The Obsessive Maniac Is Trying To Confine Me - Chapter 165

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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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Episode 165

“Me?”

Rihardt’s eyes widened in surprise.

Having someone to listen, I found myself recounting in detail the contents of a dream I hadn’t even wanted to remember.

In the dream, Rihardt was kneeling, pressed down by knights.

I looked at him coldly, and he…

【Your name was Roji, wasn’t it?】

He whispered as if telling me to prepare myself.

Ugh, it was a different side from the gentle Rihardt I knew. And Roji? I’m Rose, so why Roji?

“It’s such a strange dream, isn’t it?”

But strangely, Rihardt’s expression had hardened stiffly.

“Rihardt?”

“…Ah, it is a strange dream.”

“Right?”

“…Yes. Don’t remember such dreams. There’s no need to remember them.”

“You’re right.”

Hearing my response, Rihardt smiled as if relieved.

I couldn’t take my eyes off that expression. Something felt strange. It seemed like something was about to come to mind…

“Move aside! Move!”

Just then, a loud noise reached me and I snapped back to attention.

A large carriage was entering the narrow street.

People quickly stepped aside, afraid of being trampled to death by the horses.

I was about to step back with them when I happened to see a man inside the carriage.

A blonde man.

My gaze naturally fixed on him.

Had I seen him before?

Why did he feel familiar…

“Madam.”

Before anything could become clear, Rihardt pulled me away.

“Let’s move quickly. It seems we’ve bought everything we need here.”

His voice somehow sounded urgent.

I nodded and was about to follow him.

If only the carriage squeezing through the narrow street hadn’t suddenly stopped.

Wondering what was happening, I turned my head to see the blonde man from inside the carriage getting out.

‘Huh?’

My eyes met with the man’s.

“Madam.”

Just then, Rihardt pulled me away.

* * *

Anri Ascent.

A being who was practically the Benefactor’s right hand.

Rihardt had already heard news that he had come down to Ruad Estate. However, he hadn’t expected to encounter him like this.

A sense of dismay washed over him. Rihardt hurriedly grabbed Rose’s hand and pulled her along.

Since Anri Ascent knew the Benefactor’s face, he couldn’t let the two meet like this.

In Rihardt’s mind, the best choice he could make right now was to take Rose and leave this village.

However.

【I like this village and the cabin where we live.】

【I feel like there will never be a better place than this cabin for the rest of our lives.】

Rose had grown attached to this place.

They had worked hard together to decorate the cabin, and eventually even Rihardt had grown fond of this shabby place.

【You must love your wife very much?】

Suddenly, he remembered what the herb gatherers he’d met earlier had said.

The women who had given him herbs for Rose’s injured leg had called him a caring husband.

Rihardt mulled over what they had said.

When he looked at Rose, he was seized by strange emotions, and it was an undeniable fact that he was acting like a fool. If that was the case, then he…

“Rihardt…”

When Rose called his name in a pitiful voice, strength reflexively entered the hand that held hers.

He could never let go of this hand.

Never…

“Rihardt, you’re going too fast. Wait…”

The struggling voice that pierced his ears made Rihardt waver.

He belatedly realized his mistake and was horrified. Rose had injured her leg…

“I’m sorry.”

Worried that her injured leg might have worsened, he quickly knelt down and examined her ankle.

The pure white leg revealed between her skirt hem caught his gaze. It felt as if someone was breathing desire into him from the side.

Rihardt suppressed his desire by biting his lips and examined the bandaged leg.

“My leg is fine, so get up.”

Rose casually pulled her ankle free from his grasp.

As the soft sensation slipped away from his fingertips, he felt regret. Rihardt clenched his fist several times as if clinging to that lingering feeling.

“More importantly, Rihardt, is something wrong?”

Rose seemed to find it strange that he had dragged her away like they were fleeing as soon as he saw the Ascent family’s carriage.

“…Nothing’s wrong.”

He smiled belatedly, but she had already seen his anxious expression.

“Do you think I’ll just think ‘oh, I see’ if you say that? Be honest. What’s going on?”

If I’m honest, you’ll leave me.

You’ll be horrified and disgusted.

Rihardt was well aware of how outrageous what he had done was, but he couldn’t give her up now.

“Come to think of it, that carriage… I think I’ve seen that crest somewhere before. It was the Ascent family, right? The family that mainly does moneylending!”

There was no point in lying here. Rihardt obediently nodded.

Then Rose froze as if shocked.

“Did you perhaps borrow money from the Ascent family too? Is that why?”

“…”

Rose seemed to have another strange misunderstanding as her face became serious.

Her completely wrong assumption looked adorable. Even in this situation, only Rose caught his eye – had he completely lost his mind?

“That’s it, isn’t it? You really borrowed from the Ascent family…”

“…”

“What should we do! I heard the Ascent family is persistent and buries alive people who don’t pay back their debts and run away…!”

Rose’s face was instantly colored with fear. Afraid he might even get divorced, he hurriedly embraced her.

“It’s not like that. I’ve never borrowed money from the Ascent family.”

“…Really?”

Did he really appear to be such an untrustworthy person in her eyes?

I had more than enough money, so it felt a bit unfair.

“Then why did you avoid them like that?”

“…The House of Ascent doesn’t have a very good reputation. I was just avoiding the situation in case meeting nobles would cause problems.”

“…Is that so?”

“My wife is so beautiful, I was worried about what would happen if the House of Ascent wouldn’t leave her alone.”

“What’s that supposed to mean.”

Rose laughed as if it was ridiculous and hugged Rihardt tightly.

He pressed his lips firmly against her forehead.

Please, may she never slip away from his grasp like this forever.

* * *

Did I see wrong?

It was definitely that woman.

“That carriage is from the House of Ascent, right?”

Anri left behind the people’s murmuring and got back on the carriage.

While the carriage was running, Anri caught a familiar scent.

A smell similar to the fragrance that came from the ‘Benefactor’.

He immediately jumped up from his seat.

When he got off the carriage, he thought he had encountered the real thing, but it immediately disappeared into the crowd so there was no way to confirm.

‘Was it a mistake?’

Anri tilted his head and got back on the carriage.

Long ago, he had seen the Benefactor, no, Roji at Count Evantes’ mansion.

When he first saw Roji, he recognized that she was the ‘special being’ that the demon worshippers had been searching for so desperately.

However, after seeing Emily follow the woman, Anri couldn’t touch Roji.

If he touched that woman, Emily would resent him for life.

That’s why he even went so far as to tell her that demon worshippers would attack the mansion on ‘that day’.

He thought that was very kind and special treatment.

Of course, he let Roji go thinking they would meet again someday.

He never imagined that after 2 years had passed, they would meet again in such an unexpected way. Anyway, they met again.

【Anri! I met Roji!】

【What?】

【She’s burning with fever! What should I do!】

One day, Emily suddenly brought home a woman who had been collapsed somewhere.

‘Meeting again in this way?’

At first, he was very bewildered.

What kind of coincidence is this?

Anri didn’t believe in coincidences. He thought it might be an intentional approach, and his prediction wasn’t wrong.

【Anri, won’t you make a deal with me?】

How long had it been since the woman who had been groaning from burning fever woke up?

She proposed a deal to Anri, and he gladly accepted.

Thus, by becoming a family that supported the Benefactor, he rose to a position that was hard to experience in a lifetime.

While Anri was thinking, the carriage had already arrived at Ruad Manor.

As he got off the carriage, a well-built lord and a maid in uniform approached.

“Lord Anri, I’ve finished the task you ordered.”

“Really? Well done.”

At the trivial praise, the maid whose name was barely remembered became proud.

Anri looked at the lord with a diplomatic smile.

“I’ve prepared as you instructed.”

The lord answered immediately as if he understood Anri’s gaze.

The Benefactor wanted this estate as a ‘sacrifice’.

Anri had come down to Ruad Estate with great effort to fulfill the Benefactor’s wish.

* * *

Rihardt is definitely hiding something from me.

I’d had this thought for a long time, but after seeing the House of Ascent’s carriage, my suspicion grew stronger.

There’s definitely something, but since the person involved has no intention of talking, there was no way to find out.

‘A husband with many secrets is exactly what I hate.’

Who doesn’t know how to hide things?

I decided not to tell Rihardt about working at the manor.

At first, I tried to hide it because I was afraid Rihardt would suggest I quit, but before I knew it, it had turned into a small spite toward Rihardt who was keeping secrets from me.

Time passed quickly like that, and the day to work at Ruad Manor was already approaching.

“Your name is Rose?”

“Yes.”

The housekeeper of the manor looked me over once and then told me what work I would do at the manor.

“Let me see where we’re short on staff… The staff where Lord Anri is staying has been minimized, so you can go there.”

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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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