A Runaway Villainess, Now Healing In An Enemy Country - Chapter 32

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 32】

 

“Che, I’ve never called the Prince by his name. Just now, I mean. It just unconsciously slipped out.”

 

It was true.

 

While I called him by name countless times in my mind, Chessier had always been ‘Your Highness the Prince’ to me in reality.

 

“Unconsciously.”

 

As befitting the Northern Duke, his atmosphere was terrifying, like a person sculpted from cold air.

 

I felt somehow trapped in the eye of a typhoon as I looked up at the storm and thought.

 

Come to think of it, I had never called the Duke by his name, even in my mind. Except for that one time I blurted it out like an exclamation when we first met.

 

I hadn’t been particularly aware of it, but being compared and pointed out like this made it feel strangely significant.

 

The Duke made a request in a commanding tone.

 

“Call me by my name.”

 

“…”

 

“It’s a request, Irene.”

 

…Wait.

 

Did I hear that correctly?

 

It was such an unexpected request that I was dumbfounded. As I just blinked, doubting my own hearing, he frowned.

 

“I’ve told you before to call me by my name. You haven’t complied even once.”

 

“No, what. You never…”

 

At that moment, a forgotten memory flashed through my mind.

 

“Why don’t you just call me by my name.”

 

During our first outing. When I couldn’t call him Duke since he was hiding his identity and was listing all sorts of titles.

 

He had casually suggested the solution of using his name, and I had simply omitted any title for the Duke that day.

 

It only lingered in my mouth, never coming out as sound.

 

His name carried more weight than others.

 

“Call me by my name.”

 

The Duke urged.

 

“But Your Grace is…”

 

What should I say in response?

 

I was already calling everyone at Winter Castle by their names, so why was the Duke’s name so difficult?

 

Because of his status? Because it felt too intimate?

 

Because it was a line I had drawn?

 

“You know my name.”

 

I do.

 

And I know that the line I drew has become meaningless by now.

 

Just as everything shows through the gaps even when I try to cover my view with my hair, my increasingly blurred line wasn’t functioning properly either.

 

While accepting them as family was still scary, being comfortable with the current situation was easy.

 

So I had unconsciously done just that.

 

But at times like this. Suddenly.

 

Whenever I felt the distance closing more today than yesterday, I inevitably became flustered.

 

Like being startled to discover you’d been sleeping over a bonfire without knowing it.

 

“I call you by your name, Irene.”

 

“…”

 

“Is it that difficult?”

 

But it was already too late to step away on my own.

 

The fire was too warm, and even while thinking it might harm me, I was rationalizing that this much was still okay.

 

So I finally gave in and uttered it.

 

“…Davuer.”

 

Those three syllables were pronounced very heavily.

 

“Again.”

 

“Da… Don’t stare at me so intently.”

 

The owner of the name was staring intently at the shape of my mouth as if listening with his eyes.

 

My pulse quickened slightly from the precarious tension.

 

“Davuer. There, satisfied? Now if you could step back a bit…”

 

My protest couldn’t continue meaningfully.

 

He took out ‘that’ ring from his pocket and slipped it onto my finger without any explanation.

 

“…”

 

They say when people are too shocked, they can’t react at all, and that was exactly my state. I felt disconnected from reality.

 

I involuntarily overlaid last night’s dream.

 

“A return gift. You should have this.”

 

…It definitely wasn’t the same kind of proposal as in the dream.

 

The ring went on the index finger of my right hand.

 

But once my heart started beating rapidly, it wouldn’t return to its original tempo.

 

Thump, thump.

 

I stared blankly at the ring that fit perfectly as if measured. It felt like what encircled my finger wasn’t a ring but a tempered heart.

 

Then the Duke’s voice fell from beside my head.

 

A low resonance that seemed hesitantly uttered.

 

“…Because it might be yours.”

 

It was the most ambiguous thing I’d ever heard.

 

My thought processes moved unusually slowly.

 

Just before I could ask what he meant, he stepped back from me, seemingly satisfied, and spoke first.

 

“There’s a place I’d like you to come with me.”

 

“Ah, um. Right now…? Where to?”

 

“In a week. Right now, Irene.”

 

Tap.

 

The Duke lightly touched the back of my right hand resting obediently on the desk and continued.

 

“Page 53.”

 

“…What?”

 

“Open your book. It’s class time.”

 

…No.

 

…No, what’s with this man.

 

Wasn’t the atmosphere really strange just a moment ago? How can he just switch back to being a teacher like that.

 

“I’m a bit bewildered here. Can we really have class in this situation, Master?”

 

A sharp, brief response came immediately to my protest.

 

“Name.”

 

Unbelievable.

 

Why is he suddenly so obsessed with his name like this. He never said anything about it before.

 

“…Davuer, so you’re really going to teach?”

 

“Of course. And about the homework.”

 

He calmly affirmed and wrote an additional clause under the homework text on the blackboard.

 

[Homework

 

Complete prohibition of magic use

 

Recognition period extended for each violation]

 

“Looking at your actions, you haven’t been following it properly, so I added this. If you complete it well, I’ll faithfully answer all your questions.”

 

“Just how long is this recognition period going to…”

 

“I told you. Until I acknowledge it.”

 

“That, that’s completely unreasonable!”

 

“Here it is.”

 

Wow. He was absolutely stubborn.

 

However, since I was the one who craved the secret knowledge that the Archmage possessed, I had no choice but to reluctantly accept the assignment.

 

“That’s so unfair…!”

 

“Don’t pout. Irene, focus.”

 

With the sensation of the ring wrapped around my index finger still feeling unfamiliar.

 

That day’s lesson, which began abruptly while ignoring the student’s opinion, was surprisingly just like usual.

 

Because of that, I only noticed much later that he had been holding his book upside down throughout the entire lesson…

 

Well, I had been looking at it upside down too.

 

* * *

 

A week after the penalty was added to my assignment.

 

So far, things had been going smoothly. Except for my brain feeling numb from consciously restraining my magic use.

 

However, there were two deplorable things.

 

One was that I had failed to clear up the terrible misunderstanding that I was still madly in love with Chessier.

 

The other was that in the now quite bustling Winter Castle, I alone had fallen to the status of a mere unemployed person.

 

“Life… really…”

 

I chewed on luxurious Coco-brand cookies while gazing out the window with melancholic eyes.

 

The small dining room attached to the kitchen.

 

It was quaint like a cottage and perfect as a healing space, but unfortunately the large window faced toward the training ground.

 

And outside in the training ground, the reorganization of the knight’s order called Black Flame Dragon or Black Sea or something was in full swing.

 

“Are you crazy! How can you clean with the knight’s order flag!”

 

“I thought it was a rag. It looked exactly like one.”

 

“Where would you find a rag with gold thread embroidery? Damn, this was the most useful thing.”

 

“Do we really have to put up a flag? The emblem is ugly anyway, so let’s just go with a plain design.”

 

“…Ha! Where did that other fool go besides you.”

 

Just from the sounds flowing in through the half-open window, I could clearly feel what a proper mess it was.

 

By the way, the fool Nishe was looking for was right next to me, having tea time together.

 

When I glanced over, Jepi muttered blankly.

 

“I don’t want to work.”

 

And because he spoke out loud, despite hiding his presence well, he was easily discovered by Nishe.

 

“Zephyrus! Come here quickly and help carry things!”

 

“Ugh.”

 

Jepi moved as Nishe said, even though he was reluctant.

 

Since Nishe was the knight captain by title, one way or another, he had to obey orders from above.

 

‘Why don’t they just leave it to the servants.’

 

A member who was only a maid in name with no practical skills, a deserter member with no motivation or work ability, and a captain who was the best of them but only ‘relatively’ better.

 

With this combination reorganizing the training ground and annex that the former knight’s order used, there was no way progress would go smoothly.

 

“Ugh damn, the smell of rust has gotten into my body. Who was the last person to manage the training ground’s weapon storage?”

 

“That would be you, Nishe. Do you think that idiot or I would do it?”

 

“…Right, damn! What an honor!”

 

According to the captain, the knight’s order was strictly speaking outside the main castle, so the chores here were the responsibility of retainers, not servants. They had to manage it themselves.

 

It would be easy if they were just flexible about it, but I don’t understand why they stick to old rules when they don’t even have retainers.

 

“Tsk tsk.”

 

I clicked my tongue and crunched on my cookies.

 

Winter Castle these days, with its neatly changed interior, maintained stables, and tended gardens.

 

Even the knight’s order with only three members was undergoing changes.

 

Unlike before, they were actually planning to put up a knight’s order sign and recruit knights and retainers.

 

Belmayer was finally starting to take the shape of a proper country.

 

The fact that my ‘creating a livable castle’ project was proceeding smoothly on its own was definitely a good thing.

 

Yes, that’s right, but…

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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