Chapter 32

Aloof King and Cool (Acting) Queen*

T/N: *IMPORTANT* When I was translating this, I just remembered that his character isn’t supposed to act “Cold”, but cool. I can’t really change the title on Novel Updates, but I will just put the title at the start of every chapter from now on so people don’t get confused with Shane’s character. He isn’t supposed to act “Cold” at all. He supposed to be like a “independent, reliable, and sophisticated” person.

On another note, sorry for the late update. When I wanted to update, I had to go to a mandatory 4 day excursion for my university, and then my classes started right when it ended. I wanted to adjust to the new school life, so I couldn’t really update until now. Well, anyways, enjoy the chapter!

Raws:

*POV: Leonhart*

A wedding ceremony to welcome an empress was a special thing. The entire country expressed their welcomes and the citizens gave their blessings.

The marriage with Shane was exciting because it had been a while since this country had married with another country for purposes other than military expansion.

At the wedding ceremony, the beautiful Shane attracted all the attention again. I gave a slight smile when I saw his lovely figure wearing the indigo dress. He had a dignified appearance that many people couldn't take their eyes off of. I, myself, was no exception.

When I gave a kiss to complete the oath, I was surprised to see wide eyes staring at me. That's when I saw a glimpse of his youthfulness. I got interested in Shane who showed a different side of himself.

But no matter how beautiful he was, Shane was a man. I was worried it would be unpleasant if we were to embrace on the bridal night.

While I was still worried, I entered Shane’s room and saw him dressed like a man for the first time. He was also acting differently from usual, and faced me head on. (?)

Since Shane didn't want an intimate relationship as a married couple, I thought that was fine too. For that reason, I had him call me by my nickname that close friends would call me by.

After that, Shane taught me how to play "Othello" and it became a daily routine to talk about anything other than love. Our relationship was one where we didn't mind each other much, like friends, it was very comfortable to me.

It seems I had so much fun to the point where it became unreasonable. The moment I collapsed, my vision turned black, and the next thing I knew, I was staring at the ceiling of my room.

Kristoff severely scolded me while throwing in sarcasm.

After a while, Shane visited my room and said he was here for nursing. He got angry that I was working, so I asked to him to wake me up after a short while, but he completely disregarded that request and I ended up giving up on it altogether. I thought it wasn't a bad idea to slowly pass the time with Shane.

And for the first time, I saw Shane's real smile, and not his forced one. Seeing that smile, I felt my heart becoming warmer.

Naturally, a smile floated across my face.

*****

While my body was recovering, Shane was acting as my replacement for certain duties. The Prime Minister, who also coiled his tongue, made use of his (Shane's) knowledge regarding agriculture, to lend me strength. (???WTF)

(??) Even though people from around the world call me "Aloof King", I think it's nice to be able to express my opinions comfortably. Coincidentally, before the marriage, I had spoken to Kristoff and said my ideal lover was "a wife with the spirit to change the country with me".

However, about two months after the marriage, I saw a completely different side from the usual beautiful and reliable impression I had of him. On that day, a visitor from Orania was scheduled to visit Shane, so I thought I should greet him and visited Shane's room.

(???) When I opened the door to improve the ventilation, I saw Shane and a young man who were full of smiles. With this, I was convinced that was Shane's real nature. I hesitated to greet them, and ended up going back to my office.

Ekart, the Knight Commander, was already waiting in my office.

"Oh, Leo-sama, you have returned early."

"Ah, well Shane was chatting so happily, I missed the chance to greet them."

When I said this, Ekart, for some reason, seemed like he understood the situation.

"I guess it would be enjoyable for Shane-sama. I think today's visitor is the former lover."

I couldn't utter out an answer to that unexpected reply. Come to think of it, it was reported that he had a lover in Orania. It doesn't seem like their relationship has continued until now, but I was convinced they were once lovers when I saw their smiling faces.

Why was I so shocked?

That night, I visited his room as usual, and sat on the chair near the window. Then, the potted plant caught my eye. That was one of the few things Shane brought from Orania.

Even though the leaves had been growing until yesterday, it was now bare. When I asked what happened, he said he used some to make "herbal tea" for the guest that came today.

(*???) Did he care for the plant and wait for the leaves to grow for that person? For some reason, my heart felt heavy.

Was this a desire to monopolize a friend, or was it a completely different emotion? I didn't dare to answer myself.

Footnotes/Please Help Me:

(?) 一人称も普段とは異なり、俺と正面から向き合おうとしてくれている事が伝わってきた。

(???WTF) 宰相も舌を巻いていた、農業に対する知識を活かし、俺に力を貸してくれている。

(??) 世間から『冷徹王』と呼ばれている俺に対して、全く遠慮も無く意見してくるその姿は、頼もしささえ感じる程だ。

(???) そして、風通しを良くするためだろうか、開けられた扉の向こう側で、満面の笑みを浮かべ、親しげに話をするシェーンと青年の姿を見たのだ。

(*???) 例の思い人の為に、カスパルに来てからもせっせと葉の手入れをしていたのか。

T/N: I want to say thank you to Asami (who is an amazing editor) for always putting up with my shit and my laziness. Also, I want to thank everyone for always helping me with sentences I don’t understand! I hope you all can help me again this chapter! Thanks for reading!

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