Chapter 25: 25

WHILE YOU’RE IN LOVE

I was terrified , I thought I was the reason he was offended.

‘He’s definitely mad at me for trying to deceive him.’

I crossed my fingers and cursed myself. I don’t know why I thought earlier that marrying him would save my life.

I’m still anxious and confused, but earlier I was out of my mind, so I did things I wouldn’t have done in my normal state of mind.

I waited anxiously for his disposition.

His jaw was firm as if he had clenched his teeth. The anger on his face made him look terrifying, unlike the warmth he had on his face before.

He’s scary when he’s not smiling, I thought for a moment.

“…….”

His full lips twitched. I leaned in to listen.

Then I heard him mumble in a sweet voice.

“Fuck.”

……Did I hear that wrong?

“What?”

I asked, startled by the harsh profanity,he changed his expression gently as if he had belatedly came to his senses.

“No, no.”

Apparently not, he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m ……sorry. I had a sudden fever.”

[T/N: Here fever means he felt uneasy]

After a long exhale, he looked at me.

But he didn’t give me the answer I was waiting for.

“Do you mind if I think about it for a moment?”

“Sure. …….”

“But first.”

Aslan gently gripped my shoulders. He pulled me up to my feet and led me to the couch.

“From now on, don’t sit on the bare floor, you’d feel uncomfortable.”

I nodded, stunned by the unexpected words. Only then did Aslan return to his seat, as if he were satisfied.

“…….”

Aslan was lost in thoughts with his clasped hands placed on his forehead.

Every second felt like an hour.

If I was to be rejected, I wanted to be rejected quickly.

But I couldn’t rush him because I was not in a position to ask. I waited impatiently for him.

How long has it been.

Aslan, who had finished thinking, opened his mouth.

“Young lady.”

“……yes.”

“Do you know that impersonating a noble person is a felony?”

I nodded.

I had learned a little about the law when I took liberal arts classes at Count Lalestine’s estate.

I didn’t know the intricacies of the law, but I knew the penalties for impersonating a nobleman.

“You are a one-sided victim, but the court may not see it that way.”

The imperial law is even heavier on the powerless and uninformed commoner. Even if you claim to have been kidnapped by Count Larestine and forced to live as Helena’s stand-in, I doubt anyone would believe you.

The Count and Countess would deny it, and the workers of Count Larestine’s manor would testify.

There were many people who regarded me as an eyesore, so it would not be difficult to find someone to prove that my claim was false.

I had learned from my time among the nobility that money and power can make something out of nothing.

“And if I were to marry you young lady and it’s later discovered, I would be in trouble as well.”

“I’m sorry.”

I blushed due to embarrassment, as his words revealed the sin I’d almost committed.

I didn’t feel guilty about being Helena because it wasn’t my choice.

But I was wrong to try to deceive and use Aslan.

I felt sorry for him and ashamed of myself.

He watched me stare, and then he asked.

“What were you going to do if I didn’t accept your proposal?”

“…….”

“You don’t know where your family is, you’re being chased, you have nothing and nowhere to go.”

Aslan, who had been so calm up until this point, looked angry as he said this.

I watched his eyes for a moment before answering.

As I trudged through the snow while finding my way to Tordell Manor, I made another plan, assuming my marriage to Aslan would fail.

“……I was going to spend all my money and go as far away as I could, disguise myself, change my name, hide out, and then use my hard-earned money to find my family.”

It wasn’t a great plan. It seemed reckless and unprepared.

I wondered if Aslan felt the same way.

“Ha.”

He laughed. It felt dry rather than pleasant.

When I glanced at him because I didn’t know what he meant while laughing like that, he said, pressing his temples gently.

“Very well.”

“Yes?”

“I mean, I accept your proposal ma’am.”

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Aslan, who calmly but firmly cut off my anxiety, stretched out his arm.

“So don’t cry.”

His fingers touched my cheek. His fingertips were not as hard and rough as they looked as he wiped away my tears.

I don’t know if it was the warmth from his comfort or the shock from his words.

When his fingers withdrew from my cheek, the tears had stopped.

After blinking away the tears that had pooled, I pondered what he had just said.

So did Aslan just tell me…….

[I’m accepting your marriage proposal, my lady].

Ridiculous.

“……Why?”

I blurted out.

“Don’t you like it?”

He asked right back.

I shook my head reflexively at the question asking if I really didn’t like it.

“No, but…….”

It was confusing.

I was confused.

From the beginning, he hadn’t wanted to marry me.

Before he knew me as the real Count Larestine’s daughter, and even the best I could offer was unappealing to him.

But why?

Now I have told him all my secrets.

The truth is that I am penniless. That I have nothing to give because I don’t have anything, and that being with me might actually hurt him.

Now he knows that too.

So why…….

“You have nothing and nowhere to go, and it’s cold outside.”

Outside the window, thick flakes of snow were still falling. I could almost hear the bitter wind whipping around and hitting the window, freezing me to the bone.

“You’re being chased by the evil count, and you don’t have the strength to run away .”

I stared at him, mesmerized by the gentle voice.

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“Even if I didn’t know, I wouldn’t have send you away in this freezing weather.”

I bit my lip with my front teeth. My bruised lip stung.

“For that reason alone, why would you go so far as to…….”

My sobbing voice couldn’t finish the sentence.

The sobs that I thought had stopped came rushing back, and as if he could read my mind, he answered.

“It’s a reward.”

Aslan pulled out a handkerchief from his arms. I recognized it, the handkerchief that had brought me to him.

He held it out for me to take, and I froze in my tracks.

“Didn’t I promise that I’ll give you anything you want as a reward?”

“Yes, but that’s a bit much for just picking up a handkerchief.”

Aslan stared at me.

“Oh, my! I can’t believe it’s so different just because I met you a few years earlier.”

Aslan murmured something, but his voice was low, so I couldn’t understand it properly.

I was just about to ask back what.

Aslan replied with a sigh.

“I’m not good at leaving things like this alone.”

“What?”

“When I see a puppy shivering outside, I step out on the snow and bring it inside.”

Aslan’s brow furrowed as he said that. It was a look that said he shouldn’t be saying this.

I was even more confused, why is he saying such a thing so suddenly with that look on his face…….

As I stared at him, he spoke up.

“And didn’t you tell me earlier that I have something to gain by marrying you?”

“Oh…….”

I did say it.

But he didn’t even snort, saying he didn’t need anything from me.

As I stared at him wordlessly, Aslan elaborated.

“Count Larestine’s sins are great, kidnapping, murdering innocent people and making people impersonate nobles. But he is a member of a noble family that has served the Empire for many years, so he will not be punished severely.”

I know.

The laws here are strict. However, they vary in severity depending on your status.

“So let’s punish him in other ways. First, by taking away something he desperately wants.”

“What is that?”

He gestured to me with his eyes.

……me?

I nervously lifted a finger to point at me, and he nodded.

“You, and the inheritance he can get from you.”

Ah.

“Don’t you wonder how he would react if I showed up in the middle and take the fortune right away?”

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