TRFDTV 09

Chapter 9

“That party to find your wife—”

“The party to find a Grand Duchess candidate.”

“Right, that one. Everyone who’s supposed to come has probably already arrived by now, right? It’s a party—you’d need time to prepare and all.”

She thought of the dress Sebastian had prepared for her, now probably crumpled somewhere in the bedroom.

It was a dress too complicated to put on alone without help. If an everyday outfit was already that complex, then a party dress would be even more impossible to handle.

Now that she thought about it… although she had read the novel, all she really remembered were the names of the protagonist and the villain.

She couldn’t even recall the general plot—so there was no way she could understand how this world worked.

Asilly raised her head to look up at Ludwig.

“I never asked you this before.”

“What is it?”

“You called yourself a Grand Duke, right? Just how high of a position is that? Let’s see… the Emperor’s the highest here, right? From what I remember, this isn’t a theocracy… Is it more like a centralized monarchy? Or feudal?”

Even though she fired off her questions in one breath, Ludwig explained without a hint of surprise.

“The Emperor stands at the top. A Grand Duke is equal in rank to the Crown Prince. I’ve never paid much attention to the temples. The Empire now is more centralized than not—no matter how far the frontier, nothing escapes the Emperor’s eyes.”

He answered every single question perfectly, then glanced at her neck and shoulders.

“Are you sure nothing hurts?”

Lost in thought, Asilly gave a half-hearted nod. Even though a blue bruise was clearly visible beneath his shirt where it slipped from her shoulder, she didn’t seem to feel any pain at all.

Still holding her, Ludwig stood up. Asilly’s arms automatically wrapped around his neck, though her eyes remained distant in thought.

He set her down on the sofa and, without hesitation, pulled aside the collar of the shirt she was wearing.

The bruise on her shoulder was dark and obvious.

To think she said it didn’t hurt. His brows furrowed.

His long, dry fingers brushed over the mottled mark, but Asilly didn’t even flinch or blink, let alone groan.

Ludwig straightened and reached a hand toward her limp form on the sofa. She reflexively took his hand, and he helped her sit up.

“Take it off.”

As words to say first thing in the morning—especially right after breakfast—that was a strange one.
But neither Ludwig nor Asilly felt the least bit awkward about it.

“Top or bottom? Honestly, the pants are useless. They’re too big—it’s yours, after all. The shirt too. But it’s comfy, so I’m not complaining.”

She swung her arms and legs lightly, loosening the rolled-up cuffs and hems so that her hands and feet disappeared into the oversized clothes.

That morning, she’d tried to put on the dress Sebastian had prepared for her the day before—and failed miserably.

There were too many strings, too many laces. Not knowing where any of them were supposed to go, she’d abandoned the dress entirely and stolen Ludwig’s shirt and pants instead.

When there are no teeth, you chew with your gums—she couldn’t very well go around naked like in the dream.

Since his clothes were far too big for her, she looked less like someone wearing them and more like someone swallowed by them. But she didn’t mind. Oversized fashion had been trendy back in her world anyway.
And since she wasn’t going out, comfort was all that mattered.

But perhaps only she thought so. When Sebastian came in that morning, he had bowed deeply at the sight of her dressed like a child playing in adult clothes.

“My deepest apologies. I’ll have something prepared by the end of the day.”

His calm voice had carried an oddly solemn resolve.

“I just hope the clothes he brings before lunch aren’t as complicated,” she murmured.

“Just take off the shirt first.”

“If I take off the shirt, I’ll have to take off the pants too.”

She patted at the waistband that barely hung on her hips thanks to the shirt tucked tightly in.

“Then take them all off.”

With a shrug, she pulled the shirt off completely. Naturally, the pants slid down with it.

Her pale, bare skin gleamed under the sunlight. Ludwig’s gaze swept over her body—cool, detached.

The bruise on her rounded shoulder, below her slender neck, looked even larger up close.

“You said this bruise doesn’t hurt?”

“Bruise? Where?”

Following his pointing finger, Asilly frowned.

“What the heck? Why am I bruised?”

“That’s where I grabbed you yesterday. No handprint, but still.”

“What? Just from being grabbed a little? What kind of glass body do I have?”

Was this a side effect of a dream becoming reality? The thought popped into her mind, sounding oddly convincing.

As if reading her thoughts, Ludwig said, “So this is the backlash from crossing from dream to reality. Are you sure you feel no pain anywhere?”

“Uh… not right now, but I should probably get checked anyway. If I suddenly drop dead, that’d be—”

Her words were cut off as his large hand covered her mouth. She blinked up at him as he sighed softly.

“There’s an old saying here.”

“Mmff mmm?”

Reading her lips as they moved under his palm, he removed his hand and nodded.

“So you have it too. ‘Words become seeds.’ Be careful what you say.”

“Well, people are the same everywhere, huh.”

She swallowed the words that almost slipped out—that this world’s creator must’ve been Korean, just like her, since Ludwig was the novel’s villain.

The shock of her dream becoming reality had been so great that she’d set the thought aside, but now it returned:
She hadn’t just come into a dream.

She’d fallen into a book.
A novel.

Trying to recall which one it was, Asilly groaned. “Oh, my God.”

“Asilly? You look pale.”

Her already-pale complexion turned ghostly white. Ludwig, used to her sudden weakness, drew her gently into his arms.

She opened her mouth soundlessly but couldn’t say a thing.

How could she possibly tell him—when his warmth felt so real—that he was a character in a historical war novel, and the villain at that?

Then again, that meant she was a character too.
The woman destined to marry the villain.

No—don’t think about it.

Just focus on what’s right in front of you.

If you run with your eyes fixed only on the sky, you’ll trip and fall into a pit.

Asilly wrapped her arms around his back and closed her eyes. His heartbeat thumped steadily against her ear.

He rested his chin on her head and pulled her slender body a little closer.

“Whenever it hurts—anywhere, anytime—just tell me.”

“Okay.”

“And…”

“Yeah?”

“No, never mind.”

He couldn’t bring himself to say what he’d said in the dream—that she could tell him anything.

Because this time, she wasn’t a fleeting mirage that would vanish when he woke.

For a while, they simply stayed like that, sharing warmth. Then, as if they’d agreed upon it, both pulled away at the same time.

“You said the bruise doesn’t hurt, but I’ll have some medicine prepared just in case. And I’ll summon the physician for a full check-up today.”

“There’s a doctor here?”

“Yes.”

“I kind of imagined… you know, some priest with divine powers using holy light or something—poof!—and all wounds just heal instantly.”

“Priests who could use divine power existed long ago. You only find them in history books now.”

“If they’re in history books, that means it was actually possible once, right?”

Ludwig chuckled, his brow creasing as Asilly’s eyes widened like a child’s. He caught her hands as she poked at the space between his brows.

“If you’re curious, I’ll bring you some books about it.”

“That’d be great—no, wait. I can’t read. I can talk fine, but I can’t read a thing. I’m illiterate. Illiterate! Me! After all that money spent on education!”

Years of schooling, tuition, effort—all down the drain. Just like that, she was illiterate.
The absurdity made her want to cry.

“If it’s reading, I’ll find you a tutor… or better yet, I’ll teach you myself. But stop stomping like that—you’ll break a bone.”

Her feet were still thumping in protest when a knock came from the door.

Knock knock.

The only one likely to return now was Sebastian, probably with coffee in hand.

Maybe a cup of coffee would calm her down.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Sebastian entered, pushing a tray carrying the scent of fresh coffee.
He froze, then—abandoning his mission entirely—closed the door again and vanished within seconds.

Even so, the door closed quietly, without a sound.

Asilly and Ludwig exchanged looks.

What was that just now?

No idea. Sebastian had never acted like that before.

Their eyes said it all, and then—simultaneously—they both tilted their heads toward the door.

Then Asilly glanced down at herself and went stiff.

“I’m completely naked right now.”

Ludwig blinked, realization dawning, then nodded.

Sebastian must have walked in right when she was standing there stark naked.

Once that clicked, both of them broke into laughter at the same time.

Their high and low laughter filled the room.
Asilly clutched her stomach, still giggling, and waved a hand. Ludwig handed her his shirt.

“Seriously… habits are scary things.”

“He’ll bring proper clothes soon.”

“The complicated ones?”

The ones with so many strings that she’d given up trying to wear them.

She sighed, weary already. “As long as it’s not another puzzle of a dress.”

“I’ll assign you an attendant. Don’t worry.”

“I’m not used to having people wait on me… but I guess I’ll have to get used to it. Or at least pretend to.”

In the end, all she could do was act.

“As I said before—”

Before he could finish, Asilly shook her head.

“No. If I’m going to stay by your side, I need a proper identity. A convincing reason to be here.”

Because Asilly was someone who had literally fallen out of the sky—or somewhere—into this fictional world.
Ludwig Carlient, Grand Duke of the Empire, couldn’t possibly declare that his future duchess was some unknown woman from another world.

“What if I say I love you?”