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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“…Ah.”
I must have dozed off.
Elena murmured as she slowly opened her eyes.
She must have fallen asleep in an awkward position, as her back was stiff, especially around her waist. Through half-closed eyes, she saw her desk, where she usually worked. That meant she had fallen asleep in her office.
“I must have been tired…”
She tried to sit up, but something felt off.
“Huh…?”
Why was she sleeping in such an awkward position, slumped over in her chair, instead of lying face down on her desk?
And her chair was large enough to accommodate two people comfortably. It was practically a sofa. Why did it feel so cramped?
And most importantly, why was her head resting on something soft?
Even in her sleep-addled state, Elena knew something was amiss.
She couldn’t bring herself to look up, so she quickly retraced her steps, trying to remember what happened before she fell asleep.
“…The ceremony. Right, Rudrick’s appointment ceremony.”
It had been Rudrick’s appointment ceremony as the Court Mage.
She had been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she hadn’t said a word, just sat there like a statue. And then, as soon as the banquet ended, she had returned to her office. And then…
“…”
Elena quickly closed her mouth.
Mustering all her courage, she slowly raised her head and turned to look.
She had been resting her head on a man’s lap.
She didn’t need to see his face to know who it was, and she covered her face with her hands, mortified.
She wanted to say something, but she was too afraid.
She cautiously peeked at him, wondering if he was awake. Fortunately, Rudrick was asleep, his head bobbing slightly.
Relieved, she tried to sit up.
“…Ah, I dozed off too.”
Rudrick, who had been nodding off, opened his eyes sleepily.
His eyes met Elena’s, who was frozen in an awkward position.
“…”
“…”
An awkward silence descended upon them.
Rudrick, still half-asleep, and Elena, caught in a compromising position, both remained silent.
Unsure of what to say, Elena forced a smile and asked,
“…Did you sleep well?”
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“I slept great. You were sleeping so soundly on my lap that I could have carried you away, and you wouldn’t have noticed.”
“…”
“You were even snoring. It was so ridiculous that I ended up falling asleep too.”
“R-really?”
“I’m kidding.”
“…Ugh!”
Elena clenched her fists, but she couldn’t deny it.
“Ah, my legs are numb.”
Rudrick stretched and massaged his legs, feigning discomfort. Elena wanted to flick him on the forehead, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep like that. I just… drifted off.”
“Who said anything? You’re acting like I scolded you.”
Rudrick chuckled, amused by her reaction.
He found Elena surprisingly endearing. She was following his instructions to speak casually when they were alone, and she was overthinking the fact that she had fallen asleep on his lap.
“…You were the one who complained… about me sleeping on your lap…”
Elena grumbled as she adjusted her clothes. She brushed her hair back with an elegant gesture, regaining her usual composure as a princess.
“Well, I should get started then.”
“Get started on what?”
“You should go back to your room, Rudrick. It’s getting late. I still have work to do here.”
“Work?”
“Wedding preparations.”
Elena replied casually.
It would be a scandal that would be etched in the Empire’s history books until its downfall, as she had predicted. If she announced it now, it would be the wedding of the century, attracting attention from not only the Empire, but the entire continent.
It wasn’t surprising that a wedding between one man and five women would generate such interest.
She still had some reservations, but having been completely captivated by a simple lap pillow, she was determined to see this through.
“So soon?”
“You told me, remember? ‘Strike while the iron’s hot,’ or something like that.”
“That’s true, but… well, I guess it doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter. But we can’t keep putting it off, can we?”
Elena walked around her office, gathering the necessary documents and putting on her work glasses.
“So, it’s time for good children to go to bed. You should head back now, Rudrick.”
“What about you?”
“I’ve had enough sleep. I need to start preparing for the wedding. It’s not something that can be done in a day or two.”
It was essentially a dismissal.
Rudrick stared at Elena, puzzled by her sudden enthusiasm.
He tilted his head and left the office.
“…Well, I can’t stop her if she’s this determined.”
He muttered as he closed the door behind him.
He hadn’t expected things to progress this quickly, but as Elena had said, they couldn’t keep putting it off. And since Elena had volunteered to take charge of the preparations, he decided to let her do her thing.
A wedding.
The word held a different weight than any other word he had encountered.
It had been inevitable ever since he decided to “choose” all five of them, but it was still a strange feeling for Rudrick, who had planned to run away from home if his family tried to arrange a marriage for him just a year ago.
But so much had happened in that short amount of time.
It hadn’t been that long, in fact, it felt incredibly short.
From the moment he received that sudden message while lounging at home, to this very moment… He thought about everything that had happened and said to himself,
“…I’ve come a long way.”
As his mother, Countess Aline, had said during the banquet, he was no longer the lazy, aspiring mage, the youngest son of the Weiss family.
He was Rudrick Weiss, Court Mage of the Esgelant Empire.
A Marquis of the Empire was treated with respect wherever they went, and as the Court Mage, his status was practically equal to that of the Master of the Magic Tower.
He couldn’t go back to the past, even if he wanted to.
He was already riding a tiger, and he had made up his mind. All that was left was to accept his fate.
“I have to embrace it.”
He muttered to himself as he walked towards his new laboratory.
In the past, he might have felt resentful, having to deal with the karma of the Rudrick from the previous timeline, a man he had never met.
But now, he had come to terms with it. He had grown, both mentally and emotionally.
“Elena said she would take care of the preparations… so I should let everyone know that I’m going to be busy with my duties as the Court Mage.”
He murmured as he opened the door to his laboratory.
Traditionally, a disciple would inherit their master’s research after their death.
Lorenzo Tonali’s accomplishments as a mage were legendary, considered too advanced for others to even attempt to replicate. His research was groundbreaking, worthy of being called a “discovery of the century.”
But continuing Lorenzo’s research into the “Truth,” which had led to his death, was a heavy burden.
“…I can’t continue his research after seeing what happened to him.”
Rudrick shuddered.
According to Sylvia, Lorenzo’s research had been successful. She had been surprised that a human could reach such a level.
However, it wasn’t the kind of enlightenment Lorenzo had envisioned, a glimpse into the source of all creation and a deeper understanding of the universe.
It had unleashed otherworldly creatures who were eager to invade, and continuing Lorenzo’s research would be like opening the gates for them.
Rudrick recalled Sylvia’s warning as he pondered his research topic.
‘It’s staring me right in the face.’
A light bulb went off in his head.
The method Arwen had suggested was a continuous, temporary solution. It was like patching up a leaky dam every time it filled with water. It didn’t address the root cause, the crack in the dam itself.
“Aha, that’s it.”
Rudrick clapped his hands together.
Instead of constantly engaging in nightly activities to survive, he would focus on finding a way to cure his condition, as he had been doing before.
He chuckled to himself and sat down at his desk.
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