Chapter 212 - MERIT CEREMONY (3)

WARNING: This episode may cause a sugar overdose. You have been warned, ufufu~

In fact, she didn’t know why she was crying.

Jude didn’t wake up for two days, or three days if you counted the fact that it was dawn now, but Cordelia herself was unconscious for nearly two days.

Both of them had been unconscious in that time, so it wasn’t the reason for her tears.

Unlike Maja’s sincere wish for Jude to wake up over the past two days, Cordelia herself had been worrying for a few hours at most, though it was less than an hour if you exclude the time she fell asleep.

‘I’ve heard that you’re going to wake up soon.’

She had confirmed the condition he was in and was just waiting for it to end, so her situation was different from Maja.

So what was the reason?

She had only seen Jude’s face and cried non-stop when she hugged him.

She cried without even realizing it.

‘Is it because I’m sorry?’

Because I’m the one who made him open the sixth door?

So I feel responsible?

‘But.’

If he hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t have won.

Perhaps the Lord Protector would have really killed all of us.

‘No, that’s not the reason in the first place.’

It wasn’t a matter that needed logic or complex reasoning.

She was just sad because Jude was unconscious, and she was happy that he woke up.

It was a simple reason.

Something that didn’t need to be that complex.

“Huu-hu, huhu.”

After crying for a long time, Cordelia gradually stifled her tears and opened her closed eyes. She naturally stared at Jude’s face.

She saw his green eyes looking her way and the sly smile drawn on his lips.

His left arm firmly held her waist, and his right hand was patting her back.

His chest had become broad and something that she could lean on at any time, making her feel safe like those firm castle walls.

“My princess, are you done crying?”

Jude slyly asked, and Cordelia could tell at that moment.

His insides were black, but he was quite pure now.

He was covering it with his sly smile, but he was actually at a loss on what to do.

His green eyes seemed to be holding back all kinds of emotions, such as his joy and slight embarrassment.

Why?

Is it because his face is close to mine?

So I can see things I usually can’t see?

Cordelia’s lips squirmed once before she sniffed with her nose because of her tears, and she unconsciously thought.

‘The smell of Jude.’

Cordelia’s five senses were all excellent, and among those senses, her sense of smell was particularly good.

So Cordelia knew well that the smell of Jude was a mixture of various things.

The slightly sweet smell of his skin.

Add to that was the scented soap chosen by Maja.

There was also the scent of the shampoo and conditioner developed by Jude.

And the common perfume that most nobles sprayed on themselves more or less.

It was basically a rose fragrance.

The added scent had a refreshing feeling, giving one a neat impression.

But today was a little different.

The slight smell of sweat.

It was a slightly heavier scent.

As a result, the smell of Jude was more pronounced than usual.

Cordelia shifted her blue eyes and looked up at Jude who faced her with his green eyes.

Jude’s green eyes seemed to be a little darker than usual, perhaps because of the dim candlelight, so it felt more mysterious.

Cordelia raised her head a bit more. Without realizing it, she touched her lips on Jude’s cheek.

Chuu.

It was a small sound, but it was so quiet that it sounded loud.

Embarrassment and surprise lightly spread in Jude’s eyes again, and in response to that, Cordelia was strangely pleased rather than feeling shy.

And Jude read the feelings of Cordelia with his eyes. That was why he strengthened the hold of his left arm that held Cordelia’s waist, moving his head as he touched his lips on her forehead.

Very softly.

To the extent that there was no sound.

This time, embarrassment spread on Cordelia’s big and blue eyes, and Jude had an awkward smile instead of his usual shamelessness.

And that smile triggered a switch in Cordelia.

Cordelia drew more closer to Jude’s body. So that her neck could reach him more.

She shifted the weight of her upper body as if she was pressing down on Jude, and her lips pressed on his cheek again.

And it seemed like this time, she looked up at Jude with a bit of slyness.

‘Your cheeks are red.’

Jude sent her an answer with his eyes, and this time, he touched his lips on Cordelia’s cheek and not her forehead.

Unlike his previous one, it was a kiss that made a loud sound.

‘Aren’t your cheeks red too?’

Cordelia suddenly had a strange desire to win, and she raised her head again and kissed Jude’s ear instead of his cheek this time.

Even Cordelia herself didn’t know why she put her lips on his ear.

Because it just caught her eye.

Because she thought that it would be nice to touch her lips on his ear.

But it was right after her lips touched.

His reaction was different from before.

She was able to feel it clearly because she was in close contact with his body.

Jude had flinched.

His left arm that was holding Cordelia’s waist, that left arm that held her tightly that she couldn’t move, had slightly trembled.

Why?

Cordelia turned her eyes to see Jude.

She saw that his cheeks were redder than usual, and his familiar sly smile that she found unpleasant had slightly collapsed.

And his eyes.

His green eyes were filled with shyness and confusion on what to do.

At that moment, she thought it was fun. So Cordelia once again gave Jude a peck on the ear, and he flinched and reacted again.

A smile naturally spread over her face.

‘This is fun.’

It’s like I’m attacking something.

It’s like I’m trying to find the boss mob’s weak point and stabbing it.

As Cordelia’s gamer brain began to work, she snickered, and that snicker stimulated Jude this time.

His desire to win.

His feeling of not wanting to lose.

Jude firmly held Cordelia’s waist again. He straightened his neck and kissed the back of Cordelia’s white and long neck.

“Kyaa?”

Cordelia unconsciously let out a sound, and a triumphant smile appeared on Jude’s face.

A smile that was very obnoxious.

‘Then.’

Cordelia’s blue eyes moved again, and she bit his earlobe very lightly instead of kissing his ear.

“Eh?”

It was Jude who let out a sound this time.

She seemed to have struck a critical hit.

“Hehehe.”

Cordelia put her lips in Jude’s ear again, and as if she was striking an additional hit, she gently blew her breath on it.

And she felt him tremble.

His body trembled and his face burned red like never before.

‘I won, okay?’

Cordelia snickered and said with a glance, and Jude was pissed off for a moment, so he put his lips on her neck again. He held the flinching Cordelia firmly with his left arm to prevent her from moving, and lowered his face as he dragged it along her long and thin neck, and then pressing his lips to the raised part of her clavicle.

“Eep.”

Cordelia trembled this time. Her blue eyes were then filled with a passion.

‘Alright, let’s do this.’

So it’s my turn now, huh?

Cordelia turned her blue eyes. Instead of attacking his ear again, she carefully examined Jude’s face to find a new weakness.

His red cheeks and lips that let out a hotter breath than usual.

At that moment, Cordelia unknowingly swallowed hard. She stared at Jude’s lips, and roughly breathed a bit.

And Jude also stared at Cordelia.

Likewise, he swallowed hard and couldn’t move.

Jude and Cordelia breathed out.

Their breaths touched each other’s lips.

And it was at that moment.

“Miss!”

“Young master?!”

The door burst open as Dahlia and Maja appeared. Even Jun, the knight who was guarding the door, was there.

“Kyaa?!”

Cordelia was embarrassed and flustered, and so did Jude.

As if the magic of 12 o’clock had been broken, the two struggled as they quickly pushed each other away, and Cordelia even fell off the bed because of that.

“Miss!”

“Uh, yes. Uh. I-I’m okay!”

Cordelia jumped to her feet, and Jude saw such Cordelia.

How should one describe the current scene?

Cordelia’s face was covered with an indescribable shame, and Jude was the same – so to put it into words, the emotions they felt were inexpressible.

However, it was not a situation where they should let their hearts beat wild.

Dahlia and Maja entered the room, and Maja’s tears instantly pulled Jude back into reality.

“Young master!”

Maja cried and clung to Jude’s chest.

Even though she was already an adult, she burst into tears like a child.

“Maja.”

I worried you a lot.

I’m sorry.

I’m really sorry.

Jude tightly hugged Maja and said that he was fine, but her crying did not easily stop.

Jude had become explosively strong in the past half year, but Maja had rarely seen that strong appearance of Jude.

What remained in her memory was not the big and strong Jude, but the weak Jude who had a hard time going outside.

Maja Tantalotte.

A servant of the Bayer family and Jude’s exclusive maid.

But for Jude, she was not just a servant but a person no different to a real sister to him.

When Maja’s crying didn’t seem to stop, Cordelia hesitated at first before she sent a glance to Jude.

‘I’ll… see you tomorrow, okay?’

‘Yes, see you tomorrow.’

‘Yeah, good night.’

‘Yes, dream of me.’

‘You too.’

After they finished their eye conversation, Cordelia and Dahlia left the room while Jude patted the back of the still crying Maja.

And around thirty minutes later.

Cordelia defended against Dahlia’s persistent questioning attacks with the excuse that she had to sleep because she was too tired, and she washed herself before lying down on the bed.

And after that, she began to kick the blanket.

‘Uwaaaaaah! I must be crazy!’

30 minutes ago.

What in the world did I do?

What did I do?

Why did I do that?

‘That… I… aaaaaaah.’

Kiss, kiss.

Kiss, kiss, kiss.

Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss.

Dahlia and Jun who were outside the door would have heard us kissing.

‘Euaaa…aaaaah…aaaaaah!’

Cordelia writhed on the bed.

She rolled to the left, rolled to the right, came back to the center, and then kicked the blanket.

‘Dizzy, I feel dizzy.’

I feel like I’ll die from shame.

No, maybe I’m already dead and just haven’t realized it.

Maybe my soul is squirming alone after dying from shame.

Cordelia covered her face with both hands, and was suddenly startled, pulling them back. Because she felt that her cheeks were too hot.

‘Ah, seriously. Ah, seriously!’

How will I look at his face?

What should I say when I see Jude’s face tomorrow?

‘Eueu… eueueueueueu…’

Cordelia shed some tears before she took a deep breath.

Inhale… exhale… Inhale… exhale…

After repeating it several times, Cordelia managed to calm down her breathing, and lied down to relax her body and pacify her mind.

‘It’s all right.’

Yes, it’s all right.

It’s not just me.

Since Jude did it too.

Because we played with each other’s weakness.

Yes, yes, that’s right.

We just played and poked each other’s weakness.

We played a game, right?

So it’s all right.

And isn’t he my fiancé?

That’s right, so this much is fine.

Yes, yes, it’s not a problem.

It’s not a problem.

So let’s sleep.

Everything will be all right when I wake up.

Cordelia closed her eyes.

And 1, 2, 3.

“Euaaaah!”

What do you mean by it’s all right!

After rolling on the bed again, Cordelia curled up her body like a ball and then trembled.

‘I must be crazy, yeah, crazy.’

This is all because of Jude.

After all, it’s because of Jude.

It’s definitely because of Jude!

“Haa.”

I hate it.

I really, really hate it.

And if Maja and Dahlia had not come in.

If they hadn’t come in then…

Cordelia shut her eyes tightly as she clenched her fist tight too, and she panted afterwards.

Her breathing that she had barely calmed down was rough again, perhaps because she was rolling too much on the bed or because of some other reason.

‘Argh.’

Why am I the only one like this?

That Jude must be sleeping soundly like a child now, huh?

He must be snoring and sleeping without a care in the world, huh?

‘That’s right, so I should sleep.’

Let’s go to sleep.

I’ll leave all this worries for tomorrow and just go to sleep!

Cordelia corrected her posture again and closed her eyes.

And like always, she spoke with an exclamation.

“I can’t sleep.”

I had slept earlier.

I’m done with sleeping.

And right across her room.

In Jude’s bedroom behind the wall in her room.

As Cordelia predicted, Jude did not make a commotion on the bed.

He was lying straight and not moving.

But it wasn’t what she expected of him to be sleeping soundly and snoring.

As he lied on the bed, he covered his face with his hands and recited the Heart Sutra.

He immersed himself in Buddhist scriptures and tried to erase Cordelia’s face that kept coming back in his thoughts.

“Damn.”

I can’t sleep.

I really can’t sleep.

How can I sleep? How?

How!

“Huaaa.”

Jude groaned as his hands grabbed his head, and he eventually opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He turned to the side and gazed in the direction of Cordelia’s room.

“Come on, Jude, come on. Just sleep.”

Jude lied on his back again and forcibly closed his eyes, but he couldn’t fall asleep.

The blushing and gentle smile of Cordelia keep coming back in his mind.

“Haa, darn it.”

Jude eventually gave up sleeping.

He sat on the bed and crossed his legs, taking a deep breath before he began to recite the Heart Sutra again.

***

The next morning.

Cordelia had stayed up all night with her eyes open, and she was now sitting on the sofa with a tired face as she waited for Jude.

Because the two were supposed to meet their fathers together, which were Count Chase and Count Bayer.

‘Eueueue.’

What should I say when we meet?

Should I just not say anything?

As if nothing happened?

Cordelia’s fingers and even the toes in her shoes were wriggling, and Dahlia giggled upon seeing Cordelia before she said in a small voice.

“He has arrived.”

Jude.

Cordelia unconsciously became nervous, straightening her posture before she turned her eyes and burst into a small laugh.

Because she saw the dark circles under Jude’s eyes.

‘Hey, you too?’

‘Hey, me too.’

The two had stayed up all night.

As Cordelia giggled and smiled, Jude smiled in the same way and then hesitated for a moment before he stretched out his hand like he always did. In order to escort her.

But Cordelia did not hold his hand right away. She shifted her gaze and looked up at Jude, smiling at him with a coy expression.

Because Jude was behaving like usual, pretending to be fine while stretching out his hand to her, but she could tell.

‘Aren’t you a bit cute?’

He looks shy.

Has my black-hearted Mr. Black Cloak always been this cute?

Cordelia giggled again before she finally put her hand on top of his, and she got up and began walking with Jude.

Just how far was the room where Count Bayer and Count Chase were waiting?

They didn’t know exactly, but it wouldn’t take that much time.

It would be a few minutes at most.

Maybe not even that.

Was it because of that then?

Jude moved his hand a bit. From under Cordelia’s hand, he changed the direction of his wrist.

His movement was quite straightforward.

Cordelia turned her head to look at him, but Jude looked straight ahead instead of looking at her.

His cheeks were blushing in a way that didn’t suit him as he slipped his own fingers in between Cordelia’s fingers.

He tried to clasp her hand.

Cordelia opened her fingers slightly to accept Jude’s fingers. She gazed at their tightly interlocked fingers before she turned to the side of Jude’s face.

‘Jude, Jude.’

Jude did not answer. He seemed to have failed to see her eyes because he was only looking at the front.

But Cordelia did not care and kept looking with her eyes.

‘This is no longer an escort, right?’

We’re just holding hands.

Am I right?

Jude did not respond again, and Cordelia’s lips squirmed. She had done it coyly, but in the eyes of others, she was smiling as she loosened her face and lowered her hand. She lightly shook Jude’s hand as she continued walking.

Maja and Dahlia behind them failed to suppress their laughs, but Jude and Cordelia did not care. Or rather, they didn’t hear the laughter at all. Both of them were busy walking as they looked ahead with blushing cheeks.

And a few minutes passed.

The two felt that the time that had passed was too short, and they tried to separate from each other, but their hands seemed to be reluctant to do so.

After forcibly removing their hands that had tried to lock fingers with each other several times, they took a deep breath.

‘Let’s go.’

‘Okay.’

They would meet Count Bayer and Count Chase, hear the details and then tell their story.

They prioritized the things that they needed to take care of now before they proceeded.

Count Bayer’s knight who was guarding the door opened it, and Jude and Cordelia entered the room.