Chapter 24, part 1

Clarisse awoke startled on her final morning in the Royal Capital to discover Jean resting on one elbow, peering down at her face. He had just awoken with a beard that had grown overnight, adding to his manliness, and in any event, he is just as beautiful.

‘What? Jean-sama..! How did he get here…?’

The surprise only lasted for a moment before she remembered that she didn’t let go of Jean’s nightgown last night, and he had slept next to her. It was the first time she had ever slept with someone in her bed; in a normal situation, she wouldn’t be able to sleep due to her nervousness, but having lived an overly intense day with too many different things happening, she fell asleep as soon as she laid down on her bed. Jean could have gone back to his room afterward, but instead, he stayed and slept with her in the same bed.

“Did you sleep well?”

His voice was hoarser than normal; perhaps it was because he had just awoken from sleep. Seeing his face and hearing his voice just as he woke up first thing in the morning warmed her heart; it was as if she was sharing this special moment with him.

“Yes… I must’ve been exhausted; I slept like a baby.”

“I’m glad. You were tossing and turning during the night; you didn’t have any nightmares, did you?”

‘He’s worried about me…’

 The kindness he showed her was heartwarming. Clarisse smiled at him, and he smiled back, the corners of his lips lifting in relief.

“Good morning, my lady!”

 At that moment, Mary knocked and came into the room without waiting for an answer, just as usual, and froze when she saw Jean on the bed.

“Eh..! eh..! Margrave…! I beg your pardon; I’m leaving now!”

‘Oh my, Mary!’

 In a slightly amused tone, Jean spoke, stopping Mary from leaving.

“Mary, it’s okay, I’ll leave now. Help Clarisse get ready.” Then he turned to Clarisse and said, “I’ll see you later at breakfast.”

 He dropped a kiss on her forehead, just like the first time he had ever met her, carefully avoiding the injured area, and then left the room.

“I’ll be a little more careful when I come to greet you in the morning from now on, hehe. By the way, when did the Margrave come to your room, My lady?”

 As Mary prepared a bowl of water and a cloth for Clarisse, she asked this. She assumed that the Margrave had come to check on Clarisse because he was concerned about what had happened at Clarisse’s parents’ house the day before, but she couldn’t hide her embarrassment at the realisation that this situation would almost certainly happen again in the future.

“Last night…before I went to bed…Mary, did you hear? About what father did to sister Matilda…”

 Of course, Mary, who had not yet heard the story, rolled her eyes but nearly dropped the bowl in surprise when she heard what happened.

“Oh my god!! At last… the Viscount has gone mad!”

“I don’t know if that’s madness, but it most definitely looks like it.”

“So, what are you going to do about it? Do you want to extend your stay in the Capital?”

“No, we will leave the royal capital tomorrow as planned.”

Her mother would be upset if they decided to stay longer, which is probably why she wrote such a letter and had it delivered to the mansion so late at night, so she could return to her home with Jean as planned.

Clarisse muttered this in her mind and began to wipe her face with the cloth Mary had prepared for her.