#109. Short nap
Daphne looked in the mirror with a blank expression. The dyeing was a failure.
“Come out quickly.”
Unlike Daphne's despair, Derek's attitude was calm. But Daphne felt like crying. This, this, it was like going back to the old days.
“Why did you dye your hair like this...”
“What’s strange?”
Derek was the one who dyed her hair. He seemed like he could do anything, and Daphne felt comfortable leaving her hair to him. But now it looks like this.
“Head, this is... this is, too...”
To hide their identities, they decided to dye their hair. The color they had in mind was plain brown. However, Derek's brilliant skills ended up staining her hair.
The brown hair she knew was a little neater. But the reality was different from what she had imagined. The dye wasn't strong enough to cover the blonde, so the dyed side was a golden brown, and the undyed side was a gorgeous blonde. It was just like looking at herself as a child.
The only thing Daphne liked was her dark blonde hair, but now she's back to dirty blonde...
“What about your hair? It’s natural.”
“Me! Ha...”
She wanted to complain, but what if she had dyed her hair? Daphne swallowed her discontent and looked in the mirror. Fortunately, her hair was a very natural, mottled blonde.
Daphne sighed as she landed. Derek held out his hand, and Daphne took it. She was full of complaints about her hair, but Derek didn't seem to notice.
“Have you decided on a name?”
"Yes."
“What should I call you?”
“Olivia.”
“Olivia? Why on earth?”
“Well, the name of the person who is believed to be my biological father is Oliver.”
When she was naming herself, she remembered something her mother used to say about a man named Oliver.
'My eternal lover, whom I loved and loved. Just like Oliver.'
She doesn't know what happened to Oliver, but she's sure he was her father.
“Father... why on earth wasn’t he with you?”
It was as if he was taking out his anger on her instead. She doesn't know everything about Derek, but she knows that he hates his father, Count Locania. That's why he's angry at Daphne's father, too.
“He would have become like Fabian.”
Derek flinched at those words. He was right. The old Emperor had been obsessed with Daphne's mother as well. It would have been easier to eliminate the men around her whom she was interested in.
Daphne thought of her father with a dark face. She didn't know what he looked like. She just hoped his end wouldn't be painful.
“I like this name.”
The name Daphne was given to her by her mother to make her a tree rather than a flower. Looking back now, it seemed like an overly strange name.
Anyway, she has to throw that name away now. It's like a relic that her mother gave her. If she throws that away, her mother will definitely be sad. That's why she named her Olivia. She thought her mother would be less sad if it were a name taken from her father.
“Olivia.”
“...”
“It’s not a bad name.”
Daphne snickered at those words. Daphne took Derek's hand and finally got off the ship. This was a port city where merchant ships docked.
It was a completely different picture from what Daphne had seen when she had escaped from the palace to the capital. It was chaotic, lacking in order, and noisy.
Daphne looked at the harbor with a curious look. People in all sorts of different clothes were standing there. It was her first time on a ship and her first time in a place like this.
It's so amazing.
It's so, so good.
“You will stay here.”
“...”
“Since port cities are usually crowded with people coming and going, there won’t be anyone watching you.”
“...”
“Well, even so, Emperor Asherad cannot come here.”
Daphne's anxious heart calmed down at his confident words. Derek led Daphne into the city in earnest. He didn't even look at the map, and this was his first time in the city, too, but he said he was good at finding his way around the city.
“Because I was a traveler.”
He headed towards the gate leading into the city. Derek clicked his tongue, and two soldiers were guarding the entrance to the city.
“It looks like it’s an exhibition situation.”
“...”
“Do as we agreed on the ship.”
Daphne nodded. Taking Derek's hand, Daphne headed towards where the soldiers were guarding.
“Stop.”
“...”
“Tell me your identity.”
Derek pulled the cards out of his pocket.
“I am a merchant from Pindus who travels the streets.”
“...”
“I am planning to stay in this city with my wife.”
The soldier looked closely at the pattern.
“Where are you from?”
“This is the Setia region. I just got off a merchant ship.”
Derek pointed to a ship in the distance. The soldier nodded and tried to let him go, but the other soldier coldly examined him.
“This guy speaks with a Peneus Empire accent.”
Then the other soldier's face hardened.
“You, you tell me too.”
When he looked at Daphne, she lowered her eyes.
“I am from the Peneus Empire. My husband met me when he visited the old empire.”
Currently, the Peneus Empire and the Kingdom of Thalassa are at war. But someone from the Peneus Empire is coming here?
“I have nothing to do with that empire anymore. Really.”
As Daphne said, they were unwavering.
“I doubt you two are even a couple.”
“What the...”
“Where can you find such an awkward couple?”
The soldiers pointed them out surprisingly sharply. Then Derek put his arm around Daphne's shoulder. Daphne was held in his arms.
“My wife is very embarrassed, so please be considerate.”
“You guys are suspicious. I should report to you whether you are not spies of Peneus.”
Derek said to the soldier.
“My wife is pregnant, so I came here. Our home countries are different, so how could I act as a spy? The reason I came here is that this is the farthest place from the war!”
Daphne patted her belly as if she were surprised by Derek's lie. The soldiers looked at Derek's words, which seemed unfair. The Kingdom of Thalassa did not treat pregnant women rudely. They also knew that even if spies came, they could not do anything here.
If there were spies, they would have headed to the capital. This is a commercial area, not a place where the navy docks. However, they were suspicious.
“Call the doctor. Right now, we don’t know if she’s pregnant or not.”
Daphne's belly was thin for a pregnant woman. Daphne looked at Derek with anxiety. Derek seemed nervous, too. They didn't say anything, but they were ready to run away if necessary. The soldiers also saw that and raised the corners of their mouths.
Soon, the doctor came and grabbed Daphne's wrist. He frowned and looked at Daphne's wrist. The doctor looked up. He seemed to be lost in thought as he looked at Daphne's earnest expression, then clicked his tongue and said.
“Yes, she is pregnant.”
Derek and Daphne hid their surprise. Was the doctor helping? Either way, the tense atmosphere was relieved. Derek frowned and said.
“Am I right? I came here because I needed a place to settle down. You can tell by looking at my luggage.”
The luggage was a sword and gold for currency. Not too much, not too little... In any case, it was a reasonable amount for settling down and living. And a sword. Of course, he carried this much for self-defense. Of course, it was necessary to protect his pregnant wife.
The soldiers spoke with puzzled expressions.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. The order has been given to strengthen the fort’s security.”
“It was hard for you to come here while pregnant.”
Daphne was puzzled, but said it was okay. Perhaps because of her shy words, the soldiers understood why the couple was awkward. But they did everything they could. They looked at Derek and Daphne with somewhat vulgar imaginations. The stained blonde woman was pretty, and the man was ready to fight.
They sent them away, embarrassed, and even kindly told them which side of the house they should get and where they should sleep first.
“I think the doctor was looking out for us.”
Daphne spoke to Derek, who was lost in thought. She smiled at his puzzled face.
“I can’t get pregnant. I took fertility pills before.”
“...”
“I’m really not pregnant.”
“Why did you take birth control pills?”
“Because I didn’t want to carry that human’s seed.”
Derek nodded with a complicated expression at the disgust on her face. He grabbed her hand to disguise it, but Derek's hand held hers even tighter. Derek looked at the map of the city, and after turning right a few times, he arrived at a house.
Daphne looked up at the house. It was a half-timbered house. A traditional house with wooden walls supporting the exterior. A house as featureless as any other.
“This is the house where you will live.”
“Yes? We need to find a house...”
“How long has the Count been planning this? He’s already found a house.”
Daphne looked at the house a few times with a surprised expression. It was separate from the other houses, but not too far away. This ordinary house seemed special because it was where she would live. She opened the door and went inside. The small house had two floors and was already filled with furniture.
Derek followed her in.
“This place is so shabby.”
“It’s more than enough for me.”
This is my home. The house where I will live. She smiled brightly and looked around the living room before going up to the second floor. A cozy house. When she opened the last room, a bedroom appeared.
The bedroom was simple. A large bed, a side table, a dressing table... Daphne sat on the bed without looking at it. As she sat, she saw the window. She walked over and opened it. Then she saw the house across the street. She sat on the bed again, drawing the green curtains so that the inside of the room could not be seen.
Now she was out of the empire, completely free from Asherad. This was neither a shabby room nor a room so gorgeous that it hurt her eyes. It was the ordinary place she had dreamed of.
She had finally escaped from the being that had bound her. As relief washed over her, Daphne yawned. It was a yawn without covering her mouth, but no one said anything.
She dozed off and closed her eyes in her bed.
It was a deathly sleep that left her completely at ease.
Previous Next
Daphne looked in the mirror with a blank expression. The dyeing was a failure.
“Come out quickly.”
Unlike Daphne's despair, Derek's attitude was calm. But Daphne felt like crying. This, this, it was like going back to the old days.
“Why did you dye your hair like this...”
“What’s strange?”
Derek was the one who dyed her hair. He seemed like he could do anything, and Daphne felt comfortable leaving her hair to him. But now it looks like this.
“Head, this is... this is, too...”
To hide their identities, they decided to dye their hair. The color they had in mind was plain brown. However, Derek's brilliant skills ended up staining her hair.
The brown hair she knew was a little neater. But the reality was different from what she had imagined. The dye wasn't strong enough to cover the blonde, so the dyed side was a golden brown, and the undyed side was a gorgeous blonde. It was just like looking at herself as a child.
The only thing Daphne liked was her dark blonde hair, but now she's back to dirty blonde...
“What about your hair? It’s natural.”
“Me! Ha...”
She wanted to complain, but what if she had dyed her hair? Daphne swallowed her discontent and looked in the mirror. Fortunately, her hair was a very natural, mottled blonde.
Daphne sighed as she landed. Derek held out his hand, and Daphne took it. She was full of complaints about her hair, but Derek didn't seem to notice.
“Have you decided on a name?”
"Yes."
“What should I call you?”
“Olivia.”
“Olivia? Why on earth?”
“Well, the name of the person who is believed to be my biological father is Oliver.”
When she was naming herself, she remembered something her mother used to say about a man named Oliver.
'My eternal lover, whom I loved and loved. Just like Oliver.'
She doesn't know what happened to Oliver, but she's sure he was her father.
“Father... why on earth wasn’t he with you?”
It was as if he was taking out his anger on her instead. She doesn't know everything about Derek, but she knows that he hates his father, Count Locania. That's why he's angry at Daphne's father, too.
“He would have become like Fabian.”
Derek flinched at those words. He was right. The old Emperor had been obsessed with Daphne's mother as well. It would have been easier to eliminate the men around her whom she was interested in.
Daphne thought of her father with a dark face. She didn't know what he looked like. She just hoped his end wouldn't be painful.
“I like this name.”
The name Daphne was given to her by her mother to make her a tree rather than a flower. Looking back now, it seemed like an overly strange name.
Anyway, she has to throw that name away now. It's like a relic that her mother gave her. If she throws that away, her mother will definitely be sad. That's why she named her Olivia. She thought her mother would be less sad if it were a name taken from her father.
“Olivia.”
“...”
“It’s not a bad name.”
Daphne snickered at those words. Daphne took Derek's hand and finally got off the ship. This was a port city where merchant ships docked.
It was a completely different picture from what Daphne had seen when she had escaped from the palace to the capital. It was chaotic, lacking in order, and noisy.
Daphne looked at the harbor with a curious look. People in all sorts of different clothes were standing there. It was her first time on a ship and her first time in a place like this.
It's so amazing.
It's so, so good.
“You will stay here.”
“...”
“Since port cities are usually crowded with people coming and going, there won’t be anyone watching you.”
“...”
“Well, even so, Emperor Asherad cannot come here.”
Daphne's anxious heart calmed down at his confident words. Derek led Daphne into the city in earnest. He didn't even look at the map, and this was his first time in the city, too, but he said he was good at finding his way around the city.
“Because I was a traveler.”
He headed towards the gate leading into the city. Derek clicked his tongue, and two soldiers were guarding the entrance to the city.
“It looks like it’s an exhibition situation.”
“...”
“Do as we agreed on the ship.”
Daphne nodded. Taking Derek's hand, Daphne headed towards where the soldiers were guarding.
“Stop.”
“...”
“Tell me your identity.”
Derek pulled the cards out of his pocket.
“I am a merchant from Pindus who travels the streets.”
“...”
“I am planning to stay in this city with my wife.”
The soldier looked closely at the pattern.
“Where are you from?”
“This is the Setia region. I just got off a merchant ship.”
Derek pointed to a ship in the distance. The soldier nodded and tried to let him go, but the other soldier coldly examined him.
“This guy speaks with a Peneus Empire accent.”
Then the other soldier's face hardened.
“You, you tell me too.”
When he looked at Daphne, she lowered her eyes.
“I am from the Peneus Empire. My husband met me when he visited the old empire.”
Currently, the Peneus Empire and the Kingdom of Thalassa are at war. But someone from the Peneus Empire is coming here?
“I have nothing to do with that empire anymore. Really.”
As Daphne said, they were unwavering.
“I doubt you two are even a couple.”
“What the...”
“Where can you find such an awkward couple?”
The soldiers pointed them out surprisingly sharply. Then Derek put his arm around Daphne's shoulder. Daphne was held in his arms.
“My wife is very embarrassed, so please be considerate.”
“You guys are suspicious. I should report to you whether you are not spies of Peneus.”
Derek said to the soldier.
“My wife is pregnant, so I came here. Our home countries are different, so how could I act as a spy? The reason I came here is that this is the farthest place from the war!”
Daphne patted her belly as if she were surprised by Derek's lie. The soldiers looked at Derek's words, which seemed unfair. The Kingdom of Thalassa did not treat pregnant women rudely. They also knew that even if spies came, they could not do anything here.
If there were spies, they would have headed to the capital. This is a commercial area, not a place where the navy docks. However, they were suspicious.
“Call the doctor. Right now, we don’t know if she’s pregnant or not.”
Daphne's belly was thin for a pregnant woman. Daphne looked at Derek with anxiety. Derek seemed nervous, too. They didn't say anything, but they were ready to run away if necessary. The soldiers also saw that and raised the corners of their mouths.
Soon, the doctor came and grabbed Daphne's wrist. He frowned and looked at Daphne's wrist. The doctor looked up. He seemed to be lost in thought as he looked at Daphne's earnest expression, then clicked his tongue and said.
“Yes, she is pregnant.”
Derek and Daphne hid their surprise. Was the doctor helping? Either way, the tense atmosphere was relieved. Derek frowned and said.
“Am I right? I came here because I needed a place to settle down. You can tell by looking at my luggage.”
The luggage was a sword and gold for currency. Not too much, not too little... In any case, it was a reasonable amount for settling down and living. And a sword. Of course, he carried this much for self-defense. Of course, it was necessary to protect his pregnant wife.
The soldiers spoke with puzzled expressions.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. The order has been given to strengthen the fort’s security.”
“It was hard for you to come here while pregnant.”
Daphne was puzzled, but said it was okay. Perhaps because of her shy words, the soldiers understood why the couple was awkward. But they did everything they could. They looked at Derek and Daphne with somewhat vulgar imaginations. The stained blonde woman was pretty, and the man was ready to fight.
They sent them away, embarrassed, and even kindly told them which side of the house they should get and where they should sleep first.
“I think the doctor was looking out for us.”
Daphne spoke to Derek, who was lost in thought. She smiled at his puzzled face.
“I can’t get pregnant. I took fertility pills before.”
“...”
“I’m really not pregnant.”
“Why did you take birth control pills?”
“Because I didn’t want to carry that human’s seed.”
Derek nodded with a complicated expression at the disgust on her face. He grabbed her hand to disguise it, but Derek's hand held hers even tighter. Derek looked at the map of the city, and after turning right a few times, he arrived at a house.
Daphne looked up at the house. It was a half-timbered house. A traditional house with wooden walls supporting the exterior. A house as featureless as any other.
“This is the house where you will live.”
“Yes? We need to find a house...”
“How long has the Count been planning this? He’s already found a house.”
Daphne looked at the house a few times with a surprised expression. It was separate from the other houses, but not too far away. This ordinary house seemed special because it was where she would live. She opened the door and went inside. The small house had two floors and was already filled with furniture.
Derek followed her in.
“This place is so shabby.”
“It’s more than enough for me.”
This is my home. The house where I will live. She smiled brightly and looked around the living room before going up to the second floor. A cozy house. When she opened the last room, a bedroom appeared.
The bedroom was simple. A large bed, a side table, a dressing table... Daphne sat on the bed without looking at it. As she sat, she saw the window. She walked over and opened it. Then she saw the house across the street. She sat on the bed again, drawing the green curtains so that the inside of the room could not be seen.
Now she was out of the empire, completely free from Asherad. This was neither a shabby room nor a room so gorgeous that it hurt her eyes. It was the ordinary place she had dreamed of.
She had finally escaped from the being that had bound her. As relief washed over her, Daphne yawned. It was a yawn without covering her mouth, but no one said anything.
She dozed off and closed her eyes in her bed.
It was a deathly sleep that left her completely at ease.
Previous Next
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment