“Yesterday, you acted as if you wanted what you had left behind.”

Illeone embraced Elishia and pressed his lips to her forehead.

“Human hearts are dualistic.”

When she thought she would push him away, even if she cried, he wanted to forcibly take it.

So that she can never ignore him again.

Once Elishia said she would stay by his side and allowed him to do as he pleased, he suddenly wanted to protect her.

His desire to embrace her and grow closer, and his desire to watch the pure and beautiful her of this moment a little longer, were sharply conflicting in Illeone’s mind.

“Elishia.”

“Yes?”

“If I seem to be overpowering you, run away. Understand?”

He used to tell her not to run away. He promised to love her more than ‘Lona,’ who had a history of running away. Elishia asked in disbelief.

“What is it? You just need to be careful, don’t you?”

“You’re better than I thought.”

Elishia, her face flushed, covered Illeone’s mouth with her hand. He bit it until her palm turned red.

(This is a time separator.)

After dinner, Elishia bathed in the bathtub.

“This place is really beautiful.”

The bathroom attached to the Grand Duke’s room was quite spacious. It was decorated much more broadly than the one in Illeone’s room.

A large bathtub carved with creamy white milkcolored tiles was surrounded by white pillars. Perhaps because the Grand Duke’s room was at the end of the building, the domed ceiling rose roundly, so there was no stuffy feeling even when soaking in hot water.

When viewed from the outside of the Grand Duke’s residence, there was a rounded annex protruding on one side, which was probably this bathroom. Thanks to this, there were several small windows high up, giving the feeling of being in an openair hot spring.

“Whew.”

After soaking in the hot water, the tension eased, and her body felt weary.

‘So much has happened in a few days.’

At the Duke of Uter’s residence, they were busy preparing to leave the Constans Empire soon.

After running all night from the Duke’s residence to the Grand Duke’s, and after an emotional toll with Illeone, she was utterly exhausted. On top of that, falling into the water. Fortunately, she had fallen into a deep sleep in his arms all morning, so she could withstand the day.

“Marieella is… Haah. What should I do?”

It wasn’t like Elishia had any specific plan. She knew what Marieella was worried about, but she didn’t think she would be easily exploited.

Marieella was fretting over this, saying, ‘It’s because you don’t know,’ but Elishia believed that ignorance is fearless and brave.

Perhaps Marieella’s obsessive perspective was making things more complicated.

“It’s how I survive.”
Mariella seemed to believe that the only way out was to escape from the original work.

But Elishia thought she had to break through.

Avoidance is not a solution.

Elishia has her own life. What meaning is there in a life that abandons everything, including her name, status, and life, to wander around foreign countries?

While thinking such thoughts, she suddenly laughed.

“I’m doing this again.”

She thinks about ‘Elishia’s life,’ even though she’s not ‘Elishia.’

“Actors in plays do this too, probably.”

Like interpreting a character, she keeps thinking about Elishia’s position, even though Mariella says, ‘I’m not Elishia.’

“I have Illeone.”

There was a corner that believed it would somehow work.

That’s when she had just washed and changed into her pajamas.

Knock, knock.

When she opened the door, Illeone was standing there in casual clothes.

“What’s the matter at this hour?”

“I wanted to see you.”

“Hehe.”

Elishia laughed.

“Come in.”

“Is it okay to invite a man into your room at this late hour?”

Illeone spoke meaningfully, but Elishia thought it was okay because he was like a big puppy inside. Our puppy was struggling alone to protect her honor, which he didn’t even know existed until yesterday.

“Let’s go to my room. Let’s play a game or something.”

“Okay.”

Elishia headed for Illeone’s room.

They had a few games of chess while drinking warm milk brought by the butler.

“Haum.”

But she started feeling sleepy, maybe because she had taken a bath.

“I have to go to sleep.”

“Sleep here.”

“What?”

“Let’s sleep together.”

Elishia narrowed her eyes.

“Why did you give me a room if you were going to do this?”

“To preserve the honor of my bride in public.”

“Ugh, really.”

It was when she was laughing as if she couldn’t stop him and was getting up.

“Are you really leaving?”

“Yes. I’m tired. See you tomorrow.”

“Then read me a book.”

“You can see now. Read it yourself.”

“I like the sound of your voice.”

Illeone drooped his eyes as if he was sulking.

“…… Can’t you?”

Elishia’s heart ached a little. Our big puppy! How could she make him look so forlorn!

“Okay. But you can’t read the War History of Pallega.”

That damned war history was so boring. She could bet Rona’s halfyear salary that she would fall asleep again if she read that book in this room.

“Okay. Then read me another book.”

Illeone obediently handed her a thick book.

“I’ll only read a little and go. I’m really tired today.”

“Okay.”

As Illeone made himself comfortable on the pillow and lay down, Elishia began to read.

‘Hellaos’ Prosperity?’

It was a book she had never seen before.

“No one could have imagined that the remote territory of Hellaos would become the center of exchange during the middle period of the empire.”

Elishia read the book slowly.

“Hellaos was a small village of 280 people around the year 420 in the imperial calendar. In the year 770, when Palermo started a war and stockpiled military expenses, it became a logistics hub as a border city, but after Palermo’s defeat in the Pallega war, Hellaos seemed to decline with it.”

What? Is this a friend of the war history?

“But in 813, the future of Hellaos began to change with the appearance of Beril Tristan, who would later be called a great lord. Beril’s elder brother, Cyril, was the owner of a famous business. The second son, Beril, was pushed out in the succession struggle…… and came to Hellaos.”

Oh, I can’t fall asleep.

“Beril’s younger brother Deril…… later spied for his brother…… in Cyril’s business…… and raised funds…… no, it was Cyril……”

Thud.

The book fell from Elishia’s hand.

Illeone quickly put away the book and made her comfortable as if he had been waiting.

‘Is it because I was only in the shrine? Don’t you know this? Ah, you said you had no memory.’

“Hellaos’ Prosperity” was a book written by the same author as the “War History of Pallega,” and it was one of the historical books that formed a pair with it for insomnia treatment.

When he settled her into position and hugged her, it felt comfortable, as if he had been like this since birth.

“Goodnight, Elishia.”

A sigh came out in part.

“Can I really be a lord?”