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chapter 4
Just as Raphael was glaring at the clock, the youngest researcher spoke cautiously.“Still… I think His Highness the Grand Duke was a bit too cold. She is your wife, after all—shouldn’t you treat her kindly?”
“Right. My wife.”
He curled the corner of his lips slightly as he spoke.
“An outsider.”
“……”
A brief silence followed his ambitious attempt at humor.
Then, belatedly, the researchers burst into laughter.
“H-ha, hahaha!”
“As expected of His Highness’s sense of humor!”
“That was hilarious, Your Highness!”
Once again, he had made others laugh.
But his lips soon returned to their usual stillness.
‘Even telling one joke a day is all part of the plan.’
Making the researchers of the —who worked day and night, pouring in blood and sweat—laugh.
That, too, was under his strict control.
With a faintly satisfied expression, he glanced at the firmly shut door.
At that moment, one researcher muttered carefully,
“Still… wouldn’t it be better to treat her nicely?”
“No. That won’t do.”
The researchers cast sympathetic glances toward the door Serentia had exited.
But Raphael had his reasons for not facing such a ‘strange’ woman.
Since this was something only he and the chairman of the council knew for now, Raphael chose not to think further and replied indifferently,
“Why? Do you have an objection?”
His expression looked as if he would kill anyone who dared to object.
“N-no…”
“Then stop making unnecessary noise.”
Serentia Rosemary.
As an outsider, she too would carry out her schedule under his control.
According to the timetable, they would meet only three times in the next three months.
That was an unchangeable rule.
‘Just wait. One day, I’ll make you call me “dear”!’
…That was her bold resolution as she prepared a “new opportunity” to meet him.
The next morning, while taking a “tour of the Grand Duke’s castle” with Head Maid Melosi—
Melosi spoke with a sorrowful expression.
“I’m truly sorry, but after yesterday, the family’s research lab has been completely closed off.”
Standing in front of the lab, I stared blankly at the sign.
[Outsiders Prohibited]
But perhaps because the word “out” was written so small, it looked less like “outsiders” and more like “wives prohibited.”
The moment I realized that—
“Pffahahaha!”
I burst out laughing, clutching my stomach.
“…Pardon?”
“Ah, he’s really too funny.”
Raphael was truly a funny person.
Even before my regression, he used to faithfully deliver one joke a day.
‘Haha, he’s totally my type!’
As I laughed for a while, Melosi glanced at me with concern and spoke cautiously.
“It seems you’re shocked that there are no scheduled opportunities for you to meet His Highness the Grand Duke for the next month.”
My laughter stopped abruptly.
“His Highness told me personally that if the future Grand Duchess visits without business in an inefficient manner, even the scheduled meetings will be canceled.”
At her firm words, my strength seemed to drain away—
‘This man is completely impenetrable, isn’t he?’
…but I didn’t give up.
Clenching both fists, I gathered my resolve.
‘I can break through Raphael’s walls!’
With determination, I left the lab, recalling the I had seen yesterday, and cautiously probed Melosi.
“…Well, it is a busy time because of the reconstruction project.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Aside from the main building, almost everything was labeled “ruins” or “under restoration.”
‘Just like in the past, Raphael has to rebuild all of this on his own.’
Come to think of it, his wild expression did seem to carry a hint of shadow… (or maybe not).
“I’m worried…”
…I was about to say that I wanted to help him, even just a little.
‘And if I can stick close to him while I’m at it, even better.’
I had knowledge of architecture, and I knew the future.
Maybe I could use that to help him.
That day, I wandered around the surroundings of , deep in thought.
And just as I was looking over the collapsed ruins—
Suddenly, a strangely familiar voice echoed in my ears.
“Lady Serentia, please come to the sanctuary!”
That voice…
‘It’s the same voice that sent me back in time.’
I murmured quietly to myself.
“…The sanctuary?”
As I stopped walking, Melosi spoke brightly.
“Ah, yes. Though it’s mostly collapsed, it was once a place where a sacred presence resided. …Would you like to go inside?”
I stared silently at the half-ruined sanctuary before me.
‘Normally, I’d refuse outright.’
But this time, I simply nodded.
For some reason…
It felt like I had to go.
As if, in that place, there was a key that would bring Raphael and me together.
Here’s the English translation of your passage:
3. Mission… (Im)possible?
I slowly sat down in front of the small altar in the sanctuary.
‘Why am I acting like this?’
My face felt flushed, and my heart was pounding faster and faster.
At the moment I blinked—
A loud siren suddenly rang in my head, followed by a noisy voice.
“Finally, finally, you’ve come to see me!”
And what appeared before my eyes was a fluffy-tailed…
“Ahem!”
…A palm-sized squirrel?
A tiny squirrel popped up, hopping around in front of me.
“Ah, I should use formal speech now! Welcome to the North, Your Highness, future Grand Duchess!”
“…I’m hearing a squirrel talk. I’ve finally gone insane.”
Spitting out the acorn it had been chewing on, the squirrel replied,
“Mwahaha! I’m not an ordinary squirrel! I’m the divine beast of the Grand Duke’s family. I’ve lived here for 300 years.”
“…300 years?”
“Yes!”
“Hello, grandfather.”
At my polite greeting, the squirrel fell silent for a moment.
Then it hurriedly said,
“…J-just call me a squirrel. Anyway, it’s me! I’m the one who used all my power to send you back in time! Did you know there were conditions to that regression?”
“If I don’t stay by Raphael’s side, I die…?”
The squirrel, which had curled its tail, jumped again and handed me an acorn.
“That’s correct!”
On the large acorn it offered, small letters were written:
※ Serentia’s Sweet and Lovely Married Life Project ♥ ※
[Condition: Husband and wife are one body ♥ Stick closely to Raphael’s side!]
[Failure: Death]
“For now, it’s still a generous condition—you just need to be within 1 meter of Raphael once a day. But you must be aware of each other’s presence.”
“The phrase ‘for now’ sounds… kind of ominous.”
As I slightly furrowed my brows, the squirrel wagged its finger with an exaggerated gesture and spoke seriously.
“You don’t need to worry about that yet. Anyway, don’t worry! I’ll help you!”
“Help me with what…?”
“As you know, if you want to stay by Raphael’s side, there’s no better excuse than helping with the !”
I flinched.
I didn’t know how this squirrel figured out that I wanted to help Raphael rebuild the North, but…
“…So what’s your point?”
“Like in your previous life, how about helping with the reconstruction and sticking close to him? In terms of ability, you’re a great architect!”
“Uh… was I?”
It was the first time since Raphael that someone had praised my abilities so directly, so I was taken aback.
Then the squirrel said firmly,
“Of course! There are only a handful of architects as talented as you. Even if you lived like a pushover in your last life, your skills are real, aren’t they?”
…Well, honestly, the squirrel wasn’t wrong.
The buildings I designed were praised in both my past and present life, and I had lived quietly in the shadows.
But still!
“Let’s go with ‘half a pushover.’ I was getting stronger right before I regressed.”
“Yes, …so you’ll do it, right? The Northern Reconstruction!”
The squirrel’s eyes sparkled.
I looked into its shiny black eyes.
This was obviously the moment to say yes.
But for about 0.1 seconds, a useless thought held me back—could someone like me, who had always lived in others’ shadows, really step forward and use my abilities openly?
‘But I have to!’
Just as I was about to speak, the impatient squirrel drooped its tail gloomily.
“I understand your hesitation! You’re in unrequited love, after all. It must be hard to imagine staying by Raphael’s side, spending every night alone together in a dark, gloomy design room. But you need to stick close to him.”
“…Huh?”
Wait a second. I barely heard anything else the squirrel said.
There was only one sentence that pierced straight into my ears:
“Spending every night alone together in a dark, gloomy design room…”
“I’ll do it.”
“Pardon?”
“I said I’ll do it. The dark and gloomy—”
Ah, no.
“…the Northern Reconstruction.”
