Etienne returned to his bedroom and leaned against the window. It was another night when he felt he wouldn't be able to fall asleep at all.
The sensation of holding Shioana's wet hair with his fingertips was vivid.
"Whose stuff are you trying to mess with?"
As he recalled those who had attacked Shioana in the alley, veins bulged on his fists. He was the only one in the world who could punish her.
"But those vermin..."
He pretended to be fine earlier, but the truth is, he wanted to draw his sword and sweep through the alley.
His heart pounded when she clung to him, her foot scraped from her shoe coming off.
"This won't do. I need to drink a little more."
Because he could not close his eyes for even a moment while sober, he lived his life intoxicated. The doctor advised him to abstain strictly, saying it put a strain on his heart.
As he poured the drink again and brought it to his lips, anxiety struck him once more.
"It must be in the next room."
He felt like he would go crazy if he didn't confirm with his own eyes that Shioana was there right now.
Etienne, having loosely put on a robe, slowly opened the door to the connected bedroom. Decorated with bright wallpaper and delicately carved furniture, and adorned with lace curtains, the Duchess's bedroom was quite different from his room.
Shioana was lying on the bed in the middle of the room, wearing a robe.
'So it's over there.'
He could have just gone back now, but Etienne couldn't.
"It feels really strange to see you in my space."
Shioana's brown hair, which was not yet dry, lay haphazardly on the bed sheets, and she was sleeping uncomfortably with her hands tightly clenched.
As if entranced by the sight, Etienne slowly climbed onto the bed.
And leaning his back against a thick cushion, he watched Shioana leisurely. As Shioana kept frowning, perhaps having dozed off, he reached out his hand toward her.
Shioana, who had suddenly opened her eyes at a strange sensation, covered her mouth.
"...Your Excellency."
As she half-asleep, the Duke's red eyes, the only light shining in the pitch-black darkness, caught her eye. And beneath his broad shoulders, his chest muscles were briefly visible through the gap in his robe.
Why on earth is there the Duke on her bed?
She swallowed hard, and he averted his gaze from her and covered her eyes with his hand.
"I'll keep sleeping."
However, there was no way she could fall asleep in this uncomfortable state.
Unable to say a word, Shioana rolled her body as much as possible and curled up at the edge of the bed. After glaring at the door for a long time, Shioana let out a short sigh.
'Yeah, it's better than sleeping on the street. At least there's a bed as soft as a cloud and a warm blanket.'
Her eyelids quickly grew heavy, so she dozed off, closing and opening her eyes repeatedly.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, a large hand snatched her waist. In an instant, her back pressed tightly against the Duke's bare chest.
"Your, Your Excellency."
Shioana's voice split into several strands, showing just how surprised she was.
"You said you'd do it properly..."
“Ha, but..."
"You're worried, aren't you? That I might embrace an untrustworthy woman like you."
A voice as cold as ice tickled the nape of her neck.
"But why is it like this..."
What on earth is the reason for the world not being embraced?
He whispered as he buried his lips in Shioana's neck.
"It would be troublesome if you ran away."
The heat of his bare skin was transmitted intact through the gown. It was impossible to tell whose it was.
The hearts of the two people were pounding fiercely.
The Duke's words were full of contradictions, but she decided not to think about it anymore.
'It seems I just feel like a big dog to His Excellency.'
It wasn't easy to accept, but she tried hard to believe it.
'Yeah, I'm a dog, a dog.'
Thinking this way put her mind much more at ease. Because then she wouldn't have to worry at all about the large hand gripping her waist or the Duke's breath spreading along her spine.
Shioana tried to fall asleep while thinking about the documents she had to organize at the office tomorrow.
Once she completely relaxed her body, nothing was that difficult. After all, the rain didn't leak here, and the wind wasn't cold.
Soon, as even breathing began to fill the bedroom, a pair of sharp eyes gleamed.
"....You're saying you're sleepy?"
Etienne clicked his tongue as he glared at Shioana, who was sleeping peacefully in his arms.
***
She couldn't remember the last time she had slept lying in bed like this. As her body sank in, Shioana's face, which had been smiling pleasantly for a moment, quickly hardened.
'I made up my mind to go to sleep, but I didn't expect to actually fall asleep.'
Shioana twisted her body this way and that to try and free the hand tangled around her waist like a tree root, but the Duke's body, wrapped tightly around her, did not budge.
'Did the debtor frequently default on payments and run away?'
She didn't know how they could sleep while hugging each other so tightly. It was when Shioana reached out and touched the back of his hand after gently rubbing her back, which was damp with sweat.
"S-Smilak-"
A painful voice escaped the Duke's lips.
Duke Bernhard, who had nothing to envy in the Empire, sometimes looked like the most unfortunate person in the world.
Shioana ignored his muttering and pulled her body away.
It was then that she quietly called a maid to change her dress and stepped out of the building.
"I didn't expect this turn of events. To think we're living together right after filling out the paperwork—things are moving quite fast."
Cedric, appearing from nowhere, whistled toward Shioana.
“It’s not like that.”
"You are more resourceful than you look."
"...Ha."
After all, this was the kind of person who treated her like a seductress trying to tempt the Duke even when she first collapsed in the garden and hit her head. It was obvious that trying to explain further would only be a waste of breath.
Shioana tightened the sling she was wearing and spoke seriously.
"I know it is shameless of me, but I’m asking you to take care of my family."
“Where are you going?”
Cedric sat up and stretched widely while looking at the shining sun.
"Because I have to go to work..."
"Ah! Are you saying you are going to Raul's office even in the midst of this?"
Shioana looked at him with a face that seemed to say, "Why are you asking such an obvious question?"
"I will find a house as soon as possible, so please convey that to His Excellency. Then, I will be going."
If she hurried out, she might be able to hitch a ride on a cart going to Zone 8.
As Shioana hurried her steps, Cedric gestured to the coachman.
"I will send a carriage to your commute."
"There is no need to go that far."
"It is entirely for His Excellency's sake."
True to his nature as Duke Bernhard's secretary, Viscount Conrad was also consumed by distrust toward her.
'Do you mean I look like someone who would leave their family here and run away?'
It was absurd, but there was no reason to refuse a carriage that would allow for a comfortable ride.
“Then I won’t decline.”
As Shioana climbed into the carriage, the coachman whipped vigorously. The carriage soon sped out of the mansion, and Cedric Conrad fell into deep thought.
A faint, sharp smile flickered across his gentle-looking face before vanishing.
***
When Etienne Bernhard opened his eyes, the sun was already high in the sky. It was the first time he had overslept since returning to the Bernhard family.
"...Ha."
He was dumbfounded that he had slept so deeply.
"I didn't come here to sleep..."
He intended to just keep an eye on Shioana and return soon.
He rubbed the corners of his eyes with his hand, and the empty bed came into view.
The corners of his mouth twisted as he looked down at the few strands of brown hair remaining between his fingers.
"You ran away like a thief, leaving me behind?"
He had never imagined such a scene. His face turned completely disheveled. As he reached out to properly put on his gown, Cedric, who had been waiting, appeared with a letter and documents.
"Your Excellency, it seems there was a special remedy for insomnia."
Cedric wore a suspicious look, knowing that Etienne had been suffering from insomnia since witnessing Edwin's death.
"...Stop the nonsense and let's go to the office."
The Duke, having substituted a meal with hot tea, unfolded the last letter. It was entirely useless. It was either a request to attend the banquet or to borrow some money.
People he had never met before would send letters like this, claiming to be relatives.
"Your Excellency, would you like to come inside?"
Cedric tilted the face of the stone statue placed on the fourth shelf of the bookshelf. As he did so, the shelf opened, revealing a hidden space inside.
"This is a memo sent by the guard assigned to the Godmother, and this is for District 8."
After checking the memo sent by the guard, he immediately lit a fire and burned the paper.
"I see."
"She left for Raul's office early this morning. The coachman dropped her off, and the guard says he hasn't seen her come out yet."
"...Hmm."
The guard assigned to Shioana reported her movements three or four times a day. Unless something special happened, the Duke would go to District 8 himself in the afternoon.
"Is the rumor that she is Raul's hidden lover true?"
At Cedric's words, the Duke's forehead contorted deeply.
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