Chapter 019
A little while later, I arrived at the office and lightly knocked on the door.
“Evan, can I come in for a moment?”
“Come in.”
As I entered the office, he was examining documents, looking much like he did yesterday.
“What brings you here?”
He asked in a monotone voice.
I faced his impassive expression and began.
“It’s about the new bed in the bedroom. Why did you change it all of a sudden?”
At my question, he finally lifted his gaze from the documents.
He then spoke in a nonchalant manner.
“If the bed is uncomfortable, you should have just said so.”
“…What?”
As I stared at him with a confused expression, he let out a short sigh and continued.
“From now on, if you find anything uncomfortable while staying here, you don’t need to endure it. Just have it changed immediately.”
He also added that if the budget for maintaining my dignity was insufficient, I should increase it as needed.
I tilted my head repeatedly, feeling like something was off about the conversation.
As I silently stared at him, Evan shifted his gaze to the side and spoke.
“I happened to overhear the servants talking this morning. They said you had a rough night’s sleep and got a bruise on your waist.”
“……”
As I remained silent and looked at him, his tone became increasingly blunt.
“At the very least, you should be able to sleep comfortably. I didn’t realize that the bed, which others said was good, would not suit you so well.”
Before long, wrinkles had formed on his forehead, and he was emitting the usual harsh atmosphere.
I stared at him with my mouth agape, thinking.
‘This man. Could it be…?’
Did he mistakenly believe that the bruise on my back was caused by the bed?
My back was perfectly fine with no pain at all.
Therefore, it was highly likely that he had overheard the maids talking about a bruise on my back and misinterpreted it.
“If you’re done here, could you please leave?”
He withdrew his gaze toward me and issued a cold command.
However, I couldn’t bring myself to leave the office just yet.
If I left without clearing up his misunderstanding, it could lead to a bigger problem later on.
“Um… Evan.”
As I called his name, his sharp gaze landed on me immediately.
After clearing my throat a few times, I looked at him and spoke.
“It seems you didn’t hear how I got the bruise… My back is perfectly fine right now.”
I awkwardly continued, seeing his expression as if he didn’t understand what I was saying.
“It was during our first night together, remember?”
“What do you mean…”
“The maidservants offered to massage me, and when they checked my body, they found significant bruising on my back. It seemed to have happened when you tried to catch me to prevent me from falling, and I think that’s what led to the misunderstanding.”
I emphasized my explanation with a pointed look.
At this point, he should have realized what I meant.
Suddenly, the stack of documents in his hands slipped, scattering all over the floor.
“Are you okay?”
I looked at the papers strewn across the floor, then back at him wide-eyed.
Suddenly, as if he had lost his grip, he stood there frozen, not moving at all.
After a while, Evan, who had been stiff as a statue, finally relaxed and pulled over another document from the side.
“I see. I hadn’t heard that part.”
“…Yes. I thought you should know, since we’re married now.”
“I understand.”
With that, Evan continued to focus on the documents without lifting his gaze.
The atmosphere became awkward, and just as I was about to leave the room, a quiet voice came from behind me.
“…Did it hurt a lot?”
Turning my head, I saw Evan looking at me with an unexpectedly serious expression.
“No, it didn’t hurt. My skin is naturally sensitive, so it bruises easily from even minor impacts. You don’t need to worry too much about it.”
“Who said I was worried?”
He replied, shifting his gaze back to the documents.
With his unspoken gesture indicating that I should leave, I decided to exit the room.
I noticed the papers in his hand were upside down, but I didn’t think it was necessary to point that out.
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On my way back to my room, the earlier situation kept replaying in my mind.
It was quite striking to see his pupils tremble like aspen leaves for a brief moment, as if he too was someone capable of feeling embarrassment.
“Somehow, it’s a bit cute.”
I closed my mouth before finishing my thought.
To think that a man referred to as a monster or a war beast in society could look cute.
Perhaps it was the drink I had with my father during dinner that almost made me say something outrageous.
“Oh, I forgot to say thank you.”
I was so impressed by Evan’s flustered expression that I had forgotten to express my gratitude.
There was a slight misunderstanding, but after all, he had brought in that enormous bed for me.
It might have marred the room’s aesthetics a bit, but I thought, what does it matter?
From now on, every time I saw that bed, I would remember Evan’s flustered expression, and a smile would sneak out.
“Well, I’ll see him later anyway; I can thank him then.”
After taking one last look at the office where he was, I continued walking forward.
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That night.
The vast bed that had changed overnight felt awkward, and I tossed and turned.
Just then, Evan entered the room. His footsteps were so careful that I would not have noticed if I had been asleep.
But then our eyes met, and he saw that I was wide awake.
“Why are you still up at this hour?”
“I just can’t seem to fall asleep yet.”
When I checked the time, it was just past 2 a.m.
“Ask the butler to bring you some tea that helps with sleep. It should be quite effective.”
Evan walked toward the sofa, speaking in a businesslike tone.
‘It looks like he plans to sleep over there again.’
Watching him, I suddenly blurted out,
“If you’re uncomfortable because we’re sharing the same bed, doesn’t that no longer matter now?”
The newly changed bed was huge that I could easily roll over ten times and still not reach the other side.
From now on, I would have to share a room with him, and I felt like I wouldn’t be able to sleep well every time I saw him sleeping on the sofa.
“At least you should sleep comfortably.”
I echoed his earlier words.
After a moment of silently staring at the bed, Evan replied in a low voice,
“…It’s not uncomfortable here either.”
I felt a growing stubbornness toward his insistence on the sofa.
“It’s uncomfortable for me. How can I possibly sleep well when you’re lying comfortably by yourself?”
Eventually, Evan gave in first.
He turned away from the sofa and moved towards the bed.
He lay down on the opposite side of me at the right end.
Thus, we ended up lying on the same bed, occupying the right and left ends, respectively.
Even though we shared a bed, we were far apart, so there was no awkwardness.
Instead, a quiet stillness settled in the room, allowing us to hear each other’s breathing.
I subtly shifted my gaze toward him.
Even while sleeping, he seemed to maintain his posture, lying straight and staring at the ceiling.
After a while, with the lamp on the nightstand completely turned off, I quietly spoke to him.
“I suppose you no longer need to be concerned about my back pain, as the bed is quite comfortable.”
I was genuinely pleased that he had changed the bed as soon as he heard I was hurt.
However, it seemed he wasn’t quite pleased, as a gruff voice came from the darkness.
“There’s no need to make a fuss about this absurdly large bed. If you want to laugh, just go ahead.”
His words made me chuckle softly as I replied,
“This situation is funny, but it’s not laughable. What’s more, it’s really nice that someone is doing something for me.”
Having rarely experienced such consideration while living with Delos, this situation felt quite unfamiliar to me.
midori
thanks! ahhhh him getting flustered is so cute! now this is what i signed up for when i started the novel! when a lady starts finding a man cute, that’s very much the doorway to love keke