6.8 The Struggle of a Reincarnated Marquis’ Daughter
Alfred’s eyes narrowed slightly. With his quiet gaze, he seemed to look past me and stare into the distance.
“When I first met you, I thought you were quite strong-willed and rebellious. I thought that was cute in its own way, but I…”
Alfred covered his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Kyle said that Juliane thought what happened was her fault.”
Saying that, he rubbed his cheek against the top of my head.
“But it’s not true. Everything’s my fault. I was so focused on myself, I failed to see how foolish it was to neglect the woman I love.”
“N-no, I didn’t expect you to blame yourself so much. I mean, I guess I’m also at fault.”
When I fidgeted, Alfred was taken aback.
“Right, sorry for the rant. You still have a fever. Why don’t you lie down while we talk? But let me just say this.”
He suddenly whispered in my ear, sending goosebumps down my spine.
Damn, his voice was too good!
“I’ll change—no, I’ve changed. I’ll strive harder for you, so depend on me as much as you want.”
“Eh, no thanks. I’ll do what I can on my own. That’d ruin the both of us. If one of us is too heavy, both of us would sink.”
“Well, that’s true. I said it in a rush, but I meant to say I want you to feel like you’re on a big ship. Ah, how do I put this? It’s hard to draw a line when it comes to spoiling someone…”
Alfred laid down on the bed with me in his arms. Somehow, I felt like my fever was going down rapidly. The effect of this hallucination sure was amazing. As I took in Alfred’s face, I sighed and spoke.
“…Even though I’ve lost weight, I’m still average at best. I can’t shake off my perception of myself. I’m always arrogant and foul… I know you’re a hallucination, but why would anyone like me?”
“Really? I’ve always thought of Juliane as cute.”
“Maybe Lord Alfred needs to get his eyes checked…”
“I simply said what I thought. Do you remember when we were little? My sister was mean to me, and you got angry for my sake. It was the first time I’d ever seen a woman kick her out. When you glared at her, your face seemed so dignified and cute. I also loved your expression when you tried to hold back your tears when doing something difficult. And your expression when you were proud of having mastered it…”
“O-okay, that’s enough! That’s enough!”
I was already feverish, but my cheeks, ears, nape, and my whole body got hot in an instant.
“Well, it’s true.”
Alfred brought his hand to his chin.
“They say love is beyond reason. Maybe it’s pointless to think about it. Besides, if we spend a long time together, you’ll eventually understand.”
I heard a voice in my ear, but it felt like it was coming from somewhere else. My chest was tingling.
My heart was beating so hard I couldn’t breathe. My face was on fire. I was so embarrassed. At the same time, I was also happy, so much so that my cheeks loosened.
“Juliane.”
He called out to me as if I was his precious treasure.
“Y-yes?”
“Let me say it again. I may be a hopeless case, but I want to be happy with you. I don’t want to lose you. I love you from the bottom of my heart. So please regain your strength and spend the rest of your life with me.”
I nodded. Alfred’s warmth and smell were both extremely pleasant. I closed my eyes and savored the pleasure in a daze.
And then, morning came. It was a particularly bright morning. My eyelids fluttered at the light.
To think that I hallucinated… Wow, I really did. Ah, such a good dream…?
As I slowly regained consciousness, I was greeted by an unusual warmth.
Huh? My fever seems to have completely gone down, but why does it feel hot?
It wasn’t a strong smell, but it made my heart flutter so much that I wanted to thrash around.
What is this smell? This noble yet savage smell, dominated by elegance…
This… is this the so-called masculine scent?
No, no, no way…
All the hair around my body stood on end and rustled. I slowly opened my eyes. Right in front of me was Alfred’s sleeping face. No matter how I looked at it, it was a picture-perfect, energetic, beautiful sleeping face…
I-I don’t want to believe it, but could everything have been… real?!
Still shaken, I peeked timidly at him. Alfred’s eyes fluttered wide open. Then, he smiled with his eyes, his well-shaped lips moved, saying, “Good morning.”
“G-g-g-g-good morning.”
Completely flustered, I bowed my head slightly while lying on the bed.
“It seems that your fever has subsided. You don’t look too bad. That’s good.”
Alfred placed his hand on my forehead, and showed a relieved expression. Then, with a bashful look, he scratched his chin.
“You remember… don’t you?”
Was he really asking that?
This, isn’t this like him saying, “It happened to me as well…”?
“L-Lord Alfred, do you perhaps, remember too? Uhm, well, the ‘hallucination’ of me back then…”
I stuttered, my voice trembling.
“Yes. How should I put it, it’s like my brain, eyes, and hands just remembered it on their own. When I woke up in the morning, you weren’t there. Briefly, I thought it was a dream, but then I remembered everything on my own.”
Alfred laughed with an expression of delight.
“That was the happiest moment of my life. Well, until last night.”
“Uuuuuhm. Right now, my perception of reality is wavering… Is this really, really, real?”
In a panic, I asked curtly instead of with my usual ladylike mode. However, Alfred didn’t seem to mind and answered patiently.
“Of course it’s real.”
Alfred’s expression looked a little mischievous and playful. Yet, it was also warm, as if he was satisfied.
W-w-w-what do I do?
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