Chapter 8

Promise? What promise?

Had Amelia and Raphael made some sort of agreement? No matter how much she pondered, nothing came to mind. It was inevitable since the book did not mention anything about Amelia and Raphael. After all, Amelia was also a character who died early…

“Judging by your expression, it seems to be right.”

As his figure, which seemed to approach her in an instant, quickly moved away, Amelia found herself almost reaching out involuntarily. Her impulsive behavior wasn’t good, considering that she didn’t know what kind of test he was putting her into.

“We’ve made many promises, Your Grace, so I don’t know what you are referring to.”

“…….”

“You had so many demands for me, remember?”

It was not a complete lie. Raphael had forbidden many things to Amelia. What he wanted was for her to fulfill her role as a Grand Duchess.

“I don’t recall having many demands for you.”

“Your prohibitions, rather.”

The subtle frown on his face told her she hadn’t made a bad choice.

“Is it about the marital rules for the bedroom?”

Marital rules for the bedroom? Hearing the words come out of his mouth now, Amelia was so stunned that she could only stand there in disbelief. She felt like she’d just heard something outrageous—something she couldn’t believe was real. He wasn’t lying when he said they really shared the same bed?

“Are you pretending to forget again?”

“…….”

She couldn’t pretend to have forgotten. She didn’t even have a memory of making such a promise. The good news was that Amelia seemed to forget promises often.

“If you can’t remember, tell me again.”

Her eyes were emotionless, eyes that never looked at his wife. The coldness of his eyes and the lack of emotion in them made her shudder. If her husband looked at her with such eyes every day, she would probably go crazy.

“We can’t help but share the same bed.”

“…….”

“You’d better not think about touching my body again.”

It felt as if their lines had been switched. It was a line more suited to her than to Raphael. His attitude was so outrageous, as though he were accusing her. If he hated it that much, couldn’t they just stop sharing the same room?

Of course, Amelia already had a record. But she wasn’t Amelia.

“That will never happen.”

He wouldn’t believe those words, either. But unless one wanted to go mad, who would dare to provoke Raphael Lloyd Siegfried. Even though it was Amelia who had done those things. If Amelia hadn’t been the Grand Duchess, her life would have ended.

“…….”

Seeing Raphael turn his back to sleep without responding to her words, Amelia was at a loss for words. She almost longed for the simplicity of a small gesture like holding hands and falling asleep.

She suddenly became a scoundrel without doing anything.

***

She couldn’t remember how she fell asleep. She was tense, fully conscious of Raphael lying next to her, to the point where her whole body was stiff and sore. When she opened her eyes, there was no sign of him, as though he hadn’t been there.

She remembered trying her best to avoid touching him at the edge of the bed… but she didn’t know when she had occupied the center of the bed like this. This was one of her sleeping habits.

“Surely I wasn’t like this even when Raphael was here, right?”

No matter who she was, she wouldn’t have been so subconsciously preoccupied with Raphael. If that were the case, it would have been impossible for her to have a peaceful sleep. Amelia grabbed her waist, feeling the muscle soreness as soon as she woke up. She must have exerted so much strength that her whole body ached.

“Why do we have to share a room when we’re so uncomfortable with each other.”

It’s not like there’s only one room in this spacious castle, and it’s strange for a couple who aren’t on good terms to share a room. From what I heard, not all couples shared the same room. So why do Raphael and Amelia have to share a bed?

Do they have to continue this uncomfortable sleeping arrangement in the future…?

“No, that won’t do.”

If she continues to stay in the grand ducal residence, she will die. She has to change everything within a year so that both she and Leonel can survive.

For now, she has to do what she can. Amelia pulled the rope. Since they agreed to have breakfast together, Leonel must be waiting for her.

“Your Highness.”

“What about Leonel?”

As if they had been waiting, the maids and May approached her and prepared for the bath. They didn’t even pretend to listen when she told them she could do it herself. It was the first time she had ever been attended to by anyone, so she felt awkward and embarrassed, but she couldn’t possibly show any sign of resistance in front of the maids who were so familiar to her.

“The young master has been waiting.”

“Has he been waiting long?”

She had intended to wash up after her meal, but there was no time for that. Knowing that Leonel would be waiting for her and worrying that she might not come, Amelia hurried.

“Your Highness, please don’t run like that.”

Is my running such a big deal now. She couldn’t stop her footsteps because Leonel was waiting. He must be thinking about all sorts of things.

“Your, High..”

“Ah…!”

Driven solely by the determination to go to Leonel, she didn’t even notice that there was someone in front of her. Not until she bumped her head.

“Your Highness?”

“Edward…?”

The person she collided with was none other than Edward. And naturally, Raphael was by his side. They seemed to be on their way to the office, as Edward’s arms were full of documents. They were all scattered on the floor when they collided.

“Where are you rushing off to like this?”

“Ah, sorry… I’m sorry.”

Afraid of hearing Raphael’s scolding because of her, Amelia hurriedly picked up the scattered documents from the floor. No matter how busy she was, she should have been more careful.

“I was going to Leonel… He said he was waiting for me…”

“I see.”

“You didn’t lose any documents, did you?”

She had picked up everything she could see, but there could have been something she missed. She was so anxious that she kept fumbling with her hands.

“If there were any, don’t worry, I’ll find them.”

“Then…”

Even though she wanted to leave right away, with Raphael standing there motionless, Amelia politely bowed her head and tried to leave.

“Are you going to see Leonel?”

“Ah… Yes.”

Even though she had just said that she was going to see Leonel, she couldn’t understand why he was asking her again. She could only nervously respond.

“I heard you’re going to have breakfast together.”

This wasn’t a question that required an answer. The reason he was asking her was obvious, considering he already knew everything. Perhaps her collision with Edward earlier wasn’t a coincidence either.

“I’ll join you.”

“Ah, yes… What?”

His words were so unexpected that she stumbled over her own response. Did he just say they would have breakfast together? 

“I want to become a good parent, just like the Grand Duchess said.”

Until now, he had shown no interest in such matters. Raphael and Amelia had neglected Leonel. They had never even had a proper meal together. But now, does it make sense for the three of them to eat together? Even if it’s just her alone, it would be overwhelming for Leonel. If Raphael joined as well, the pleasant atmosphere would be ruined from the start.

“Grand Duchess?”

“……”

Even if she wanted to ask since when he had been interested in being a good parent, she couldn’t. Amelia herself had no right to say such things.

“It’s not enough for just one parent to make an effort. We should both work together.”

What was even more problematic was that there wasn’t a single wrong thing in what he said. If she were to refuse now, it would contradict what she had said before.

“I didn’t know Your Grace would care. Thank you.”

“In the future, we should try to increase the time we spend together as a family of three for the sake of Leonel’s education.”

“But are you sure about this?”

If she was a stumbling block on one side of Leonel, there was a different obstacle on this side as well. Raphael was someone he would never reject.

“What do you mean?”

“Dining with me.”

Amelia didn’t want to bring up this topic with him, but she had no choice. Raphael was unwilling to meet Amelia. More precisely, it was correct to say that he found it difficult to see her. It wasn’t necessarily because he disliked her.

“You seem uncomfortable. Seeing my face.”

“……”

“Because I looked like that person.”

The person he loved was already dead.