“Ugh…”
As morning began to dawn, Adele buried her face in the pillow on her bed and started to hit the bed with her fists. How did she end up in such a state?
It had to be because of that guy.
During tea time, Adele wanted to fluster Abel somehow. She was curious to see how his perpetually calm expression would change if he were caught off guard, and she wanted to get a hit in that way.
But in the end, it was her who got hit.
‘How could he say such cheesy lines?!’
Especially when the other party was herself, the villainess notorious for her reputation. How could he say something like that to her?
“So will you not call me Abel? My beloved Adele.”
Upon hearing that voice echoing in her ears, Adele sighed and sat up. She felt like a protagonist in a romance novel—how could he say something like that?
‘…Right. This is a fantasy world, isn’t it?’
So maybe it wasn’t that strange after all. Cheesy lines like that probably existed in these kinds of stories too. So she needed to calm down a bit.
Even so, if she kept getting flustered over something like this, the reincarnator’s name would be crying out. With that thought, when she recalled the past, an unpleasant sensation began to rise.
The pain of dying slowly from poison, the pain of being stabbed through the heart in an instant, the pain of dying from strangulation.
“Ha…”
Finally regaining her composure, Adele sighed and checked her mana. She had roughly five uses left for her emergency shield spell. That should be enough.
Plus, she had Evan, the knight Abel assigned to her, so maybe it was even excessive. The display of skill Evan had shown back then was quite impressive.
While she thought that, there was a knock at the door.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
Adele said this, wondering why Lily was coming in so early, but she was momentarily taken aback when she saw who stood behind the door.
The man with ashen hair and gray eyes was undeniably Abel von Hardenberg. He was the cause of her sleepless night.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“…Duke.”
At her words, he frowned and questioned her.
“Hmm? My beloved Adele, why do you call me that?”
‘Ah, right…’
Adele recalled what she had said to him yesterday. They had decided to call each other by their first names since they were in love at first sight. What was she thinking back then?
“Abel…”
“No need for the ‘Sir’. Call me again.”
“…Abel.”
“Hmm… well, that’s enough. You’ll get used to it over time.”
Abel said that and continued to look at her.
“It’s almost time for breakfast. The maid has been notified to wake up, so prepare yourself.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, and no matter how hot it gets, make sure to button up a bit. It’s quite unpleasant for others to see that, you know.”
At his words, Adele immediately checked her own buttons and realized they were open, hastily covering her stomach with her hands. Abel chuckled at the sight and said,
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
Tap.
As he closed the door and left, she quickly began to button up her clothes. Feeling her face flush, Adele sighed.
What a completely unpredictable man.
At first, she was anxious because he was called the mastermind, but the only things he showed her were those irritating sides.
He always made her flustered while remaining composed himself, and she disliked that appearance.
“Sigh…”
‘How did I end up with that man?’
As the word “self-inflicted” popped into her mind, Adele buried her face in the pillow in frustration.
*
‘…That was close.’
She almost let her expression slip.
Going to wake Adele was supposed to go smoothly, but seeing her there in her pajamas almost caught her off guard.
Luckily, it seemed that the poker face she had trained since childhood held up. Just remembering that disgruntled look she had given him when he left was enough.
‘Not good for the heart…’
He sighed and sat at the dining table. Soon, maids and butlers brought out food on trays and began to set the table for breakfast.
Once breakfast was set, he spotted Adele coming from a distance. Dressed in a light dress, she sat down across from him.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“…Thanks to you. There was no threat of assassination, so I slept well.”
“Since yesterday’s events, I thought you’d stay up all night, but I guess that was unnecessary worry.”
“Ugh…”
At his comment, Adele seemed to panic for a moment, her hand trembling around her fork.
Could she really have stayed up all night?
Nah. There’s no way someone would lose sleep over something like that. It was strange that they both couldn’t sleep just because they exchanged first names as fiancés.
Fortunately, she shook her head and, with a firmly resolute expression, responded.
“…Is that really possible? How was Abel?”
“Hmm? Oh, you don’t need to worry. I usually sleep quite well.”
“That’s a relief…”
With that, they focused on their meal. It was breakfast, so instead of heavy dishes, there were only soup, bread, and bacon on the table.
It felt like they hadn’t eaten together without the maids or butlers for a long time. Every time they were present, he had to pay extra attention to manners, which was tiring.
He never truly enjoyed a meal, as he’d be corrected for the slightest breach of etiquette. Other than that, the only strict one was Allen when it came to manners.
But now, with just Adele alone, he didn’t have to sweat the small stuff. After all, she was also a modern person who probably wouldn’t care much about those traditional rules.
Feeling content to have a relaxed meal for the first time in a while, he wore a satisfied smile.
“Abel?”
“Hm?”
“Can I ask why you’re smiling?”
“I smiled because I’m pleased to have breakfast with just you. Is there a problem?”
“…I see.”
At his words, Adele lowered her head and began to mumble something. Was there something weird about what he said?
Shouldn’t he be able to say something like that to his fiancée? It wasn’t incorrect, after all.
“How’s your bride training going lately?”
“…Just call it class.”
“Hmm? Are you embarrassed?”
“Not at all. It just seems odd to call it bride training when it’s just the two of us, doesn’t it?”
Well, it’s not just the two of them, but… it doesn’t matter since there’s no need to disclose that. Thinking that, he opened his mouth again.
“There’s nothing strange about it. The fact that you’re receiving bride training is a matter of fact, isn’t it?”
“…Ha. Fine. The training is going well.”
Having lost that argument, Adele nodded and responded to his question.
“I’ve heard it’s been praised quite highly.”
“Somehow… yes.”
“Seems like you’re more serious about the bride training than I thought.”
“Not really…”
“No need to be shy. If it’s love at first sight, you should be able to manage that much, don’t you think?”
“True enough.”
With that remark, their conversation ceased, and they focused on their breakfast once again. How long had it been since then?
As they finished their meal, Adele spoke.
“I ate well.”
“How’s the food at the Duke’s Residence?”
“It was satisfying.”
“I’m glad. I was worried what I’d do if it didn’t suit your taste.”
“Thank you for always thinking of me.”
“Of course. It’s only natural for a fiancé to consider his fiancée, right?”
As he said this with a slight smile, Adele sighed and nodded.
“Is that so? Whoever it is, the future wife of Abel seems like she’ll have quite a hard time.”
“It might very well be you.”
“That’s something we’ll have to wait and see.”
“Hmph. That’s unfortunate.”
To be honest, he was even considering using marriage as a means to keep Adele close. After all, her presence was essential to his plans.
Her ability to reincarnate infinitely was a cheat-like power. Considering the random nature of save points, he believed Adele could potentially take down an entire kingdom by herself.
‘…Using marriage as a means.’
If the previous version of him had heard such a thing, he might have foamed at the mouth. Back then, he had some romantic ideals about marriage. Sure, he wasn’t entirely devoid of those feelings now, but…
After meeting numerous women, he had given up on marrying with love as the premise. Their values and personalities just didn’t click.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Alright. Take care, Adele.”
“…I will, Abel.”
Adele said that and left the room. Left alone, he rested his chin on his hand and sank into thought. He closed his eyes to review his plans.
He realized that trust-building with Adele hadn’t been established yet. It didn’t make sense to expect trust when they hadn’t even lived together for a week.
That’s something that would be resolved over time.
And there were still no signs of movement from the imperial family. They probably knew that he was acting secretly at least. The fact that they hadn’t moved indicated that his actions were within the expected range.
There were still no setbacks in his plans.
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