Received the Obsession of a Chaste Dark Lord - Chapter 28

It felt like we had been running for days.

Until we reached the midpoint between Waynes and the capital, we didn’t stop the carriage except for lunch breaks and finding lodging in the evening.

However, even after coming like that for several days, there was no contact from either the Waynes branch or the capital.

Betty is checking with the guild branches in every city we pass, but…

With each city we pass, my heart grows increasingly anxious, and Leopold, who is riding in the carriage with me, instructed to increase the speed even more for my sake.

But even that has its limits.

I couldn’t stop sighing deeply every day.

“Still no contact, Your Highness. Neither from Lady Hayley nor Branch Manager Jennifer.”

“How long has it been since we left Waynes?”

“Tomorrow will be the third day. We might not hear from the capital yet, but we should be getting word from Waynes by now.”

It was just after I had finished bathing upon arriving at the lodging for the night.

Outside it was dark, and Leopold was away with the knights, saying he would check the route for tomorrow.

Betty sighed softly as she combed my still-damp hair.

And I, too, fell into thought while quietly letting Betty’s hands work.

‘Should it take this long to confirm Lloyd’s whereabouts in Waynes?’

People with jet-black hair like Lloyd’s are not common in the empire.

Even Duke Alois, who gained the title of duke by marrying the emperor’s younger sister, was known for his family’s hereditary black hair.

That’s how rare it is in the empire to have such pure black hair without any mixed colors.

So why is it taking so long to trace his actions in Waynes?

Could it be that Branch Manager Jennifer has expanded the investigation to other cities beyond Waynes?

It was while I was lost in these thoughts.

“Oh, Your Highness. Just a moment.”

Betty, who had been combing my hair, suddenly put down the comb and headed to the window.

Wondering what was at the window, I turned my head.

“It, it’s a message from Branch Manager Jennifer!”

Betty, who had taken something from the leg of a bird perched on the windowsill, looked at me with a slightly flushed face.

And in her hands was a long, rolled-up letter.

[This is the timeline separator] [“…There were a few things to confirm, so my report was delayed. While tracing the movements of the person you mentioned, some strange points were discovered. It’s true that he was in Waynes on the night of the festival, but oddly, no one saw him entering Waynes. Even in the village of Zen, which one must pass through to reach Waynes, no one reported seeing him. I confirmed that he stayed at a nearby inn for a day after the festival night and left Waynes the next day, but strangely, no one in any of the villages along the route into Waynes saw him.”]

“…People saw him leaving, but no one saw him entering?”

“Uh…, it’s not like he suddenly sprouted from the ground, is that even possible?”

After confirming the contents of the letter, both Betty and I had bewildered looks on our faces.

No matter how many times I read it, the content of the letter remained the same, and I confirmed from Betty’s expression that I wasn’t misunderstanding it strangely.

The meaning was the same no matter how I looked at it.

Lloyd appeared in Waynes suddenly without passing through anywhere.

He appeared before Betty and me, then quickly disappeared again.

And no one had seen him coming to Waynes.

“The young duke isn’t a ghost, is he?”

“Why are you suddenly bringing up ghosts here?”

“No, I mean, this literally says he popped up out of nowhere, is that even possible?”

Betty tapped the letter with a dumbfounded expression.

While I understood how she felt…

“I find it hard to believe too, but they must have investigated thoroughly before reporting to me.”

“Well, yes, that’s true. But no matter how I think about it, this… doesn’t make sense.”

Betty was still staring intently at the letter with a look of disbelief.

I understand.

Unless he used magic, to suddenly appear in Waynes from the distant capital in an instant…

Wait. Magic?

At that moment, struck by a crazy thought, I turned my gaze to the bracelet placed on the dressing table.

The bracelet said to be imbued with magic.

The owner’s words that if I wore it, I would meet someone similar to me.

…Could it be Lloyd?

“Anyway, I’ll burn this, Your Highness. I think His Highness is coming up.”

While I was startled by the sudden thought that occurred to me, Betty hurriedly stuffed the letter into her pocket.

Then she quickly closed the window and pretended to be gently gathering and arranging my hair.

“Amelia, may I come in?”

And with perfect timing, Leopold knocked on the door.

“…Just a moment.”

…Or could it be Leopold?

My mind was in a complicated tangle.

In fact, if we’re being strict, Leopold was more likely to be able to use magic.

Lloyd is a collateral member of the royal family.

Even if the magical bloodline has thinned, Leopold is a direct descendant of the imperial family.

“I’ll take this to my room and burn it. You’d better manage your expression first.”

Before I could answer, Betty whispered softly in my ear.

It seems my shocked state was clearly visible on my face.

But who wouldn’t be in this situation?

There’s a possibility that either Lloyd or Leopold has also come back in time.

Well, of course, it’s not certain, but…

In any case, considering what that seemingly fraudulent street vendor said, it’s not entirely impossible, is it?

Lloyd, who suddenly appeared in Waynes without being noticed by anyone.

Leopold, who has been acting like a completely different person since the wedding day.

At least one of them must have come back in time like me…

“Mela?”

But what’s important now is not concluding this hypothesis, but meeting Leopold who is waiting for my response right now.

Hearing his voice again, I hurriedly composed my expression and cleared my throat a couple of times.

“Come in.”

As I gave permission, Betty went to the door and opened it before Leopold could.

Leopold nodded to her in greeting as he entered the room.

And as before, Betty gave me a discreet nod and left, closing the door.

“It seems you’re all prepared.”

“Yes. I thought it would be best to sleep right away. How about you, Your Highness?”

“I’m about to wash up and sleep as well. Tomorrow will be another long journey.”

Leoprick smiled faintly as he looked at me.

From tomorrow, we’ll have to ride horses instead of the carriage.

Because we’ll reach the midpoint between the capital and Waynes.

We traveled leisurely by carriage on the way there, but on the return journey, both he and I had urgent matters, so we decided to go ahead on horseback.

From there, the roads are well-paved, and there are many temporary lodgings set up for travelers along the way.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright? From tomorrow, we might not be able to sleep as comfortably as today.”

“It’s fine. I’ve done a lot of camping while learning about the guild’s work, and I’ve used travelers’ lodgings a few times.”

Father didn’t let me go outside the capital, but he said I needed to learn what Mother did step by step to take over the guild in the future.

That’s why he turned a blind eye to camping with Hayley, Betty, and a few guard knights, as well as spending a night mingling with people at travelers’ lodgings while disguised as a man.

Although I couldn’t say it was proper camping since it all had to be done within the capital.

Still, because of those experiences, I wasn’t particularly uncomfortable with traveling on horseback.

“Don’t worry too much. From tomorrow, both Betty and I will be moving in men’s clothing, and we’ll be careful not to cause any trouble for Your Highness and the knights from the back.”

“You’re going to move in men’s clothing? You came prepared even for that?”

Even if I became the crown princess, no, even if I became the empress, the Jenit Guild was mine.

That was something my father promised firmly every year on my birthday.

So, I couldn’t completely abandon the guild’s affairs wherever I went, and that’s why Betty always packed male clothing for herself and me wherever we went.

I nodded to him.

“We never know what might happen where, so we always carry a couple of spare sets. After all, I can’t be the kind of ordinary crown princess that everyone expects.”

“I don’t think anyone expects you to be an ordinary crown princess… But still, that’s impressive.”

Leoprick expressed genuine admiration as he looked at me.

It wasn’t really anything special.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I slightly averted my gaze and cleared my throat softly.

“Ahem, ahem. You must be tired, please wash up and go to sleep.”

“Ah, yes. I’ll do that. You must be tired too, I should have thought of that.”

Just as Leoprick was about to leave the room, nodding his head.

“Oh, I forgot to mention earlier. There are no spare rooms available here today.”

“…Pardon?”

“Even the knights are in a situation where two or three have to share a room… So I’ll have to come back to this room after I wash up.”

Wait.

So, when he says he’ll come back to this room after washing up, that means…

“I tried my best to share a room with the knights, thinking you might be uncomfortable, but…”

“So, we have to sleep together tonight, is that right?”

Today, we would have to share a bed unintentionally.

And not in the spacious bed of the imperial palace, but on a small bed in an inn in a small village.

[This is the timeline separator]

Leoprick returned from washing up faster than expected.

He didn’t give me time to mentally prepare, leaving quickly and returning just as fast.

Well, it wasn’t strange that he hurried, given that we weren’t in a position to leisurely enjoy a bath in a place like this…

“You should use the bed, Amelia.”

The issue was what he said as soon as he entered.

With a calm face, he said that he was used to camping and if I felt uncomfortable, he would sleep separately.

From tomorrow, both he and I were scheduled to ride horses for a long time.

Knowing how the body feels after riding a horse for a long time, I couldn’t let him sleep on the floor.

Besides, I had things to talk about with him, and perhaps because of what I had thought earlier, his unnecessary consideration made him seem even more suspicious.

“I’m fine, Your Highness. Considering the camping tomorrow, it’s better for you to rest comfortably tonight.”

The bed was narrow, but not so much that we couldn’t both sleep on it.

I moved my body to make room for him to lie down and patted the space next to me.

“Come over here. I’m fine with it.”

“…”

At my words, his face hardened.

He looked somewhat uncomfortable, as if he was holding something back.

Slowly clenching and unclenching his fist, it seemed like he might continue to insist.

I sighed softly as I watched him.

“Are you uncomfortable sleeping with me, Your Highness?”