Chapter 20

“No one ever asked the Grand Duchess first, did they?”

There was one flaw in that tiresome tradition. The Grand Duke couldn’t refuse. That meant the Grand Duchess, Amelia, could refuse without consequences. Of course, the original Amelia would never have made such a statement.

“……”

Naturally, she expected immediate approval, but he remained silent. Did he not expect her to make such a request first? He stood there, seemingly shocked, with a stiff expression.

“Your Grace?”

“……”

“Your Grace!”

No matter how surprised she was, there was no response when she called out to him. Was it that shocking to suggest using separate rooms? After all, it was a cohabitation neither of them wanted.

“That’s not possible.”

“What?”

She asked, surprised by his firm refusal. No, was it really so easy for him to reject it outright?

To an outsider, it might seem like she made an unreasonable proposal. It’s not about whether this is good for the sister or good for the brother-in-law.¹implies that the situation or decision is not based on favoring one person over another but rather on some other criteria or consideration

“No… I’m fine with it, and wouldn’t it be fine for you too, Your Grace?”

“I think we shouldn’t talk about having separate rooms anymore.”

“Just a moment.”

In truth, she wasn’t nervous about sleeping with him. It’s just that she couldn’t get used to or find a day where she could sleep comfortably with Raphael’s presence next to her.

“I made myself clear.”

It meant that there would be no further conversation.

What… this stubborn, narrow-minded person. A dictator.

“That’s enough, go to sleep.”

“……”

Should I grab a pillow and go to another room right now? In this vast castle, isn’t there enough space for her to lie down alone? If not, she could go to Leonel’s room.

“Grand Duchess?”

Even calling her Grand Duchess didn’t sit well with her. Every word ended with Grand Duchess, Grand Duchess. Why would she insist on sharing a room if she was going to be like that?

“Yes, please sleep.”

“……”

Unfortunately, she didn’t have the courage to leave the room. All she could do was hold onto the pillow and curl up at the end of the bed as much as possible. After all, if she could endure a little longer, this uncomfortable cohabitation would end.

“Your Highness?”

Amelia raised her hand at the voice buzzing above her head. She wanted to sleep a little longer. She had barely fallen asleep last night…

“……”

“Your Highness!”

The voice that had been whispering in her ear until a moment ago suddenly grew louder like a thunderbolt.

“What, what is it?”

“Are you awake now?”

“May?”

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw May looking down at her with an expressionless face. It seemed like she had overslept again.

“The young master is waiting for you.”

Amelia nodded her head in response to May’s colder-than-usual attitude. What’s her problem, complaining so early in the morning?

“Is it any of the maid’s business when I wake up?”

“I’m doing it because I want to, so it’s okay.”

She didn’t like it because May was the first face she saw in the morning.

“You don’t have to. Oh, the maids who were with me yesterday can wake me up.”

“Yes, what?”

“What were their names?”

“Ann and Jane.”

She noticed that those two were relatively friendly towards her yesterday. Although it was probably because of the gifts.

“No, really, I’m fine!”

“I don’t like it. So, ask Ann and Jane.”

She knew why May came to check on her every morning. She was probably making sure nothing happened between her and Raphael last night. The way May’s gaze scrutinized her body was incredibly uncomfortable.

“What are you doing? You’re not leaving.”

She didn’t want to be distracted, so she sent the maids downstairs to keep an eye on her.

“Oh, wait a minute.”

“Do you have anything else to say?”

“Don’t forget, I can tell Raphael anything at any time.”

She had been trying to approach Leonel little by little recently. Since she couldn’t do anything to her and Raphael, she was targeting the weak Leonel.

“…… Yes, I understand.”

She will be quiet for a while since she has been fooled once. But May was not a woman to give up on this kind of thing. If there is an opportunity, she can attack her and Leonel.

“You said Leonel is looking for me?”

“Yes, he asked if you’d woken up yet.”

“How long has it been?”

Normally, he’s a kid who never wakes up until she wakes up….

“It hasn’t been long.”

“Is there anything wrong?”

Amelia hurried to the dining hall as soon as she heard that Leonel had been looking for her since morning. Something must have happened.

“Leonel!”

“Ah… Mother.”

When she rushed to the place where something big might have happened, Leonel and Raphael were sitting there.

“Your Grace…?”

Why is he here when he should be in his office at this time of day? And to make things worse, he’s sitting close to Leonel as though they have a close relationship. Originally, he would sit far away from Leonel. The two were closer to having a superior-subordinate relationship than a parent-child relationship. 

“Why are you here…?” 

As soon as she appeared, Amelia rushed towards Leonel, his eyes pleading for help.

“Leonel, did you…?” 

“Why do you think I scolded that child?”

“Your Grace!” 

No matter how much he disliked Leonel, she couldn’t believe he called his son ‘that child.’ Then again, he calls his wife the Grand Duchess, after all. 

“That child follows the Grand Duchess a lot.” 

“…….” 

Amelia tightly held Leonel’s hand and looked at Raphael. What kind of conversation did he want to have by appearing here at this time? 

“It’s natural for a child to follow their mother.” 

“So I thought I’d try it too.” 

“What do you mean?” 

Unlike her desperation and Leonel’s, Raphael leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers on the table at a leisurely pace. Yes, it was like a carnivore appearing in the world of herbivores. 

“I’m also a parent. So I wanted to try being a parent.” 

Before she could ask what he meant by being a parent, a variety of fancy foods were laid out on the table. They were on a completely different level from the meals that she and Leonel had eaten so far.

“I should make an effort too, since the Grand Duchess is making an effort.”

“…….”

“Well then, I will eat well.”

She didn’t know who this meal was for. It’s amazing how the atmosphere can change with just one person being added. At first, it was quite awkward, but overall, Amelia and Leonel’s mealtime was generally pleasant.

“It’s not bad to have a family meal.”

Is it really not bad? Am I just unable to read the atmosphere or pretend not to know? And what’s with these exquisite dishes? They were completely different from what she and Leonel had eaten before.

“But why do you always wake up so late?”

“What?”

“You didn’t wake up even though the sun was already high up.”

Now it was about her wake-up time. It’s because of you that I’m sleeping late. So, wouldn’t it have been nice if we used separate rooms like I suggested?

“If you wanted me to wake up early, you could have accepted my proposal from yesterday.”

Don’t dodge it and just say it’s fine. Amelia needlessly poked at her garnish with her fork.

“Ah, the Grand Duchess’s proposal.”

“I think both of us would be very satisfied.”

Amelia was not someone who would let things slide and keep quiet. She couldn’t understand why he was acting so strangely all of a sudden.

“I thought I said no to that yesterday.”

Does that tradition really have to be followed? Even if the Grand Duchess refuses first?

“Don’t you feel uncomfortable as well, Your Grace?”

“Why would you think that?”

Yesterday, he grabbed her while she was trying to sleep and told her she smelled bad. Even if that wasn’t the reason, there were many other reasons.

“I think it would be necessary for the both of us to get a good night’s sleep.”

She didn’t want to show a confrontational scene in front of Leonel, but she couldn’t help it. Judging by Raphael’s attitude, it seemed that it was not impossible to use separate rooms.

“Wasn’t it you who said that using separate rooms was absolutely not possible?”

“That’s… .”

She can’t say that it wasn’t her who said that… Of course, Amelia would have opposed it, using the unreasonable tradition as an excuse.

“I’m very satisfied with the current situation.”

Raphael’s face, which smirked and said he was very satisfied, was so captivating that it could enchant anyone. His dazzlingly handsome face, the cool corners of his mouth, the straight teeth—everything was perfect. But why did it look like a wild beast had revealed itself in her eyes?

“Let’s try to make an effort to wake up early from tomorrow.”

He spoke as if her late waking up was the reason.