Chapter 58
「 Quest! The Distance Between You and Me II 」
Adrian Russell is feeling anxious about Princess Gracie!
Soothe your fiancé, Adrian!
Choice 1. Spend the night together.
Choice 2. Spend the night together with Joshua.
Choice 3. (Censored) (Auto-execute)
Choice 4. Tell him you’ll come to his room in the evening.
Since I chose option 4, I had to go to Adrian’s room.
By the time I stopped by the office and was about to leave, he was already there.
“Will you wash first, or shall I wash you?”
“Sorry, but I already washed before going to the office. You’re the only one who needs to.”
“I already have.”
I’d left Francis standing outside the door—if anything happened, I could just scream.
Still, I was worried. His bruises looked darker than before. It was only natural for him to be angry as my fiancé—but this was a world where concubines were allowed, wasn’t it?
So I asked again—since last time he hadn’t really answered me properly.
“Why did you say a man can only have one concubine?”
He tugged me forward and pulled me along. Instead of leading me straight to the bed, he sat me down in front of the vanity.
For a moment I wondered if Adrian used the vanity too—but when I looked at what was on it, I knew right away it belonged to Princess Gracie. Everything was identical—every object, every arrangement—exactly the same as in my old room and the one the Emperor had given me.
“Right now,” he said quietly, “I’d say even one concubine isn’t allowed.”
“Why?”
“Why do you think?”
Honestly, I couldn’t really understand. It’s not like I was going to cancel the marriage. He was already promised the title of National Duke—he’d have everything he could want in terms of status.
“Come to think of it, you…”
“…”
“You once said you didn’t believe my testimony at Sir Francis’s trial. Right?”
So that’s why he’d sat me here—he wanted to brush my hair. The soft, rhythmic sound of the comb running through my hair was oddly comforting.
“Right.”
“Back then, weren’t you my sister’s fiancé?”
“I was.”
Then why did you believe me? You should’ve been on my sister’s side.
When I looked straight at him, he set the comb down and guided me toward the bed.
“How are you so sure I wasn’t her?”
“You might not remember, but I’ve been watching you long before that.”
“Since when? When I humiliated and dumped Clayton?”
“Long before that.”
I didn’t remember well enough to press further.
“When Joshua became a concubine?”
“That was later.”
“Oh…”
“At first, I also thought you were insane.”
So he didn’t think that anymore? But with all the stories and the things I’d actually done, I wasn’t just insane—I was practically a disaster factory!
“It was hard to see you as sane. But there were many things about you that the rumors got wrong.”
“Then why did you take an interest in me?”
“Because I thought you might be a threat to Kiira.”
Adrian’s expression darkened. I never thought I’d end up talking about another woman while lying in his arms.
“But then I developed feelings for you. That’s when I started noticing your little habits.”
“What habits?”
“You bite your lip when you’re nervous. You go expressionless when you’re wronged. You pick at your nails when you’re anxious. And when you lie, you tap something with your fingers.”
Hearing that, I realized something—those were exactly the same habits as Princess Gracie’s. Was this a bug in the game, or had we always been that similar?
“That day, you showed none of those signs. Instead, Kiira’s habits slipped out.”
“What habits?”
“She smiles only on one side when she lies—and she plays with the ends of her hair.”
“So you investigated her, didn’t you?”
“Of course.”
He made me sit astride his lap. I couldn’t refuse since we were still talking, so I let him move me. The bed creaked beneath us.
“So when you realized it wasn’t me, what did you do?”
“I gave the Emperor the evidence.”
“And then?”
“Then I kept investigating—Kiira, in particular.”
So he figured out my sister’s duplicity early. That must’ve been when he made that unbreakable vow.
Wait. This rational, beastly man made an unbreakable vow for that crazy princess?
What if… the princess wasn’t actually insane?
Even a sane person can act insane when cornered.
If she wasn’t born mad—but was driven to madness?
“Do you love me?”
I asked before I even realized it.
“I do.”
“How much?”
“Enough that giving you my heart wouldn’t even begin to describe it.”
The bruises on his face, the split lip, the swollen cheek—all that combined with his sharp features made him look decadently beautiful. That low voice and those wounded muscles—
Damn it, he’s lethal.
“Then why didn’t you show it before?”
“I never got the chance. You were always the one charging at me.”
“Damn it.”
My ears burned. I pulled away before I got eaten alive, and he let me go. Relieved, I stepped out of his arms and looked around the room.
“You…”
“I’d rather you didn’t run too far tonight.”
He came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me, resting his chin on my head.
“You’re a stalker, aren’t you?”
“What’s that?”
“Someone who keeps following and watching you.”
“Then yes, that must be me.”
He admitted it so calmly it was terrifying. I looked around again—and realized it wasn’t just the vanity. The paintings were the same, the bookshelf too.
I had a peculiar habit: I arranged my read and unread books alphabetically. And this room mirrored that perfectly. Even the one I’d messed up earlier today.
“If I know what you’re reading, it’s easier to understand you, isn’t it?”
“Hah…”
“If the books surprise you, then I’d better not show you the garden.”
“Wait—you didn’t recreate the garden too, did you?”
“…”
He didn’t answer, just hugged me tighter. I winced—it hurt.
“What else? Tell me everything, right now.”
“Your… embroidery scraps.”
“What?”
“The ones you threw away while practicing. I kept them.”
“You’re insane! Those ugly things?!”
I’d practiced embroidery once, back before I had any ambitions of becoming emperor. I’d failed miserably and thrown most of it away.
“Why would you keep those? Throw them out!”
“You threw them away, so they’re mine now. Please, don’t meddle in my things.”
I was speechless—half furious, half embarrassed. I could hardly breathe. He sighed above me, then stroked my chin.
“We need to have a child.”
“You’re insane!”
“I’m serious. I told you before—once you become emperor, we won’t have time for that.”
“What do you mean? I’ll be busy, sure, but my father will still be around. What’s there to worry about?”
During the regency period, I’d handle the work and get his approval. I’d have plenty of control.
It wasn’t like we’d have no time.
And the regency wouldn’t be short either.
“When you become crown princess, I’ll be busy too. I’ll be the crown prince’s consort.”
“Ah…”
“With the Empress ill, I’ll have to take on all of Kiira’s duties.”
So in other words, we’d both be too busy for each other.
Still, once I became emperor, the game was basically over!
“Why are you so obsessed with having a child? Be honest, Adrian.”
If he wasn’t forcing me now, there had to be a reason. He could easily use duty or status to pressure me, but he hadn’t.
“Because I’m afraid.”
“…”
“Before, you never made me feel insecure. You always loved me so completely I had no room for doubt.”
He released me, and when I turned to look, his obsidian eyes were thick with emotion.
“But now… it’s like the woman who loved me is gone.”
“So that makes you afraid?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me exactly—how does it make you afraid?”
I shouldn’t have looked him in the face while asking. His battered features were… dangerously seductive. I finally understood why people lost their minds over men with that decadent allure.
Even his split lip looked tempting.
“When you didn’t have my gaze, you’d act like a madwoman.”
“…”
“Now, I think I could become that way too.”
“What?”
“If that’s what it takes to make you look at me again, I don’t think I’d hesitate to do anything.”
I couldn’t tell if it was a threat or not. But my heart was racing—definitely out of fear. Or maybe… anticipation? Why didn’t it feel unpleasant?
“And what does that have to do with a child?”
“How could it not? If I plant my seed in you, I can monopolize you for ten whole months.”
“You’re… you’re crazy!”
My voice shook, and he leaned close, eyes heavy-lidded.
“T-ten months of monopoly—so what—”
“It wouldn’t stop at ten months. If I raise the child, you’ll see me every time you look at our baby. If that brings your heart back to me—even a little—I’ll do anything.”
“You—mmph!”
Before I could answer, I couldn’t breathe—his lips pressed against mine.
