39

Raphael couldn’t understand what he was feeling right now. But if Annette chose Ludwig here…… He could never live as well as he did before.

He knew it was just a political marriage, and Annette was from the damn Bavarian family… But why did he feel this way? Raphael wanted to run away from the scene right away. But as he was about to take action, Annette said in a very firm tone.

“If you didn’t want me to get married, then why did you run away at that time? You could have done something using your powers behind the scene to stop the formal marriage.”

Raphael’s heart sank as soon as he heard it. Was Annette so disgusted with their political marriage? Because of the shock, the ringing in his ear became louder and he could hardly listen what Annette said next.

“If you had… tried to… you should have done…. I wouldn’t be so….”

Raphael went a little closer to them as he tried to catch his breath. He wanted to check the situation with his own eyes and ears. He had a slight fear of being caught as he approached them closer and closer. Because all his senses were running wild, he couldn’t grasp the situation in front of him. And then, Annette’s last words struck Raphael’s ear.

Annette raised her head and said something Raphael could never had imagined.

“And if you have any respect for me, please don’t do this again. Please never talk about my husband like that again. Raphael is a good man, and despite my bad situation, he willingly welcomed me as his wife. Now he is my family. No one can ever criticise my family in front of me. Do you understand me?”

The moment Raphael heard it, he was utterly speechless. Strangely the inside of his throat was heating up. He had neither ever been nice to Annette nor had ever trusted her. But Annette was still faithful to him.

Annette’s words painted him as someone who was very attentive and generous. It sounded as if he was the world’s most wonderful man. But this made Raphael feel more like a scumbag.

“Please, after today never visit me for your personal business again. Then I’ll get going now.”

Annette turned her back after finishing what she had to say. From the noblest, most exalted and loved prince of the Deltium, without any hesitation, she stepped away only to come back home…to him.

Seeing this, Raphael felt a bit like crying for the first time. Annette’s confident gait and her upright back dazzled him. Ludwig standing far away looked somewhat miserable. Raphael just kept on tenaciously looking at her back until she completely disappeared from his sight.

‘My family….’

Raphael repeated her words in his mind. Fortunately, he wasn’t caught by Annette while following her. After returning home, Annette was a little suspicious of his strange attitude, but fortunately she did not doubt anything.

After Annette fell asleep, Raphael sneaked into her bedroom and silently stared at her sleeping face. This little woman constantly evoked strange feelings in him.

Is this woman harmful or good to me? Raphael looked at the beautiful riddle before his eyes, unable to answer at all. Then laying beside her, he slowly closed his eyes. The small regular breathing sound that came into his ears was very warm and soothing.

* * *

It was windy today. Perhaps that’s why a wonderful scent came from the lilacs blooming in the backyard. But the scent wasn’t more fragrant than the scent coming from Annette’s hair and neck.

Annette was sitting on the sofa staring hard at something. Raphael, who was hugging Annette from behind, bit and licked her little ears, which were revealed through her hair. Annette, trapped in Raphael’s arms, shuddered and shrugged her shoulders. A twinkling bell-like laughter erupted from her mouth.

“It tickles, Raphael.”

“What are you looking at?”

Just like a big beast, Raphael, who had disturbed Annette, bowed his head and reached out to see the thing that Annette had been looking at so seriously. It was an invitation letter with letters carved in silver on a thin, rustling high-quality paper.

“Garden Evening Party? Looks like it’s being held by Marquis Eloque.”

“Yes, the summer garden there is quite beautiful. Have you ever been there?”

“Not really.”

Raphael didn’t like to go out in crowded places. The women flirted with him with envious eyes, and the men looked at him with disapproving gazes and scorned him from behind. Since they were no match to Raphael when it came to looks and abilities, all they could attack him with was his lineage.

The fiery Raphael could not endure such things. He also had sharp ears. So whenever he caught them insulting him, he would rashly turn the place upside down and scare away the rat like people. But it was also quite distasteful towards the host to make a fuss at the ball every time, so Raphael naturally became reluctant towards attending such socializing events.

Still, it was okay if the organizer was Marquis Eloque. Eloque family advocated political neutrality and had a long prestigious history, so their guests must be quite cultured. Annette had planned to make her first public appearance here after her marriage. She needed to meet Celestine Keers again to clear herself of all the false charges.

‘Celestine, no matter what, would attend the party of Marquis Eloque.’

The party’s organizer Marquis Eloque’s wife was the chairman of Celestine’s book club. So Celestine was probably going to attend this party.

When Annette thought of facing Celestine again, her heart throbbed. She was anxious and afraid, but on the other hand she was also looking forward to it. It would the first time she would encounter Celestine since her ‘kidnapping‘ incident. Annette wondered if she would again pretend to be the victim before her eyes.

Raphael didn’t know why Annette looked so grim. He looked at Annette’s eyes looking down at the invitation. She looked like a rabbit who had decided to fight a rattlesnake. So Raphael asked her with half curiosity and half anxiety.

“Are you going? This party…”

“Well… yeah, I’m thinking about it.”

Annette answered frankly. Raphael, who carefully opened the invitation, looked quite displeased. He swept his glance over the place and time written on the invitation.

“The opening time is too late. What if it ends up quite late in the night and you encounter some strange people on the way? Not only that, the place is also outdoors. What if you catch a cold? Would Marquis Eloque take the responsibility?”

Annette wondered why Raphael suddenly started finding faults with the party. Summer outdoor garden parties were usually held at night. It was because it was too hot during the day. Annette blinked her eyes a couple of times and replied calmly.

“But it’s summer now. It will be a little cool at night, so one will feel better. And since it’s an evening party, I think it should end up before 9 o’clock. So it will be okay.”

Annette’s answer was very reasonable. But it wasn’t the answer Raphael wanted. He furrowed his dark eyebrows and bit Annette’s ears, as if he was complaining

“I mean, it’s dangerous. It’s dangerous to catch a cold and it’s also dangerous on the way back. Anyway, it’s too dangerous to have a party at night.”

“……So you’re telling me not to go?”

Annette, who had been silent for a while, turned her head and looked at Raphael. The Marquis Eloque’s evening party was a perfect place for Annette’s re-debut after marriage. In addition, there was a high possibility that Celestine, who was busy preparing for the coronation, would come.

Such an opportunity was rare to come. Annette wanted to attend this party as much as possible. But if Raphael kept trying to stop her this way, she had no choice but to fight him. Anticipating the impending fight, Annette’s eyes drooped gloomily.

“No, that’s not what I meant!”

Raphael, who saw this, raised his voice without realizing it. Then Annette’s body, which had been held in his arms, shrank in surprise. She was frightened because he suddenly screamed harshly in her ear. Seeing this, Raphael frowned and chastised himself for his behavior.

‘What’s wrong with me these days?’

He realized that he was being overly clingy towards Annette these days. Today again, he wandered around her without any work and then tried to find opportunities to talk to her. He even took away the invitation like a child. All this was really unacceptable behavior.

He was like this because of Annette’s words that he heard while following her last time. She kept praising him as a good husband, so he wanted to be that person. But he felt like a clown. Anyway, even after seeing Annette’s wary expression, he couldn’t stop. Raphael gently softened his voice and spat out.

“I mean…. it’s dangerous, so I’ll come with you.”

“You will come with me?”

Only

Annette doubted her ears. She and Raphael had never attended a party together in their previous lives. It was because their marital life was really bad.

In addition, Annette had some sort of fear at that time. Even though her family had suppressed all the rumours, still there was no eternal secret in this world. She was afraid that people would pretend to be oblivious in front of her, only to gossip behind her back. So, Annette could not afford to go outside the mansion. Because of this, they didn’t attend a single party as a couple.

“Why, don’t you want me to go?”

Seeing that Annette was silent, Raphael’s handsome eyebrows wriggled as he looked at her. If it was like before, he probably would have sarcastically asked her if she was ashamed of her illegitimate husband. But now that he had seen Annette defend him several times, it was a little different. He knew she wouldn’t be ashamed of him.

However Raphael’s twisted personality was sometimes expressed in this way. It was his way of pressurising to answer quickly that she would like him to come with her. Annette, who knew this well, shook her head and laughed.

“No way. It would be great if I could go to the party with you. I would be really happy.”

Raphael flinched at Annette’s friendly words, and then turned his head slightly. The area around his temple was slightly red. Perhaps Annette listened to his thoughts and relieved him with a single word.

Merry Christmas Guys

Raphael couldn’t understand what he was feeling right now. But if Annette chose Ludwig here…… He could never live as well as he did before.

He knew it was just a political marriage, and Annette was from the damn Bavarian family… But why did he feel this way? Raphael wanted to run away from the scene right away. But as he was about to take action, Annette said in a very firm tone.

“If you didn’t want me to get married, then why did you run away at that time? You could have done something using your powers behind the scene to stop the formal marriage.”

Raphael’s heart sank as soon as he heard it. Was Annette so disgusted with their political marriage? Because of the shock, the ringing in his ear became louder and he could hardly listen what Annette said next.

“If you had… tried to… you should have done…. I wouldn’t be so….”

Raphael went a little closer to them as he tried to catch his breath. He wanted to check the situation with his own eyes and ears. He had a slight fear of being caught as he approached them closer and closer. Because all his senses were running wild, he couldn’t grasp the situation in front of him. And then, Annette’s last words struck Raphael’s ear.

Annette raised her head and said something Raphael could never had imagined.

“And if you have any respect for me, please don’t do this again. Please never talk about my husband like that again. Raphael is a good man, and despite my bad situation, he willingly welcomed me as his wife. Now he is my family. No one can ever criticise my family in front of me. Do you understand me?”

The moment Raphael heard it, he was utterly speechless. Strangely the inside of his throat was heating up. He had neither ever been nice to Annette nor had ever trusted her. But Annette was still faithful to him.

Annette’s words painted him as someone who was very attentive and generous. It sounded as if he was the world’s most wonderful man. But this made Raphael feel more like a scumbag.

“Please, after today never visit me for your personal business again. Then I’ll get going now.”

Annette turned her back after finishing what she had to say. From the noblest, most exalted and loved prince of the Deltium, without any hesitation, she stepped away only to come back home…to him.

Seeing this, Raphael felt a bit like crying for the first time. Annette’s confident gait and her upright back dazzled him. Ludwig standing far away looked somewhat miserable. Raphael just kept on tenaciously looking at her back until she completely disappeared from his sight.

‘My family….’

Raphael repeated her words in his mind. Fortunately, he wasn’t caught by Annette while following her. After returning home, Annette was a little suspicious of his strange attitude, but fortunately she did not doubt anything.

After Annette fell asleep, Raphael sneaked into her bedroom and silently stared at her sleeping face. This little woman constantly evoked strange feelings in him.

Is this woman harmful or good to me? Raphael looked at the beautiful riddle before his eyes, unable to answer at all. Then laying beside her, he slowly closed his eyes. The small regular breathing sound that came into his ears was very warm and soothing.

* * *

It was windy today. Perhaps that’s why a wonderful scent came from the lilacs blooming in the backyard. But the scent wasn’t more fragrant than the scent coming from Annette’s hair and neck.

Annette was sitting on the sofa staring hard at something. Raphael, who was hugging Annette from behind, bit and licked her little ears, which were revealed through her hair. Annette, trapped in Raphael’s arms, shuddered and shrugged her shoulders. A twinkling bell-like laughter erupted from her mouth.

“It tickles, Raphael.”

“What are you looking at?”

Just like a big beast, Raphael, who had disturbed Annette, bowed his head and reached out to see the thing that Annette had been looking at so seriously. It was an invitation letter with letters carved in silver on a thin, rustling high-quality paper.

“Garden Evening Party? Looks like it’s being held by Marquis Eloque.”

“Yes, the summer garden there is quite beautiful. Have you ever been there?”

“Not really.”

Raphael didn’t like to go out in crowded places. The women flirted with him with envious eyes, and the men looked at him with disapproving gazes and scorned him from behind. Since they were no match to Raphael when it came to looks and abilities, all they could attack him with was his lineage.

The fiery Raphael could not endure such things. He also had sharp ears. So whenever he caught them insulting him, he would rashly turn the place upside down and scare away the rat like people. But it was also quite distasteful towards the host to make a fuss at the ball every time, so Raphael naturally became reluctant towards attending such socializing events.

Still, it was okay if the organizer was Marquis Eloque. Eloque family advocated political neutrality and had a long prestigious history, so their guests must be quite cultured. Annette had planned to make her first public appearance here after her marriage. She needed to meet Celestine Keers again to clear herself of all the false charges.

‘Celestine, no matter what, would attend the party of Marquis Eloque.’

The party’s organizer Marquis Eloque’s wife was the chairman of Celestine’s book club. So Celestine was probably going to attend this party.

When Annette thought of facing Celestine again, her heart throbbed. She was anxious and afraid, but on the other hand she was also looking forward to it. It would the first time she would encounter Celestine since her ‘kidnapping‘ incident. Annette wondered if she would again pretend to be the victim before her eyes.

Raphael didn’t know why Annette looked so grim. He looked at Annette’s eyes looking down at the invitation. She looked like a rabbit who had decided to fight a rattlesnake. So Raphael asked her with half curiosity and half anxiety.

“Are you going? This party…”

“Well… yeah, I’m thinking about it.”

Annette answered frankly. Raphael, who carefully opened the invitation, looked quite displeased. He swept his glance over the place and time written on the invitation.

“The opening time is too late. What if it ends up quite late in the night and you encounter some strange people on the way? Not only that, the place is also outdoors. What if you catch a cold? Would Marquis Eloque take the responsibility?”

Annette wondered why Raphael suddenly started finding faults with the party. Summer outdoor garden parties were usually held at night. It was because it was too hot during the day. Annette blinked her eyes a couple of times and replied calmly.

“But it’s summer now. It will be a little cool at night, so one will feel better. And since it’s an evening party, I think it should end up before 9 o’clock. So it will be okay.”

Annette’s answer was very reasonable. But it wasn’t the answer Raphael wanted. He furrowed his dark eyebrows and bit Annette’s ears, as if he was complaining

“I mean, it’s dangerous. It’s dangerous to catch a cold and it’s also dangerous on the way back. Anyway, it’s too dangerous to have a party at night.”

“……So you’re telling me not to go?”

Annette, who had been silent for a while, turned her head and looked at Raphael. The Marquis Eloque’s evening party was a perfect place for Annette’s re-debut after marriage. In addition, there was a high possibility that Celestine, who was busy preparing for the coronation, would come.

Such an opportunity was rare to come. Annette wanted to attend this party as much as possible. But if Raphael kept trying to stop her this way, she had no choice but to fight him. Anticipating the impending fight, Annette’s eyes drooped gloomily.

“No, that’s not what I meant!”

Raphael, who saw this, raised his voice without realizing it. Then Annette’s body, which had been held in his arms, shrank in surprise. She was frightened because he suddenly screamed harshly in her ear. Seeing this, Raphael frowned and chastised himself for his behavior.

‘What’s wrong with me these days?’

He realized that he was being overly clingy towards Annette these days. Today again, he wandered around her without any work and then tried to find opportunities to talk to her. He even took away the invitation like a child. All this was really unacceptable behavior.

He was like this because of Annette’s words that he heard while following her last time. She kept praising him as a good husband, so he wanted to be that person. But he felt like a clown. Anyway, even after seeing Annette’s wary expression, he couldn’t stop. Raphael gently softened his voice and spat out.

“I mean…. it’s dangerous, so I’ll come with you.”

“You will come with me?”

Only

Annette doubted her ears. She and Raphael had never attended a party together in their previous lives. It was because their marital life was really bad.

In addition, Annette had some sort of fear at that time. Even though her family had suppressed all the rumours, still there was no eternal secret in this world. She was afraid that people would pretend to be oblivious in front of her, only to gossip behind her back. So, Annette could not afford to go outside the mansion. Because of this, they didn’t attend a single party as a couple.

“Why, don’t you want me to go?”

Seeing that Annette was silent, Raphael’s handsome eyebrows wriggled as he looked at her. If it was like before, he probably would have sarcastically asked her if she was ashamed of her illegitimate husband. But now that he had seen Annette defend him several times, it was a little different. He knew she wouldn’t be ashamed of him.

However Raphael’s twisted personality was sometimes expressed in this way. It was his way of pressurising to answer quickly that she would like him to come with her. Annette, who knew this well, shook her head and laughed.

“No way. It would be great if I could go to the party with you. I would be really happy.”

Raphael flinched at Annette’s friendly words, and then turned his head slightly. The area around his temple was slightly red. Perhaps Annette listened to his thoughts and relieved him with a single word.

Merry Christmas Guys