The Knight Commander, Raymond, reluctantly accepted Johan’s words.

Then Johan’s crimson eyes glanced down at me. There was a mischievous smile on his lips.

‘He’s definitely teasing me.’

I felt a bit annoyed.

‘Let’s endure it. At least until the Knight Commander leaves.’

At least Johan didn’t seem to intend to reveal my presence while the Knight Commander was still here. It was more comfortable for me to make excuses when I was alone with Johan.

But Johan didn’t stop.

“But calling each other by names instead of ‘husband’ wouldn’t be bad either. Newlyweds usually—”

Poke.

Unable to bear it any longer, I poked Johan’s calf with my index finger. He looked at me, but he continued talking.

“Showing affection by calling each other’s names.”

Poke.

“Either way, whatever you call me will be cute, so I need Raymond’s advice.”

After finishing his words, Johan slightly moved his shoe and playfully tapped my foot, which was awkwardly touching his.

‘How long do I have to listen to this embarrassing conversation?’

Especially when I could feel Raymond’s embarrassed expression.

“Well, you might have a point. I don’t have much experience with such profound worries… Maybe Duke Blinew or someone else would know better?”

“You, who have never been in love, would probably know better than Duke Blinew, who is clueless.”

“I, I’ve never had such deep worries before, so I wouldn’t know…”

In the end, Raymond gave up on answering and hurriedly escaped, saying, “I have something urgent to attend to!”

The office door closed.

Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief. Drrrr—the chair moved backward, and Johan looked at me with a wry smile.

“My Lady, did you want to play hideandseek?”

No, not at all! But I couldn’t blame anyone but myself for hiding here in the first place.

“…I didn’t come in here to play hideandseek.”

“Then why are you here?”

Johan gestured for me to come out. I tried to do so.

‘My feet are falling asleep.’

I had been in the same position for too long, and my feet had gone numb. Unable to do anything, I just stayed still and felt even more embarrassed and upset.

“My Lady seems to have her hands full.”

“…It’s quite bothersome.”

“That’s why it’s meaningful.”

Getting off the chair, Johan bent his knees, pulled me into his arms, and lifted me onto the desk. Then he placed me on top.

“I can do a lot for my Lady.”

As we escaped from the cramped space, breathing became much easier.

Johan sat back in his chair, crossed his legs, and looked at me with narrowed eyes.

“So, why were you hiding under the desk? Should I try to guess?”

“No, there’s no need for that.”

There was a mischievous feeling, even in such a trivial conversation. So, I wanted to shut his mouth.

“…You told me to think of a way to reassure the Duke.”

“That’s right.”

“So, here’s an idea. How about going with the Duke?”

I swallowed hard and looked into Johan’s eyes.

“If the Duke is with you, my Lord can rest assured. He can rescue me immediately no matter what happens, or we could call for a doctor.”

At least in Johan’s office, there didn’t seem to be any curselike presence, at least.

‘Then there’s a high chance that the Duke Libertan couple knows something.’

But the two of them are currently being captured due to the charge of rebellion.

As AnnaTT599, the professional translator, I will provide a translation of the novel passage following the provided guidelines:

“Without Johannes’s permission, and given that I would most likely still be wearing the attire of Libertan’s castle, there was no apparent way for me to go see them.

‘Of course, it would be difficult to bring up the curse in front of others.’

So, even if I went to see them, the likelihood of getting what I wanted was low.

‘But it’s still much better than not going at all.’

Johannes tilted his head slightly as he looked at me. It was something he did when he had something on his mind.

“That’s natural.”

“Yes?”

“If my wife is going, it’s only natural for her husband to follow. That’s why I’m not entirely at ease with it.”

Johannes took my hand, which was resting on the desk, with a gentle gesture.

“Think about it carefully. There might be a way for me to grant your wish.”

What does that mean!

An indignant feeling surged up, but I quickly regained my composure. Then I cautiously spoke up.

“Me, husband?”

“……”

“Is it wrong to call you that?”

My face blushed at the thought of using the title ‘husband’ to refer to him. Johannes’s eyes softened as he looked at me.

“It’s a pleasant sound, but it’s not the correct answer.”

“Then what is the correct answer?”

When I asked that, Johannes immediately answered.

“There is none.”

“Yes?”

“I just want to go.”

I couldn’t hide the confusion on my face. Then Johannes stood up from his chair and calmly spoke.

“Don’t ask, demand. I’ll grant anything you want.”

There was a strange sense of guilt in his crimson eyes as he looked at me, especially when his gaze was directed towards my neck.

‘There’s no way.’

Unconsciously, I placed my hand near my neck. Then Johannes’s lips tightened.

“Is there anywhere that hurts after you get up?”

“Nowhere.”

“……Then, wife.”

Johannes stood up and held my face with one hand to meet his gaze. I looked at him with wide eyes.

“Has there ever been a time when you wanted to leave Libertan? Or regretted being adopted.”

It was an unexpected question in this situation.

My body stiffened.

‘The answer about Libertan is too important.’

I had no idea how to answer. The reason was simple.

‘……I don’t sense any hostility in his voice.’

I had to decide whether to answer honestly or pretend to be the beloved daughter. I found a compromise between those extreme choices.

“Yes, there was a time I regretted it.”

“But do you still love the Duke and Duchess of Libertan, your adoptive parents?”

I gave a faint smile and placed my hand on top of Johannes’s hand that was holding my face.

“I don’t really know what love is, but enough to want to meet them. It’s a difficult question.”

Did Johannes notice the change in my previous answer?

‘But I have no choice.’

My genuine response would be clearly evident as a lie to anyone. And I had to meet the Duke and Duchess of Libertan to confirm the curse.

‘Before I die for the crime of treason!’

Johannes smiled with a mysterious smile as he looked at me. In response, I asked him a question.

“But why is that? Is there something going on?”

“Although I guessed it from the conversation with Raymond earlier, there was something I didn’t tell you because I was worried it might shock you.”

“……”

“The day my wife and I got married, the Duke of Libertan was executed for the crime of treason.”

“……”

“And it was in my hands.”

There was a distinct intensity in his final words.

Doctor Henry began checking the results of the diagnostic magical device.

It was because the lady’s illness couldn’t be diagnosed, so he intentionally brought the most precise magical device.

But unfortunately, he could only use it now since the patient’s consciousness had awakened.

‘Just put your hand in like this? It’s useless anyway.’

Henry found the lady’s attitude during the examination quite odd.

For someone who had been frequently ill for no apparent reason and could be suffering from a serious illness, her reaction was surprisingly nonchalant.

‘Thank you for the examination. I appreciate your efforts.’

She even smiled kindly at him while he was conducting the examination.

Wiiing

The result came out of the magical device. Henry stared at it with wide eyes, finding it hard to believe the result.

‘Surely there must be an error with the magical device.’

For this diagnostic magical device, cases where measurements were unavailable were almost nonexistent.

If the new mistress is not human, it must be that the measurement is not accurate.

“The mistress is….”

She was undoubtedly afflicted with the rare incurable disease, the Sleeping Princess.