Sigh...
I feel strangely unsettled.
Abel Hardenberg.
He’s truly an enigma in so many ways.
Just a mont ago, when I was captured by those kidnappers, he didn’t resist. Was it because he was worried I might get hurt? Or was it so ploy to win my favor?
It couldn’t be the latter—he has no reason to do that.
‘...Was he genuinely concerned about ?’
But that’s ridiculous.
Abel, the very man labeled as the villain in the original story, wouldn’t possibly be worried about . But then again, I can’t think of any other reason, and it’s driving crazy.
‘...Let’s just wait for him to co back.’
Of course, even if he does return, I can’t just ask him about it. Asking a version of Abel who doesn’t have the sa mories would only earn a sharp rebuke.
With that thought, I opened my bedroom door—and froze.
There, lying on the bed, was a man.
His ash-gray hair and the scar running across his face. Dressed in elaborate clothing, the man was deeply asleep, using a pillow as a headrest.
‘...Abel?’
Why is he here?
My already overworked brain started whirring again. Then I rembered—Abel is an Archmage. Did he use teleportation magic to co back?
‘Must be nice.’
It took over a year just to learn basic shield magic, and here he is, an Archmage, using teleportation like it’s nothing.
I sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed.
Abel, oblivious to my thoughts, slept on. Contrary to the sharp impression he gave when his eyes were open, his sleeping face was nothing short of angelic.
With looks like his, if he were in the modern world, he’d probably beco a top idol without breaking a sweat. Even though he’s a villain, I guess he’s still a male lead in a romance fantasy after all.
‘If only he were as kind as he looks.’
He’s always teasing people, never understanding how unsettled he makes others. And what’s more infuriating is how sharp his instincts are when it cos to the most bizarre things.
Feeling a bit of spite, I poked his face with my finger. He furrowed his brow slightly before turning his head to the side.
‘...I guess I’ve grown more comfortable around him.’
Comfortable enough to pull off small pranks like this. Above all, in the month I’ve spent with him, I haven’t experienced the tornt I used to.
Originally, I was marked with the label of a villainess, hated by everyone, and constantly under threat of losing my life. Most people around rejected and mistreated without hesitation simply because I was a villainess.
But the people in the Hardenberg household were different.
Not just the maids, but even Abel himself treated as ‘’, not as the villainess, Adele. It’s a stark contrast to the count Este’s household, where the servants never hid their disdain for .
Now, this place feels like a refuge for .
‘...I must’ve been exhausted.’
It seems I’ve grown weary of facing baseless malice and constant threats to my life. To the point where even the residence of Abel Hardenberg, the villain of the original story, feels like a sanctuary.
“Mmm...”
A sudden sound made turn to look at Abel. His face twisted slightly as he murmured sothing in his sleep.
‘Is he having a nightmare?’
I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but it didn’t seem like he was dreaming of anything pleasant.
Is he cold? I wondered. Acting on that thought, I fetched a blanket from the closet and draped it over him.
Only then did his tense expression finally relax.
‘...But where am I supposed to sleep?’
Normally, I would have just slept in this room. But having Abel sleeping so peacefully next to is hard to ignore. Yet, going to sleep in another room is out of the question.
Officially, we are supposed to be an affectionate, engaged couple. It wouldn’t make sense for an enamored fiancée to leave her sleeping fiancé in her own room and go sleep elsewhere...
‘...That would cause its own set of problems.’
I’m stuck in a dilemma.
Sleeping here is uncomfortable because Abel is right next to , but sleeping elsewhere might cause the servants to question the authenticity of the “happy couple” image we’ve established.
According to Abel, the only ones aware of the contract are Allen and Evan.
Sigh ‘I’ll just have to endure it...’
Resigned, I slipped under the covers and laid down next to him. His sleeping face was so close, softly breathing in and out.
‘...He’s bigger than I thought.’
Although we’ve spoken plenty of tis, this is the closest I’ve ever been to him. No, wait, we were this close earlier at the ball, weren’t we?
I must have been too distracted by the dance to notice, but Abel’s physique is larger than I’d imagined. His broad shoulders and sharp jawline made it clear just how big he really is.
‘...It’s like sothing out of a romance fantasy novel.’
His looks are so perfect that they almost feel out of place.
Because of that, I don’t find myself particularly drawn to his appearance. Even when I first entered Adele’s body, I didn’t react strongly to the Crown Prince’s looks, whom Adele had once adored. It’s that sa sense of detachnt.
If I had to describe it, it’s like looking at a flawless doll. Sure, people might say a doll is beautiful, but rarely do they develop feelings for one, right?
It’s exactly that kind of feeling.
‘Spoiled much, aren’t I?’
I probably won’t even get to date, let alone marry, in this world. My standards for an ordinary man have beco too high, and the handso ones leave feeling a sense of detachnt from their looks.
‘...Let’s just go to sleep.’
Feeling a bit pitiful, I closed my eyes and drifted off into the softness of the bed.
***
Ha…
Is it because I slept without a blanket?
I dreamt of mories from my childhood.
The mory of my biological father, Duke Ein von Hardenberg, abusing was still vivid, like it had just happened.
While I can curse at those mories and brush them off now, back then, it was truly unbearable. Maybe because I was still a child.
Being that sensitive at such a young age, enduring such abuse caused a lot of stress. If I hadn’t had mories from my past life, those monts would’ve scarred with lifelong trauma.
That’s how cruel he had been to .
As I thought about it, I opened my eyes and was montarily startled by the unfamiliar ceiling above . Normally, I should be greeted by a white ceiling. Why on earth was it pink?
I turned my head—and there she was.
Adele, with her long, wavy black hair and sharp eyes.
It was unmistakably her. But why was she lying next to in her sleepwear? I shot up in a panic and tried to recall last night’s events.
‘...Am I an idiot?’
No matter how tired I was, how could I have fallen asleep in my fiancée’s bed?
Thankfully, I didn’t seem to have done anything foolish.
I had already shaken off my buzz before going to sleep, so I wasn’t drunk enough to have caused any incidents. And I don’t have any bad sleeping habits, so I shouldn’t have bothered her.
“Mmm...”
At the sound beside , I turned my head—and our eyes t.
“…Abel?”
Adele, looking half-asleep, blinked at and slowly sat up. She glanced down at her disheveled negligee before giving a blank stare.
Why does she still look so stunning even in a situation like this? The sight of her tousled black hair and slightly askew negligee exuded a strangely decadent allure.
‘Not good for my heart…’
While I was thinking that, Adele’s face scrunched up slightly.
“…No way.”
She hurriedly pulled the blanket up to cover her negligee. At first glance, she seed genuinely startled, but I could see through her.
Her facial muscles were clearly betraying her, showing how delighted she was to finally have sothing to tease about.
Smack!
“Ah! Ow!”
I flicked her forehead, and she let out a weird yelp before glaring at with an indignant look. Rubbing her forehead with her right hand, she whimpered in pain.
“Ugh…”
“It’s not a good habit to tease your fiancé like that, Adele.”
“Tsk. Fine, I get it.”
Adele let out a disappointed sigh and buttoned her negligee. As she started to tidy up the bed, a mischievous grin suddenly crossed her face.
“By the way, Abel. Why did you co to my room last night? Could it be… no way?”
She was now looking at slyly, completely forgetting about her forehead. She even humd a bit, her voice full of mock suspicion.
‘Ha…’
Knowing her personality, there was only one way to deal with this.
“Of course, I ca to see my lovely fiancée.”
“…Huh?”
Seeing her dumbfounded expression, I pressed on.
“I was so eager to see you that I accidentally fell asleep while holding my breath in anticipation.”
As ridiculous as my words sounded, her face imdiately started to flush. With her cheeks now turning the color of a ripe persimmon, I leaned in closer, my face nearing hers.
“This ti, I fell asleep first, but… next ti, you can look forward to it, Adele.”
As I finished speaking with a slight smile, she quickly lowered her head, her face burning red.
“I get it, I get it! Stop it already… I give up…”
Hearing her surrender, I chuckled and moved my face away from hers.
Looks like my years of experience living in a romance fantasy world finally paid off. Victory is mine.
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