Chapter 10: Attack (2)

Sigh...

I feel strangely unsettled.

Abel Hardenberg.

He’s truly an enigma in so many ways.

Just a moment ago, when I was captured by those kidnappers, he didn’t resist. Was it because he was worried I might get hurt? Or was it some ploy to win my favor?

It couldn’t be the latter—he has no reason to do that.

‘...Was he genuinely concerned about me?’

But that’s ridiculous.

Abel, the very man labeled as the villain in the original story, wouldn’t possibly be worried about me. But then again, I can’t think of any other reason, and it’s driving me crazy.

‘...Let’s just wait for him to come back.’

Of course, even if he does return, I can’t just ask him about it. Asking a version of Abel who doesn’t have the same memories would only earn me a sharp rebuke.

With that thought, I opened my bedroom door—and froze.

There, lying on the bed, was a man.

His ash-gray hair and the scar running across his face. Dressed in elaborate clothing, the man was deeply asleep, using a pillow as a headrest.

‘...Abel?’

Why is he here?

My already overworked brain started whirring again. Then I remembered—Abel is an Archmage. Did he use teleportation magic to come back?

‘Must be nice.’

It took me over a year just to learn basic shield magic, and here he is, an Archmage, using teleportation like it’s nothing.

I sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Abel, oblivious to my thoughts, slept on. Contrary to the sharp impression he gave when his eyes were open, his sleeping face was nothing short of angelic.

With looks like his, if he were in the modern world, he’d probably become a top idol without breaking a sweat. Even though he’s a villain, I guess he’s still a male lead in a romance fantasy after all.

‘If only he were as kind as he looks.’

He’s always teasing people, never understanding how unsettled he makes others. And what’s more infuriating is how sharp his instincts are when it comes to the most bizarre things.

Feeling a bit of spite, I poked his face with my finger. He furrowed his brow slightly before turning his head to the side.

‘...I guess I’ve grown more comfortable around him.’

Comfortable enough to pull off small pranks like this. Above all, in the month I’ve spent with him, I haven’t experienced the torment I used to.

Originally, I was marked with the label of a villainess, hated by everyone, and constantly under threat of losing my life. Most people around me rejected and mistreated me without hesitation simply because I was a villainess.

But the people in the Hardenberg household were different.

Not just the maids, but even Abel himself treated me as ‘me’, not as the villainess, Adele. It’s a stark contrast to the count Este’s household, where the servants never hid their disdain for me.

Now, this place feels like a refuge for me.

‘...I must’ve been exhausted.’

It seems I’ve grown weary of facing baseless malice and constant threats to my life. To the point where even the residence of Abel Hardenberg, the villain of the original story, feels like a sanctuary.

“Mmm...”

A sudden sound made me turn to look at Abel. His face twisted slightly as he murmured something in his sleep.

‘Is he having a nightmare?’

I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but it didn’t seem like he was dreaming of anything pleasant.

Is he cold? I wondered. Acting on that thought, I fetched a blanket from the closet and draped it over him.

Only then did his tense expression finally relax.

‘...But where am I supposed to sleep?’

Normally, I would have just slept in this room. But having Abel sleeping so peacefully next to me is hard to ignore. Yet, going to sleep in another room is out of the question.

Officially, we are supposed to be an affectionate, engaged couple. It wouldn’t make sense for an enamored fiancée to leave her sleeping fiancé in her own room and go sleep elsewhere...

‘...That would cause its own set of problems.’

I’m stuck in a dilemma.

Sleeping here is uncomfortable because Abel is right next to me, but sleeping elsewhere might cause the servants to question the authenticity of the “happy couple” image we’ve established.

According to Abel, the only ones aware of the contract are Allen and Evan.

Sigh ‘I’ll just have to endure it...’

Resigned, I slipped under the covers and laid down next to him. His sleeping face was so close, softly breathing in and out.

‘...He’s bigger than I thought.’

Although we’ve spoken plenty of times, this is the closest I’ve ever been to him. No, wait, we were this close earlier at the ball, weren’t we?

I must have been too distracted by the dance to notice, but Abel’s physique is larger than I’d imagined. His broad shoulders and sharp jawline made it clear just how big he really is.

‘...It’s like something out of a romance fantasy novel.’

His looks are so perfect that they almost feel out of place.

Because of that, I don’t find myself particularly drawn to his appearance. Even when I first entered Adele’s body, I didn’t react strongly to the Crown Prince’s looks, whom Adele had once adored. It’s that same sense of detachment.

If I had to describe it, it’s like looking at a flawless doll. Sure, people might say a doll is beautiful, but rarely do they develop feelings for one, right?

It’s exactly that kind of feeling.

‘Spoiled much, aren’t I?’

I probably won’t even get to date, let alone marry, in this world. My standards for an ordinary man have become too high, and the handsome ones leave me feeling a sense of detachment from their looks.

‘...Let’s just go to sleep.’

Feeling a bit pitiful, I closed my eyes and drifted off into the softness of the bed.

***

Ha…

Is it because I slept without a blanket?

I dreamt of memories from my childhood.

The memory of my biological father, Duke Ein von Hardenberg, abusing me was still vivid, like it had just happened.

While I can curse at those memories and brush them off now, back then, it was truly unbearable. Maybe because I was still a child.

Being that sensitive at such a young age, enduring such abuse caused me a lot of stress. If I hadn’t had memories from my past life, those moments would’ve scarred me with lifelong trauma.

That’s how cruel he had been to me.

As I thought about it, I opened my eyes and was momentarily startled by the unfamiliar ceiling above me. Normally, I should be greeted by a white ceiling. Why on earth was it pink?

I turned my head—and there she was.

Adele, with her long, wavy black hair and sharp eyes.

It was unmistakably her. But why was she lying next to me in her sleepwear? I shot up in a panic and tried to recall last night’s events.

‘...Am I an idiot?’

No matter how tired I was, how could I have fallen asleep in my fiancée’s bed?

Thankfully, I didn’t seem to have done anything foolish.

I had already shaken off my buzz before going to sleep, so I wasn’t drunk enough to have caused any incidents. And I don’t have any bad sleeping habits, so I shouldn’t have bothered her.

“Mmm...”

At the sound beside me, I turned my head—and our eyes met.

“…Abel?”

Adele, looking half-asleep, blinked at me and slowly sat up. She glanced down at her disheveled negligee before giving me a blank stare.

Why does she still look so stunning even in a situation like this? The sight of her tousled black hair and slightly askew negligee exuded a strangely decadent allure.

‘Not good for my heart…’

While I was thinking that, Adele’s face scrunched up slightly.

“…No way.”

She hurriedly pulled the blanket up to cover her negligee. At first glance, she seemed genuinely startled, but I could see through her.

Her facial muscles were clearly betraying her, showing how delighted she was to finally have something to tease me about.

Smack!

“Ah! Ow!”

I flicked her forehead, and she let out a weird yelp before glaring at me with an indignant look. Rubbing her forehead with her right hand, she whimpered in pain.

“Ugh…”

“It’s not a good habit to tease your fiancé like that, Adele.”

“Tsk. Fine, I get it.”

Adele let out a disappointed sigh and buttoned her negligee. As she started to tidy up the bed, a mischievous grin suddenly crossed her face.

“By the way, Abel. Why did you come to my room last night? Could it be… no way?”

She was now looking at me slyly, completely forgetting about her forehead. She even hummed a bit, her voice full of mock suspicion.

‘Ha…’

Knowing her personality, there was only one way to deal with this.

“Of course, I came to see my lovely fiancée.”

“…Huh?”

Seeing her dumbfounded expression, I pressed on.

“I was so eager to see you that I accidentally fell asleep while holding my breath in anticipation.”

As ridiculous as my words sounded, her face immediately started to flush. With her cheeks now turning the color of a ripe persimmon, I leaned in closer, my face nearing hers.

“This time, I fell asleep first, but… next time, you can look forward to it, Adele.”

As I finished speaking with a slight smile, she quickly lowered her head, her face burning red.

“I get it, I get it! Stop it already… I give up…”

Hearing her surrender, I chuckled and moved my face away from hers.

Looks like my years of experience living in a romance fantasy world finally paid off. Victory is mine.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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