Chapter 59
“So Leo’s going with the subjugation squad too. Are you even listening to me?”
“…I’m listening.”
It was late at night. Elaina, who had been rolling around lazily on the bed, shot a glare at Lyle. He sat at his desk, checking through some documents, answering her with a tone that made it clear he wasn’t very interested.
“What’s wrong? Is there some kind of problem?”
“No… just. When are you planning to sleep? You’re up later than usual.”
“Huh? Really? Maybe because I had tea with Leo late tonight. I can’t seem to fall asleep.”
With eyes wide awake, Elaina rolled across the bed like a restless cat.
It had already been over two months since their marriage began. Which also meant nearly two months of sharing the same bedroom.
“Tired? Then just go to sleep.”
“No.”
With a slightly troubled face, Lyle sighed deeply and stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“Thinking I might take a walk.”
Their eyes met.
“I’ll go with you.”
“Huh? Really?”
Elaina jumped up from bed and grabbed a thin shawl. As he watched her bright, excited movements, a shadow of worry briefly crossed Lyle’s face.
It was a rare night with a full moon. As they walked under the moonlight, Elaina let out a small exclamation.
“Well, the effort was worth it—it’s finally starting to look nice. Remember how awful the garden was before we worked on it?”
The sound of the fountain echoed softly in the distance. Silver ripples shimmered under the moonlight.
“In summer, evening primroses will bloom around the fountain. Can you imagine how pretty that’ll be? If we host an outdoor ball during that time, it would be so romantic. What do you think, Lyle?”
“I probably won’t be here by summer.”
“What? But summer doesn’t only come this year. It’ll come again next year.”
Lyle stopped walking and looked at her quietly. Elaina blinked up at him.
“What?”
What? Did she really not know?
They had only been given one cycle of seasons—spring, summer, autumn, winter. And when that year ended, so would their strange arrangement.
Next summer… would not come for them.
“…Nothing.”
Once again, Lyle kept his thoughts to himself. Even if she’d momentarily forgotten, there was no need to remind her that she wouldn’t be here for another summer. Why ruin the mood?
“Ah!”
“Careful.”
Elaina, too distracted looking around, almost tripped over her own foot. Lyle quickly grabbed her by the waist before she could fall.
“Th-thanks.”
Since he’d just bathed before their walk, a clean, refreshing scent rose from him. Lyle steadied her upright.
“Take my arm.”
“I’m fine, really.”
“Do you even know how many times you’ve almost fallen?”
“It only happens at night, you know.”
During the two months of their marriage, they had often gone on late-night walks like this. Sometimes, they even stopped by the pub run by Collin’s younger brother. Since Elaina tended to look everywhere except her feet, she’d occasionally stumble—and Lyle, annoyingly, never forgot to bring it up later just to tease her.
Lyle looked at her silently now, his gaze saying, Take my arm already.
With a pout, Elaina finally looped her arm through his.
“I just don’t get it. How do you trip when there’s literally nothing there?”
“I didn’t trip! I almost did!”
“If I hadn’t caught you, you definitely would’ve. Thanks to you, I now understand why escorts exist.”
“Oh, honestly.”
She didn’t know exactly when it happened, but lately, Elaina found it much easier to be around him.
He was a good conversational partner—attentive, considerate, and always willing to listen to her chatter about every little thing that happened during the day.
“When are you leaving again?”
“In about two weeks.”
“Hmm. Will it take long?”
“I’ll try to finish before summer ends.”
Elaina blinked, puzzled why he emphasized before summer ends—
“Because we’ll have to host that ball when the primroses bloom.”
Lyle’s calm, pleasant voice drifted through the spring night.
“…Asleep already?”
He had intentionally taken her for a long walk through the entire garden. Predictably, she’d grown tired and fallen asleep as soon as they returned.
Exactly as he’d hoped.
Elaina’s insomnia tonight had made things… complicated.
Ever since the night he’d brushed a fallen eyelash from her cheek, Lyle had gotten into the habit of waiting until she fell asleep before going to bed himself. He knew if she caught him sleeping on the sofa again, she’d scold him endlessly.
After he’d spoken to the butler, the renovation of the duchess’s bedroom was completed in no time—revealing that the previous delay had been the butler’s doing all along.
But once that issue was resolved, a new one appeared. Nox.
“Why are you two using separate rooms? Did you fight or something?”
He had no idea where Nox heard such things, but the boy’s constant concern for their “relationship” forced them back into sharing a room barely a week after they’d started sleeping separately.
This is ridiculous.
Sleeping on a sofa that didn’t even fit his height was exhausting. But despite that, Lyle still couldn’t bring himself to sleep beside her.
“Mm…”
From the bed came a sleepy mumble. Elaina, rubbing her eyes, noticed Lyle’s legs sticking out from the sofa.
Still half-asleep, she trudged over and tugged weakly at his arm.
It wasn’t much strength—he could easily have brushed her off—but if he did, she might lose her balance and fall. So he simply let her pull him up.
“Why are you sleeping here again? You’re so stubborn.”
She mumbled as she led him back toward the bed, too drowsy to tell dream from reality.
“Lie down.”
Pulling back the covers, she pushed him lightly until he gave in and lay down. The soft sheets pressed against his back as she tucked the blanket over him and patted his chest once, like she was soothing a child.
Then, yawning, she turned to her side and burrowed under the blanket, curling up like a little caterpillar.
Perhaps she was so used to sleeping alone in a large bed that she unconsciously drifted closer to him. After tossing and turning a few times, Elaina ended up right beside him, smiling contentedly in her sleep.
“This is insane…”
Lyle muttered under his breath. Whether she heard or not, Elaina was fast asleep. Afraid to wake her, he closed his eyes quietly. But no matter how long he lay there, sleep refused to come.
Maybe because of their long walk last night, Elaina didn’t know when she fell asleep—but when she opened her eyes unusually early the next morning, a solid wall filled her vision.
What on earth…?
She quickly realized she was still under the blanket. She often slept with it pulled up over her head, but this time something felt… different. Slowly peeking out from beneath the covers, she froze.
Lyle?
Normally, he was up before dawn to train with his sword. Yet there he was, asleep beside her. The “wall” she’d seen was his chest.
Elaina bolted upright, startled—but Lyle didn’t stir. After several nights of uncomfortable sleep on the sofa and a restless, sleepless night, he was finally out cold.
“Oh my…”
Just then, Sarah, the maid, entered the room after a polite knock to clean. Seeing them, she covered her mouth, eyes wide.
She pointed at Lyle and mouthed silently, D-did he sleep here?
Elaina shrugged helplessly—then suddenly remembered.
Last night. She had pulled him from the sofa, made him lie down, and even tucked him in herself.
Her mouth fell open in horror.
