The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 91

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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 91

Artizea stared blankly up at Cedric.

“May I come in?”

When Artizea hesitated, Cedric asked. Artizea stepped back in confusion.

It wasn’t that she thought it wasn’t allowed or that she disliked it, but she was so surprised that she wondered what was happening.

It had been four days since Lisia left.

She had heard it was a three-day ride on horseback to the fortress of Tolt Gate. So she thought it would take at least four or five more days for Lisia to return.

And there was no way Cedric could return at this point. The conflict wouldn’t have ended so simply.

Returning the kidnapped Karam child wasn’t the problem.

Twenty thousand warriors had gathered. When that many people assemble, it doesn’t end just because someone says, ‘The situation is over, so disperse.’

Individual interests, factional interests, and various other relationships would be entangled.

Most of all, when that many had gathered, they would naturally think to have at least one fight.

“What happened? When did you arrive?”

“I just arrived.”

That would be right. Cedric was still wearing a windbreaker cloak covered with dust and snow. It seemed he had come straight to Artizea’s room as soon as he arrived at the fortress.

Cedric said.

“I was going to write a letter originally, but the pen just wouldn’t move.”

“Pardon?”

“There were things I needed to tell you, and things I wanted to discuss with you, but I couldn’t write the first sentence at all. So I just came.”

“Did some big problem arise?”

She asked tensely. She couldn’t take Cedric’s words literally that the first sentence wouldn’t write itself.

She thought that some complicated and serious situation had occurred that couldn’t be explained in a few sentences.

Cedric looked at her with an awkward smile.

“Well, it is a serious enough problem to need your advice, but let’s put that aside for now. This is more urgent.”

“Pardon?”

Artizea blinked.

“I wanted to see you before leaving for the capital.”

Half of it was true, but the other half was a lie. If it was just to see her face, there was no need to come so urgently. But it was true that he wanted to come.

Cedric spread his arms and embraced her.

Because he moved very slowly, Artizea could tell that he was going to embrace her. But even knowing this, she was startled and stiffened her body.

A soft sensation pressed against her lips. When she realized it was a kiss, both her feet were already floating in the air.

“Haven’t you gotten even lighter?”

“I haven’t.”

Artizea barely managed to answer.

Cedric lightly lifted her with one arm while using his other hand to unfasten the buckle of his snow-covered cloak.

The belt with sword and pistol attached and his coat fell to the floor.

Artizea impulsively bent down and cupped his face with both hands.

Cedric’s face was slightly cold. It was because he had been exposed to the cold wind outside for a long time.

“Are you busy with anything?”

“No.”

“What about your body? Any pain?”

“No. I’m not a patient.”

Artizea said while trembling. It felt like her body temperature had risen several degrees. Even her eyelids became hot, so she couldn’t keep her eyes open properly.

Cedric laughed.

“That’s a relief.”

“What is?”

“If your condition was bad like last time, I don’t think I could endure it.”

The end of his words became a small sound like a whisper.

Rapid breaths mingled. Cedric laid Artizea down on the bed.

When Artizea opened her eyes, it was dark all around.

Her body felt warm. It had been a long time since she had slept so warmly. To be precise, it was the first time since getting off the ship that brought her to the Evron Duchy. In the port city, she had been too exhausted to sleep—it was more like she had fainted.

Amusingly, the temperature of their touching bodies made her realize more than anything that she had fallen asleep in Cedric’s arms.

Her body felt quite comfortable. The stiffness in her fingers and shoulder aches that usually tormented her when she woke up were barely noticeable.

“Ugh…”

Still, a groan escaped. Muscles she didn’t even know existed were asserting their presence here and there.

The bed swayed. Artizea unconsciously turned around.

Cedric, who had been lying beside her, reached out and lit a candle. Then he turned toward Artizea.

Artizea looked at his face with a strange feeling. Having this man lying beside her still felt unreal.

Then Cedric reached his arm toward her. His arm lightly wrapped around her waist.

Artizea squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t have the confidence to keep her eyes open and look at him directly.

“You can sleep until morning if you’re confident you can sleep like this, but otherwise it would be better to wake up for a bit. It’s still evening.”

A gentle voice seeped into her ear. Tremors passed over Artizea’s skin.

When she kept her eyes closed, Cedric stroked her cheek this time.

“Don’t pretend you’re not awake when you are.”

His arm wrapped around her waist again. Artizea was smoothly pulled toward him. Cedric hugged her tightly once, then released her.

She was completely awake now.

When she forced her eyes open, Cedric’s face was right in front of her. Artizea lowered her eyes again this time too.

Cedric’s hand swept through her hair.

“If you don’t open your eyes, I’ll kiss you.”

It became a situation where she could neither open nor not open her eyes. Artizea hesitantly lifted her eyelids.

Cedric didn’t keep his word. The moment their eyes met, their lips touched again.

Only after the strength left Artizea’s body, who couldn’t breathe properly, did their lips part. Cedric laid her back on the pillow and embraced her again.

Artizea lay there for a moment, using his shoulder as a pillow.

Cedric had a lazy expression. Unlike the languidness or fatigue when tired, it was the face of someone who didn’t want to get up, buried in bed.

Artizea looked at that face with an unfamiliar feeling. She was learning for the first time that he could make such an expression.

Growl—her stomach contracted. Rather than thinking she was hungry, she was terribly famished. It was unusual for her to feel such hunger, so she felt strange.

Then Cedric threw his laziness far away and sat up. He scratched his disheveled hair.

“We should eat something.”

“…Yes.”

He must have heard the growling sound. Artizea’s face turned red.

“Wait a moment. I’ll go out and come back.”

“Call someone. A maid should be waiting.”

“I need to change clothes anyway. And… I don’t really want to be disturbed right now.”

Artizea could understand his words.

The room was dim and warm. The white bear fur hanging on the wall reflected the light from the fireplace and candles, tinting the room with warm colors.

That warmth was like an afterglow. It was a tender and desperate space, as if only the two of them remained in the world.

Artizea wished, even for a moment, that this time could be eternal.

If there was nothing else in the world, if only he and she existed, she could stay buried happily in his arms like this without thinking about anything more, without sinning anymore, forgetting shame and disgrace.

But they couldn’t keep the door closed forever.

Cedric stood up. He picked up clothes scattered beside the bed and here and there.

“Where is the key?”

He asked, pointing to the door connected to his bedroom.

Artizea carefully sat up, covering her body with the blanket. It was too embarrassing to answer while lying down.

“Next to that, in the drawer.”

Artizea pointed to a small decorative table beside the door. Cedric opened the table drawer and took out the key.

The locked door opened. Cedric crossed to the other room, leaving the door open.

Cold air rushed in through the open door. She could hear him throwing the pile of clothes on the floor and pulling the bell cord.

Now that it was cold, she wanted to cover herself with the blanket and lie back down. But Artizea carefully got out of bed.

Seeing the cold air coming in from Sedric’s bedroom, she lost the confidence to rummage through the dressing room looking for nightwear. If she called a maid, they would prepare bath water and even help her dress, but she didn’t want to do that.

Wearing only a robe over her bare body, Artizea approached the fireplace. She filled the cast iron kettle with water and hung it over the fire herself.

Soon Sedric returned with a plate of sandwiches and a bottle of milk in one hand. As the door closed, it quickly became warm.

“First, eat something simple. The butler said he would prepare a proper dinner and bring it, but I told him not to.”

“This is enough for me. Though it might not be enough for you, Lord Sedric.”

“I’m probably the one who can go without eating for a long time.”

“You’re not talking about survival skills.”

Artizea spoke as if exasperated. Sedric chuckled lightly.

“Whatever food there is, I can get it from the kitchen later. Sit down for now. Shall we wait for tea? Or eat with milk.”

“Tea would be better.”

Sedric brought the tea set. Artizea sat in front of the fireplace and watched him move.

His bare feet slipped into slippers caught her eye.

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing.”

It was a meaningless gaze. It was just that she felt strange realizing they had become such an intimate relationship.

Sedric brewed the tea. Artizea put a bite-sized sandwich in her mouth and chewed.

Artizea originally didn’t handle cold food well. But now, perhaps because her stomach was warm, it went down easily.

Between the mashed potatoes and egg yolk were thickly sliced boiled egg whites and apple. Each time her front teeth cut through them, there was a refreshing taste. It was slightly stimulating, as if a little mustard had been added.

“You’ll put milk in your tea, right?”

“Yes, please do that.”

Sedric poured milk into the cup and then poured the strongly brewed tea over it.

Artizea gratefully accepted it. And she smiled.

“Prince Evron is serving me brewed tea.”

“If you put it that way, it’s water boiled by Marquess Rosan.”

Sedric smiled.

After eating a couple of sandwiches, she felt like she might live. Only then could Artizea ask.

“But this urgent rush here, it’s really not something important? What about Lisia?”

“She’ll come slowly. I was worried that you might leave immediately without waiting for my reply, so I hurried.”

Sedric answered while putting sugar in his teacup and stirring it with a spoon.

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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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