Ch#85
* * *
It was morning.
Warm sunlight filtered in through the window.
Odellie opened her eyes first.
The moment her consciousness returned, she felt a heavy presence right beside her, holding her tightly as if binding her.
Her gaze slowly turned to the side.
Rudvil was still asleep, breathing shallowly.
Unlike his usual cold, rigid expression or twisted smile, his face was peacefully relaxed.
He hadn’t woken up even once through the night.
Judging by how he was still holding her firmly.
Odellie carefully regulated her breathing and quietly looked down at his arm wrapped around her.
Nothing had happened.
They hadn’t said a word to each other.
After singing the lullaby twice, they had simply passed the dawn like this, embraced in his arms.
‘……I might be the one getting insomnia now.’
He still bound her so tightly once he had her in his arms that she couldn’t move an inch.
Not like a Venus flytrap or anything.
Since she couldn’t escape his arms anyway, Odellie reached out and lightly brushed under Rudvil’s eyes with her fingertips.
Just from sleeping soundly one night, the fatigue beneath his eyes had slightly eased compared to yesterday.
His rough skin seemed a bit softer too.
At that moment.
Slowly, she felt strength entering his arm.
The person who had been asleep until just now naturally extended his arm and pulled her tightly against him again.
“……I can’t breathe.”
Odellie’s gaze immediately met Rudvil’s eyes, which had just woken.
Though still hazy with sleep, his sharp gaze was quickly returning.
He silently looked at her for a moment.
As the silence stretched oddly long, Odellie tried to withdraw her hand.
Then a low, husky voice flowed out from too close a distance.
“Why touch someone who’s sleeping.”
“I was checking if you slept well……”
“If you’re going to touch, do it boldly. Why sneak around like that, leaving me wanting more.”
“……”
Rudvil closed his eyes as if asking her to touch him.
Odellie was speechless for a moment at his shameless attitude.
Her head was starting to spin from the morning.
“Let me go.”
“You touched me first, Madam.”
As Odellie averted her gaze as if ignoring him, his finger slowly touched the nape of her neck.
“Your neck is so white and slender like this……”
She flinched involuntarily at the slow stroke down her nape.
Her spine chilled at his soft voice, even deeper in the morning.
“……There must be a necklace far better suited than that worn-out junk. Shall I find you one.”
Was he so satisfied with taking off the necklace?
For some reason, his attitude had been subtly different since yesterday…….
Cold sweat seemed to trickle down her back.
This wouldn’t do.
Rudvil was acting like they were a real newlywed couple.
At that moment.
His hand slowly moved downward, beginning to trace the scar above her collarbone.
“More than that, I’ve wanted to ask since before…… How on earth did you get this?”
“……!”
For an instant, her heart plummeted, rolling down to her feet.
“Hardly any mana residue, perfectly done. Did you use a magical tool for the tattoo? These are hard to remove, yet you went that far just to meet me……”
Odellie unwittingly slapped his hand away with a smack.
She snapped to attention as if doused with cold water.
‘Ah.’
Foolishly, she had been too defenseless.
He was already perceptive enough, and if he realized this was a real scar…….
Wouldn’t that hand her another clue that she was the Blue-Eyed Woman?
She had desperately hidden her terminal illness, but thanks to that damned Gawin, the image of her as frail was already etched in his mind.
She couldn’t give him any more clues.
“To meet you? This is something I engraved to survive.”
Her voice trembled, but she desperately held her expression firm.
“I thought you knew it was an unavoidable choice to escape the Cardell Family.”
“……”
Odellie pressed her hand against his chest and barely managed to speak.
“We’re not really in love—we’re just pretending to be. Do we need to keep up the act even in an empty bedroom with no one around?”
“……”
“And it’s not just any marriage—it’s a 5-year contract marriage.”
“Hm……”
Rudvil made a deflating expression and tickled her cheek with his finger.
“Saying such boring things first thing in the morning. You were quite cute when drunk……”
“You’re not listening to a word I say.”
“Can’t help it.”
His voice lowered further.
“It looks like you’re…… quite shaken by me, Madam.”
“……!”
“Am I wrong?”
Her face flushed at the direct hit.
He was smiling.
As if she were cute, or perhaps…… lovable.
Her heart pounded madly.
Desperate to stop him from looking at her that way, her mind went blank.
Odellie had no choice but to deploy her last defense.
She hadn’t wanted to bring it up since he clearly disliked it, but…….
“I can’t help it. You keep…… popping into my head.”
“……”
“As I told you, I didn’t come to this castle to find a replacement for that man. So…… like you said yesterday, there’s no need to empty myself out and fill the space with you.”
“Ah, is that so.”
Rudvil replied coldly and slowly released her waist.
She calmly sat up.
The thin bedding with gold thread brushed her shoulders and slid down.
She had finally escaped the firm embrace that had held her immobile, but…….
Suddenly, the northern chill felt especially cold seeping in.
……Well, that was inevitable after leaving Rudvil’s warm embrace.
“I hope this never happens again.”
Odellie warned him coldly, maintaining an icy expression.
“What I want isn’t anything else…… It’s just to escape the Cardell Family.”
And she immediately got off the bed to leave the room.
At that moment.
Thud.
“……?”
She felt a strange resistance as her toe bumped into empty air.
The transparent barrier was still blocking their path.
“Why is this……”
Odellie groped the air in bewilderment.
The barrier had definitely been released earlier.
Until Rudvil had held her and fallen peacefully asleep…….
“Ah, I see.”
Rudvil, as if he had already anticipated it, looked at the barrier calmly and continued.
“My guess that it reacts to my anger seems correct after all.”
“……”
“You shouldn’t make me angry in the bedroom, Madam.”
