Without realizing it, I swallowed hard at the word “초야” (cohabitation).
‘This wasn’t even a story in the original.’
Of course, it’s true that I wanted things not to go as in the original. But I couldn’t guarantee that John’s change was a good one for me.
‘Did I make a mistake somewhere, causing all this?’
A tense shiver ran down my spine. Seeing me like that, John just chuckled softly, as if finding me adorable.
“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen until your wife grants her permission.”
His finger that had been on my lips was removed, and he whispered softly.
“When will that be?”
“…”
“I don’t think I can wait much longer.”
~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~
Recently, Estelle has been sleeping a lot more than usual. John looked down at the sleeping Estelle. She lay quietly, making gentle snoring sounds, like a princess fallen into eternal sleep.
‘…I feel tired very often, perhaps.’
His gaze fell on her white, slender neck and the delicate collarbones, where traces of his touch remained. His eyes darkened as he looked at those marks that perhaps weren’t even necessary. After attending the masquerade ball, she seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep without realizing it again.
“What if she never wakes up like this?”
John gently stroked Estelle’s forehead and slowly left the room.
“I’ll be back.”
Outside, Erich was waiting for him.
“Master, I’ve finished investigating the Laviannne Orphanage.”
“So, what are the results?”
“The orphanage has been completely shut down due to irregularities. The staff have dispersed, so it will take some time to investigate further. However, there was one thing that caught my attention.”
He handed over what he was holding. It was a picture of the floor of the closed Laviannne Orphanage, showing an old magic circle.
“A magic circle was discovered on the orphanage’s floor. Do you recognize it, Master?”
“I have no idea.”
John, who was well-versed in magic, looked at the circle and couldn’t even tell what type it was. It meant it was an ancient magic circle.
‘If it’s magic…’
Suddenly, the fragile Estelle came to mind. I often thought of my beloved wife for no particular reason. But this time, there was a different reason.
‘Her body doesn’t seem to respond well to magic.’
Estelle’s basic magic resistance was low. The spells John had cast to protect her mostly bounced off or malfunctioned.
‘Even when Anton was around…’
If magic had worked properly, that guy’s body should have burned to ashes. But only a backlash from the magic occurred.
‘Magic can’t cure her.’
John recalled the ruby bracelet he had put on her thin, white ankle. It was enchanted with a spell that transferred pain to himself. Even he, who was usually resistant to pain, was overwhelmed by the unbearable suffering, causing the magic itself to collapse. Estelle’s condition continued to worsen.
‘The fact that she doesn’t feel pain now and is sleeping more and more is evidence of this.’
Maybe her body was so used to pain and danger that she had become accustomed to it. John’s sharp eyes, inspecting the report, turned toward Erich.
“If we find traces related to ancient magic, we might get some clues.”
“Understood. I will continue investigating the orphanage as per your instructions.”
~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~
Cohabitation—that’s the official requirement in the empire for a married couple to be recognized as such.
‘Can I keep avoiding it?’
There was no real excuse left to do so.
‘Probably around my birthday will be the last.’
In the original story, John’s revenge against me intensified starting from my birthday.
‘I might need to find a way to escape before then.’
I sighed involuntarily. At that moment, a tree nearby spoke.
-You look like you’re really troubled.
“Yeah. But I have no idea how to handle it.”
I ran away into the forest alone, wanting to be by myself. Betty always wanted to stay close, but if I secretly added tasks and hid in the woods, she couldn’t find me right away.
‘Of course, if I go further, John will notice.’
Still, I felt somewhat safer in the forest. The trees cherished me as if they were grandfathers meeting their granddaughter for the first time, which made me feel loved. I especially liked that they would stand by me in any situation. They were the first to love me without any prejudice, just caring for me.
-Are you still planning to run away?
“If there’s really a way to escape, then yes. But I can’t use fairy powers right now.”
The trees said that the power of the fairy within me was extremely strong—powerful enough to disappear to any desired place at will. But in this cursed situation, they said I couldn’t use that magic.
-How did you get tangled up with such a terrible person…?
The trees clicked their tongues and each added their opinion.
‘Still, on the surface, he seems perfect.’
John wasn’t just handsome. He had the flawless noble bloodline, movements and manners more elegant than the aristocrats despite not being one, and a smooth way of speaking. Honestly, even if I said I was pretty, my background was that I was an orphan. People would think I married someone very lucky. But the trees didn’t seem to think so—they looked disapprovingly at John.
-I never liked him from the start. How could someone, not even an animal, leave such marks on his wife?
-Animals wouldn’t behave so blatantly either.
I wasn’t sure how they saw him, but the trees seemed to dislike John’s obsessive behavior.
-Anyway, black magicians are always so ruthless.
-Yes. You’d better run away properly if you get the chance.
-If you do it clumsily, you might end up getting scolded even more.
Thinking they seemed knowledgeable about black magic, I cautiously asked.
“Have you seen many black magicians?”
-Of course. They tend to hide well, but do you think they could evade our eyes?
-They all look different, but there is one common trait.
“What is it?”
The trees, usually quite talkative, fell silent for a moment. This awkward silence felt even stranger because they were usually so chatty.
“What is it? Is it serious?”
-That… well…
One tree, hesitating, finally spoke firmly.
-It’s obsession.
“Huh?”
-A black magician has to be obsessively attached to something. It’s a huge obsession, to the point of not caring about their own life.
Thinking about it, John was also very obsessed with revenge, so that wasn’t wrong.
-So, honey, you also need to be careful. Even now, he’s not to be underestimated.
-The most powerful and frightening among all the black magicians we’ve seen.
“I see.”
I had already guessed how formidable the dark magic users were, so it didn’t seem particularly shocking.
-Honey, there’s a reason we’re telling you this.
-Because obsession tends to match their skill. Maybe, you could end up having to handle all that obsession yourself.
-Those kinds of guys are so possessive about what’s theirs that once they set their sights on something, they never give up and come after it desperately. They will be extremely obsessed with you.
The words of the trees, who had lived long lives, were only half accurate.
‘In the end, he completes his revenge in the original story too.’
I nodded in agreement.
“Yeah. That might happen.”
My calm reply unsettled the trees.
-Hmm? Then why are you trying to run away? It might just provoke him further.
-Yeah. Maybe staying still is better?
“I’d like to do that, but…”
John’s obsession with me is because I am his revenge target.
“He’ll probably try to eliminate or abandon me soon. That’s why I’m trying to run away—to avoid that.”
-Oh… poor little one…
-Our poor girl…
-How did the last fairy end up getting caught by such a crazy man…?
The trees gently stroked me with their branches. John, and others, seemed to want to keep touching my hair whenever they saw me.
‘Is it because my hair looks touchable?’
From the family of Duke Liberte, my pinkish platinum hair was often criticized for being different from Estella’s. But everyone I met here—Betty, John, the trees—they all liked my appearance. I thought I didn’t care much about it, but apparently I was still aware of the criticisms I had heard back in Liberte. The more I heard such things, the better I felt.
-Do you need a change of mood?
One of the trees lowered a thick branch.
-From up high, the view is different. Want to come up and see?
“Sure.”
-I’ll make sure it’s safe. Sit tight.
As soon as I sat on the branch, the tree stretched out its branches and lifted me up.
‘The view is definitely different.’
A fresher breeze swept over me from above.
“Thank you.”
I swung my legs and leaned against the tree. The place hadn’t changed much, but strangely, I felt more at ease.
“There’s probably no way to enhance my fairy powers right now, is there?”
-Oh! I already asked that to the other trees. I was wondering if there might be a tree that knows more.
“Really?”
-Yes. Well, I think I heard that artifacts related to the fairy can help strengthen your magic. You should learn more about the fairy, too.
‘Artifacts.’
If I openly researched fairies, I might get caught.
‘But to find such artifacts, I’d need to use the duke’s influence.’
Or, I’d have to secretly leave and request help from an information guild or similar.
‘Maybe the best way is to work on the duke’s affairs while secretly investigating.’
Thinking of various methods, I enjoyed the fleeting breeze. I must have dozed off for a moment.
-Ah, honey, honey!
-People are coming. I think I should wake up now…
Blinking away the dizziness, I opened my eyes.
“-You!”
Someone had already arrived under the tree. It was Erich, dressed in a black suit. His light gray eyes widened in shock as he couldn’t take his gaze off me.
“Why did you climb up such a dangerous place?”
The tree I had climbed was the tallest among the forest’s trees. So, it was a bit difficult to climb alone.
‘But I seem to keep getting misunderstood whenever I meet Erich.’
It was almost amusing. I hesitated for a moment, then greeted him lightly.
“Long time no see, Baron Bloné.”
“Is now really the time to say hello?”
Erich’s voice grew sharper.
“I don’t know how you got up there, but it’s dangerous. Come down quickly.”
“Ah… can I come down a little later?”
“Are you joking right now?”
There was a nervous tension in Erich’s pale blue eyes as he looked up at the dizzying height.
‘He’s probably worried something might happen.’
Anyway, that’s not the point. When Erich is around, it’s hard to ask the trees to help me get down.
‘Would they move their branches and just let me come down?’
It looked too strange to anyone. If Erich, who was especially hostile to me, saw this, he’d definitely report to John. A cool breeze played with my platinum hair. I calmly brushed aside my loose strands and addressed him.
“Don’t worry.”
“…Don’t worry?”
“You already dislike me anyway. I’ll get down myself, so you don’t need to interfere anymore.”
At my words, Erich pursed his lips, clearly displeased.
“What if you fall and get hurt? It’s better to come down when someone’s there to catch you…”
“I’ll handle it myself. Even if I fall, I won’t die.”
Of course, if I were fragile like they think, I might die. But that’s not going to happen.
“Why do you say such irresponsible things?”
“Baron Bloné, you caused great trouble for the Liberte family, didn’t you?”
Hearing that, Erich flinched and clenched his fists.
“How do you know that? Did someone tell you?”
“Just from what you told me, I could tell.”
Anyone could see that Erich’s behavior was obvious. Even if it wasn’t mentioned in the original story, I would have already caught on. After a long sigh, Erich nodded.
“Yes. I hate the Liberte family more than anyone.”
“So, if I die, it’s good for you?”
Erich thought I was a beloved daughter of the Liberte family.
“Then isn’t it better if I just die?”
He seemed to think I was someone Erich cared about.
“Why are you worrying about me so much?”
In the original story, Erich was one of those pressuring me. He never comforted or saved Estelle. Instead, he was one of those who rejoiced at her downfall.
“If I accidentally die, you’ll be happy, right?”
“I…”
At that moment, I felt a hot sensation in my chest.
‘I’ve lost…’
Maybe I’d cough up blood again, just like last time. And right in front of Erich.
~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~
Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉
Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
~~~Next Chapter~~~
Next chapter will be released Tomorrow.
See you then!!
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