This Beast Never Sleeps at Night (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
When Adele returned from the fountain, everyone’s eyes turned to her.
After all, when they’d gone to look for her, they’d found only a naked man tied up.
Moreover, Eaton, who’d ended up that way after doing something dishonorable, kept his mouth tightly shut. Everyone assumed Adele alone knew the full story.
“Adele, where have you been?”
Mia quickly ran over and asked.
“I felt a bit tipsy, so I went for a short walk.”
Adele’s reply was perfectly calm, as if she knew nothing at all about that man.
“Lady Oswald?”
At that moment, a young lady with a still-youthful face approached.
“She’s the imperial princess,”
Mia whispered into Adele’s ear.
Adele had seen Princess April a few times at banquets before, though this was their first proper greeting.
“I am honored to meet you, Your Highness.”
She gracefully lifted her skirt and bowed respectfully.
“I’m so glad to see you, Lady!”
April smiled sweetly and eagerly grasped Adele’s hand.
“I was just about to leave, and I’d have been terribly disappointed if I hadn’t gotten to see you.”
April’s overly familiar manner left Adele flustered. The onlookers were equally bewildered—no one had expected the imperial princess to show such obvious fondness for Adele, the social outcast.
“My apologies. I suppose I walked longer than I intended.”
Just then—
“Wait a moment, April.”
Christine approached April’s side. He was wearing again the jacket he’d lent Adele, which she’d returned through Zimmer.
Christine whispered something into April’s ear, and she in turn whispered back to him.
The two of them looked perfectly natural together—
except that April’s already flushed cheeks grew even redder.
“I think it’s time for us to leave now.”
After finishing her whispered exchange with Christine, April turned to the crowd with a regretful expression.
Then she added a special request just for Adele.
“May I invite you sometime? We can talk more then.”
Adele was puzzled by the word “invite.”
Invite me—to the palace?
At that instant, April leaned in and whispered so only Adele could hear.
“Please tell me a bit about the Count.”
Then she shyly blushed, her youthful face radiating innocence.
To anyone watching, she looked like a lovely woman deeply in love.
“Yes, of course.”
Adele quietly smiled at the charming princess.
April winked conspiratorially, as if they were co-conspirators, and turned away.
Behind her, Christine waited with one arm extended. April naturally linked her arm through his. Behind them, the princess’s maids and Christine’s subordinates fell into line and followed.
Everyone watching instantly sensed it.
“There will be an imperial wedding soon.”
“It’s a shame, but they do suit each other well.”
Adele couldn’t take her eyes off the two figures walking away.
The lovely princess and the empire’s hero.
Even to her, they were a dazzlingly perfect pair—and for that very reason, she felt even more insignificant.
A.p.r.i.l….
And Christine’s voice, calling the princess’s name, echoed in her ears.
It was the first time she’d ever heard him utter another woman’s name in such a gentle tone.
Then why did her chest keep feeling so heavy?
“Adele, did you hurt your hand?”
It was Mia who pulled her back to reality.
After Christine left with the princess, all that remained with Adele was his handkerchief tied around her hand.
“Oh, I tripped while walking.”
“How did that happen? Did you put any ointment on it?”
“I’ll apply some once we’re home. Let’s go now.”
Adele’s expression was more resolute than ever.
Mia, noticing this, nodded in agreement.
“Alright. But are you really okay? You look pale.”
“I’ll feel better after resting. What about you? You don’t look well either.”
Instead of answering, Mia merely offered a small smile.
“Mother, I was lucky today.”
At Seira’s voice, Adele turned around.
“You were unlucky, Seira.”
Adele stepped right up to Seira and glared at her coldly.
“I’ll settle the debt I owe you for this today. From now on, I might do anything—so be careful.”
“I don’t understand what you’re suddenly talking about.”
Seira feigned ignorance, though her face betrayed slight tension.
Most of the nasty rumors about Adele had been her own doing. Yet there was something undeniably unsettling about Adele herself.
“Please pass my regards to Lady Hans. Tell her it was an unforgettable party.”
With those words, Adele left Lady Hans’s mansion.
“What was that you said to Seira earlier?”
On their way back in the carriage, Mia asked curiously.
“Nothing important.”
“Um… um… did you feel alright after drinking the wine I gave you?”
“…”
When Adele stared at her intently, Mia choked back tears and confessed.
“After drinking that wine, I collapsed suddenly while dancing. I thought I’d just gotten too drunk from strong liquor, but it seems the wine was… off.”
Adele groaned deeply.
She’d assumed only her own drink had been drugged—but Mia’s had been tampered with as well. Of course, they couldn’t have known which of them would drink which glass.
“So you’re alright then? You weren’t hurt?”
Mia weakly nodded.
“When I woke up, I was lying in the drawing room. Luckily, I recovered quickly.”
“That’s good.”
Mia asked again, cautiously.
“Adele, are you really fine? Thinking it over, it seems they were targeting you. Was it Earl Eaton? Or Seira?”
“It must have been a joint effort by Seira, Earl Eaton, and Lady Hans.”
“Seriously! I’ll—!”
Mia looked ready to turn the carriage around and drag them by their hair.
“Calm down. Fortunately, nothing serious happened.”
“So it really was you who did that to Earl Eaton?”
Adele hesitated briefly but decided not to mention Christine.
“…Yes.”
“You’re amazing, Adele! I suspected it, but I couldn’t believe it! Serves him right! After tormenting you like that, he won’t be able to show his face in society for a while.”
Having tried to harm Adele and suffering such humiliation, he wouldn’t dare complain to anyone.
Moreover, since the imperial princess had witnessed it, it would surely bring shame to his family—and gossip would swirl through high society for quite some time.
There couldn’t be a more thorough disgrace.
“It’s all karma.”
“…I’m sorry, Adele.”
Mia suddenly looked on the verge of tears and mumbled.
“What do you mean?”
“If anything had happened to you, I… I…”
“It’s alright, Mia. Nothing happened.”
“But it nearly did—because of me! It’s all my fault! I insisted on coming to this party without knowing my place. Ugh, I’m such a useless, vain fool!”
As Mia grabbed her own head in frustration, Adele stopped her.
“Don’t say that, Mia. A little vanity actually makes you more charming.”
Mia, who’d looked ready to cry, shot Adele a slight glare.
“What did you say?”
“And this party wasn’t all bad. Thanks to it, I got a chance to become closer to Her Highness.”
Mia finally burst into tears and tightly hugged Adele.
“Waaah! Adele, you’re such a wonderful friend! If I ever set foot in high society again, I’m not human! I’ll never go back!”
Mia seemed utterly disillusioned with high society—after all, she’d been used as bait to trap Adele. Today’s events must have wounded her deeply as well.
Adele gently patted her sobbing friend’s back.
“I really am fine.”
After crying for a while, Mia suddenly wiped her tears and gave a small smile.
“So I did manage to get my own little revenge.”
“Revenge?”
“Yep!”
At the same time—
“Oh my, Lady Seira, what’s that in your hair?”
“My hair?”
Seira touched her neatly styled golden hair and ornaments, puzzled—then her face twisted in shock.
Something sticky had gotten onto her fingers.
“Oh! Isn’t that caramel?”
“Caramel?”
Seira couldn’t believe her ears at what people were saying.
Why would caramel be in her hair…?
“Hold still. It looks like someone stuck it there while eating—it’s tangled in your hair.”
“We’ll probably have to cut it.”
“You worked hard today, Count.”
In the carriage returning to the imperial palace, April spoke cautiously.
Christine, who had been gazing indifferently out the window with his chin resting on his hand, shifted his eyes toward her.
“No, I enjoyed myself as well.”
He smiled as he spoke, though his expression showed no trace of enjoyment.
Yet even his indifferent look made April’s heart flutter—the gray eyes framed by silver lashes remained beautiful even in apathy.
“Earlier… I was so surprised when you called my name.”
Honestly, her heart had nearly stopped at that moment.
“My apologies. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Christine looked utterly unconcerned.
“No, if it’s alright with you… I’d like you to keep calling me by my name.”
“…”
When he only stared at her without replying, April lowered her voice slightly.
“Even when we’re alone…?”
“I’ll try.”
“Really?!”
Her eyes sparkled as she sought confirmation, but Christine had already turned his gaze back out the window.
“By the way, she was even more beautiful than I’d imagined.”
“…”
“That lady—Lady Oswald, the former Marquess’s wife.”
At the mention of Adele, Christine turned to look again.
“She was nothing like the rumors. Such a beautiful, elegant woman—enough to stir even a count’s heart.”
Christine frowned slightly, as if displeased, though April didn’t notice.
“The handkerchief the lady had tied around her hand—it was yours, wasn’t it? The one you had tucked in your chest when you arrived…”
“I only lent it to her because she’d hurt her hand. Please refrain from unwarranted assumptions.”
His voice was as cold as a blade.
“Oh! I’m sorry.”
April flustered, not knowing what to do.
“And Your Highness is beautiful as well.”
Surprised by his unexpected compliment, she looked at him in astonishment.
“…Really…?”
But Christine had already returned to gazing indifferently out the window.
Bored silence filled the carriage, broken only by the sound of hooves and rolling wheels.
Yet April was too busy deciphering his words to notice. She’d never dreamed such praise would come from this aloof man.
‘Could Count Weiss have some feelings for me after all?’
Soon, the palace’s brilliant lights appeared outside the window.
In the distance, guards shouted as they opened the gates, and the clatter of swords being raised in salute echoed.
April sighed wistfully. It was almost time to part from Christine.
In truth, she’d begged the Emperor earnestly for the chance to have him as her escort today.
Clunk!
As the carriage stopped, April gripped her dress tightly and gathered her courage.
“Would you… give me a kiss, Count Weiss?”
Just his gaze resting on her made April’s heart race wildly.
Gripping her dress even tighter, she summoned a bit more courage.
“Not even… a goodnight kiss to say sweet dreams?”
But he opened the carriage door and stepped out as indifferently as if he hadn’t heard her.
Then he extended his hand to escort her.
‘I knew it wouldn’t work.’
April gave a bitter smile and took his hand to step out of the carriage.
At that very moment—
“Sweet dreams, Your Highness.”
Christine’s lips lightly brushed the back of April’s hand.
“Yes, you too, C—Count…”
Her face bright red, she barely managed to reply.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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MANGA DISCUSSION
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Chapter Comments (30)
Good intentions that lead to huge misunderstandings 😂
Is she suffering from some kind of trauma? Or was she harmed by someone?
I love that he’s weak with her, he’s so sweet like a marshmallow
Inline Comments (1)
The bigger problem was that he had no memory of what happened during his transfo
Please don’t be you, anyone but you 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
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Anna Anna
This princess will proudly show off that respectful kiss in front of Adele.