Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Becoming a Monster’s Bride (4)

“…Yes, I think they’re all lies.”

Roelin answered slightly delayed as she clutched onto the hem of her dress tightly. Kergel snorted while shaking his head. It was clearly obvious that he didn’t believe the words she had just said.

“Your Majesty is not a monster at all.”

Roelin spoke up once again. As if she was completely confident in what she had uttered, no signs of tremor could be found in her voice.

However, Kergel’s expression gradually stiffened when he heard those words. He closed his eyes before opening them and started looking at her once more.

Her body flinched arbitrarily when she was faced with the sharp golden eyes of his. Kergel’s mouth slowly twisted itself when he saw it.

“Does this mean that I’m not a monster? If you have truly made up your mind, why can’t you even hold my gaze properly like this?”

He had a rather chilly vibe to him while wondering during the conversation he had with her—along with a drowsy look as well.

It was already overwhelming enough for Roelin to handle. But still, she continued as she stared straight at him while clenching the hem of her dress even more tightly than before.

“…That doesn’t mean any proof that you’re a monster.”

“Is there even any evidence to being a monster?”

Roelin didn’t respond to the question that Kergel had asked. Instead, his eyes grew narrower. It had just been a casual question. Nevertheless, her reaction was entirely different from what he expected.

“What is it?”

He soon began shaking his head while frowning. It wasn’t something that he really cared about. In fact, this conversation was not that important anyhow.

“I should get going now. It’s already late, but I still stayed for far too long.”

Kergel soon rose from his seat and opened his mouth. Roelin was quite embarrassed by the sudden cut-off of their conversation, but she promptly stood up in response with a calm look. Kergel, who noticed it all, raised the corners of his mouth before he continued to speak.

“Even if you can’t go to sleep, it’s still better to rest your eyes for a while. After the companion ceremony, it will be ‘late in the evening’ after all. Well then, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“I hope that Your Majesty will have a peaceful night as well. Please take care.”

Roelin bowed her head to him while she gave her respects. Kergel looked at her figure before turning around. However, he stopped himself from leaving the room to look back once again.

Roelin was still gazing at Kergel’s back when she widened her eyes as her eyes suddenly met with his. Kergel stared into her blue eyes before adding in some words, albeit a little awkwardly.

“Anyway, thank you.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“That I’m not a monster. Of course, you just said it in words that are rather good to hear anyway.”

He shrugged and started to smile. Then, he greeted her with his eyes once again before he finally walked out.

“…….”

Even after he had left, Roelin stood there for a moment while blinking slowly.

A word of gratitude.

To an extent, it was not a big deal at all, but her heart had pounded for some reason or another.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that the common greeting had been so unfamiliar to her.

***

“You look quite pale. Would you like me to bring some warm tea?”

“No, it’s okay. The ceremony will be held soon anyway.”

Roelin replied while shaking her head slightly at what Silloa had carefully brought up. Then, Silloa opened her mouth again as she looked at her with an utterly worried face.

“His Majesty had suddenly visited during the middle of the night. Therefore, you must have been rather sleepless…”

“Silloa.”

Lucy called out Silloa’s name as a word of warning while touching up on Roelin’s outfit. Silloa pouted her mouth before she quietly helped with Roelin again.

Roelin listened in to their conversation as she could finally look at herself in the mirror.

“…It feels awkward.”

“Don’t you like it? The makeup methods for Rakain and Seroif are somewhat different…”

Lucy asked her as soon as Roelin had casually muttered to herself since she was just unfamiliar with the current way she looked like. She shook her head slowly and gave her reply instead.

“No, it’s not that I don’t like it. It’s just—it’s literally awkward somehow.”

Unlike Rakain’s makeup, which emphasized on the white skin with colorful eye makeup and red lips, Seroif’s makeup reminded her of such strong warriors and it even made her feel quite neutral instead.

‘It truly is unfamiliar. This is really me, isn’t it?’

While facing herself in the mirror, Roelin slightly turned her head from side to side curiously.

Not like herself, who always got intimidated, but her current confident and courageous appearance, which shifted together all according to her own movements. It was simply undeniable—that appearance of hers.

“Wouldn’t it be better to dress your makeup a little darker? The Royal Daughter’s complexion is very pale and she has such a delicate atmosphere that she still looks like a newborn puppy rather than a beast…”

Silloa intervened again with another worried tone of hers. Roelin was curious, but on the other hand, she looked all over her face with a shrug and quickly eased off at the words of that maid.

“Puppy?”

Was that a puppy from the term, ‘newborn’?