56

It was late afternoon when Annette woke up again. The muscular man’s forearms, which were hugging her body, were pretty heavy. Annette, realizing that she had slept until the afternoon, blinked her eyes.

Suddenly her vision turned black and she wondered if there was a dark black hair-like curtain of darkness covering her eyes. She felt two warm lips touch her eyes.

“Wake up. Aren’t you hungry?”

The voice of the man, who lay next to her languidly, was very low and sexy. Raphael, who spoke more affectionately than usual, pressed his lips down on her temple. The soft texture of his lips completely woke Annette up. As she propped herself up, the things that happened in the morning came to her mind.

‘Oh, right! We fell asleep together last night and then in the morning…’

Annette remembered that she had fallen asleep on the way back in the carriage right after the ball. But since she was sleeping by leaning against Raphael’s body, she didn’t know that Raphael had later picked her up and moved her to her bedroom. In the morning, because of this, she reflexively burrowed herself into Raphael’s arms, wanting to look for warmth from his body. Recalling the events that happened in the morning, Annette bowed her head and blushed. Raphael, lying next to her, got up from the bed and examined her complexion.

“What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

Raphael looked around at Annette’s face, wondering if he had hugged her too roughly. Annette did not refuse his touch but looked up at him quietly. The man who had quenched his greed was now quite generous towards his woman.

Annette was not very pleased with the whimsical actions of Raphael, who was again being nice to her. She thought it would be better to have a physical relationship with him. But that way, she would not be able to leave and would never be happy. Annette closed her eyes as Raphael gently swept back her hair.

Annette knew that even if she left him and found new happiness, there would be days when she would miss this hand. There would be nights when she would think of his warmth and feel lonely. To get rid of this feeling, Annette asked Raphael.

“I have a question for you. Can I ask you?”

As expected, his hands caressing her forehead, stopped. She would have rather appreciated it if Raphael had pushed her away again. Annette blinked, expecting him to turn her down. However, Raphael frowned and answered with a grimace.

“… You can ask me anything.”

It meant that it was up to him to answer. ‘Are you saying that I can ask any question I want?’ Annette opened her mouth with her cheek resting on his big palm.

“I heard that the demand for iron ore has skyrocketed these days. And because of that your iron ore mine has soared in value. What do you think? Are you making good profits there?”

“Why? Are you interested in my mine too?”

Instead of answering, Raphael raised one eyebrow and asked. Annette was worried that he might misunderstand that she was coveting his mine. Annette’s tone of voice rose as she quickly added her explanation.

“No, Raphael. It’s not like that. It’s a huge industrial change, isn’t it? So, I just had a few questions….…”

“I was just kidding. You don’t have to be so flustered.”

Raphael, with the corners of his mouth raised, grabbed her blond hair and gently twisted it between his fingers. Surely if it had been in the past, he would have sarcastically accused Annette for setting her eyes on his mine. But now that he had witnessed the scene of Annette fighting with her father last time, he knew she didn’t want his mine.

‘I already know what my father wants. Whatever it is, don’t even think about taking anything from Raphael. He’ll never give it to you.’

At that time, Annette fought against her father while trembling with a pale face. It was too much to suspect Annette after seeing it. Raphael finally admitted to himself; he had already started believing in her. He gently told Annette what she was curious about.

“That’s right. The profits have increased a lot. There were a lot of people who wanted to buy my iron ore mine. After all, it’s the largest mine in the Deltium.”

“I see. Um… You know, Raphael…. Maybe your mine has something besides financial benefits….. Are there any influential elements that could be used in politics or diplomacy?”

Raphael said nothing for a moment. Instead, he stretched out his arms and hugged Annette from behind. Then he started licking her neck gently. There were traces of Raphael’s bites on her white nape. It was unfortunate that her slender neck was marred by his bite marks, but on the other hand, seeing his traces on her aroused dark sadistic feelings inside him. Raphael, who licked the marks to soothe her, opened his mouth.

“Yes, it can be used to exert diplomatic influence on some countries. It’s a good thing that industrial efficiency has increased with the supply of iron to the common people, but not all countries can mine iron ore. So, I am also selling a significant amount of iron ore overseas.”

“Ah, then, if someone buys your iron ore mine…. they can mix a little into diplomacy and trade with certain countries.”

Understanding Raphael’s words, Annette lowered her eyes. Of course, her father, Allamand, was not after the iron ore mine simply because of the financial gain. After all, the Bavarian family was one of the richest families in Deltium. What Allamand coveted was not the iron ore mine, but the influence he can exert over other countries through it.

Seeing Annette deep in thought, Raphael hugged her and pulled her closer to him. The delicate Annette fit right into his arms. As Raphael looked down at her, her round head and slender neck along with her small ears that were slightly peeking out of her long blond hairs, all seemed very pretty. He had a rough idea why she was asking about his mine.

‘In fact, I, myself didn’t expect this mine to be this profitable.’

Raphael was really lucky. His biological father, King Selgratis, gave Raphael a diamond mine and an iron ore mine in return for his major contributions to the war. At that time, iron was too difficult to smelt and so was quite expensive. Since it was difficult to procure, its use was also limited. Therefore, the iron ore mine that Raphael received did not receive much attention. But who knew that the tides of the time would turn like this in a few years?

‘It was probably given to me because he didn’t think something like this would happen.’

Raphael thought cynically. His biological father, King Selgratis, apparently seemed to care a lot about Raphael. But the things he would give him were like placing silver alms in the hands of a beggar. Raphael wondered if he was mistaken because of his own feelings or it was actually what the king intended.

“Raphael.”

Just then, Annette, who was still in Raphael’s arms like a doll, turned her head and called him. He looked so serious as if he had finished thinking about something. Annette reached out and grasped Raphael’s hand and then sighed.

“I know. My father…. He is coveting your mine. And because of me, you’re being put into undue pressure.”

After finishing speaking, Annette dropped her head as if she was ashamed. Raphael watched her little fingers clutching the sheets painfully. When he saw this pitiful sight, generous words flowed out of his mouth.

“It’s okay. It’s really nothing before what my uncle did to you. Well father-in-law really needs to do better. As the proud blue-blooded Bavarian, he is currently second in this race.”

Annette grinned at Raphael’s unexpected joke. For the first time, she realised that Raphael too had similar concerns as her. Just as she was worried about her father, Raphael also seemed to have some problems with his mother’s family. Perhaps that was why he could sympathize with her.

She never thought that she would be able to build a connection with Raphael in her life. It was an experience that she never had in her previous life. Was this life changing little by little because of her efforts? Annette, who was fiddling with Raphael’s hand, said in a determined voice.

“Raphael, I’ll protect your mine. No one can take away what’s yours. Even if it’s my father.”

Raphael’s blue eyes widened when he heard those words. Raphael, who was looking at Annette without saying anything, soon laughed out aloud. His sharp eyes curled into two small crescent moons, and his red lips, which only spoke bad words, were now pulled into a bright smile. Raphael replied, looking at Annette with blue eyes filled with amusement.

“That’s quite reassuring. Thanks to you, I feel very secure.”

Annette warmed up to his positive response. She was determined to protect his mine before leaving him. His naked chest, his arms hugging her, his cheeks and lips pressed against her body all felt pleasantly warm. It was a pity that she would have to leave her handsome husband, but it was a better choice for both of them.

Raphael only wanted a formal relationship and didn’t want to involve any personal feelings. But Annette didn’t want to live like that. Since this was her second life, she wanted to love and cherish someone and have a meaningful relationship with him. If Raphael refused, Annette had no choice but to leave him.

But before that, she wanted to solve his mine problem.

Annette’s little pink lips paled a little. To be honest, it was scary and hopeless to fight against Allamand. However, she really wanted to protect Raphael. It was her way of repaying him for the kindness he showed to her when she was sick in her previous life. Also in the first place, it was her own family who was behind it.

Fortunately, while Annette acted out the role of a good daughter, there were some things she saw and heard from the shadows. She knew what Allamand did to get what he wanted.

Now, it was time to stop being a good daughter.

It was late afternoon when Annette woke up again. The muscular man’s forearms, which were hugging her body, were pretty heavy. Annette, realizing that she had slept until the afternoon, blinked her eyes.

Suddenly her vision turned black and she wondered if there was a dark black hair-like curtain of darkness covering her eyes. She felt two warm lips touch her eyes.

“Wake up. Aren’t you hungry?”

The voice of the man, who lay next to her languidly, was very low and sexy. Raphael, who spoke more affectionately than usual, pressed his lips down on her temple. The soft texture of his lips completely woke Annette up. As she propped herself up, the things that happened in the morning came to her mind.

‘Oh, right! We fell asleep together last night and then in the morning…’

Annette remembered that she had fallen asleep on the way back in the carriage right after the ball. But since she was sleeping by leaning against Raphael’s body, she didn’t know that Raphael had later picked her up and moved her to her bedroom. In the morning, because of this, she reflexively burrowed herself into Raphael’s arms, wanting to look for warmth from his body. Recalling the events that happened in the morning, Annette bowed her head and blushed. Raphael, lying next to her, got up from the bed and examined her complexion.

“What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

Raphael looked around at Annette’s face, wondering if he had hugged her too roughly. Annette did not refuse his touch but looked up at him quietly. The man who had quenched his greed was now quite generous towards his woman.

Annette was not very pleased with the whimsical actions of Raphael, who was again being nice to her. She thought it would be better to have a physical relationship with him. But that way, she would not be able to leave and would never be happy. Annette closed her eyes as Raphael gently swept back her hair.

Annette knew that even if she left him and found new happiness, there would be days when she would miss this hand. There would be nights when she would think of his warmth and feel lonely. To get rid of this feeling, Annette asked Raphael.

“I have a question for you. Can I ask you?”

As expected, his hands caressing her forehead, stopped. She would have rather appreciated it if Raphael had pushed her away again. Annette blinked, expecting him to turn her down. However, Raphael frowned and answered with a grimace.

“… You can ask me anything.”

It meant that it was up to him to answer. ‘Are you saying that I can ask any question I want?’ Annette opened her mouth with her cheek resting on his big palm.

“I heard that the demand for iron ore has skyrocketed these days. And because of that your iron ore mine has soared in value. What do you think? Are you making good profits there?”

“Why? Are you interested in my mine too?”

Instead of answering, Raphael raised one eyebrow and asked. Annette was worried that he might misunderstand that she was coveting his mine. Annette’s tone of voice rose as she quickly added her explanation.

“No, Raphael. It’s not like that. It’s a huge industrial change, isn’t it? So, I just had a few questions….…”

“I was just kidding. You don’t have to be so flustered.”

Raphael, with the corners of his mouth raised, grabbed her blond hair and gently twisted it between his fingers. Surely if it had been in the past, he would have sarcastically accused Annette for setting her eyes on his mine. But now that he had witnessed the scene of Annette fighting with her father last time, he knew she didn’t want his mine.

‘I already know what my father wants. Whatever it is, don’t even think about taking anything from Raphael. He’ll never give it to you.’

At that time, Annette fought against her father while trembling with a pale face. It was too much to suspect Annette after seeing it. Raphael finally admitted to himself; he had already started believing in her. He gently told Annette what she was curious about.

“That’s right. The profits have increased a lot. There were a lot of people who wanted to buy my iron ore mine. After all, it’s the largest mine in the Deltium.”

“I see. Um… You know, Raphael…. Maybe your mine has something besides financial benefits….. Are there any influential elements that could be used in politics or diplomacy?”

Raphael said nothing for a moment. Instead, he stretched out his arms and hugged Annette from behind. Then he started licking her neck gently. There were traces of Raphael’s bites on her white nape. It was unfortunate that her slender neck was marred by his bite marks, but on the other hand, seeing his traces on her aroused dark sadistic feelings inside him. Raphael, who licked the marks to soothe her, opened his mouth.

“Yes, it can be used to exert diplomatic influence on some countries. It’s a good thing that industrial efficiency has increased with the supply of iron to the common people, but not all countries can mine iron ore. So, I am also selling a significant amount of iron ore overseas.”

“Ah, then, if someone buys your iron ore mine…. they can mix a little into diplomacy and trade with certain countries.”

Understanding Raphael’s words, Annette lowered her eyes. Of course, her father, Allamand, was not after the iron ore mine simply because of the financial gain. After all, the Bavarian family was one of the richest families in Deltium. What Allamand coveted was not the iron ore mine, but the influence he can exert over other countries through it.

Seeing Annette deep in thought, Raphael hugged her and pulled her closer to him. The delicate Annette fit right into his arms. As Raphael looked down at her, her round head and slender neck along with her small ears that were slightly peeking out of her long blond hairs, all seemed very pretty. He had a rough idea why she was asking about his mine.

‘In fact, I, myself didn’t expect this mine to be this profitable.’

Raphael was really lucky. His biological father, King Selgratis, gave Raphael a diamond mine and an iron ore mine in return for his major contributions to the war. At that time, iron was too difficult to smelt and so was quite expensive. Since it was difficult to procure, its use was also limited. Therefore, the iron ore mine that Raphael received did not receive much attention. But who knew that the tides of the time would turn like this in a few years?

‘It was probably given to me because he didn’t think something like this would happen.’

Raphael thought cynically. His biological father, King Selgratis, apparently seemed to care a lot about Raphael. But the things he would give him were like placing silver alms in the hands of a beggar. Raphael wondered if he was mistaken because of his own feelings or it was actually what the king intended.

“Raphael.”

Just then, Annette, who was still in Raphael’s arms like a doll, turned her head and called him. He looked so serious as if he had finished thinking about something. Annette reached out and grasped Raphael’s hand and then sighed.

“I know. My father…. He is coveting your mine. And because of me, you’re being put into undue pressure.”

After finishing speaking, Annette dropped her head as if she was ashamed. Raphael watched her little fingers clutching the sheets painfully. When he saw this pitiful sight, generous words flowed out of his mouth.

“It’s okay. It’s really nothing before what my uncle did to you. Well father-in-law really needs to do better. As the proud blue-blooded Bavarian, he is currently second in this race.”

Annette grinned at Raphael’s unexpected joke. For the first time, she realised that Raphael too had similar concerns as her. Just as she was worried about her father, Raphael also seemed to have some problems with his mother’s family. Perhaps that was why he could sympathize with her.

She never thought that she would be able to build a connection with Raphael in her life. It was an experience that she never had in her previous life. Was this life changing little by little because of her efforts? Annette, who was fiddling with Raphael’s hand, said in a determined voice.

“Raphael, I’ll protect your mine. No one can take away what’s yours. Even if it’s my father.”

Raphael’s blue eyes widened when he heard those words. Raphael, who was looking at Annette without saying anything, soon laughed out aloud. His sharp eyes curled into two small crescent moons, and his red lips, which only spoke bad words, were now pulled into a bright smile. Raphael replied, looking at Annette with blue eyes filled with amusement.

“That’s quite reassuring. Thanks to you, I feel very secure.”

Annette warmed up to his positive response. She was determined to protect his mine before leaving him. His naked chest, his arms hugging her, his cheeks and lips pressed against her body all felt pleasantly warm. It was a pity that she would have to leave her handsome husband, but it was a better choice for both of them.

Raphael only wanted a formal relationship and didn’t want to involve any personal feelings. But Annette didn’t want to live like that. Since this was her second life, she wanted to love and cherish someone and have a meaningful relationship with him. If Raphael refused, Annette had no choice but to leave him.

But before that, she wanted to solve his mine problem.

Annette’s little pink lips paled a little. To be honest, it was scary and hopeless to fight against Allamand. However, she really wanted to protect Raphael. It was her way of repaying him for the kindness he showed to her when she was sick in her previous life. Also in the first place, it was her own family who was behind it.

Fortunately, while Annette acted out the role of a good daughter, there were some things she saw and heard from the shadows. She knew what Allamand did to get what he wanted.

Now, it was time to stop being a good daughter.