Received the Obsession of a Chaste Dark Lord - Chapter 50

“Your Highness, His Highness the Crown Prince……”

“Again?”

I let out a long sigh as I looked at Betty, who was smiling a little awkwardly.

How many times has it been already?

I put down the documents I was holding and sighed.

It’s been 3 hours since I arrived at the Crown Princess’s office and started grasping the work.

I let out a small sigh at the servant of Leoprick who was visiting for the third time already.

“What is it this time?”

“He sent tea and refreshments. He said you should rest a little.”

“Sending someone every hour to tell me to rest more here?”

Leoprick sent someone a total of 3 times after I arrived here, after 1 hour had passed, after 2 hours had passed, and now after 3 hours had passed.

First he sent a simple breakfast, next he sent a bouquet of flowers, and this time it was tea and refreshments.

And each time, he sent various messages like rest a little, don’t overdo it, you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.

And every time a message and gift came, I had to stop working and rest for a bit without fail.

“At this rate, it would be better if he just came directly.”

“Well, I’m thinking the same thing, but His Highness the Crown Prince would be even busier.”

“That’s true, but……”

I let out a small sigh as I looked at the tea and refreshments the servant brought in as the door opened.

“Tell His Highness the Crown Prince that I am grateful.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The servant bowed politely.

And I gestured to Betty.

“Ask His Highness what tea and refreshments he likes and bring them to him.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I can’t just receive it this time either.

I instructed Betty to send the same tea and refreshments to Leoprick, then turned my eyes back to the documents I was looking at.

How much time had passed?

As I turned my gaze to another document next to me, my eyes went to the refreshments beside it.

It was finger food that was easy to eat while working and composed only of things that were easy to digest.

A man who pays attention to even this.

It was a little different from the him I knew, but I thought it was like the him I newly got to know.

I picked up a refreshment and ate it, then turned my gaze back to the documents.

Resting is important, but it was also necessary to grasp the internal affairs of the villa.

If I don’t find out now, I know that after a while, the Duchess of Alois will unnecessarily try to meddle, pretending to help.

The Duchess of Alois is the one person that even the Empress, known for her gentle disposition, finds difficult to deal with.

It was because of her free-spirited way of talking, saying whatever she wanted rather than being rational and calm.

She will bring up the topic of helping with the housekeeping of the villa at the upcoming tea time.

A matter that no one but an imperial woman should dare to try to find out about.

She publicly brought it up at that occasion where there were countless eyes and ears.

Saying that the villa, although smaller than the main palace, would have many things to take care of as there are many people staying there.

She said that since she also managed the housekeeping of the villa during her time as an imperial princess, it seemed like I, who am not used to it yet, would need help.

The me before the regression responded with a thankful heart, saying I would contact her separately, and temporarily appeased her pushiness.

And I occasionally invited the Duchess over for tea under the pretext of asking for help.

It was when I had feelings for Lloyd Alois before the regression.

In fact, even such a nominal thing should not have been done.

The Duchess of Alois was not a member of the imperial family, and most of all, she was not my mother-in-law.

But at that time, not being hated by Lloyd was more important than that.

In my common sense, I thought there would be no man who would like a woman who neglects his mother.

And.

By the time I found out that my choice was planned by Lloyd to create a pretext to confine me later, it was already too late.

So from now on, I had to carefully examine and not give the Duchess of Alois any chance to intervene at all.

“There are more documents than I thought.”

Leoprick was one of the crown princes who left the position of crown princess vacant for the longest time in history.

I steeled my resolve as I thoroughly went through the documents of the inner palace that he had managed by sending someone.

The amount of documents that could be called vast would take at least half a month to go through, no matter how quickly I looked at them.

As I looked through the documents, I thought that whoever did it, they handled the work very meticulously.

Sometimes, they handled things too meticulously when it was unnecessary.

It was when a little more time had passed like that.

“Um, Your Highness.”

Betty, who was sorting documents beside me, suddenly got up from her seat, and after a while, she came back and called me with a cautious look.

…… I can roughly tell just by looking at that expression.

It must be Leoprick again.

I put down the documents I was holding again and sighed.

“Yes, what is it this time?”

Seeing that the servant visited again, it seemed like another hour had passed.

How does he not forget and send someone every hour like that?

As I sighed, even touching my forehead, Betty glanced at me and spoke.

“…… His Highness the Crown Prince has come in person.”

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“I’m not sure if I’m being a disturbance.”

Leoprick said that as soon as he entered.

After sufficiently disturbing me for the past time, now he says that.

“No, Your Highness. Thank you for coming.”

But it’s not like I could really say, ‘Yes, you were quite a disturbance.’

I answered him briefly with a courteous smile.

In fact, I wanted to ask why he kept sending people every hour to bother me like that……

“I also received the gifts you sent well. Thanks to that, I spent time without being bored.”

Words came out smoothly from my mouth as if I had thought about it in advance.

Anyone who saw would think I was really grateful.

I thought I should not waste any more time.

It was obvious that he would take up more time, as he did when I greeted the people he sent, but even more so now that he came in person.

“Did you bring something personally this time?”

So I asked him point-blank.

If he brought something to give me directly this time.

He laughed at my question.

“No. I came to eat together as it was mealtime.”

“Ah……”

But there’s no time to go down to the banquet hall.

I made a slightly difficult face as I thought of the documents I had yet to go through even half of my target amount.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I have a lot of things to look through by today.”

“I told them to bring it here because I thought you might be busy.”

“Ah……”

As if he had anticipated my answer, Leoprick said with a grin.

He said I don’t need to worry and can eat here as it’s already prepared.

The moment he finished speaking, servants entered with a knock.

“According to the servants who visited your office today, you are really busy without a moment to spare.”

“Ah….. It wasn’t that much.”

“I was worried that I might disturb you, and it seemed like you would hastily take care of meals if left alone. So I told them to bring it here.”

He said with a gentle smile.

Behind that smile, appealing dishes were placed one by one on the table.

“I told the kitchen to prepare things that are easy to digest if possible. You’ll be here all day, won’t you?”

Leoprick quietly explained as the table was set with mild and non-stimulating dishes.

It was the first time receiving such consideration, and while I was dazed, he added.

He said he also told them to prepare tea that’s good for digestion if I can’t go out, so I just need to tell the kitchen.

“I’d like to keep sending gifts in the afternoon too, but it might really disturb you, so I’ll stop being greedy here.”

So it meant to not forget to take breaks even if I have to make time in the afternoon, and to spend the day healthily.

His face as he smiled saying it was his greed looked excessively pure.

To the point that it felt like I had to believe that sending gifts and taking care of me was all he wanted.

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“It’s late, Your Highness.”

At Betty’s words, I raised my head.

The candles that had been barely illuminating the room were being swallowed up by the darkness that had fallen at some point.

…… When did it get so late?

“It must be past midnight.”

“Yes, Your Highness. It’s the early hours past midnight. The preparations for your sleep are also finished, so please go in and rest now.”

“I shall.”

At Betty’s words, I put down the pen I was holding and got up from my seat.

Let’s stop here for today and finish the rest tomorrow.

My body felt stiff from sitting and only looking at and writing documents all day.

As I lightly stretched, the flowers on the desk caught my eye.

They were the flowers Leoprick sent this afternoon.

Suddenly, Leoprick’s pure smile came to mind as I looked at the flowers beautifully arranged in a vase with water.

Him, who talked about his greed with a face devoid of any ulterior motive.

‘I’d like to keep sending gifts in the afternoon too, but I’ll stop being greedy here.’

And he really didn’t send anything in the afternoon.

It was just that after the meal, Betty brought tea that’s good for digestion from the kitchen.

But even that was something Leoprick had told in advance, so in effect, it was the same as him sending it.

Because of that ‘greed’ of his.

Calling just these things greed, he’s really a strange person.

Tapping a slightly bent flower stem, I thought.

What on earth is he thinking, making me keep pondering his intentions?

It seems clear that he also regressed, and it’s also true that I decided to take his side.

But because I don’t know what the current Leoprick is thinking, my heart keeps getting disturbed.

What did he say when I asked him why he pays so much attention to me after finishing the meal and trying to leave?

The image of him smiling and saying, ‘What’s so strange about paying attention to someone you’re fond of?’ came to mind.

Fond, fondness.

Fondness between him and me.

It was the most awkward and incomprehensible thing I heard this year.

How could he attach the word fondness there of all places?

Can I even dare to overlap the face of him collapsing while vomiting blood with the face now smiling at me like sunshine?

I felt a feeling I couldn’t bear and retracted the hand that was tapping the flower stem.

“It seems like you liked the flowers.”

Betty, who was getting ready to follow me to the room, asked with a gentle smile.

I smirked at those words.

Is there anyone who doesn’t like flowers?

“Clear them away tomorrow. They’ll wither soon.”

“What? Already?”

But in the end, that’s also momentary.

Flowers quickly wither, leaving only roots and stems that are difficult to handle, and ugly petals.

That’s what fondness is like.

Although that moment is beautiful, as time passes, the color gradually fades and becomes dull.

I quietly looked at the flowers in the vase and moved my steps.

The feelings he calls fondness and greed will be like that too.

As time goes by, it will gradually dim and finally disappear.

So I don’t need to think about anything else anymore.

Rather than agonizing over his intentions and the situations that are different from before the regression, I decided to choose the path of delving into his inner thoughts as I had been doing.

In any case, all feelings are like flowers.

“The flowers are a waste, Your Highness.”

“Why are the flowers a waste? They fulfilled their role.”

“They fulfilled their role? They only made Your Highness’s desk bright for just one day.”

Shouldn’t we leave them for two days at least?

Betty followed me, speaking in a voice that sounded somewhat lingering.

I shrugged and left the office, heading to the room.

“If we leave them for two days, they’ll soon droop. Flowers can’t be indoors in the first place.”

It’s more comfortable to get rid of unnecessary sentiments.

I walked down the corridor, listing realistic points.

In any case, the life of flowers is limited, and both the giver and receiver know that the beauty of flowers is only at the moment of receiving them.

Betty responded with a slightly fed-up tone of yes, yes to my words, but brushed it off with a smile.

Now is the time to be wide awake, not to chase after romance and momentary pleasure.

It was when I arrived at the room like that and opened the door.

“You’re late, Amelia.”

In the room, an unexpected guest was waiting for me.