-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Terms of Cooperation
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Um, about dating, perhaps…”
I was wondering how to refuse Raynerd’s successive, difficult suggestions.
But the very person who had thrown me into this dilemma suddenly let out a laugh. “Haha.”
“It was a joke. I just wanted to tease you for a moment, Young Lady.”
The man, leaning on the armrest of the sofa, propped his chin on his hand.
“I guess it was a bit of a shock, having my proposal rejected so cleanly.”
Proposal?
*Well, he certainly did ask if I would marry him.*
But the situation hardly suited such a romantic word.
“Hah.”
Raynerd, his expression now perfectly serene in contrast to his earlier words, let out a small sigh.
“Goodness, I was being arrogant again. I unconsciously assumed you would naturally accept my offer, Young Lady.”
“Not at all. It’s only natural for you to think that way.”
I decided to flatter him appropriately.
“How many women in this empire would refuse a place by Your Highness’s side?”
“There’s one right in front of me.”
“I’m a rather unusual case. You could say I lack the ambition of a typical noble. A young lady from any other family would have eagerly taken Your Highness’s hand.”
It wasn’t just empty flattery. The man named Raynerd, along with the position of Crown Princess, was just that alluring.
“It goes without saying. I am perfect, after all.”
Raynerd smiled faintly.
“More so than that Cedric Hiklrid.”
Then, in a meaningful tone, he enunciated his next words clearly.
“Don’t you agree, Young Lady?”
For some reason, his gaze on me felt sharp.
Aha. I was soon able to grasp the reason for this strange attitude.
*This man, he feels a sense of rivalry with Cedric, the male lead.*
No wonder he seemed overly interested in Aila in the novel.
Of course, he needed to keep Cedric in check, but getting involved with Aila to the point of becoming a candidate for her husband seemed a bit excessive.
*It’s not as if the man who will one day rule this country has time to spare.*
Crown Prince Raynerd and Grand Duke Hiklrid. I didn’t know what history lay between them to make Raynerd so competitive, but…
“Of course! Your Highness is perfection itself. You’re far more incredible than the Grand Duke.”
What I needed to do right now was to curry Raynerd’s favor as much as possible.
Who knew? If I built up some goodwill, maybe the number of digits in the reward he’d give me would change.
“Although I’ve liked him and diligently chased after him until now, seeing Your Highness up close makes me feel that the Grand Duke is nothing special.”
“Hm.”
“This is just between us, but honestly, the Grand Duke has a rather scary impression, doesn’t he? He’s always frowning, even at balls.”
“Indeed, indeed.”
“Compared to someone like that, Your Highness is much gentler, which makes you relatively easier and more pleasant to be around.”
The image Raynerd consistently tried to build in the novel was that of a flawless, yet benevolent, monarch to his people.
I carefully chose words that I thought would suit his tastes.
“You and I seem to be on the same wavelength, Young Lady.”
Perhaps my efforts paid off, because despite the fact that I had just rejected the Crown Prince’s marriage proposal, the atmosphere was reasonably amicable.
“You certainly know how to pick the sweetest words.”
“Haha, do I?”
“You seem to know quite a lot about me. Other than formal greetings, the first time we spoke directly was just a fortnight ago.”
“We subordinates always pay close attention to our superiors.”
“Ah, is that so?”
Was it just my imagination, or did his words feel strangely barbed…?
With a fluid motion, Raynerd extended his hand to me once more.
“Relax. I’m not proposing this time.”
He reassured me when I flinched unconsciously.
“A handshake. Simply to wish us well in our future endeavors.”
“In any case,” he continued.
“We’re in the same boat for the time being.”
I stared at his gloved hand for a moment before placing my own upon it.
“I’ll be in your care.”
“Likewise.”
As he said this, he licked his lower lip for the briefest of moments.
Immediately after Raynerd left, as the maids swarmed in to help me dress, I secretly clutched my chest in relief.
*It’s only morning, and I’m already exhausted…*
Dealing with someone who calculated so much internally was always a tiring affair.
I seemed to have succeeded in gaining his favor, but Raynerd still hadn’t let down his guard.
Then again, if he were to be lax with me after only two meetings, he wouldn’t be the Raynerd I knew.
He was the type of person to constantly doubt even his most loyal retainers who had served him for years.
*Besides, with a curse involved, it’s only natural that I’d continue to be under suspicion.*
Let’s get this straight. To Raynerd right now, Charlotte Lindsi was a suspicious person, but one he couldn’t openly show his suspicion towards.
As the Crown Prince, he had more than enough power to force me, but that was a last resort.
It was more advantageous for Raynerd to elicit my voluntary cooperation.
These weren’t bad terms for me, either.
Therefore, my goal is to strive to maintain this friendly, cooperative relationship until the bed’s curse is broken.
The only problem is…
*The people I have to cooperate with aren’t just one or two!*
This damn curse, these damn comments!
***
As I went about a day that was not much different from usual, night fell quickly.
Yugen visited my room around the same time he had come the previous night.
“Is anyone here today?”
“No. It’s just me.”
Yugen, who had been craning his neck and looking around like a wary animal, finally relaxed.
“Yaaawn. Charlotte, hello.”
Seeing him yawn so widely, it seemed certain that his insomnia had returned, just like Raynerd’s.
However, I couldn’t bring it up before Yugen did.
“Are you very sleepy?”
“Actually…”
Once I gave him an opening, Yugen explained why he had come here today in his characteristically slow manner of speaking.
“Can’t sleep again. And… the voice. It’s strange. Before… I slept.”
It was an explanation that seemed to be missing a lot, as usual, but I immediately put on a surprised expression.
“The curse has started again?!”
“Yeah.”
With a face tinged with faint injustice, Yugen nodded eagerly.
“Since when? What is the voice saying now? Is it the same as before?”
To summarize the information I drew from Yugen based on my various questions…
*It’s exactly the same as with Raynerd.*
In that case, I had no choice but to take the same course of action.
“To put it simply, I can maintain my best condition if I sleep in your bed once a week, Young Lady.”
I recalled the conversation I had with Raynerd before he left the Lindsi Marquisate.
“In other words, the best solution is for me to visit here once a week.”
“O-Once a week…”
“I know. If it’s too frequent, the chances of being caught increase, and it’s a burden on you as well.”
“I can’t deny that.”
“But waiting a fortnight is too much for me. I’ve tried it, and it’s not something a person can endure.”
“Um, but before you came the first time, you endured the curse for over two months, didn’t you?”
“Because of that, I used being sick as an excuse and endlessly postponed my schedules. If you had seen my condition back then, you’d have nothing to say.”
“Was it that bad? You seemed fine when you spoke to me at His Majesty the Emperor’s birthday banquet.”
“That’s because I was holding on with sheer willpower to make the best possible impression on you.”
“I see. I had no idea.”
“In any case, the minimum is one week, the maximum is a fortnight. We must meet periodically within that interval.”
Raynerd’s eyes were endlessly serious as he said this.
“My normal life depends on your bed, Young Lady.”
My spirits sank at the feeling of a heavy burden settling on my shoulders.
*You might only need to spare one night a week at most, but that’s not the case for me.*
There were a whopping four men who wanted my bed.
“Oh, right.”
Just then, as if he’d remembered something, Yugen rummaged through the bag he had brought.
“Look at this.”
What the Mercenary King, a man said to be able to make a crying child stop in its tracks, held out to me was…
“Pajamas?”
“Yeah! This time… I didn’t forget to bring them.”
He looked at me with expectant, doe-like eyes.
*So cute!*
It was a sight that instantly healed my weary mind and body. Was he perhaps hoping for praise?
“You did very well.”
At my praise, the corners of Yugen’s mouth loosened slightly.
Ugh. While I desperately suppressed the urge to pat his head, Yugen pointed a finger in the direction of my bed.
“Can I… ask a favor? Over there.”
He was, of course, asking to sleep in the bed again.
“Hmm, what should I do?”
I already knew the answer, but I pretended to think about it, stalling for time.
It was absolutely not because Yugen’s anxious expression was cute, but because I had a condition of my own to add.
“Alright. If you grant one request of mine, I’ll let you sleep there.”
“What request?”
“Wait a moment.”
I went to my desk and took an object out of the drawer.
Seeing it, Yugen blinked.
“A rope.”
“That’s right, it’s a rope.”
I tried to speak as cheerfully as possible while uncoiling the rope.
“I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to let me tie you up.”
