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Chapter : 26
I thought the original work had ended… Chapter 26
Asad had stepped forward and was suddenly right in front of me. He stood there casually, looking down at me as I sat on the bed.
I swallowed nervously, my throat dry.
“…….”
His blue eyes, seemingly devoid of emotion, stared at me coldly.
Even if he had amnesia, it wasn’t as if all of his feelings had vanished. Yet, the Asad before me looked almost broken, like a part of him had stopped working.
For a moment, I thought Asad’s indifferent blue eyes flickered. Then he clenched his fist tightly. Looking down at me with cold eyes, he spoke.
“However, I have no intention of obediently following the Duke’s will, even if he’s my biological father. No, even if he is, it doesn’t matter. My lady will be the one I choose.”
“…….”
When I read the original novel, this line sounded incredibly romantic.
Even after marriage, the fact that he could never forget his first love, Evelyn, touched the hearts of many readers. It had touched mine too.
Moreover, after losing his memories and living like the Duke’s puppet, seeing Asad declare that his lady was Evelyn, regardless of an arranged marriage, had been deeply moving…
…Back then, at least.
Nobody considered how someone like me, Tina Valentine, would feel upon hearing such words. Perhaps they didn’t even need to.
I would never have thought about it if I weren’t in the situation myself. From a distance, it’s a comedy; up close, a tragedy. That phrase fits perfectly.
Swish—
“Gasp.”
At that moment, I heard the sharp sound of a blade being drawn from its sheath. Lost in thought, I looked up in shock.
Asad was holding a longsword with a determined expression. Who in their right mind brings a sword on the wedding night!?
“C-Calm—”
Was he trying to kill me? That wasn’t in the original story! I raised my hand to cover my face and recoiled on the bed.
But then—at the moment I thought I was going to die—Asad, who had drawn the sword, lightly cut his own palm instead of mine, expressionless.
“…….”
Plop, plop…
Drops of blood fell onto the white sheets, staining them red. Terrified of blood, I fainted at the sight of it trickling down his fingers.
The next day, I woke up alone on the bed. The red stains on the sheets were the only proof that what had happened last night wasn’t a dream.
“Have you coughed, my lady?”
When I rose, I had officially become the lady of the Winterchester Dukedom.
Nothing had happened on the first night, but the faint scar on Asad’s hand was proof that the events of that night were real.
The strongest in the Empire and one of the Round Table Knights, the only scar on his body had been caused by me.
That’s why whenever I saw his hands from afar, memories of that night would come flooding back. Forgetting it was impossible.
I had even felt insulted, thinking that a knight would not hesitate to injure his own hand just because he disliked me so much.
“…You looked like you were enjoying yourself.”
“…….”
I flinched at the low voice.
Asad’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I thought he had said something before, but I hadn’t noticed.
What did he just say? I stared at Asad with a nervous expression.
When I didn’t respond, he tilted his head and asked again.
“Aren’t you going to do it anymore?”
“……Do what?”
“Playing with your maids earlier.”
…When had he been watching?
I recalled the events just now. …Maybe I had been laughing too much.
“…Yeah, it’s enough now. The fun’s gone out of it.”
Then Asad spoke with a tone that was somewhere between disappointed and slightly frustrated.
“Really? You could’ve done more.”
“…….”
The maids had already left, so who exactly was he expecting me to play with? I wasn’t a showpiece.
I turned my back to Asad, feeling uneasy.
“You came earlier than expected. Just sit there for now.”
“…….”
I pointed to the only sofa in my room. Since my maid had brought Asad here, there wasn’t anywhere else for him to go.
Moreover, the maids who would normally have brought tea and cake hadn’t arrived yet—probably under the nanny’s orders not to disturb us. Damn it. I should have denied her nonsense more forcefully when she acted suspiciously around Asad before.
“…….”
I sat down on the sofa farthest from Asad. A silence fell in the room.
Why did he come so early? Does he not understand time?
Even so, coming two hours early just to wait for Leopold made me incredibly uncomfortable.
After sitting quietly for a while, Asad, perhaps bored because I wasn’t interacting with him, spoke up gently.
“Can I watch?”
“No.”
The refusal left my mouth before I even thought about it. Reflexive, instantaneous. Maybe it sounded harsh, but I couldn’t stop it.
“…….”
“…….”
Asad, seemingly embarrassed, stared at me in disbelief.
He was about to stand but instead sank into the sofa with a tired sigh.
“Huh?”
“?”
Then he noticed something on the sofa and picked it up curiously.
Seeing what he held, I flinched instinctively.
“Ah, that’s—!”
“Is this yours?”
“…Yeah.”
It was a small yellow gemstone earring I cherished. I must have dropped it while playing our “fashion show” game earlier.
I instinctively touched my ear and realized one earring was missing—probably when I had spun around.
“This is fake. I must have been scammed. Where did you buy it?”
“…….”
Asad had already gotten up and approached the window, holding the earring up to the sunlight.
…Truthfully, it wasn’t a scam—I just couldn’t afford real ones and intentionally wore high-quality replicas. I had no obligation to tell him.
Pointing out that a noble’s jewelry was fake was a huge insult. And asking for the jeweler’s name? What would he do with it? As far as I knew, Asad wasn’t the meddling type.
I approached Asad seriously, trying to take back my earring.
“What are you doing? Give it back.”
But due to our height difference, I couldn’t reach it. Only a year apart, but growth in adolescence made a difference.
He could have handed it down, but he didn’t seem inclined to.
I glared at him as he raised his hand higher, and asked in disbelief:
“Why are you like this?”
“And why are you acting like this?”
Asad furrowed his brow and replied with a tone of frustration. I stared up at him in disbelief.
He looked slightly annoyed as he said:
“I just wanted to get closer. I thought you were normally cold, but seeing you playing with the maids, that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“…….”
…So that’s what he had been thinking. Watching me laugh with the maids, he formed that opinion.
“I’ve been thinking since last time—”
Asad suddenly stepped closer. Up close, his blue eyes studied my expression, as if dissatisfied.
“…You’ve been unusually hostile toward me since last time.”
“I-I haven’t.”
“Did I ever do anything to you? You act like I kicked you in the past. Have we met before? Did I make a mistake toward your noble family?”
“…….”
…Does he have some kind of precognition too?
It seems that this life’s Asad isn’t Evelyn’s knight, but should be a priest.
With so many people as sharp as me (who is possessed by the book), the temple is safe.
“I’m the type to make enemies everywhere. I don’t remember the faces of those I owe, but if I made a mistake, I apologize. Was it when I was a commoner? Or recently?”
“…….”
I hardened my expression listening to him.
“…That’s—”
I stopped myself from snapping back and clamped my mouth shut.
Asad, who didn’t remember anything, would never know this was all karma from a past life. But I didn’t feel the need to explain.
I gently pushed him aside and said:
“…No, we haven’t met elsewhere. I’m just shy.”
“…….”
He looked uneasy but silently closed his mouth.
He must have realized instinctively that there was more to it, but at least he wouldn’t pry further about past meetings.
“…Tch.”
Asad glared at me with blue eyes full of dissatisfaction. Eventually, he handed me back the earring, turned, and sank into the sofa, closing his eyes wearily.
“Phew…”
Feeling a sense of closure, I let out a quiet sigh.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Miss Tina, Crown Prince Leopold has just arrived.”
“…….”
The nanny knocked on the door. Leopold had arrived.
What terrible timing… or maybe perfect timing. At least I could finally be freed from this uncomfortable situation.
With that thought, even Leopold felt somewhat welcome.
“Ah, yes, I’ll be right out.”
A faint smile touched my lips as I spoke.
“…….”
Asad stared at me, then suddenly stood up. He strode past me.
“Ah!”
“…….”
He bumped my shoulder on purpose or not, didn’t apologize, and exited before me. It felt deliberately annoying.
