13.My One And Only Lover

I didn’t think I’d be tossing and turning all night because I thought I would be indifferent to everything.

After a few months of staying, I’m getting out of Ingord. I lay in bed and spent the dawn, thinking of tens of thousands of colorful imaginations.

An image of me pretending to be crazy and running away from the duke.

An image of Count Triviache returning alive and taking me back. Even an image of returning to Ingord without any problems after this mission.

There was also Reina Jenin. Standing proudly beside Prince Wilhelm and declaring that she’s here to save me. But all these different imaginations ended in mocking myself. It was stupid….I knew, I could never run away from Richton.

***

“Beatrice.”

I gently loosened my stiff expression at Richton’s call. I clasped my hands and smiled brightly enough to narrow my eyes. Beatrice Adenrozia Kale. For a week from today, I had to be the 22nd Princess of the Kingdom of Kale.

“Tell me, Richton. Ah! It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it? It would be great to go out for a walk. Have you eaten? Did you like the food?”

He stared intently at my lips, which busily moved to say one more word.

“Ah… I heard it takes four hours just to get there. You need to feel full to arrive on time without any problems. I’m afraid you skipped your meal as usual.”

“If you’re ready, let’s go.”

I never thought I’d hear honorifics from Richton. It was awkward enough to get chills on my spine.

“You mean you’ve eaten, right?”

Richton reached out his hand without answering. I embraced his arms and walked close to him. Be absolutely close to Duke Richton Ingord and act as a sweet couple. I had to be his lover, a role that I didn’t want the most.

Why am I so unlucky?

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to have much dissatisfaction with the character Beatrice I created. However, Ingord’s employees were not adapting to the duke’s lover who appeared out of the blue. To them, I was nothing but a foreigner with wavy blonde hair and a brighter personality than necessary. Because I dyed my hair blonde and covered my face with a white veil, ‘playing as Beatrice’ was easier than I thought.

“I don’t know if you like it, Master. I tried to make it look good.”

Before leaving the mansion and arriving in front of the carriage, I whispered in a quiet voice in his ear.

“I didn’t know nor have asked what you would like”

“Beatrice.”

His arm wrapped around my waist as soon as he answered. An inescapable strong force dragged my upper body into his arms, tightening it as if it were a trap. I felt like Richton’s heartbeat was heard from a short distance.

“There’s no way not to like it. Because you are my one and only lover.”

Richton walked casually, but to say the least, it wasn’t easy for me. His restrained breathing injected tension into my thin skin. It was really tiring for the entire body to be tensed up. I was able to realize again how cumbersome this playing as Beatrice was for me.

“If you want, we’ll take two carriages.”

“Oh, all of a sudden? Don’t you want to be in the same space as me?”

The attendant opened the carriage’s door and I climbed inside, escorted by Richton. The frosty blue-gray eyes shone on me under the blazing sun.

“No way. I’m just so full of desire that I’m afraid I’ll disturb you.”

He must be crazy. He uttered words he didn’t mean.

‘Or was it not? Now, I can’t even say if he didn’t mean it.’

When I thought of Richton’s mysterious obsession with me, it was hard to dismiss it as nonsense.

“What a romantic. Stop joking around and get on the carriage.”

“Joke? Do you think I’m joking?”

Even if I tried to pull out my hand, Richton seemed to have no intention of letting go.

“It’s better if you’re not joking. Hurry and come in, so we won’t get delayed. I have a lot of things I want to tell you.”

Removing my hand from his grasp, Richton, who was standing still, finally entered the carriage. The air, which had been heating up with pretense, disappeared as soon as the door was closed. I let down my smiling mouth again with all my heart and soul. Somehow, I felt exhausted even before they set off.

“Master, I’m going to take a break until we arrive. Is there anything I should be careful about?”

“Don’t call me Master until our schedule is over. It might come out like a habit.”

“Okay. I’ll be careful, so don’t worry.”

I didn’t know what Richton’s expression was. I closed my eyes as soon as I finished talking. As my vision darkened, I felt like I could breathe more easily. I couldn’t believe I had to be alone with him in such a small, narrow space, and I was sure I couldn’t even take a nap. But how was being alone? Compared to four months ago, I was quite mentally free now.

‘There’s no big reason. It’s just that I’ve… lived a long life, longing only for you.’

The day I pretended to be crazy and hid in the bedroom to kill him. Since that day, Richton’s inhumane and coercive behavior had surprisingly faded. It wasn’t completely gone, but it was a huge change for me.

The tension between them remained the same. Richton always tried to take something invisible from me, and I tried my best to look like I was giving it away. But there was still a little hope that one day I’d be able to leave this place.

“Your Excellency, we’ve arrived at the hotel. The luggage is currently being moved.”

The area where the carriage stopped was Malta, the closest border to the capital. Funnily enough, the banquet they would attend was the birthday party of Marquis Crohertz. It was the birthday banquet of the character, who coincidentally visited Ingord on the day the annex collapsed and Crohertz’s daughter was evacuated. What kind of culture was it to invite political opponents in person and to accept such invitations? Looking back on my memory, this scene was also frequent in the『River Where the Sun Manoeuvres』. It might be trying to keep them closer to keep an eye on each other.

“Richton. Do we have separate rooms?”

“Unfortunately, I have to protect Your Highness’ honor.”

“What is an honor for Beatrice Adenrozia Kale? All I have is your love.”

“What a touching confession.”

As I walked under the hotel’s chandelier, Richton smiled softly. It was an alluring and dazzling smile, but it just felt absurd to me. The number of hoteliers, who lined up and bowed their backs, did not end even after repeating dozens of steps. It was Richton Ingord as expected. Just because it was a border area did not mean it would weaken his dignity. The elevator went up to the top floor of the hotel.

“Kean will be waiting in front of your room today. Shout out and call him when something comes up. Don’t even think of being stupid and doing it alone.”

“Mas… What about you? “

“A sane person wouldn’t dare break into my room.”

Their steps stopped in front of the innermost door.

“Beatrice.”

“Yes.”

He turned around and made eye contact with me. At this moment, the man in front of me was not the Duke Richton who whispered love in front of the hotel. It was Richton, the Duke of Ingord, the owner of my leash.

Clink.

Just as he was about to open his mouth, I heard a gentle creaking sound of the door from behind. Richton’s glassy eyes headed to my back. He and I couldn’t possibly be the only ones who use such a big hotel. The steps of the unknown guest gradually faded away.

“Unfortunately, I have a lot of planned appointments today, so I won’t be able to see the city with you.”

In a polite tone to be wary of strangers, I also smiled and responded.

“I plan to rest well and fall asleep today, too. That way, we can enjoy the banquet without regrets, right? Even if I miss you like crazy today, I’ll endure it, Richton.”

He gently pulled me into his arms, as if to say goodbye. The body warmth of Richton I felt was much colder and cooler than the cold wave that had swept away.

“Then let me just say one thing. You can stay away from my fence, Beatrice.”

Even if I tried to pretend to be insignificant, I could feel my mouth becoming stiff and rigid. It wasn’t long before the warmest temperature in Richton had reached my ears. It was his lips.

“That is if you’re confident you’ll be free forever.”

“….Don’t say such a sad thing. I don’t want to. Where would I go anyway?”

“Have a good night without me.”

With a warning, the calm yet bloody blue-gray eyes turned away from my face. Rather, he might be urging me to run away. It was more suitable considering Richton’s nature, who enjoys chase hunting. I entered the room as Richton wished. Like the room reserved by the Duke of Ingord, the interior was luxurious as if I had visited another castle. Time flew by while I looked around and read the books placed in the library. Has I ever been this relaxed lately? There was no sense of reality as if I was dreaming.

It was funny, but I was waiting for Richton. Even when I heard that he had a planned engagement, I thought he would come to me.

‘Not a fucking dog waiting for her master,’

Seeing that I didn’t feel a sense of shame, I seemed to have already become accustomed to it. At some point, I fell asleep without realizing it. I hadn’t even taken off the veil.

And the uninvited guest came in past midnight.

***

“Ugh!”

“Shhh. Be quiet. “

After being addicted to Ingord poison, I never had a good night’s sleep. The chill and sharp sensations all over my body caused my mind to escape from the depths of deep sleep. It was such a hard time that death was considered a real rest. But today, I felt thankful for my changed constitution.

“Don’t say a word from now on. Even the sound of your breath will give you a taste of pain you’ve never experienced before.”