CH 30

After receiving the brooch shaped like a yellow Freesia from Vanessa, Adeline held the reception in a half-dazed state.

It was confusing.

The flowers the real princess gave to the fake princess as a warning.

And she gave her the exact same flower as a wedding gift.

It didn’t look like a coincidence.

Furthermore, Freesias were commonly used as a model for ornaments.

‘Does she know the original story? And my possession? No, she wouldn’t have acted like that before if that were the case.’

The several pieces that were scattered could hardly find their place.

When she thought one was right, the next piece became distorted.

“Ah…”

Adeline let out a deep sigh, and Amy, who was combing her hair, gave her a rather sly smile.

She thought that the bride was very nervous ahead of her first night.

However, Adeline did not have the words ‘first night’ in her mind at all.

Even after taking a bath in water full of perfumes and petals, and even though she was combing her hair while wearing only a thin chemise, she was still not aware of the exact situation.

Vanessa and the yellow Freesia kept coming to her mind.

“I will now take my leave, Your Grace.”

She didn’t even notice the title change.

Adeline was left alone in her large bedroom, sighing deeply.

Nothing has been easy since the original story started getting twisted.

“I’m really going crazy…”

Adeline, who had been deep in thought, held her head with both hands for a long time.

She barely came to her senses and got up, standing in front of a large mirror.

“… What is this?”

Only then did Adeline realize the clothes she was wearing and the current situation.

The white, fluttering chemise was too thin.

It wasn’t like she wasn’t wearing anything under it, but it was enough to reveal her overall silhouette.

Only a slight movement was enough to clearly see the curves of her body.

Adeline’s face turned red upon seeing that.

Because she was distracted by Vanessa’s gift, she couldn’t really pay attention to what clothes were hanging over her body.

Naturally, Adeline would have changed her clothes immediately, asking Amy to bring her pajamas that weren’t see-through.

However, Amy had already left, this was not the Tien mansion to call her back to change her clothes, and on top of that, time was running out.

“Isn’t there anything I can cover myself with?”

Adeline looked around more urgently than anyone else.

Then, Kael’s uniform jacket, which had been neatly folded and straightened on the small table, caught her attention.

It was the jacket Kael used to cover her before, when Adeline jumped into the lake of the imperial palace and got her clothes wet.

She should have given it back earlier, but she missed the right timing and only gave it back today.

She was going to arrange it neatly and hand it back right away, but for now, she had no choice but to put it back on.

“Idiot. You should have come to your senses earlier!”

Adeline repeatedly blamed herself, putting on Kael’s uniform and fastening the buttons.

The difference in size made the clothes look like they were devouring Adeline, but it was much better than being exposed.

“Phew, it’s fine n…”

Just when she was feeling relieved and saying it was fine now, the bedroom door opened and Kael came in.

He was also wearing a comfortable white shirt.

Kael looked at Adeline, bewildered by the unexpected scene.

The stiffened Adeline was also bewildered.

When she was alone, she didn’t know it would be embarrassing because she was proud of how she covered herself up, but when she tried to face Kael like this, embarrassment rushed in.

“Well, I was a little distracted and didn’t really check what kind of clothes I was given. They were too… weird, so I wore this. Please understand. Actually, I was going to give it back today, but the situation turned out to be like this and it was the only thing I could wear. I’ll clean it again and give it back to you.”

“I understand, so take a breath and talk. Are you alright?”

She was so embarrassed that her words came out like a quick fire.

On the contrary, Kael was surprised and calmed Adeline.

“Ahem, yes. I’m fine. Ah, I can sleep on the sofa, so sleep on the bed.”

“Adeline. Do I look like a man who would be comfortable with you sleeping on the sofa and me sleeping on the bed by myself?”

“What? Ah, I’m just saying that I’m really fine. You don’t have to be inconvenienced by me…”

“I’m not inconvenienced at all. Sleep on the bed. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Although Adeline said that because she was really fine with it, Kael crumpled his face to the fullest.

He didn’t seem to have the slightest intention of letting Adeline sleep on the sofa.

“…”

“…”

After a little hectic scuffle, a breathtaking silence settled down.

What was supposed to happen on the first night never happened.

Nevertheless, due to the atmosphere and tension that the situation itself gave, it was difficult for anyone to say something.

“Would you like a drink? Zion has prepared a good wine.”

“Ah… Yes. Alright.”

In the end, Kael drove away the silence first.

While he was grabbing the bottle of wine and glasses, Adeline carefully sat down at the table.

“Aren’t you tired? You seemed to be distracted since the middle of the reception.”

“Ah… I was a little… But I’m fine now. What about you?”

“I am also fine now.”

Kael poured wine into the empty glasses.

When both glasses were filled, he slightly raised the glass, with Adeline following suit, and they soon took a sip.

Although she did not enjoy drinking, Adeline, who was quite familiar with wine, looked at Kael with wide-open eyes.

“This is a new taste. What kind of wine is it?”

“This wine is made from grapes grown only in the north. It is one of the few crops that survive the cold in a barren land, and it cannot be exported to other areas due to the small number of crops that can be harvested.”

“It’s really delicious.”

The sweet, yet moderately heavy flavor was perfect for Adeline’s taste.

The embarrassment the clothes gave her, and the shyness of the strange atmosphere, were blown away by the sweetness of the wine.

Kael grinned at the simple change.

It was quite cute to see her sipping the wine in sincere admiration.

“Can I drink it often when we go to the north?”

“Yes. But you’ll get drunk if you drink it that fast. It’s not a weak drink.”

“It’s all right. I know how to drink.”

The speed at which she was sipping it was too fast.

Kael looked at Adeline with a somewhat worried look, but she didn’t care, and soon emptied the glass.

“Anyway, are you really thinking of going to the north?”

“Yes. I told you.”

Adeline’s mind was still firm.

Only Kael was still full of worries.

“I’m serious about running away. So keep your mind at ease. I will never overdo it.”

Eventually, Kael nodded.

Adeline’s will was so strong that no matter what he said, she didn’t seem to be persuaded at all.

“But it is really delicious.”

“I understand, so drink slowly.”

Since he only intended to have one light drink, there was no cheese or fruit to accompany it.

Adeline sipped the wine like water, and her face became more and more flushed.

Kael, who was watching anxiously, eventually pulled the bottle towards him.

As he did, the red-faced Adeline made a pouty expression.

“You’re drunk.”

Anyone could see she was drunk.

Kael smiled bitterly and shook his head.

She was a completely unpredictable woman.

“Didn’t I say it wasn’t a weak drink…”

Kael, who was about to say he had warned her, looked at Adeline with surprised eyes.

Perhaps because she was feeling hot from the drunkenness, Adeline took off Kael’s uniform jacket and threw it away.

“It’s too hot.”

When her chemise was fully revealed, Kael understood why Adeline wore his jacket.

Even at the slightest movement, her body line was fully revealed.

For some reason, Kael’s gaze, which was never lost, was scattered all over the place.

“Adeline. First…”

“And I am sleepy.”

When Kael, embarrassed, tried to put the jacket over her again, Adeline walked with a hazy face and threw herself on the long sofa.

Then, not long after, a breathing sound was heard.

“How on earth…”

And all of that in a very short time.

Kael smiled dejectedly and approached the sofa.

“…”

He was hesitant to touch her because she was too defenseless, but he couldn’t let her fall asleep in such thin clothes.

Eventually, Kael’s firm arms lifted Adeline.

Because the chemise was so thin, he could feel Adeline’s soft skin on his hands and arms.

Kael bit his lip without realizing it, as the faint scent of flowers the maids had put so much effort into spread in the air.

Kael laid Adeline on the bed, then pulled the thick bedding up to her neck and covered her with it.

Whether the soft texture felt good, a bright smile spread over Adeline’s face as her eyes were closed.

“I really can’t stop you.”

Kael smiled and shook his head, stepping away from Adeline.

But really suddenly, he had the thought that he wanted to watch Adeline sleep for a little longer.

Kael paused for a moment, then pulled a chair to the bedside and sat down.

As he was looking at Adeline’s soundly asleep face, he remembered the several appearances of Adeline that had surprised him today.

Her beautiful appearance that made him stiffen as if he had forgotten how to breathe, her appearance as she was catching her breath at the reception, and her appearance that made it seem like she was in another world even though she was definitely dancing with Kael.

Her appearances were much more beautiful and varied than expected, and a smile unconsciously spread over his face.

“Enough of this…”

After thinking for a long time, Kael got up to go to sleep, but he was speechless and stared blankly out the window.

The sunlight was pouring down.

The last thing he remembered was a deep night, but now, the morning sun was greeting him.

“… Ah.”

The brief moment that he thought had only been an instant was not an instant at all.

From the moment the dark night passed and dawn settled, and even after dawn retreated, Kael had been looking at Adeline, blankly.

He stayed up all night.

Because he was watching Adeline.