Chapter 6: Engagement (4)

“Ugh...”

At dawn, as the sun began to rise.

Adele buried her face in the pillow and started punching the bed. How did she end up like this?

It must be because of that man.

During their tea time, Adele had wanted to fluster Abel somehow. She was curious about how his always composed expression would change if he were caught off guard, so she wanted to get back at him in any way possible.

But instead, she was the one who got flustered.

‘How on earth can he say such cringeworthy things?!’

Moreover, the other party was herself, notorious as a villainess. How could he say such things to someone like her?

“So, wouldn’t it be only fair if you called me Abel as well? My beloved Adele.”

Feeling as if his voice from that moment echoed in her ears, Adele sighed and sat up. How could he say something that sounded straight out of a romance novel?

‘...Oh right. This is a world inside a romance fantasy.’

Then perhaps it’s not so strange. Such cringeworthy lines must be common in romance novels. So let’s calm down now.

No matter what, if she keeps getting flustered over things like this, the name of a regressor would cry. As she thought that and recalled the past, an unpleasant feeling began to rise.

The pain of slowly dying from poison, the pain of instant death when her heart was pierced, the pain of dying while being strangled.

“Haa...”

Only then did Adele regain her composure, sigh, and check the mana within her body. The number of shield spells she could deploy in emergencies was about five times. That should be enough.

Besides, she had Evan, the bodyguard knight assigned by Abel, so it might even be overkill. The martial skills Evan had shown back then were quite impressive.

As she was thinking this, a knocking sound came from beyond the door.

-Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Thinking it was unusual for Lily to come so early, Adele said so, and upon seeing the person who entered, she was momentarily stunned.

Ash-gray hair and gray eyes.

The man standing at the door was undoubtedly Abel Hardenberg—the very culprit who had kept her from sleeping properly last night.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“..Your Grace.”

At her words, he frowned and asked her.

“Hmm? My dear Adele, why do you address me like that?”

‘Ah, right...’

At his words, Adele recalled what she had said yesterday—that since they had fallen in love at first sight, they should call each other by name. What on earth had she been thinking when she said that?

“Abel... nim.”

“The honorific is unnecessary. Say it again.”

“..Abel.”

“Hmm... Well, that’ll do for now. You’ll get used to it gradually.”

Abel said that and, looking at her, continued.

“It’s about time for breakfast. I’ve woken up the maid, so get ready and come.”

“Alright.”

“Oh, and no matter how hot it is, at least button up properly. It’s quite displeasing to let others see that besides me.”

At his words, Adele immediately noticed that her buttons were undone near her waist and hastily covered herself with both hands. Seeing this, Abel chuckled softly and said,

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

-Click.

As she watched his retreating back after he closed the door, she quickly started buttoning up her clothes. Feeling her face flush, Adele sighed.

What an unpredictable man.

At first, she had been tense, thinking he was someone called a mastermind. But the side of Abel that he showed to her was nothing but irritatingly mischievous.

She didn’t like how he always left her flustered while he remained calm and composed.

“Ugh...”

‘How did I end up with a man like that?’

The word “self-inflicted” popped into her mind, and Adele irritably buried her face in the pillow.

***

‘...That was close.’

I almost lost my composure.

I had gone to wake Adele as part of playing the role of her loving fiancé, only to find her in her nightgown, completely unguarded.

Fortunately, it seems my poker face, honed since childhood, didn’t crack. Judging by the way Adele looked so frustrated when I left.

‘This is bad for my heart...’

Sighing, I sat down at the dining table. Soon, maids and butlers arrived with trays, setting up breakfast.

Once the table was fully set, I spotted Adele approaching from a distance. Wearing a fresh dress, she sat across from me at the table.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“...Thanks to you. No assassination attempts, so I slept well.”

“I thought you might have stayed up all night after what happened yesterday, but I guess that was an unnecessary concern.”

“Ugh...”

At my words, Adele’s hand, holding her fork, trembled slightly, as if she was caught off guard.

Surely she didn’t actually stay up all night because of that, did she?

No way. It’s hard to believe she couldn’t sleep just because we called each other by name.

Thankfully, she refuted my thoughts with a firm expression.

“...Of course not. How about you, Abel?”

“Me? Ah, no need to worry. I always sleep well.”

“That’s a relief...”

With that, we focused on eating. Since it was morning, the table wasn’t burdened with heavy dishes—just soup, bread, and some bacon.

It had been a while since I dined without maids or butlers around. Normally, I had to pay extra attention to etiquette with them around, which was exhausting.

If I slipped even a little, they’d point it out, and I could never eat in peace. Etiquette was the only thing Allen was particularly strict about, even though he was lenient with everything else.

But now, with just Adele and me, there was no need to be overly mindful of every little rule. After all, she was a modern person, so she probably didn’t care much for such strict formalities.

Feeling a sense of satisfaction from a rare peaceful meal, I smiled.

“Abel?”

“Hm?”

“Can I ask why you’re smiling?”

“I was smiling because I’m pleased to have breakfast with just the two of us. Is there a problem?”

“...I see.”

Adele lowered her head and started mumbling something to herself. Was there something strange about what I said?

Surely I can say something like that to my fiancée, right? After all, it was true.

“How’s your bridal training going these days?”

“...Please just call it a class.”

“Hm? Are you embarrassed?”

“Of course not. But isn’t it strange to call it bridal training when it’s just the two of us?”

Well, we’re not exactly alone... but I didn’t feel the need to point that out. So I responded,

“There’s nothing strange about it. It’s a fact that you’re taking bridal training, isn’t it?”

“...Ha. Fine. The bridal training is going well.”

Adele nodded as if in defeat, then responded to my question.

“I’ve heard you’ve been receiving quite high praise.”

“Somehow… yes.”

“It seems you’re more serious about your bridal training than I thought.”

“It’s not really like that...”

“There’s no need to be embarrassed. If we’re in love at first sight, you should be capable of such things, don’t you think?”

“You’re certainly right.”

With that, the conversation ceased, and we both focused on finishing our breakfast. Time passed quietly.

After finishing her meal, Adele spoke to me.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“How do you find the meals at the duchy?”

“They’re satisfying.”

“That’s a relief. I was wondering what I’d do if the food didn’t suit your taste.”

“Thank you for always being so considerate.”

“Of course. It’s only proper for a fiancé to care for his fiancée, wouldn’t you agree?”

Smiling slightly, I said this, and Adele sighed before nodding.

“Is that so? Whoever ends up as your wife in the future is going to have quite a hard time.”

“It could be you.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Hm, that’s a shame.”

To be honest, I’m even considering marriage as a means to keep Adele by my side. Her existence is crucial to my plans.

Her ability to infinitely regress is an incredibly powerful skill. Even with the drawback of random save points, I wouldn’t be surprised if she could single-handedly bring down an entire kingdom.

‘…Using marriage as a tool.’

It’s the kind of thing that would have made my past self foam at the mouth. Back then, I had some romantic ideals about marriage. Of course, it’s not like I’ve completely lost those ideals now, but…

After meeting numerous women, I gave up on the idea of marriage based on love. Our values and personalities just didn’t align.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Alright. Take care, Adele.”

“I will… Abel.”

Adele said this and left. Alone now, I rested my chin on my hand, deep in thought. I closed my eyes to review my plans.

The trust between Adele and me hasn’t been fully established yet. It’s unreasonable to expect that after less than a week of living together.

That’s a problem time will solve.

As for the imperial family, there’s no movement yet. They must be aware that I’m moving in secret. The fact that they aren’t acting means my actions are within their expected range.

For now, everything is going according to plan.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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