Chapter 286: Rest
“Ah, Mr. Armand, you’re here.”
“You seem a little distracted. Is something on your mind? Are you okay? …Ah, if you say you’re fine, that’s good. Come in quickly, it’s warm inside. I even made some black tea for you.”
“Are you looking at something? Ah… this? Yes, Anna gave it to me earlier. She said it’s getting cold and I should wear something warm. To be honest… I’ve never worn clothes that are both this pretty and warm before… Hmm? You said you’ll buy some for me? Ah… there’s no need for you to spend money. I could ask the Second Prince to… to reimburse me. Hmm? You said I don’t need his money? You really don’t have to take it so seriously.”
“Ah—you’re talking about the perfume? Yes, I did spray some on… Didn’t you say before that you liked this scent? So I… I wanted the perfume to represent me, to stay on you… so that my scent would stay with you too… Mmm, it smells nice, right? I like it too.”
“Um, by the way, what did you come here for today? Hm? You forgot? Looks like you’ve been overworking yourself again lately. If there’s anything you need done, you can leave it to me… Don’t worry, I would never do anything to hurt you. After all, I’m your fiancée now.”
“Yes… it makes me really happy that I can finally stand by your side in this way.”
“So… since you made the effort to come all the way here today… if there’s nothing important, then maybe… we could spend time together?”
“Your wife is missing her husband’s warmth and scent, so I hope you’ll give me a little ‘reward.’ Your Eve has been patiently waiting for you these past few days…”
“So… mmh… please love your wife a little more…”
………
………
………
“…?”
When Armand woke up, who knows how much time had passed.
He slowly opened his eyes, feeling a bit confused. Above him was a ceiling that looked somewhat familiar.
“You slept for a long time. Are you really tired lately, Mr. Armand?”
“…Huh?”
As the voice spoke, Armand turned to look beside him. His fiancée, Evelia, was lying next to him under the covers, not wearing a single stitch of clothing. Judging from her glowing, satisfied expression, she had clearly had her fill.
“Ah, no… it’s nothing.”
But Armand didn’t actually know what had happened, or rather he couldn’t remember anything at all.
His last memory was being in the garden, chatting briefly with the gardener about winter planting.
And then, nothing.
By the time he was aware again, he was already lying here.
“Maybe I’ve just been too tired from the Knights’ affairs lately. After all, winter is almost here, and changing seasons is always the busiest time.”
But Armand couldn’t let Evelia know about this strange situation. Moments like this, quiet, peaceful moments together, were rare, and he didn’t want to ruin it with something wrong on his end.
No one else knew that his condition had been off lately. These sudden blackouts and missing memories were definitely affecting his daily life, but he always managed to act normal and hide the fact that he couldn’t remember what just happened.
This time was no different.
As soon as he realized he had somehow ended up in Evelia’s bed, he knew that he had probably had another one of his “episodes.” Thankfully, it didn’t seem like anything too serious happened. Just that Evelia had… thoroughly taken the lead this time.
What a terrifying woman…
When Armand thought about it, he couldn’t help but complain in his heart.
Wasn’t Evelia originally male?
Can a man really go this far?
Or… did Evelia somehow awaken some kind of…
No, better not think about things like that.
Armand just felt a bit relieved that the poison in his body hadn’t damaged any important parts. Otherwise, with how Evelia was acting just now, he might not have survived it.
“Mr. Armand, why don’t you just take a proper rest?”
Even though the two of them were now engaged, words like “hubby” and “wifey” were only used when they were flirting in private. Later, even after they were officially married, they would probably use more formal terms like husband, wife, mister, madam in public.
Just a few days ago, Evelia had joked about how Armand had been so excited calling her “wife” on their first night together, but then got all shy about it later. Now, even just hearing the word “hubby” would make the tips of his ears turn completely red.
He was already in his twenties and no longer a virgin, yet he was still so pure.
“There’s no need to rest, Evelia. Look at me, haven’t I been slacking off and resting every day lately? The Knights’ duties have been handled by Carle this whole time, I haven’t done much at all.”
As Armand gently stroked Evelia’s head, his fingers ran slowly through her long hair. Evelia leaned into his palm, enjoying the touch like a spoiled pet waiting for her master’s affection.
“But you still seem really tired,” Evelia said as she rubbed her head against his hand. “You were zoning out when you first arrived, just like before.”
“…Haha, really?”
Hearing that, Armand gave a slightly awkward smile.
He hadn’t told anyone about the changes in his body. But since he was constantly appearing in public, whether with the Knights, around the estate, or even in royal meetings, there were always people watching him. Even though no one knew exactly what was wrong, many had already noticed that “this guy keeps falling asleep lately.”
Especially the nobles, they criticized Armand for being “lazy” and “avoiding work.”
Of course, Armand didn’t mind. In fact, he used that as a perfect excuse and just went with it.
Now he was officially “slacking off,” which gave him time to prepare for the wedding with Evelia, and also covered up his declining health.
He really hoped he would recover soon. Memory loss was no joke.
Even if the things he forgot were just small and unimportant, he didn’t want to keep blacking out and wasting what little time he might have left.
“Oh right, Evelia, I actually came here to discuss something with you.”
Suddenly remembering the reason he came, Armand finally brought it up.
“Hmm… what is it?”
Evelia was lying lazily in Armand’s arms, basking in his familiar warmth, her eyes half-closed as she enjoyed his touch.
“I’ve been thinking about our engagement ceremony. Since we can’t announce our relationship to the public yet, I thought we could just invite a few close friends. I’d like to invite Carle and his family, what do you think? Do you have anyone you’d like to invite?”
As he finished, Armand couldn’t help but think to himself, ‘Please don’t say anyone from the House of Nightingales… or the Second Prince… that would be a real mess.’
“…Anna.”
Thank goodness, Evelia gave the answer Armand had expected.
Come to think of it, wasn’t Anna Carle’s cousin?
So in the end, it was really going to be a small gathering of their two families.
Which was fine. They really owed Carle and Anna a lot. Without their help. Armand and Evelia probably never would have had the chance to be together.