Chapter 32
Mio blinked several times, trying to grasp the situation. Then one undeniable fact caught her eye.
Huh—wait. This is a bed?!
Realizing that, Mio jumped up in shock and looked around the bed with a bewildered expression.
What happened? I was definitely sitting on the chair next to the bed!
The drowsiness vanished in an instant, as if she’d been splashed with cold water. Mio tried to recall what had happened just before she fell asleep. She’d been sitting on the chair, gently patting Aletheia to help him sleep… then she got a little bored and closed her eyes for just a moment—and then…
“Haa… so I fell asleep.”
She must have climbed onto the bed without realizing it. She’d promised to put Aletheia to sleep, only to end up stealing the bed herself.
It was a bit embarrassing, but what was done was done. There was no point in regretting it now. Seeking a comfortable spot was simply human instinct. Mio stood up, pretending nothing was wrong. Jamie quickly rushed to support her.
“The child you brought with you is unpacking in the servants’ quarters right now. It must be uncomfortable having a knight like me attend to you, isn’t it? We really should hire more servants. But the Archduke suddenly told us not to…”
“Huh? He did?”
“Yes. Still, he’s been unwell, so he was probably just saying things. Ever since he returned from that banquet, he’s been sick the whole time… I’ll look for the right moment and suggest hiring more staff again.”
Jamie tried to comfort her, saying they’d just have to endure it for now. But Mio was thinking about something entirely different.
This works out perfectly. If there are too many servants, it might take longer to be recognized as the lady of the house.
If she could recreate conditions as close as possible to Madam Selene’s situation, then the vault would surely surrender and acknowledge her as its master. With that in mind, Mio waved her hands, firmly refusing.
“Ah, it’s fine. If we’re short-handed, I can help out.”
“What? But how could we let the lady of the house do such work…?”
“Even so, it’s better than bothering someone who’s sick. Don’t make unnecessary trouble. I just want Lady Aletheia to recover as soon as possible.”
“Mio…”
Jamie looked at Mio with eyes filled with overwhelming emotion. So moved was she that, all the way down to the first-floor dining hall, she kept praising Mio nonstop.
“Lady Mio, you’re an angel. A blessing sent from the heavens to this manor. The Archduke truly married far above his station!”
Absolutely. Far above.
Mio agreed wholeheartedly, so she nodded enthusiastically at Jamie’s praise.
“It must be that the Archduke endured all that suffering just to meet you, Lady Mio. From now on, no matter what anyone says, I’m on your side!”
While Mio enjoyed Jamie’s adoration, they entered the dining hall. Simon was waiting at the entrance, his face full of disciplined enthusiasm.
“Welcome! I’ve been waiting for you, Lady Mio! At last, I can present the meal I prepared!”
Because of one incident after another, Mio had unintentionally missed out on Simon’s carefully prepared meals until now.
Come to think of it, I do feel a little bad.
Resolving to give Simon a thumbs-up even if the food turned out mediocre, Mio sat down.
“But where is Lady Aletheia?”
The food laid out in the dining hall was clearly prepared for just one person—only Mio’s plate was there. She had assumed Aletheia would be waiting here, so if that wasn’t the case, then her plan to eat together would—
“Ah, well…”
Simon and Jamie exchanged glances, both wearing troubled expressions.
“Did he go out?”
“The Archduke usually doesn’t eat much.”
Doesn’t eat? Why not?
It smells so good I can barely stand it, and he doesn’t eat? What a waste of blessings. Aletheia, you’ve lost your mind.
Besides, she wondered how he managed to maintain that physique without eating. Aletheia was well-built, and before she knew about his mind-reading ability, she’d assumed his reputation as the strongest came purely from physical prowess.
“Hm. Then do you know where he is right now?”
Even if she had to drag him here herself, she was determined to eat together. With that intent, Mio stood up, flashing a bright smile.
“B-basement…”
“I’ll go get him right away!”
Jamie cut Simon off and hurried out. Simon, too, busily disappeared, saying he’d prepare the food again. Mio slowly sank back into her seat.
So he didn’t go outside.
After coming all this way with her luggage, there was no way she was going to let a single meal go to waste.
After a short while, Aletheia appeared at the entrance of the dining hall. He made no attempt to hide his utter lack of interest in eating. Mio ignored that and smiled brightly, pretending not to notice.
“Lady Aletheia! I’ve been waiting!”
Just like Simon earlier, Mio greeted him with exaggerated enthusiasm. As he slowly approached the table, he spoke.
“…Nicknames.”
“Haha. It’s become a habit—I can’t really fix it. Le… the.”
Calling him that just gave her goosebumps. Unless she spoke to him casually, like “Hey, Lete,” it just didn’t roll off the tongue.
“Did you get some sleep earlier?”
“…Yeah.”
Aletheia, seated across from her, paused before answering. After staring at Mio for a moment, he added:
“You were sleeping very soundly.”
Not me. You. I mean you.
But I really did sleep like a log… Tch. I’ve got nothing to say.
At that moment, Simon quickly brought out Aletheia’s plate. Mio, who had been keeping her mouth shut, suddenly clapped her hands and spoke brightly. It was her signature tactic: pretend you don’t know anything.
“That’s a relief. You managed to get some rest—even a little. Looks like holding hands really does help, don’t you think?”
“Yeah. It had better help.”
After muttering those cryptic words, Aletheia looked down at the plate Simon had just placed before him. His face still showed zero interest in the food. Sure enough, he started complaining.
“I feel nauseous. I don’t want to eat. Take my plate away, Simon.”
Responding to his master’s request, Simon approached with a troubled expression. Mio gestured for him to stop and spoke up instead.
“Is your stomach bothering you?”
“……”
Aletheia silently looked at Mio. He seemed unsure how to respond. After a brief pause, he finally spoke.
“I’m always like this. So it’s better if I eat alone from now on. If I’m here, it’ll just ruin your mood.”
“What? Why would it ruin my mood…?”
What was he talking about? Had she missed something?
When Mio looked at him in confusion, Aletheia frowned slightly.
“My memories are all jumbled, so it’s confusing. Weren’t you reluctant about this marriage?”
“Oh—no! Not at all!”
There was a saying that strong denial was a form of strong affirmation, but in this situation, strong denial was the only option Mio had.
“I’ve already confessed, so I might as well say it plainly. Because of that strange ability, there was no other choice anyway.”
“Th-that ability…”
Calling it a curse would’ve been worse, sure—but did he really have to stick the word strange in front of it?
“I regret surprising you with the public proposal, but at the time, I was confused about this issue myself.”
So that was it. He was saying it may have been hasty, but he had no intention of reversing the decision. And there wasn’t even a hint of apology in his tone.
Stay calm. Aletheia is a patient right now. A patient.
Mio reassured herself internally and spoke aloud.
“That’s why this trial period is absolutely necessary.”
“Nothing will change even after three months.”
No, a lot will change. First, the vault will be mine. And the final chapter will be completed. Then I’ll be free. The difference was like heaven and earth.
But there was no way Aletheia would understand that.
Yeah… this is actually a pretty dangerous situation.
If she provoked him and he suddenly suggested officially registering the marriage, she’d be in serious trouble. Mio repeated the words she’d drilled into him countless times, as if trying to brainwash him.
“This is all for your sake…”
“What you’re really saying is that no matter how hard I think, you won’t let me go.”
“……”
“It’s impossible. So it would be better for both of us not to start something we don’t want in the first place.”
Damn. It seemed that the three-month trial period had seriously irritated him. What a sharp one he was. How could he so keenly sense the hidden agenda behind her lies and react so precisely?
