The details of Raphael and Amelia were not mentioned in the book, but just by looking at the attitude of the maids, she could draw a general picture. Amelia would probably be in a fit of anger. She was a woman who would smash things. She must have thrown a pillow or something, right?

That’s why they’re tightly closing their eyes like that.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going out?”

“Yes, uh… Yes.”

Ann and Jane, who moved like a broken robot, hurriedly left the room. It seemed like they were afraid that she would change her mind. It was quite pitiful to see their desperate escape to avoid being caught.

“There’s no need for that.”

She’d prefer it if Raphael didn’t come. But probably not Amelia. Why would he stay out overnight? I thought we weren’t supposed to stay out because of that stupid rule……

“Why did you hold onto someone who was so busy?”

After catching someone before going out, when I returned, he was too busy to even see his face. I can’t understand why such a busy person acts like that. Don’t they eat breakfast separately? There were more than one or two points that I couldn’t understand.

He wasn’t even treating Amelia like a human being in the first place? He couldn’t have suddenly had a change of heart. Perhaps hearing things wasn’t enough, and he had to personally monitor to relieve his anger?

“I don’t know, I don’t care if he stays out. Actually, it’s better.”

She could finally sleep comfortably. Amelia lay in the middle of the bed, stretching her arms and legs wide. It had been difficult for her to sleep, clinging to the edge of the bed, until now.

“I hope he won’t come anymore in the future.”

She didn’t know it could be this comfortable. The narrow bed could accommodate her rolling around. She hadn’t felt it because Raphael was there. That human is so big, after all. Plus, he wasn’t even at the end of the bed like she was.

“I should get some sleep.”

She would finally be able to sleep comfortably today.

***

“Your Highness? Are you awake?”

“…Yes.”

What a refreshing morning. I hadn’t slept a wink. To be precise, I couldn’t fall asleep. My throbbing headache didn’t go away. Despite the night gradually giving way to the rising sun, I couldn’t seem to sleep.

Apart from a few brief dozes when my body couldn’t take it anymore, I haven’t closed my eyes. My eyes were so restless. At least when sharing a bed with Raphael, I couldn’t sleep due to tension, but this situation was slightly different.

“You couldn’t even get some sleep?”

“Just don’t talk for a moment. It makes my head spin.”

The headache that started mildly yesterday worsened throughout the night. Now, it was to the point where my expression involuntarily furrowed. I couldn’t even bear someone speaking to me. The lack of sleep and the headache made me sensitive.

“I’m sorry.”

She backed off immediately. Amelia couldn’t answer, so she waved her hand back and forth.

“I’ll call the doctor.”

Even if you called the doctor, it would be useless. It was just that I couldn’t sleep, which made the headache worse. But I didn’t even have the strength to say such words.

“Mother!”

“Leonel…?”

How long had she been lying down? Leonel came running with a startled expression on his face. She was so absent-minded that she had forgotten about Leonel. He must have been worried since she didn’t show up for breakfast.

“Are you feeling unwell, Mother?”

“Well… my head hurts a bit, that’s all. Don’t worry.”

After barely calming down Leonel, she was finally able to rest. The doctor concluded that her condition was due to a lack of sleep and a headache. He prescribed a sleeping pill and a painkiller, advising her to take the sleeping pill if she couldn’t sleep at night. With the prescribed medications, he left.

She had to take sleeping pills even though she never took them when she worked as an office worker.

“Ha….”

Now that her body was more comfortable, her mind seemed weak. Even when she was working as an office worker, she used to go to work after only one or two hours of sleep…

“Today, I’ll be able to sleep well.”

Even if she didn’t want to, her exhausted body would demand sleep. But even so, she couldn’t take a nap during the day. The only thing she did was take a few spoonfuls of soup as an excuse to take medication.

Should I take a sleeping pill and go to sleep?

The dull headache that didn’t subside even with painkillers faintly tormented her. The throbbing had lessened, but instead, she started to feel feverish. It seemed like she was forcing herself to alleviate the headache with medicine.

“Ha….”

A hot breath escaped from Amelia’s lips. Her entire body felt hot because of the fever. She changed into a thin negligee as the cold sweat trickled down uncomfortably. Raphael seemed to be absent again today.

It seemed natural for him to occasionally be away for a few days like this. Everyone in the household, including Leonel, was used to it.

“…I should ask him again to use separate rooms when he returns.”

Perhaps it was because of their past cohabitation that she couldn’t fall asleep. Though it was a forced relationship, it was strange that she couldn’t sleep like this. It wasn’t that she couldn’t sleep unless there was someone beside her, as she had lived alone for a long time.

“That man surely did something to me.”

If it wasn’t that, there was no other explanation.

“Could he be out hunting?”

He might have gone hunting in the western forest to tame a new magical beast. If that was the case, she hoped he wouldn’t return for a long time since she kept getting irritated by his empty spot.

Even as night was approaching, sleep didn’t come to her tired body at all.

“…….”

Just as she was pondering whether to call the maids and ask them to bring warm milk, moonlight shone on the bed. Was the moon always this close to the window? The moonlight felt like it was right in front of her, as if she had left a light on.

“A full moon?”

Rather than a full moon, it was an unusually large moon. The moon couldn’t be this close. Yes, it felt like someone artificially created it. But no matter how magical this world was, it couldn’t manipulate nature to that extent.

Strangely, she couldn’t divert her gaze. Amelia was startled by her gaze constantly shifting towards the moon. It wasn’t her intention.

“…….”

The moon held a strange power that seemed to enchant people. The moon, floating high in the dark sky, reminded her of someone else. It even exuded arrogance, despite being just a moon. Unconsciously, she got out of bed and approached the window.

Click.

“Ah…!”

Only after her fingertips touched the cold window did she realize she had gotten out of bed. Is it because I’ve never seen such a large moon before? She couldn’t help but feel strange.

“It’s cold…”

When she got off the bed, the cold enveloped her body. Amelia shivered and searched for a shawl, but when she actually needed it, it was nowhere to be found. When she was about to call for the maids and leave, she felt a chill behind her that was incomparable to before. Although she knew she was the only one in the room, it felt like someone else was with her.

“…….”

No, that couldn’t be. She didn’t hear the sound of the door opening. Even the window was still the same, she had confirmed that, right?

Yet, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that someone had entered. The security in the grand duchy was perfect. It was a place where assassins couldn’t even intrude.

But the sensation she felt behind her… The cold chill was telling her that she wasn’t alone in this room.

Trembling, Amelia tightly held onto her nightgown with both hands. If needed, she would even throw a punch. She couldn’t see any weapons nearby. She regretted that she had everything cleared away because she was sick.

“Who…”

She thought it would be better to strike first from this side. Amelia swiftly turned around as if she were about to shout as loud as possible, her fists clenched. But what came out of Amelia’s mouth was not a scream.

“Rapha…el?”

The source of the chilling coldness was Raphael. They clearly said he wouldn’t come back today, right? Why is he here? And she didn’t hear the sound of him entering. He appeared out of nowhere, without a sound.

“Why are you here… No, when did you come?”

“……”

Even if she was sick, there was no way she wouldn’t hear the sound of the door opening. Did he teleport or something?