The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 54

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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 54

“Stop talking nonsense and put this away. And bring me my nightgown.”

“Surely you don’t mean to sleep in that old gray nightgown? On your wedding night?”

“…It’s comfortable. And warm.”

Artizea hesitated for just a moment.

The nightgown she had been wearing was several years old.

As she grew taller, the sleeves and pants became too short, so she had sewn on extra fabric. Moreover, she had worn it for so long that it was pilling and tattered.

Still, it was a hundred times better than this pink nightgown.

“Don’t say such ridiculous things! And even if I wanted to bring it, it’s not even here.”

“Why?”

“Who would pack such a nightgown for a honeymoon? What would the people of the House of Evron think if they saw the new mistress wearing such a nightgown?”

“Sophie.”

“It couldn’t even be sent to the laundry room. Do you know how difficult it was for me when everyone at the Duke’s residence pitied you, wondering why all of my lady’s clothes were like that?”

Her head ached.

Fine. So be it. She knew that both indoor clothes and nightgowns needed to be made anew.

That’s why she had entrusted Emily and Sophie to prepare everything necessary.

But she never imagined they would create something like this.

“Bring me something else then. There must be indoor clothes or a robe?”

“The wardrobes have already been loaded onto the ship. I only left this and the clothes you’ll wear tomorrow morning.”

She was caught between a rock and a hard place.

“Don’t worry. Madame Emily and I agonized over this to make it suit you best and look prettiest.”

Sophie smiled brightly.

“I’m sure my lord will fall for you all over again.”

Artizea felt dizzy.

She deeply regretted leaving it to them to handle. She should have checked even if it meant carving out time from her busy schedule.

She should have at least watched the packing.

“Hurry up.”

Sophie fluttered the nightgown back and forth.

In the end, Artizea was defeated.

She didn’t have the temperament to throw a tantrum by demanding they unload the wardrobes from the ship near midnight or go to the manor in the capital to fetch other clothes.

The fluttering nightgown kept wrapping around her legs, making Artizea feel strange.

Entering the bedchamber wearing such clothes was even worse.

The bedchamber was decorated neatly, neither excessive nor lacking.

It had been well-ventilated beforehand and scented candles were lit, creating a subtle fragrance. Soft apricot-colored curtains hung at the windows.

And there was one excessively large bed. Naturally.

Until this moment, Artizea had never seriously thought about the bedchamber.

Whatever people said outside, whether they held a ceremony or not, this marriage was not a substantial marriage.

Artizea trusted Sedric. He was a man who understood what chastity meant.

Therefore, she hadn’t worried about the matter of entering the bedchamber.

Artizea had even taken the initiative to suggest they share the same cabin on the ship voyage to the Evron Duchy.

Wasn’t that right? What would outsiders think if a newlywed couple who married for love used separate rooms on their honeymoon?

In other words, she had only considered external matters.

Only after being pushed into the bedchamber by the giggling Sophie and Alice, who exclaimed how pretty the nightgown was, did Artizea realize the internal problem.

‘Sleep together here wearing this?’

Even though she had agreed to it, it suddenly seemed like crazy talk. There was no way she could sleep.

Artizea finally understood why Sedric had made such a strange face when she suggested sharing a cabin.

“Phew.”

Artizea spun around and around in the room.

But no matter how much she thought about it, no solution came to mind.

If the bride left the bedchamber on the wedding night to sleep elsewhere, there was no telling what rumors would spread.

All the people in this manor might keep their mouths shut.

Instead, it would cause unwanted concern and worry among the people of the House of Evron. It was obvious that dealing with the aftermath would be even more problematic.

It was indeed a futile thought. Sedric didn’t seem like the type to pay attention to things like clothing.

‘Though he might think it pitiful if I wore rags.’

Still feeling bothered, Artizea pulled a blanket from the bed. Then she curled up on the sofa and covered herself with the blanket.

Being extremely tired, Artizea soon began to doze off.

Even in her dreams, her nerves were on edge. Because of this, Artizea was startled awake by the sound of the door opening and bolted upright.

Sedric entered and said carefully.

“Sorry for being late. It’s past midnight now, isn’t it? The timing to slip away was awkward…”

Sedric stopped apologizing mid-sentence and looked at Artizea.

Then he couldn’t finish his words and stopped. Sedric’s nape and ear tips turned bright red.

At first, Artizea didn’t know why he was acting that way. Then she realized she had dropped the blanket and quickly picked it up.

She had steeled herself that it was just thin fabric, nothing more. There was no exposure, nothing to be embarrassed about.

But such resolve was useless. She felt mortified to death.

“Th-that is, Sophie doesn’t know anything. She seems to have made what she calls a bridal nightgown. Strange, right? I tried to look for other clothes, but they said all the wardrobes were loaded on the ship, and we couldn’t bring them out in the middle of the night…”

Artizea fired off excuses like rapid shots.

Sedric waved his hand telling her not to do that. Then he rubbed his face once with his palm. Still, his flushed complexion didn’t return to normal.

“It’s not strange. I think it’s cut-, cute.”

Now it was Artizea’s turn to blush. Meanwhile, her mind went blank.

Sedric hesitated then approached Artizea.

“Th-this is what Madame Emily…”

Her mouth tried to make more excuses on its own, but Sedric’s outstretched hand lightly touched Artizea’s disheveled hair.

Artizea was so startled that she hugged the blanket like a shield and plopped down on the sofa.

“Lord Sedric should use the bed. I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

“Tia.”

A moment of silence passed. Sedric let out a small breath.

He went toward the bed and sat down heavily. Then he rubbed his face once with his palm.

“Sorry for startling you.”

“N-no.”

Artizea answered in a slightly trembling voice. She couldn’t understand what had been about to happen just then.

“If sharing the same bed makes you uncomfortable, I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

“No. I can’t give up the blanket. Instead, I’ll give up the bed.”

“Use both the blanket and the bed. It’s not cold weather, so I don’t need a blanket.”

“That’s impossible. How could I sleep comfortably in bed after making my lord sleep on the sofa?”

“But…”

“I’m much smaller. Even if Lord Sedric folded his legs in half, he probably wouldn’t fit well on this sofa.”

“Tia.”

Sedric called her name. This time too, Artizea spoke first before he could continue.

“Could you turn off the lights?”

“…Understood. If that’s more comfortable for you, let’s do that.”

Artizea felt relieved inwardly.

Soon the bedroom became dark. Sedric’s shadow lay down on the bed.

Artizea finally felt at ease and pulled the blanket up to her neck, covering herself, and closed her eyes.

But sleep had no intention of coming. Just moments before, she had been so tired that she had fallen asleep instantly.

Artizea realized she was even counting her exhales and inhales.

And she noticed that Sedric was also occasionally sighing and making irregular breathing sounds.

If sleep wouldn’t come, it would be good to have a conversation.

They also needed to do a post-evaluation of today’s wedding. Originally, she had planned to check the results with Sedric before sleeping and refine their future plans.

But she couldn’t do that. All she could see were shadows, so why was she feeling so nervous?

After staying like that for a while, Cedric suddenly sat up.

“This won’t do.”

“Pardon?”

“We’ll have to share the same room for a while anyway, so wouldn’t it be better to get used to it? We can’t sleep separately like this in such a cramped cabin.”

Before Artizea could respond, he approached her.

Then he reached out and lifted Artizea up, blanket and all.

“Ah!”

Artizea struggled in surprise.

Cedric easily carried her to the bed and set her down.

“I didn’t look.”

Artizea didn’t understand what he meant for a moment.

Only belatedly did she realize he meant he hadn’t seen her body since she was covered by the blanket.

“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.”

Though she meant those words sincerely, her voice trembled because she was out of breath.

Cedric slipped under the blanket. The temperature inside the blanket shot up instantly.

Artizea hesitantly turned her back to him and lay down, creating some distance. The bed was wide enough for them to sleep without touching.

But Cedric’s hand gently wrapped around her from behind.

“Get used to it. I will too.”

“Yes…”

His low voice seemed to penetrate into her mind, making Artizea shudder.

As her cold hands and feet warmed with Cedric’s body heat, they began to tingle. Artizea couldn’t move and held her breath.

Silence fell once again.

This time, Artizea found herself counting not breathing sounds, but heartbeats.

Cedric’s heartbeat against her ear was much stronger than her own.

As she focused on the regular rhythm, drowsiness finally began to descend.

Perhaps because she had been tense for so long, once her body relaxed, Artizea was instantly pulled to the edge of dreams.

“Tia, are you asleep?”

No answer came back.

Cedric carefully lifted his head to look at Artizea’s face.

He could hear the sound of her steady breathing. Perhaps because her body had warmed up, her pale lips had returned to a pink color.

Cedric carefully pressed his lips to her temple.

‘I thought my heart would drop.’

He knew that Artizea didn’t see him as a man. Still, when he first opened the door and saw her, he couldn’t help but think ‘what if.’

She had looked that lovely.

‘I should stop having improper thoughts.’

She trusted him enough to fall asleep so defenseless like this.

He had always thought he wanted to hold her.

But now that he was actually holding her like this, he realized it wasn’t that he wanted to comfort her—he simply wanted to hold her.

She was as slender and delicate as he had imagined, as if she might break and disappear from his arms.

Her body temperature was warm. Cedric decided to be satisfied with the fact that he could warm her cold hands and feet.

He felt as if he had been chasing a mirage for a long time and was now holding it in his arms. He was afraid that when he woke from this dream, it would all shatter into bloody pieces.

Cedric sighed and gently grasped Artizea’s left wrist. Even though it was time to sleep, she was still wearing the diamond bracelet.

His heart beat wildly on its own.

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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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