I Am Troubled That My Fiance Is a Villain Chapter 21

We stood still with the bed in front of us.

It was already nearing early morning, with a dim light shining in from between the curtains.

If you listened carefully, you might hear the twitter of the birds.

At the same time, so many things happened to me again, so my stamina and willpower are really drained. If there was a mirror here, my face would probably look terrible enough that without makeup, I'd look like a zombie.

‘If that's the case, then just get some sleep,' but that's exactly what I can't do.

“I'll be fine, so just sleep on the bed.”

“‘I'll be fine,' you say. Then where are you sleeping?”

I looked around Bern's room that only had minimal furniture. With just a bed and a desk, it's definitely a room that you only sleep in. Somehow, it's very much like Bern, so barren that it made me want to ask if he's really been living here since he was a first year.

After the interrogation, we left Donald at a suitable time and decided to go rest.

But I couldn't go back to my own room so we decided to stay in his room since he was also tired.

Although it would have been okay for me to return to the madam's room, I thought that he wouldn't be able to rest since he said he'll watch over me.

Well, to be honest, it's because the men's dorms are closer, and we'll be able to rest immediately.

That's why we decided to sleep in his room, but we're now in the midst of fighting over where to sleep.

‘Then where are you sleeping?' At my question, Bern pointed at the clean floor and easily said.

“The floor.”

“Ehh~”

If there had at least been carpet on it, then I would have agreed, but this room definitely doesn't have a stylish thing like that.

The floor is a no-go.

It's painful and cold — not a place a Duke would sleep. Above all, I'd feel guilty and wouldn't be able to properly rest.

First of all, we'll have to someday sleep together, so the schedule might be moved up just a little bit.

“Let's sleep together.”

As for me, I was able to propose that because it's an extremely natural course of events. Now, quickly say, ‘Okay,' and sleep. If not, it's not just my face, but I'll really become a zombie.

“That's immoral!”

Because Bern suddenly covered his face while shouting that, it blew away my sleepiness for a minute. Y-you scared me…

Somehow… This sounds like puberty. Ah, is it?

Come on, I'm sleepy. My eyes sting. My head also feels heavy.

I bet you're sleepy too, Bern~

“I'll be fine even if I don't sleep for about three days.”

That's definitely not okay.

No, as I said, you just can't sleep on the floor. I'll look cruel if I quietly sleep on the bed while letting my fiancé sleep on the floor.

“You can't… I won't be able to sleep properly if you do.”

This isn't good. I'm somehow staggering. Sleep is definitely important for humans, as I thought. It's as they say, it's one of the three primitive desires. There's no doubt that it's the strongest out of the three.

As I wondered why I had to persuade Bern who was standing still about something so simple, the soft, immaculate bed in front of me looked tempting.

Not caring anymore, I prostrated myself on the paradise spread out before me in accordance with this sweet temptation.

I'm pretty sure that I look like a slime that slightly melted and spread out. Wait, sorry, a slime might have been a little too mean.

“Lizzy, put the blanket over you properly, or you might…”

As I tried sleeping with the blanket under me, Bern worriedly told me to put it over myself, and pulled on the blanket while shaking it.

Not having expected this, he suddenly plopped down beside me.

However, he immediately got up.

“But you're tired as well… Let's just sleep, okay?”

I sleepily and desperately said without moving my mouth much, but because of that, it came out as a mumble instead.

But having heard me properly, Bern stiffened while trying to wake me up by shaking my upper body. I wonder what's bothering him.

“Didn't you say you'll be by my side?”

Please, let's just sleep. With that one wish, I desperately and drunkenly said, and having finally accepted the idea, he nervously laid down.

Oh yeah, while I'm at it,

“When we get married, I wonder if we'll be sleeping together like this…”

“That's immoral!”

Without waiting for me to finish my words, Bern shouted, and quickly rolled off the bed. And at the same time, fell down on the floor with a thump.

What is this guy doing?

Whatever, let's just sleep. I just wanna sleep.

As I felt Bern restlessly climb back on the bed, the last of my strength left me, and I fell asleep, as if slowly falling into quicksand.
Donald's face flitted through my mind. I wonder what he's going to do. He should just quietly live in town as we suggested. Just as I vaguely thought that, my thoughts suddenly vanished.

The smell of soap coming from the bed smelled like Bern. Even though I look like a pervert doing so, it's a smell that somehow eases me.

“You know, Lizzy.”

Ah, wait. I'm really sleepy right now. If it had been a few seconds earlier, I may have at least replied with ‘Ahhs' and ‘Oohhs.'

I was already so sleepy that my brain wasn't wide awake, being half asleep.

Since my sleepiness was already at a dangerously high level, the me right now couldn't reply no matter what I did and was unable to even open my eyes a second time.

However, Bern didn't mind and continued, not needing my reply.

“Earlier, you said that you would help even though you're bad with violence and blood. You planned on watching over me so I couldn't kill him, but uhmm, that really made me happy. I thought that you would definitely hate me.”

He softly whispered, as if he was sharing a secret.

Yep, don't worry. I'm listening properly. I see, you were happy, huh?

“I thought that my way of thinking was slightly different from normal because of the way I was raised. But Lizzy accepted me and sometimes stopped me — I finally became human.”

That's not true.

I recalled the young Bern's smile when I met him at that tea party.

I definitely did think he looked like a doll, but you're definitely human. Even though you can't stand being alone, are timid, and a little violent, you're still a normal boy.

“Thanks… And sorry.”

You're welcome.

Though I don't know why he's thanking me and apologizing, without thinking too much into it, I replied that in my head as I fell into a dreamless, deep sleep.

“Goodnight. My Lizia.”

When I woke up, it was already past afternoon.

Even if I went for breakfast now, I could only have lunch or maybe brunch. If I'm unlucky, probably a snack…

Well, it can't be helped since I slept early morning. It's fine. I'm not that lazy.

As I told myself that, Bern, having already fixed his appearance, greeted me, ‘Morning,' as he prepared to write something. Ah, hey, morning. Why does it look like you woke up refreshed? How about yesterday? This morning? I know you said that you'll be fine without any sleep for about three days, but I wonder if that's true. Even if it is, I still think you need to sleep.

Whether it was to help air out the room, the windows were wide open, and from there, a pleasant breeze blew in.

In the middle of the brightly lit room with the sun shining through, Bern's pure black hair rustled.

As he seriously writes something, his side profile, as always, looks just about fed up with it, but he doesn't feel robotic, like how he seemed like a doll back then.

Looking at him like this, he doesn't seem like he'd kill a tiny insect, but he's able to do something that nasty.

Well, I already knew he's that type of person and have resolved myself to accept that side of him a long time ago when we were on our way home from Thanksgiving in that carriage.

Because I had my upper body raised from the bed for a while now and have been absentmindedly staring, as always, Bern gives me a wry smile at me being half-awake, and points somewhere inside the room.

“If it's the bathroom, it's over there.”

“Thanks.”

I slowly washed my face and brushed my teeth, which made my half-awake state slightly better.

Last night, we only got information out of Donald, and I didn't think much about it, but even if I didn't, isn't the situation heading towards a considerably bad direction?

But I wonder why they were aiming for me.

If it's Alois, his number one obstacle would be Bern, and he's been cautious of Bern even before he became an obstacle.

Besides, compared to him, I'm just a useless, average student.

That's why I haven't put my guard up until now.

As I was in deep thought, I heard a knock.

Seems like someone came here to investigate.

I poked my head outside the bathroom to see who it was that came, and without waiting for permission from the owner of the room, they arbitrarily opened the door and came inside.

“I'm coming in, Brunsmeier.”

‘I'm coming in,' but you're already inside. Speaking of which, there's a lot of things I wanted to say with how he addressed his upperclassman, but when Darius saw me inside Bern's room, he turned into a statue.

If it's just his looks, because he's a mysterious-looking, handsome guy, he could pass off as a display in a museum like this.

“What's wrong, Darius?”

Breaking off from the petrification, Darius pointed at me, trembling with a blush on his face.

Haven't you been taught that you shouldn't point at people? You're a rude guy.

Though thinking about it, I remember that I'm in my pajamas. I see, Darius, you jerk. You're actually a lecher. From now on, I'll tease you with this.

Oh yeah, I wonder how I'm going to change clothes. Should I have Bern prepare them? Since last night was an emergency, I didn't think about it, but it's not like I can go outside with just my pajamas.

As I carelessly thought that, Darius, who had been trembling all over, glared at me and suddenly shouted.

“This is immoral!”

This somehow feels like deja vu. Is it puberty? Ah, this guy's also in puberty, huh.

“Did something happen, Wehner?”

Splendidly ignoring that, Bern asked.

He said the same thing as well, so he didn't say anything about it.

“Ah, yeah… We found Johann. It's as you said, he's already on his way here.”

“How far?”

“Surprisingly, he was hiding close by. Probably as early as tonight.”

“I see. And Ionius?”

“He's pretty much done with the preparations. Isn't it fine even if he doesn't have to suck up to the princess right now?”

“Princess?”

“Katerinsama.”

According to their conversation, it seems that while I was asleep, the Hidden Student Council had been preparing something.

Is something going to happen?

“By the way, why are you here?!”

“What? Can't you even say, ‘Yesterday was troublesome for you, huh'?”

There's no way Darius doesn't know about what happened last night since there was a major uproar about it.

“Yesterday was troublesome for you, huh.”

“Thank you!”

Jeez, to say it in a monotone way as if you have a horrible friend.

I have a horrible friend as well, don't worry.

“I hope you go bald.”

“As if I'll let myself go bald that easily.”

“Then become a trainee monk and go learn some humility and sympathy.”

“Stop using examples that I sometimes don't get. I already know you're making fun of me!”

I see, so you don't know what a trainee monk is. Then how about a friar? But then friars don't go bald. Ah! That's right, a tonsure*!

“Let's see.”

Although Bern had been quiet the whole time, we heard his voice, and stopped our useless quarreling.

He blew lightly on the ink on the letter that he had been writing on up until then to dry it, neatly folded it, and put it inside an envelope.

“I was planning on waiting just a bit more, but they did something irritating, and aimed for Lizzy. I've been content with sitting back until now, but I've pretty much had enough of them.”

He quickly sealed it with wax, and rather than the usual Duke signature, he instead wrote a complicated signature and put it in a hidden pocket in his jacket.

Bern stood up, and as he looked over his shoulder, he said in an extremely cold voice.

“Let the fox hunt begin.”

With the back light behind him, we weren't able to see just what expression he had.

* – that hairstyle that friars have where just the top is shaved off.

One of the reviews on syosetu mentioned that if Lizzy brushed her teeth, she must have used Bern's, and this would have been an indirect kiss. Lizzy was half asleep, so she probably didn't notice. I'll let that sink in.

Author: adorkablerika

Name's Erika. For some dumb reason, I decided to major in Physics. I'm stuck in this major now. I used to translate manga and light novels a few years back, left, then came back cause I found some good novels to read. I'm the only TLer on my site, so rip. I'm apparently also good at drawing, and I also like kpop (BTS, I mean, I have Hobi as my pic). I don't bite, so feel free to chat me up on here or on NU @adorkablehiko. If you see my translations on other sites, please do consider reading it on my Wordpress @ crappyasstranslations.

Chapter end