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Chapter 40
The tiny seeds flying through the sky like stars were so beautiful that I couldn’t take my eyes off them.
Even the flowers that had withered and died were beautiful, but they couldn’t compare to now, when they had been revived and brimming with vitality.
“Your Highness, I’ve revived them!”
I turned toward Blake with a bright smile.
He had obviously tried to stop me, but now that I had succeeded, I couldn’t help wanting his praise.
I ran to him almost like I was throwing myself into his arms.
He reflexively pulled me in close, holding me firmly, but his expression was still dazed.
Of course, I didn’t care at all and began chattering happily in his arms.
“How is it? Isn’t there so much I can do with this power? I didn’t even know I could, but now that I’ve done it, it’s so amazing…”
“My lady.”
“Yes?”
“You revived not just one flower, but the whole bunch. Are you…sure this is okay?”
Huh?
Looking at him now, Blake seemed paler than usual.
‘Of course it’s okay!’
…Just as I opened my mouth to say that,
everything went black and I lost consciousness.
Ah, damn it…so it wasn’t okay!
“…Is it just you?”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
“What on earth are you apologizing for?”
“But if I hadn’t left right away after taking the leave Your Highness granted me…”
“Hah, must take after your master? Stop apologizing for trivial things.”
I slowly felt my consciousness returning.
At the same time, I could hear voices nearby.
A sulky female voice—probably Lily—and a cold, distant male voice—Blake, I assumed.
But Lily should have left the palace for my leave.
Could she have returned so soon?
Maybe she rushed back when she heard I had fainted?
I cautiously opened my eyes, and as I suspected, the people I imagined were standing nearby.
Focusing on my trembling eyes, my blurred vision gradually cleared.
“Your Highness!”
“…You’re awake?”
Seeing Lily calling out to me and Blake’s face full of anger, I obediently nodded.
My throat felt sore from how long I must have been unconscious, and Lily hurriedly brought me some water.
“Hmm…how long was I out?”
“You weren’t sleeping—you fainted.”
Hmm. His tone, voice, and expression…oh no, Blake seemed extremely angry.
I glanced at Lily, silently asking for help. She hesitated for a moment before saying,
“You were unconscious for three days…um, asleep. Your Highness, are you feeling unwell? Any discomfort or chronic illness?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“The doctor confirmed you weren’t sick…”
I must have seemed ridiculous to him for reviving flowers instead of people.
Looking back, maybe Blake hadn’t really cared, but had simply assumed I was only reviving a single flower, so he hadn’t intervened.
The sight of all those flowers rising from their grave-like heap and flying was truly beautiful… but if I’d known I would faint this long, I probably wouldn’t have done it.
“No, I’m not sick. So…did you return after finishing your leave today?”
“Yes. If I had known in advance, I would have come back immediately.”
“Hah, that works out. I assumed the Empress would have taken care of things, but the Crown Princess only has one maid?”
Ah.
Because I fainted, my furious husband hurriedly brought me back to the palace… but the fact that I had only one maid attending me—and she was conveniently on leave—must have enraged him.
Blake spoke harshly, as if chewing every word before spitting it out.
“I already knew the guards weren’t doing their jobs properly, but only one maid? Hah! How have you endured such treatment without saying a word?”
Finally, Blake’s scolding reached me.
I quickly gestured to Lily to leave, and though she hesitated, she quickly lowered her head in fear of Blake and exited.
As the room grew quiet, I cautiously opened my mouth.
“I thought Your Highness knew.”
“…What?”
“That you were aware of my negligent guards, the one maid from a fallen noble family who volunteered, and the court gossip about me… I thought you knew and were staying silent.”
Blake looked stunned at my words.
His eyes seemed to ask, “Does that make sense?” But I slowly shook my head.
Sorry, I’m not done yet.
“Or…maybe you just didn’t care about me.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“We spent a year worse than anyone else. I thought it didn’t matter to you.”
“That…actually, it’s you who—”
Blake stopped mid-sentence, but I understood what he was trying to say.
Yes, Ariel Rekaisya would have had an obsessive fiancé named Ian Harmel.
But I’m different from the original Ariel.
Once in the palace, I cut all ties with Ian.
Still, I had been frustrated by Blake’s continued distance.
“It was hard even to see your face, and I thought there was no way to explain my treatment to you. Only after reviving you did you finally speak to me a word.”
Would it have made a difference if I had spoken?
I felt like a wife worse than a stone rolling in the street.
No matter how much I tried to act differently from the original Ariel, he seemed to give me no chance.
That’s why I ended up planning to escape, close to giving up.
“I…”
Blake avoided my gaze and gritted his teeth, still unfamiliar to me.
Of course, he might have his own reasons.
Seeing him as if holding back something he wanted to say…
But even so, I didn’t understand why he would be so frustrated and angry now.
Sighing deeply, I raised my head.
“And I still don’t fully control or understand my power. I didn’t expect to faint like this. Next time, I’ll…”
“Next time?”
Blake’s gaze met mine, dangerously cold. I flinched.
He then spoke in a low voice, deliberately slow and forceful.
“There won’t be a next time.”
“But this power could be useful in so many ways—!”
“If I have to use that power, I’d rather lose.”
I slowly closed my mouth at his firm words.
The doctor said I wasn’t sick, and that I had only fainted.
So why did he react with such anger and dislike?
Was it because he was genuinely worried about me?
But I had rarely seen Blake like this, even in the book.
His reaction now was more intense than when his loyal direct subordinate died in the war.
Eventually, Blake fell silent, and a heavy silence settled between us.
I stared blankly at him as he closed his eyes, trying to control his anger.
“….”
But his pale face reminded me of the lifeless Blake I had seen before reviving him, and my heart sank.
Watching him calm his anger in such stillness, almost like a corpse, scared me.
I didn’t know what to apologize for, but I reached out my hand first.
Just as I was about to speak, Blake cut me off.
“I’ll have your meal prepared. Rest.”
Without hesitation, he turned and left.
I exhaled deeply, my throbbing head aching.
“Haa…maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”
I must have had some built-up feelings I hadn’t realized.
Thinking about how I had burst everything out when he asked why I hadn’t spoken…
But sometimes, when he acted so differently from the cold man of the past year, I couldn’t tell what was right.
“People are so inconsistent.”
I muttered to myself, but it didn’t bring comfort.
Just him closing his eyes… that serene expression resembled the lifeless Blake I had seen in his coffin.
And thinking that, I felt scared.
The protagonist who had lost life, my husband who was pale and corpse-like, Blake whose lively self might never return…
“…Geez, people don’t understand feelings at all.”
Had I used the necromancer’s power recklessly for my own sake?
I wanted to help him. I wanted him to be well.
I wanted to revive him perfectly…
With a heavy heart, I flopped back onto the bed.
