The Contract Marriage for Attilenta's Revenge - Chapter 51

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Atilenta’s Revenge Through a Contract Marriage — Episode 51
I nodded slightly, feeling oddly flustered.
“Oh… I hadn’t realized it was already that time.”
I’d never told Henrik about my birthday, so there was no need to waste energy wondering how he’d found out.
Poznan had asked me about it in passing once before, and I’d given her a vague answer.
“Barsha wants to celebrate your birthday.”
To be honest, I hadn’t given it much thought.
In the past, being foolish, I’d hoped the ones I believed were my family—traitors all—would remember the day for me.
It might once have been a milestone I valued.
But not anymore.
A banquet hosted by Princess Barsha? Suddenly, anxiety coiled in my chest.
“Your Highness, I hope you’ll forgive me for speaking plainly, but a modest celebration would suit me just fine.”
With this royal house, and especially with Barsha, the banquet would undoubtedly be lavish.
Of course, the more splendid it was, the more it would benefit my standing…
But did I really need such extravagance?
“Atilenta, you’re my person. I won’t let your birthday pass carelessly.”
Henrik spoke with unmistakable firmness.
His words were sound, and my concerns were precisely what they appeared to be—unnecessary. Mixed into them was a jealousy I was too ashamed to voice aloud.
The words rose to my throat: why go to such lengths for a day that isn’t even his?
“Yes, Your Highness, you’re quite right. A banquet hosted by Princess Barsha—I look forward to it.”
So rather than object further, I simply acquiesced. Henrik reached out naturally and took a sip of water with easy composure.
“Before that, though, there’s somewhere I’d like to go. I’d appreciate it if you could spare some time this evening.”
My eyes widened.
Somewhere? This evening? …Could it be just the two of us?
In an instant, I was caught in a strange, peculiar emotion.
He seemed no different from usual, yet the warmth and softness in his gaze made it feel as if he’d just asked me on a date.
I’d thought such innocent things would never enter my life again.
No, Atilenta. He must have some purpose. Perhaps he’s cultivating the reputation of a devoted prince, caring attentively for his wife as her birthday approaches.
Henrik had merely made a suggestion, but I alone had been swept away by a bewildering tide. My tongue felt stiff, unwilling to move.
“Of course, Your Highness. I shall follow gladly.”
Without meaning to, I’d spoken in a soft, bright voice. I longed to squeeze my eyes shut and bite my tongue, but it was impossible in this peaceful dining moment, and especially before the composed Henrik.
I couldn’t say how the day had slipped away. Cruelly, the sunset came, and the unavoidable moment drew near.
When I mentioned stepping out with Prince Henrik this evening, Poznan dressed me with an almost unsettling calm, diligent and earnest in her attention.
All the while, only one thought occupied my mind.
I thought he’d been hurt last time.
Since then he’d said nothing, so I’d wondered if perhaps he’d moved past it.
Could that not be the case?
A strange curiosity stirred, my awareness of Henrik growing dangerously acute.
Please, Atilenta. Get ahold of yourself.
“My lady, I’ve finished your preparation. You look beautiful today as always.”
At Poznan’s gentle compliment, I lifted my head abruptly toward the mirror.
There was a woman with hair the color of brilliant summer flowers, a vibrant, healthy complexion, nowhere thin or gaunt—radiant in every way.
“…Really?”
I murmured flatly, and once more fell victim to accursed self-awareness.
What it meant was: I was curious what Henrik would say when he saw me like this.
With my lips pressed together in embarrassment at my own thoughts, I stepped outside to find Henrik already waiting.
In Bwendofska’s crisp dress uniform, which suited him better than anyone, he turned with a pleased expression and extended his hand.
“Trite though it may sound, Atilenta, I find myself marveling at you every time we meet.”
He’d erased my doubts so cleanly. The compliment, offered plain and understated, wasn’t a matter of whether it was welcome or suspect.
The problem was that I dared to hold him in my thoughts at all.
Did Henrik genuinely admire my appearance, or was I suddenly wondering such a thing now, when I never had before?
As if I’d ever been anything but skeptical of his kindness and tender words, dismissing them all as trials.
Regardless of my tangled thoughts, reality unfolded before me, and I—already practiced in the role—grasped his warm hand and smiled.
“Your Highness is too kind. I hardly know where to place myself.”
“A warm coat as well—good. The place we’re going is rather distant, but we’ll take the carriage, so it shouldn’t be too uncomfortable.”
Beyond the palace gates, the landscape lay soaked in the twilight spilling from the evening sky.
I knew someone to whom this light was becoming. Henrik—the man walking beside me, matching my pace.
Without the slightest misstep, he escorted me perfectly until I stepped into the carriage.
“Come, ride easy.”
Grasping his broad, sturdy hand as any knight might offer it, mounting the carriage like a treasured youngest daughter of some noble house—I couldn’t shake the sense of profound irony in it all.
The carriage interior was always plush, as it had been before. Whether he’d taken extra care with it or not, I couldn’t be certain, but there was a soft blanket there as well. Thanks to Poznan’s choice of thick, cozy clothing, I wasn’t particularly cold, but I clung to the blanket and stared only out the window.
In this narrow, confined space, it was difficult to openly meet his gaze as he stared at me. Worse, every time the carriage swayed, our knees would brush against each other, and beneath the rustling fabric I could feel the solid warmth of his skin—a sensation that made me grip the blanket so tightly my knuckles whitened.
It happened often when I rode in a carriage with him, but why did I keep doing this to myself? I was at a loss.
“Your Highness, we’ve arrived.”
The moment the coachman spoke, Henrik stepped out immediately and extended his hand to me with practiced courtesy.
“Come.”
I murmured my thanks and descended, only to catch my breath at the sight before me.
“Oh…… I had no idea such a place existed. It’s beautiful.”
Dense vegetation drenched in the night sky, the sound of crickets chirping, and a lake so vast it seemed to have no end—its clear, pristine waters reflecting the moon and stars in their entirety.
I had been consumed by trivial, tangled worries, but this landscape swept them all away in an instant. It was a strange place—though it was winter, no biting cold wind whipped at my nose.
Henrik naturally guided me to the place his servants had prepared.
“I’m glad it pleases you.”
“…… Pardon?”
I turned my gaze from the lake to look at him. He sat a slight distance away, his expression serene, wearing a calm smile.
“Flower gardens and conservatories tend to feel rather… mundane to you.”
His expression was gentle and his voice soft, and he shrugged with an easy grace.
It was certain. He had lavished every bit of attention on this outing, from beginning to end, down to the smallest detail.
So that I might be satisfied with this evening.
How could anyone who saw him now dare to call him the cold, merciless man whose name echoed across battlefields?
A wave of nervous tension rose unbidden to my tongue, and I swallowed hard. He was scrutinizing me with meticulous care, as if trying to catch every subtle shift in my eyebrows, the bridge of my nose, my lips.
“Once the moon sets, the place becomes even more worth seeing. Shall we wait until then? If you’re not too cold.”
“…… As you wish, Your Highness.”
I gripped the blanket I’d brought from the carriage tightly and forced my gaze toward the lake.
There were a few guards positioned around the open vista, but they kept their backs turned to us entirely.
In other words, if Henrik moved closer to me than he already was, no one would know……
Though our skin wasn’t even touching, I felt a subtle warmth radiating from him.
I brought my hand up to cover the cheek on the side where he was looking at me, as if that would somehow block his blatant gaze.
An awkward, unfamiliar silence stretched on. I gnawed at my innocent lips, licked them, pressed the blanket down again and again, and swallowed a sigh that threatened to escape.
In any case, despite his busy schedule, Henrik had gone to the trouble of showing me this beautiful view, so it seemed only proper to return his thanks. The pretext was that he had remembered my birthday, after all—it was flawless.
A calm expression of gratitude should make me look like a person who wasn’t consumed by thoughts of him.
With my resolve settled, I turned my head.
And I found myself facing him, his smile as fresh and clear as the scent of grass.
No—I couldn’t avoid him.
“Is there something you wish to tell me, Atilenta?”

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