IRMDH 37

Chapter 37

On the way back to the imperial palace, Blake said nothing. He just kept looking at me the whole time, as if lost in thought.

“Do I have something on my face?”

Why are you staring at me like that…

After hesitating a few times, I finally asked, and Blake simply shook his head.

In the end, I was the one who got tired first.

For some reason, this outing had drained all my energy, and my eyelids were growing heavy.

There’s only so much one can chatter on by oneself.

When the man sitting across from you just nods or smiles without saying a word, what more can you even say?

Half-asleep, I yawned and looked at him again. Blake burst out laughing and said gently,

“I’ll wake you when we arrive. Don’t worry and sleep, my lady.”

I hesitated for a moment.

It wasn’t that I felt awkward about sleeping in front of Blake — we’d already slept together at night, after all.

But maybe… I could ask a small favor from the husband who had thanked me so sincerely earlier.

After a moment of thought, I slowly rose from my seat and crossed to sit beside him.

Blake looked startled, blinking at me with a puzzled expression.

“Then, lend me your shoulder.”

“…My shoulder?”

“Yes, Your Highness’s shoulder looks like the perfect height for a pillow.”

He folded his arms and stared at me, looking completely flustered, his lips parting soundlessly.

But before he could protest, I shut my eyes and leaned my head against his shoulder.

Mm, perfect.

It was firm, but just the right height.

And somehow, Blake smelled comforting — clean and pleasant.

It was a little sad, though, that even when I leaned this close, I couldn’t hear a single breath from him.

If I tried to nap without a proper headrest in this swaying carriage, I’d probably end up headbanging in my sleep.

Wouldn’t it be better for both of us if he just let me use his shoulder, my dear husband?

“Sigh… you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

“On purpose? What did I do?”

Blake grumbled, but he didn’t push me away.

He didn’t look comfortable, though.

For some reason, he seemed stiff — frozen, almost.

And somehow, that nervousness made him look… kind of cute.

Maybe that was the bias of a wife who’d fallen for her own protagonist-husband.

I pretended not to notice and just kept my eyes closed, letting the gentle motion of the carriage lull me into sleep.

Even the occasional jolt didn’t wake me.

But what finally did wake me wasn’t Blake’s promise to call me when we arrived.

“We’ve reached the palace, Your Highness. Forgive me for disturbing your rest, but it would be better to return inside for comfort…”

It was the cold draft and the knight’s voice from outside the carriage door.

Startled, I opened my eyes — for a split second, I thought Blake had left me there and gone ahead.

But then I felt a strange weight on my head.

When I lifted my gaze, there he was — Blake — his forehead resting gently against mine.

He looked groggy, half-awake, rubbing at his face as he mumbled lowly,

“Ah… damn…”

“My apologies, Your Highness.”

The knight bowed deeply, as if waking a royal from sleep were some grave offense.

Blake waved his hand quickly, signaling that it was fine.

I looked from the retreating knight to Blake’s sheepish face.

That expression said it all.

He hadn’t meant to fall asleep either.

“You fell asleep too, Your Highness?”

And with your head against mine, no less?

When I chuckled, Blake schooled his expression into composure and stepped out of the carriage first.

Then, extending his hand to me, he sighed.

“Sigh… When I’m near you, my lady, I can’t seem to hide my drowsiness.”

“Can’t hide it? What do you mean? You get sleepy when I’m next to you? Even when you don’t want to sleep?”

So now I’m some kind of human sleeping aid?

I frowned, but Blake shook his head.

“No, it’s not that…”

As I took his hand and stepped down, now quite used to his formal escort, he kept looking at me.

“I’m not sure. Maybe it’s just because I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Last night? Why? What kept you up…?”

We’d slept together, but I didn’t recall anything unusual…

Ah. Well, there was that one thing.

When Lily dressed me in that ridiculously thin slip and ran away.

Maybe that image kept him from sleeping — the thought alone made me shut my mouth tight.

The memory was mortifying enough to die of embarrassment.

I’d already scolded Lily that morning, but I’d have to give her a proper lecture later.

Pretending not to notice Blake’s sidelong glance, I changed the subject.

“Ah… I think I’m a little hungry.”

Right on cue, my stomach grumbled loudly — thank goodness for good timing.

Blake followed silently behind as I pretended not to notice him, grateful for the distraction.

“Really? You’re giving me a full day off?”

“You’ve been attending to me alone all this time. Aren’t you tired?”

“But I’ve been having fun! Is it treason to say that?”

Even when I offered her a vacation, my infuriating lady’s maid looked reluctant.

I forced a smile until my lips started twitching.

No, I had to get her out of here quickly.

“They canceled the Imperial Golden Song Festival, but there’s still one being held in the city, right?”

“Yes, though it’s almost over.”

“Then go enjoy that festival.”

“…You’re really strange today, Your Highness. You’ve been asking about my plans since morning.”

Her suspicious look made me lift my chin proudly.

What, is it so strange that a crown princess asks her maid about her evening?

She shrank slightly under my stare, then muttered in a small, subdued voice,

“I’m sorry, I’ll pack right away.”

“…People are going to think I kicked you out.”

“Well, it does feel like I’m being chased off today.”

I clicked my tongue, and Lily flinched before scurrying off.

Despite everything, Lily was practically my only friend in the palace.

Sure, I scolded her sometimes — but she always bounced back cheerfully, chatting with me like nothing happened.

She’d really worked hard these past days.

And honestly, Blake had even asked, ‘Isn’t your maid staff too small? I’ve only seen one of them — does she do all the work herself?’

So, between that and the upcoming city festival, I figured Lily could use a break.

Of course, the real reason I sent her away wasn’t just to reward her.

Even though I’d dressed it up that way, she probably sensed something suspicious.

But oh well.

Blake had clearly said yesterday, during our trip to Orion Territory, that he wanted to visit the Teshilo District today.

If Lily found out, she’d go wild — insist on dressing me up all fancy and glamorous.

And I had no energy for that chaos.

“…She’s gone, right?”

The room was finally quiet once Lily left.

Blake had told me it was supposed to be a “discreet inspection”, so flashy dresses were out of the question.

And honestly, most of my gowns were far too luxurious.

Even if I used less lace and fewer jewels, you couldn’t hide the quality of the fabric.

After thinking for a while, I pulled a dress from the corner of my wardrobe —

A light sky-blue one-piece, simple and slightly worn.

It looked oddly familiar — like something from one of the novel’s illustrations.

Though old, it was lovely in its plainness.

I wasn’t sure what story it carried, but if Ariel brought it with her to the palace, it must’ve meant something to her.

Either way, it was perfect for today’s visit to the Golden Song Festival at Teshilo.

And it was easy to put on by myself — no Lily required.

I’d better change before Blake arrived.

The fabric was a little rough, not the smooth silk I was used to, but it felt oddly grounding.

Once dressed, I spun once before the mirror — simple but elegant enough.

Then came the soft knock on the door.

I stepped out from the dressing room that connected to my bedchamber and called out,

“Come in!”

The door opened — and there stood Blake, in simple, casual clothes that somehow made his beautiful, decadent face look even more striking.

“Your Highness! Whew, perfect timing.”

“…Your Highness?”

Normally he’d greet me with a teasing, “Good morning, my lady.”

But instead, he just froze — staring at me in my plain blue dress, inhaling sharply as if he’d just been struck speechless.