The Obsessive Maniac Is Trying To Confine Me - Chapter 213

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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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Side Story Episode 3

 

Since it was a day to go to the village after a long time, I wanted to wear pretty clothes.

 

I took out a dress I had bought a year ago and stuffed in a corner. But…

 

‘…Huh?’

 

Strangely, the buttons on the back wouldn’t fasten properly.

 

It was definitely loose when I bought it, so why is this happening? Did the clothes shrink in the closet?

 

…Of course that couldn’t be it.

 

…I gained weight!

 

Come to think of it, Rihardt has been feeding me too well lately.

 

…But would I really gain weight this easily?

 

“Rose, are you ready?”

 

I heard Rihardt’s voice from outside the door.

 

“Just a moment… Ah!”

 

With a short scream, the door burst open.

 

“Rose, what’s wrong…!”

 

The air became quiet as if it had been cut off.

 

Due to the unfastened buttons, the hem of my clothes had slipped down below my shoulders. I could clearly feel the cold air touching my skin directly.

 

Rihardt stood frozen in place, unable to say anything for a while.

 

Heat slowly spread across his face.

 

“…It’s nothing serious.”

 

I belatedly pulled up the hem of my clothes and said.

 

“…The button slipped from my hand.”

 

I was just startled when the hook scratched my hand. I muttered while unnecessarily turning my gaze away.

 

‘I’ll have to buy clothes first when I go down to the village…’

 

It was a dress I quite liked, but I didn’t know it would become so ill-fitting.

 

“Were you worried?”

 

The answer came a beat late.

 

“…Yes. I’m glad nothing was wrong.”

 

He quickly turned his head away. It was when he urgently pressed his hand against the side of the door as if trying to escape.

 

“…I’m sorry for barging in, Rose. I’ll be going now-”

 

“Wait a moment.”

 

I called out to him.

 

“Could you fasten the buttons for me? I can’t reach them well. The clothes seem to have… gotten smaller too.”

 

I gripped the falling front of my dress tightly with both hands and turned my back to him. The buttons were in the back, so I couldn’t reach them well.

 

“Rihardt?”

 

“…Rose.”

 

The voice calling my name was tinged with hesitation.

 

Is this a bit awkward after all?

 

“If it makes you uncomfortable…”

 

“No.”

 

Cold hands approached from behind.

 

His fingertips holding the hook and button were unusually careful. As the hook caught, the fabric was slowly pulled.

 

“…The road will be cold.”

 

I heard Rihardt’s lowered voice from behind me.

 

As soon as his hands fell away, the thickest coat covered my shoulders.

 

“Dress warmly.”

 

Come to think of it, the weather seemed to have gotten quite chilly around this time.

 

“Thank you, Rihardt.”

 

During the time I spent with him, he always took care of my health.

 

This time too, I followed his words without much thought.

 

“Shall we go now?”

 

“…”

 

“Rihardt?”

 

He stood still with furrowed brows, like someone enduring something.

 

Why is he acting like this?

 

“…I’ll stay for a moment and then go. You go first.”

 

…But this is my room?

 

I was a bit confused, but I nodded and obediently left the room.

 

…Because he looked troubled somehow.

 

‘Should I have asked if he was sick somewhere?’

 

I quietly waited for Rihardt to come out.

 

But even after a long time, he didn’t come out of the room.

 

* * *

 

Piette Domain.

 

It was one of the territories bordering the Cursed Land.

 

Whenever the malice of the curse spread, it wasn’t uncommon for perfectly fine fields to wither overnight, and crops that were about to be harvested would rot from the roots.

 

So farming in Piette Domain was always unstable.

 

Instead, there were things that came into being only due to the influence of the Cursed Land.

 

Strange plants and blood stones.

 

These things, which were hard to see in normal territories, were periodically excavated, and ironically, they became Piette Domain’s main source of income.

 

So Rihardt and I often went down to Piette Domain.

 

It was to procure things necessary for daily life.

 

There was only one problem.

 

“Huff…”

 

It took a full day of walking from the Cursed Land to Piete Estate.

 

When we reached the checkpoint, I was completely exhausted.

 

I was about to collapse right there on the ground, but Rihardt caught me.

 

“Rose, are you alright?”

 

“…Uh, ah?”

 

“Oh my.”

 

I was so tired that I even lost my ability to speak.

 

“Lean on me.”

 

My legs were shaking so I really had to. Rihardt wrapped his arm around my waist and supported my body.

 

“With such weak stamina…”

 

Rihardt muttered as if worried, but I felt wronged.

 

…You’re the one who’s strong.

 

Rihardt had carried all the luggage himself, yet not a single drop of sweat formed on his smooth skin.

 

This is a monster.

 

“Hey. Show me your identification.”

 

The gatekeeper guarding the castle gate waved his hand and began the inspection.

 

His waving fingertips carried more laxness than tension, and as he approached, a faint smell of alcohol brushed by.

 

“Here it is.”

 

Rihardt familiarly took out identification from his chest and handed it over.

 

“Lorel and Hark.”

 

For reference, Lorel was me, and Hark was Rihardt.

 

Naturally, they were forged identities.

 

‘Where on earth does he get these things?’

 

It was quite fascinating.

 

…Wasn’t that man supposed to be living cut off from worldly affairs?

 

But this kind of thing happened so often that I was now too tired to question it every time.

 

“What’s the relationship between you two?”

 

“We’re married.”

 

“Oh ho. Newlyweds?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

Rihardt immediately answered the gatekeeper’s question.

 

“How long have you known each other?”

 

…Why is he asking about such trivial details?

 

“Three years.”

 

“Three years? What kind of newlyweds is that? Shouldn’t you be getting tired of each other by now?”

 

The gatekeeper spat out rude words without hesitation and grinned as if enjoying himself. His appearance, as if still not fully sober, was unpleasant.

 

“Ah, right. You’re residents from the estate right next to Piette Domain. What brings you here?”

 

“We came from Piette Domain to procure winter supplies.”

 

“Really? That’s suspicious. Don’t you have some other purpose?”

 

The inspection was dragging on strangely long.

 

What the gatekeeper wanted was clear.

 

Rihardt, who noticed this, pulled out a small pouch from inside his coat.

 

A jingling sound could be heard from inside.

 

The gatekeeper, excited as he received the pouch, grinned widely.

 

“Pass. Go through.”

 

Rihardt led me and quickly got us past the checkpoint.

 

“A corrupt gatekeeper indeed.”

 

Piette Domain was poor and a corrupt territory. This kind of thing was quite common.

 

“Anyway, we passed through safely, so that’s fine. We should just take care of our business and…”

 

The moment we entered the territory, I stopped speaking.

 

The scenery of Piette Estate had changed dramatically from usual.

 

The number of soldiers stationed throughout the streets was considerable. Excessively so.

 

…Instinctively, my gaze fell on their uniforms. The crest embroidered on their sleeves was all too familiar.

 

Evantes Family.

 

…They were Arzen’s soldiers.

 

Territories bordering the Cursed Land were designated as ‘Borderlands’ under imperial law.

 

The management rights of this land, which even the Imperial Knights found burdensome, had been in the hands of the Evantes Family for several years now.

 

This was because the Evantes Family was practically the only one capable of suppressing malice and safely distributing bloodstones.

 

‘Right, originally it was just management, but…’

 

“It’s because of the war.”

 

As if reading my thoughts, Rihardt murmured quietly.

 

His gaze swept over Arzen’s soldiers positioned throughout the streets.

 

“With the war against the Western Continent imminent, they’ve deployed troops under the pretext of protecting the bloodstone mines in the rear.”

 

Arzen’s soldiers were here, in Piette Domain.

 

It seemed we’d need to be even more careful with our actions for the time being.

 

So as not to accidentally reach Arzen’s ears…

 

“The atmosphere is unsettled, Rose.”

 

“It seems that way. We’ll need to be careful for a while.”

 

But Rihardt was looking at me. He seemed to have something to say.

 

“How about we stay together today?”

 

For reference, we had been acting separately whenever we arrived at Piette Estate until now.

 

I also had my own business to attend to.

 

‘But…’

 

As Rihardt said, with Evantes soldiers deployed everywhere, it would probably be better to stay together…

 

At that moment, Rihardt’s hand temptingly brushed across the back of my hand.

 

“If you were to be discovered and captured by them… I would go mad with grief.”

 

Hmm?

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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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