late.”
I shouldn’t have hidden! Each tick of the clock in the study only increased my regret. The footsteps stopped—right in front of the study desk. I heard the commander of the knights speak.
“Honestly, it’s rather fascinating that the orphanage Baron Blonue discovered happens to be the one you came from, milady. Could there be some connection?”
“I don’t know.”
Johann’s voice came from right in front of me. It was an unusually cold and icy tone, completely different from when he normally spoke to me.
“Wait… he found the orphanage I came from?”
The Lavianne Orphanage was a simple, ordinary place. Nothing remarkable, except the orphanage director was surprisingly competent, having arranged for a bunch of children to be adopted.
“But taking all the children as workers at once isn’t unusual.”
Even if Johann had investigated my orphanage, he probably wouldn’t have discovered anything remarkable. Johann lightly perched on the edge of the desk and spoke.
“Whatever I dig up, something will probably come out. Have there been any attacks on the Blanchet family recently?”
“Yes. Ever since Libertan’s fall, everyone seems to be keeping their distance.”
“Good.”
I nervously listened to their conversation, my heart pounding.
“If I had known, I might have just let myself be found.”
The commander and Johann continued talking.
“By the way, my lord, what have you decided regarding Libertan’s letter? I haven’t received your stance yet.”
“Seems like he’s in quite a state, doesn’t he?”
“Yes. There’s quite an uproar in the palace prison.”
Johann didn’t reply. The silence made me even more anxious, and I kept my breath held. Then, I heard footsteps as Johann entered further into the study—toward the side where I was hiding.
“I’ve been found!”
I gave Johann a sheepish smile, lowering my gaze slightly. I even waved, pretending to greet him.
“What excuse should I give?”
But Johann raised an eyebrow ever so slightly, showing no sign of recognition, and sat down.
“Is he pretending not to notice me here?”
Johann moved as if no one were under the desk. Despite the desk being large, there wasn’t much space inside. His firm calf pressed against my curled-up body. I hugged my knees tightly, trying to retreat as far inward as possible. Even pressed against the inner wall of the desk, our bodies were closely touching.
“What’s Johann thinking?”
He slowly spoke.
“I intend to accept Libertan’s proposal.”
“Eh? Really?”
“Yes. I have a promise with my wife.”
“I see… Then, wouldn’t there be a lot to explain to her? I heard she only recently recovered from her illness…”
Concern laced the commander’s voice.
“I’ll handle that myself.”
“Understood.”
“Raymond, I want your advice on something.”
Johann crossed his arms, speaking in a relaxed tone.
“So the commander’s name is Raymond, huh?”
I couldn’t understand why Johann kept talking to the commander while leaving me under the desk.
“Are you asking me, my lord?”
Raymond’s voice trembled with surprise. Though I couldn’t see his face, I imagined it looked shocked.
“What’s this about? Is there a new monster problem the knights need to handle?”
“No.”
Johann’s lips curled slightly.
“This is about my wife.”
“The new lady… you mean, what about her?”
Commander Raymond’s voice was fully engaged. I pricked up my ears at my own mention and looked up at Johann. He spoke slowly.
“My wife keeps calling me ‘duke.’”
“Ehh?”
“It’s been quite a while since we married, but she still uses that title. This could be a serious problem.”
Both I and Raymond were taken aback. Raymond cleared his throat and asked again.
“Ah… Could it be that she simply hasn’t thought of another title?”
“That’s impossible. She even called me ‘my husband’ during the previous crisis.”
“I-I see.”
“She even spoke casually, very naturally.”
He must be remembering the Anton incident.
“This is a serious issue. Married life is important in many ways.”
Johann’s tone made me even more embarrassed. My face burned red. Though I had said it unconsciously during a crisis, hearing it from someone else completely changed the situation.
“Is he teasing me?”
Johann continued as if I weren’t there.
“She was so cute then… I wonder if there’s a way to hear it again?”
“Well… I suppose the only way is for the lord to speak with the lady himself?”
“But if I ask again, the cuteness of the moment might be lost. That sudden ‘husband’ was adorable.”
“I-I see…”
Raymond awkwardly agreed. Johann’s red eyes flicked toward me under the desk, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips.
“He’s definitely teasing me.”
I felt a surge of irritation.
“Hold it. Just until the commander leaves.”
At least Johann seemed unwilling to reveal my presence while Raymond was there. It was easier to defend myself once I was alone with Johann. Yet he didn’t stop.
“But calling me by my name instead of ‘husband’ might not be bad. Newlyweds—”
Thwack. I couldn’t hold back and jabbed his calf with my finger. I looked up at him, but Johann continued.
“They show affection by calling each other by name.”
Thwack. Thwack.
“Either way would be cute, so I need Raymond’s advice.”
He finished speaking and lightly nudged my foot with his shoe. Clearly, he wasn’t listening to me.
“How long do I have to hear this embarrassing talk?”
Raymond’s visible discomfort made me even more embarrassed.
“Well… I’m not sure. Baron Blonue or someone else might know better about this kind of problem.”
“Wouldn’t a rogue like you, with no experience in romance, know better than Baron Blonue?”
“I-I’ve never pondered such deep questions…”
Ultimately, Raymond gave up, saying, “I have urgent matters to attend to!” and rushed off. The study door closed. Finally, I exhaled. Johann pushed back his chair slightly, meeting my gaze under the desk with a twisted smile.
“My wife, did you want to play hide-and-seek?”
No! But it was my fault for hiding here in the first place.
“…I didn’t come here to play hide-and-seek.”
“Then why are you here?”
Johann nodded, signaling me to come out. I tried to.
“My feet are numb.”
After sitting in one position too long, my legs cramped. Remaining still only made me feel more embarrassed.
“My wife is quite a handful.”
“…A bit troublesome, right?”
“That’s why it’s good.”
Johann got off the chair, bent down, and lifted me into his arms, placing me on top of the desk.
“I can do a lot for you.”
Breathing became easier outside the cramped space. Johann sat on the chair, legs crossed, winking at me.
“So, why was my wife found under the desk? Should I figure it out myself?”
“No. There’s no need.”
Even small words carried a teasing tone. I felt the urge to cover his mouth.
“…I told you to think of a way to reassure the duke, didn’t I?”
“You did.”
“So, how about going together with him?”
I swallowed and looked into Johann’s eyes.
“If the duke protects me, he can save me immediately if something happens. Or we could take a doctor along.”
Even now, there was no trace of the curse in Johann’s study.
“Then the Libertan couple likely knows something.”
But they were currently imprisoned for treason. There was no way for me to visit them without Johann’s permission, especially since I was still under the Libertan name.
“And if someone else were involved, it would be difficult to mention the curse.”
So even if I went, I might not get what I wanted.
“Still, it’s better than not going at all.”
Johann tilted his head slightly, the gesture he made when pondering something.
“That’s basic.”
“Huh?”
“When my wife goes, it’s only natural that I, her husband, go along. But it still doesn’t reassure me fully.”
Johann slowly took my hand from the desk.
“Think carefully. There might be a way for me to want to help you.”
What way?! I felt a surge of frustration but quickly regained composure and spoke cautiously.
“My… husband?”
“….”
“Can I call you that?”
My face flushed red at saying “husband.” Johann’s eyes softened.
“That’s a pleasant sound, but not the correct answer.”
“Then what is the correct answer?”
Johann answered promptly.
“There isn’t one.”
“Huh?”
“Just say you want to go.”
I couldn’t hide the confusion on my face. Johann stood and spoke calmly.
“Don’t ask, demand. Then I’ll grant everything.”
His red eyes held a strange hint of guilt, focused on my neck.
“Impossible.”
I unconsciously touched my neck. Johann’s lips stiffened.
“Any pain from standing up?”
“No.”
“…Then, my wife.”
Johann lifted my face to meet his eyes. I looked at him, wide-eyed.
“Have you ever wanted to leave Libertan? Regretted being adopted?”
An unexpected question froze me.
“Answering about Libertan is too important.”
I had no clue how to respond, because…
“…His voice doesn’t feel hostile.”
I weighed whether to answer honestly or pretend to be a beloved daughter. I found a middle ground.
“Yes, I have. I regretted it once.”
“But do you still love the Libertan couple, your adoptive parents?”
I faintly smiled and placed my hand over Johann’s on my face.
“I don’t know what love is, but enough to want to see them. It’s a difficult answer.”
Johann might have noticed the subtle difference in my response.
“But I can’t lie.”
A response too different from my true feelings would be obvious. I needed to meet the Libertan couple to confirm the curse.
“Before they die for treason, I must!”
Johann looked at me with an enigmatic smile. I asked him back.
“Why is that? Did something happen?”
“You might have guessed from my conversation with Raymond, but there’s something I didn’t tell you to avoid shocking you.”
“….”
“The day my wife and I married, the Libertan family was exterminated for treason.”
“….”
“By my hand.”
His final words carried unmistakable intent to kill.
Doctor Henry began checking the results on his medical magical device. It was unusual that the lady’s illness hadn’t been diagnosed, so he deliberately brought the most precise device. But unfortunately, it couldn’t measure unconscious patients, so it could only be used now.
“This is how I put my hand in… but it won’t help anyway.”
Henry found the patient’s calm reaction strange, given her frequent ailments and potential serious illness.
“Thank you for your hard work with the checkup.”
He even smiled kindly at Henry.
The device whirred, and the results came out. Henry couldn’t believe his eyes.
“There must be a malfunction.”
[Estelle Blanchet: Measurement impossible.]
It was almost unheard of for this device to fail, unless the new lady was not human.
“…The lady has… the legendary incurable disease, Sleeping Princess.”
