Elysion was sleeping beside me, and Assel across from me.
Seeing everyone peacefully asleep…
‘It was just a dream, right?’
But are dreams usually this vivid?
Moreover, one thing kept circling in my mind.
“Levedi, are you awake?”
A voice asking me in a half-asleep state, as if just woken up.
The moment I faced him, my heart sank without my knowledge.
‘……He is handsome.’
But how should I put it? Rather than simply finding his face attractive, something about him just felt good.
His face, his low and gentle tone asking if I was awake.
He remained by my side with unwavering devotion, even though he knew I felt nothing for him and understood that I was using him.
Everything was, at the very least, not unpleasant.
No, I liked it.
“Oh yes, just now.”
……Could this possibly be love?
Looking at his face as usual, that question suddenly crept into my mind.
❀❀❀
The carriage that departed from the Ophelia residence finally reached Leontaine beach after a full two weeks.
As the carriage approached the beach, it soon changed direction toward Assel’s hotel.
After driving for several more tens of minutes, we finally arrived at our destination, “Diamond Hotel.”
Upon arrival, a man introducing himself as the manager guided us to our room, and the room we entered after opening the door was luxurious beyond imagination.
Of course, the rooms at Ophelia residence and Duke Esteban’s residence were also luxurious, but being old mansions with sustainable designs, there were aesthetic areas that had to be compromised.
However, this room was as luxurious as if everything had been poured into it just for today. The flower decorations and colorful candles placed throughout showed this.
Moreover, the basic interior was also clean, and it was evident that much care had been taken with the furniture and arrangement.
“This is the hotel’s suite. Is it to your liking?”
“It’s truly splendid.”
“It’s the best room.”
“Ah.”
Finally understanding, I smiled and nodded.
“It looks nice.”
This seemed to be the case for Elysion too, as he let out a cheer as soon as the door closed.
“Wow, is that the sea?”
Though unlike me, Elysion’s main interest seemed to be the sea visible through the wide-open window.
“The sea is so pretty. It’s sparkling!”
Seeing Elysion so happy made me feel good too. While Elysion and I were admiring the beautifully decorated room for different reasons,
Knock knock.
A knocking sound was heard.
“Who is it?”
When Assel asked, the door opened, and the manager we had seen earlier appeared.
“It’s me. The meal is all prepared. Please follow me.”
❀❀❀
After finishing lunch at the restaurant guided by the manager, the three of us changed into comfortable clothes and headed to the beach. Perhaps because it was an awkward season just transitioning from spring to summer, there weren’t many people on the beach.
Eventually, Assel and I settled on sunbeds near the shore, and Elysion, sitting in front of us two, was eating well-cut fruits when he suddenly grabbed my arm and shook it.
“Mommy, I wanna go to the sea. Sion wants to splash in the water.”
“Really? If Sion wants to go, shall we go now?”
I asked, putting down the cocktail glass I had just taken a sip from, and Sion nodded vigorously.
“Yes! I’ll see ducks too.”
That’s when Assel interjected.
“……Oh dear, ducks don’t live in the sea.”
“……?”
“Ah, and you know you’ll be scolded if you trouble Mommy like last time, right?”
It was at that moment. Elysion’s eyes widened, and then he made an expression as if shocked.
“Ducks… don’t live in the sea…?”
Looking as if he might cry any moment, I glared at Assel while carefully responding.
“Yes, ducks don’t live there……”
At that moment, seeing Elysion’s shoulders trembling as if about to sob, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
“But geese do.”
“……!”
The trembling of Elysion’s shoulders stopped. Soon, Elysion asked me with sparkling eyes:
“What’s a goose?”
“They’re the ones flying in the sky there! Look, Sion!”
“Wow, geese!”
After safely overcoming the crisis, Elysion ran around the sandy beach saying he would catch a goose, and I took another sip of my cocktail.
“Assel, you really have no tact.”
Assel made a sullen expression.
“Is that so……? I tried my best.”
“You need to play along with children.”
“Still, I can’t say something is true when it’s not……”
“Ha, just stop.”
I turned my head away. Silence flowed for a while afterward. Assel broke that silence.
“Are you perhaps angry?“
It was a cautious voice.
“So you do realize.”
Honestly, it was closer to deliberately being angry than actually being angry.
His voice, seemingly checking my mood, softened my heart, but if I let this slide again, Elysion would surely suffer.
‘After the contract marriage period ends, he’ll have to raise that child alone.’
Assel cares for Elysion but doesn’t know how to express it. As if he’s never done such a thing before.
“I’m sorry. I’m a bit clumsy.”
“……”
“If I’ve made another mistake, please tell me. I’ll fix it.”
Listening to his confession, I somehow felt like the bad person, so I turned my head again.
It was at that moment.
“If you dislike me because of this……”
My heart sank at his words, so serious despite not fitting the situation.
But why?
“……”
There was a brief silence.
Suddenly, a strong impulse surged. But no matter how I thought about it, it was a crazy thing to say, so I swallowed it back.
Would he know?
“N-no, it’s not like that.”
That at that very moment, I wanted to say I liked him.
❀❀❀
Time passed quickly.
Before I knew it, three weeks had flown by as we repeated our decadent(?) lifestyle of playing, eating, and sleeping every day. It was also the time Assel and I had been granted for our honeymoon.
“Since it’s a contract marriage anyway, do we really need to go on a honeymoon?”
“People will find it strange. Moreover, isn’t this the romance of the century?”
“I don’t know about the romance of the century, but you have a point.”
“Yes, please think of it as taking a rest on this occasion.”
The conversation I had with Assel before coming here flickered in my mind. Back then, I was displeased, thinking why we had to travel when I needed to work, but now I realize it was a good decision.
Actually coming out and playing, taking a rest, my head felt clearer. In fact, the insomnia and headaches I had been living with improved a bit.
‘People really do need to rest.’
Perhaps because of that. The fact that today was the last day felt incredibly regretful.
“The sunset is beautiful.”
“Is it?”
While enjoying a freshly set meal on the terrace, I exclaimed in admiration at the red sunset adorning the sea beyond, and Assel asked.
That’s when Elysion’s voice cut in between.
“What’s a sunset?”
I felt that a parent’s role is especially important for a young child. Since coming on this trip, Elysion had become much more inquisitive. If we hadn’t come out like this to show him, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to ask about these things or to learn about them.
“A sunset is when the sky turns that orange-red color as the sun goes down.”
“That red thing? Hehe, sunset pretty.”
Elysion looked at the sky dyed with various pastel tones and said.
“But, are we going home tomorrow?”
I nodded.
“Yes, we’re going home tomorrow.”
“Aww, can’t we play a little more?”
“Daddy and Mommy are too busy, so that might be difficult.”
Elysion made a whining sound and expressed disappointment. I quickly added,
“Instead, let’s come play again next time. We’ll have even more fun then.”
“Gasp, really?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Hehe, I’m excited. Mommy’s the best!”
Elysion wrapped his arms around my neck and kissed my cheek. I smiled, capturing the lovely image of Elysion under the gradually setting sun.
But unlike my smile, my heart was heavy. I felt guilty.
‘……There won’t be a next time.’
Because Assel and I were a couple connected by a contract marriage.
The honeymoon was just part of the contract terms.
Would there really be another reason to visit this place again?
I looked at Assel. He was staring blankly, alternately looking at me and Elysion with an unreadable gaze.
Then, as if sensing my observing gaze, he lifted his head as if released from a spell.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Ah, no.”
“You look deep in thought.”
“It’s the last day, isn’t it? Elysion seems to be feeling regretful.”
“Ah……”
Assel nodded as if he had just realized. Then, turning his head to stare blankly at the gradually falling sun, he suddenly murmured,
“It’s the last day.”
The moment I heard the loneliness in his voice, I felt strange somehow.
Perhaps because the strongest man in the Empire looked as if he might collapse at any moment.
“……Indeed.”
The moment I unconsciously agreed, I suddenly had such a thought. His shoulders looked lonely.
‘I want to hug him……’
Thoughts I shouldn’t dare to have kept coming.
Emotions I had been trying hard to suppress and hide began to swell on their own.
Since when? My heart was a mess, too chaotic to measure. I couldn’t understand my own feelings.
‘I want to become the family head.’
‘I know I need to push him away because of that……’
‘But I keep liking him more. I feel crazy.’
Strength unconsciously entered my clenched fist. With my eyes tightly shut, I turned away from Assel.
“Let’s go now. I’m hungry.”
As I spoke, holding Elysion’s hand and leading him, footsteps were heard from behind.
“Let’s do that.”
Was it just my feeling that the returning voice seemed to be deliberately feigning calmness?
I had to ignore the strange sense of guilt that was rising.
❀❀❀
After finishing the meal, Elysion said he wanted to see the sea once more.
“The sea is black! Sion wants to go, can’t I go?”
“Again……?”
I wanted to go with him, but I was too tired, so I honestly answered that it was difficult.
“Mommy is too tired, so how about going early tomorrow morning instead……”
“No! I want to see the sea when it’s black!”
But Elysion was still throwing a tantrum. Honestly, it was troubling.
Fortunately, however, this problem was resolved by Assel stepping in.
“You go in and rest. I’ll take a walk with Elysion. I was just feeling like clearing my head anyway.”
“Is that okay? Nothing will happen, right? I’m worried……”
“The nanny and maids will accompany us, so you don’t need to worry.”
Honestly, I said it because I was worried about Assel, the child-spirit destroyer(?), but he seemed to understand differently.
In fact, I let him go because the childcare expert nanny was going with them.
‘He’s good in every way, but he lacks tact. Especially with children.’
But I was too tired to pay more attention.
Thanks to Assel and the nanny, I could prepare for bed first.
Entering the hotel room, I headed straight to the bathroom.
“Well then, I’ll take a bath.”
After entering the bathroom and undressing, I turned on the water in the shower stall, and water from the hose wet my ankles.
“Ah, it’s cold!”
‘Wow, it’s really cold!’
I jumped in surprise at that moment. I didn’t expect the water to be this cold.
‘Oh, come to think of it, it was cold last time too.’
I still can’t get used to this hose thing. To be honest, it was my first time using it since coming to the hotel.
I didn’t even know such inventions existed, and I had always bathed in water brought by maids.
“It’s fascinating, but unfamiliar.”
While I was muttering, the water gradually changed from cold to lukewarm, and eventually reached a temperature perfect for washing.
I washed my body with a cloth lathered with soap.
Usually, maids would attend to my bath, but I didn’t particularly like others touching my body.
The only one I was somewhat comfortable with was Sherry.
“Miss, I’m sorry. I wanted to congratulate you too, but my father suddenly fell ill……”
“I’m really sorry.”
Sherry went down to the countryside because her parents fell ill a week before my wedding.
But it wasn’t a big problem.
“What do you have to be sorry about? If your father is sick, it can’t be helped. I can live well on my own, so don’t worry.”
“Sob sob, our admirable Miss… when you bathe, no matter how annoying, don’t scrub too hard. Your skin is precious!”
I could bathe alone.
If I left it to Sherry, the time would increase enormously due to the annoying procedures. Thinking it would be better to wash myself, I started doing so.
Anyway, thanks to that experience, there was no problem with washing alone.
‘Finally done.’
After showering, I put on a dry robe and shook off the moisture in my hair with a towel. When I came out afterward, a strange pleasure arose as the cool breeze touched my warm skin. I felt so languid that it would be perfect to fall asleep like this.
“Ah, drying my hair is such a hassle……”
I needed to wait until my hair dried before sleeping, but due to fatigue, I felt like I might fall asleep right away. I tried to hold out on the bed with the window open, but even that had its limits.
Soon, my eyes closed, and my head fell backward.
❀❀❀
I woke up again when I felt something grabbing my nape and thighs, lifting me. I instinctively struggled, and at that moment, a firm hand covered my mouth.
Is it Assel? But Assel wouldn’t do this. He’s more gentlemanly than anyone. Sure enough. When I opened my eyes, what I saw was something with a black mask over its face.
“……!”
I tried to scream, but the man’s firm grip blocked my mouth, preventing the sound from coming out.
Whatever it is, it’s a dangerous situation. Perhaps he’s trying to kidnap me. Who could it be?
Questions arose but didn’t last long. It was because of the sense of crisis that I needed to escape from here right now. I struggled frantically.
“Mmph! Mmph!”
However, despite being physically fit and trained in self-defense, it wasn’t easy.
“Stay still if you don’t want to get hurt.”
At that moment, my heart dropped at the fierce warning that echoed. The door was firmly closed, and the window was open. At this rate, no one would know even if I were kidnapped.
I wanted to believe this was an event Assel had prepared for me. But that couldn’t be.
Tears welled up at the surge of helplessness.
“Let go! Let me go!”
I struggled desperately, but the man’s hand was like a crab’s claw, not budging at all. The man glanced out the window as if gauging it, then put one foot through the window. Just as he was showing a gesture as if about to jump out,
Clunk! The sound of the door opening was heard.
As soon as that sound was heard, the man holding me hurriedly put his other foot outside the window. It was at that moment.
Swoosh! Something cut through the air and flew. Then a dull scream echoed.
“Kuhak!”
The man’s body began to tilt outward. As the man’s body tilted rapidly, threatening to make me fall too, I grabbed the window railing with all my might and used my leg strength to wrap around the man’s neck.
The man made a choking sound, but there was no choice in this situation. It was a matter of life and death.
“Levedi!”
At that moment, a familiar voice calling my name echoed. When I turned my head, there stood Assel with eyes about to burst and Elysion standing still.
The nanny standing beside quickly covered Elysion’s eyes, but as if he had seen everything, a wailing cry filled the room as if it would leave.
But Assel didn’t even glance at Elysion and quickly rushed to me. That’s because this suite room is on the top floor of the hotel, and its height reaches 30 floors.
If my strength fails just a little more here, I will fall to my death. That means dying helplessly.
Assel seemed to know this too, approaching me as quickly as possible, but the man’s breath brushed over my bare feet. It tickles. Unconsciously, the strength in my ankles loosened, and my center of gravity tilted. It was over.
“No!”
A scream burst out involuntarily, but nothing changed.
The man’s weight pressed on me, and the strength in my hand holding the window frame gave way.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
bluemoon238
Why did they leave her without a guard? I don’t understand? Even without being nobility they are people with money. She is a rich young woman in a time period that makes little sense why she would ever be without a guard hidden or otherwise. Even modern people with enough money and/or influence are usually with security when at home let alone out of it.