CH 35

Cold, dry violet eyes stared unwaveringly at her. His voice, which contained no trace of emotion, remained unwavering as well.

After meeting Livia’s gaze for a moment, he turned his attention back to the documents and spoke nonchalantly.

“I don’t care what you intend to do with the Mercedes heirloom, and I won’t blame you if you use it to commit fraud.”

“What, fraud?” Livia asked, a bit indignantly. 

What exactly did he think of her?

“That won’t happen,” she continued. “The heirloom… I only need it for personal reasons.”

Yes, it was purely personal, for the sake of curing her illness. And, she decided, it wouldn’t be good to reveal that she had a time-limit without the heirloom.

Even if it was a non-contagious disease, it would be uncomfortable to share that with Vincent.

‘Yeah. Let’s keep it a secret,’ Livia resolved.

Apparently, Cardien didn’t want to pry either.

Although she had never expected the heirloom to disappear.

The Duke of Mercedes was searching for it, and Cardien needed it to gain complete control of the Duchy. So, the search for the heirloom would not be taken lightly.

Besides, Livia had another useful card to play. However, there were conditions to use that card.

If it worked out, she could lend it – her hand.

And then there was him……. Livia glanced at Cardien. Still as nonchalant as ever.

Since she’d seen the other side of this man and had come to know Vincent’s loveliness, she couldn’t just watch the two of them head towards their demise.

In the end, the answer was already decided.

“I understand the gravity of this deal, Your Grace,” Livia nodded solemnly. “I will trust you, Your Grace. So please trust me too. I…..”

“…….”

“I…… won’t betray your Grace,” she finished earnestly. 

Cardien, who trusted Celestina. Celestina, who turned her back on him. 

The heartbreak in the original was more than enough.

This was reality, and the Cardien in front of her was real too.

” ……Tutor, you have a way with words.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

It was a compliment……, right?

Still, it seemed like the tightly closed door of his heart had slightly opened, and Livia couldn’t hide her smile.

As she smiled, Cardien abruptly turned his head as if their business was finished.

“Then I’ll come to see your Grace after class like this. How was your sleep?”

“…… Not bad. The ring seems to be working, as the tutor said.”

~ Translations by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at moonlightnovels.com ~

In response to those words, Livia reflexively looked at Cardien’s hand.

The black gloves he always wore were nowhere to be seen, and instead, a shabby iron ring was loosely fitted on his left ring finger.

‘You didn’t take it off,’ Livia thought with surprise. She thought he would have taken it off as soon as she left.

Now that she thought about it, his complexion somehow seemed less pale than usual. But could that ring really cure Cardien’s insomnia?

“……Your Grace.”

“……?”

“If you have too much trouble sleeping at night,” Livia said carefully.

“…….”

“Then you can call me.”

Cardien abruptly raised his head to look at her. A deep sense of distrust flickered in his eyes.

What was this man thinking?

Feeling like she became some sort of impure scoundrel, Livia blurted out, “It’s not like that! You said you feel better when you’re with me.”

“……That’s right,” Cardien nodded slightly.

Livia became more energetic and continued, “You never know, I might even have a positive effect on His Grace’s sleep.”

“…….”

“So, if you need me, just call me. I’m always here in this house.”

He looked at her silently in response to her words. Eventually, he slowly parted his lips.

“I was wondering why Vincent likes the tutor so much.”

“……?”

“It seems I might understand the reason a bit.”

“Huh?”

“Well, I’ve understood what you’re saying, so you can leave for the day.”

Cardien casually lowered his gaze.

Well, since Livia also had nothing more to say, she nodded.

“I will take my leave then.”

Click.

As Livia closed the door behind her and made her way back to her room, a million thoughts raced through her head.

So…….

“Anyway, it seems it worked out well.”

It felt like the entire interaction passed in the blink of an eye, but they had successfully reached an agreement.

Thinking that way somehow eased her tension.

Back in her bedroom room, Livia sprawled out and promptly fell asleep.

And that night, there came a call from Cardien that she thought would never come.

* * *

“Look, Chelsea. I told you that the air between the two was strange.”

Late at night, after Chelsea informed him that Livia had made her way to the duke’s chambers, Winston was making up stories.

Normally, Chelsea wouldn’t have given it much thought, but today she somewhat sympathized with Winston’s opinion.

And understandably so, as it was the first time Cardien had called someone other than Winston at such a late hour.

Moreover, he had called an unmarried young woman of his age.

“It is possible that he has called her to discuss a matter concerning Master Vincent.”

“At this late hour?”

“…….”

“Chelsea, tell me. Is the master you know the kind of man who would summon an outsider at this hour, even if it were about Master Vincent?”

“……No.”

“That’s right!” Winston exclaimed. “He’s not that kind of person! There’s something between those two. Something you and I don’t know,” Winston murmured with a voice filled with conviction.

A strange madness could even be felt in it.

Even so, Chelsea wanted to tell him he was going too far, but she knew she would be lectured by Winston for over an hour if she did.

Not only that, even in Chelsea’s eyes, this was an unusual situation. Before she knew it, Chelsea’s gaze turned towards Cardien’s room.

“Maybe there’s a new wind blowing in the Mercedes household.”

She heard Winston’s voice behind her, muttering to himself with a smirk.

* * *

With Cardien in front of her, Livia held her breath.

Cardien, dressed in a light shirt, sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her with an inquisitive gaze.

Livia moved towards him, her mind racing. As she drew closer, she wondered if this situation was even real.

This couldn’t be real, right?

‘I didn’t expect him to call me so soon!’

Considering Cardien’s wariness, she thought it would take at least a few months! Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Livia was simply dazed and confused.

When she approached Cardien, he naturally laid down on the bed. She awkwardly sat beside him.

Cardien gently closed his eyes. A faint moonlight settled upon his head.

She watched him closely, wondering what had happened that caused him to summon her. Certainly, his complexion had improved, but the shadows under his eyes were still dark.

She can’t imagine how long he had gone without sleep. The extent of the suffering caused by insomnia could not even be guessed.

“…… You’ll pierce my face.”

“Ah, I’m s-sorry.”

Livia hadn’t expected him to notice her gaze since he had his eyes closed. 

Embarrassed, she quickly averted her eyes and cleared her throat before asking, “What do you want me to do?”

“Just…….”

“Just?”

“Just stay by my side.”

“Ah, yes.”

Cardien didn’t know about her true abilities, so there was nothing specific he could ask her to do other than being by his side.

Having nothing to say, Livia simply stayed quiet. The silence continued for a while.

“…… book.”

“……?”

She looked down at him as his voice suddenly drifted into her ears. Cardien still had his eyes closed, and only his lips moved slightly.

“In the nightstand drawer.”

“……?”

What was he talking about?

Livia didn’t understand, but she dutifully opened the nightstand drawer anyway. When she saw what was inside, her eyes widened.

~ Translations by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at moonlightnovels.com ~

<Twelve Stories for Sleepless Nights>

‘Why is this book here?’

In a bewildered state, Livia took out the book and turned to face Cardien.

‘Did he bring it with him?’

That day, the collection of fairy tales that she dropped and left behind when she escaped from the library.

Livia never imagined it would be here.

“…… You seemed to like that book.”

She was taken aback by his low voice.

Brushing off the worn-out cover with her palm, she murmured, “My father gave me this book as a gift. I treasured it.”

“…….”

“After the creditors took it away from me, I tried to get a new one, but I couldn’t find one…… and I was giving up on ever finding another copy, and then I stumbled across this.”

“You must have been happy.”

“Yeah, very.”

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

Livia turned her head without thinking, and her eyes locked with his violet ones.

‘Uh…….’

Since when had he been looking at her? Livia pressed her lips together, feeling a little embarrassed. 

Cardien closed his eyes again and muttered, “It must be nice.”

“……Eh?”

“To have such memories.”

“…….”

Her gaze wavered. She hadn’t expected Cardien to say such words to someone else.

She couldn’t explain why, but she was sure those words came from the deepest part of his heart.

Because of that, for a moment, she felt puzzled, and her heart faltered. Livia found her mouth moving involuntarily.

“You have people you care about, Your Grace.”

“…….”

“You have Vincent, you have the butler. You can make memories. There is plenty of time.”

She didn’t say this to comfort him.

It was sincere, and Livia sincerely meant it. It’s not the past that matters – it’s the present and the future.

She wondered if that sentiment came through.

A faint smile formed on Cardien’s lips. Perhaps it was due to the magic of the night, but he felt softer than usual.

“Tutor is a very, very peculiar woman.”

“I take that as a compliment.”

“……I’m sleepy.”

“Then go to sleep. I’ll stay with you until you’re fully asleep.”

“…….”

No response came, but Livia wasn’t expecting a reply.

She simply felt the moon’s radiance, nothing more.