Translator and Editor: Lea and Aki

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Chapter 33

“The coat was worked on carefully, especially its lining.”“I like the material. The servant will make the payment.”“Okay. I’ll prepare the order script.”“Yes. I shall take my leave now.”“Have a good day, Marquis.”

It was strange enough for Ian to suddenly order women’s clothes, but the tailor didn’t ask any questions about who those were for. He didn’t ask why those modest clothes were bought in secret.

Ian turned his feet after telling the owner he was going to pay enough.

‘What should I do now?’

He had to prepare his luggage and the things he needed for the journey and refurbish a room at the Eastern annex. While Ian organized his thoughts in his head, the carriage had already arrived at the March. Klaus, who was waiting for his arrival, bowed to him.

“That is a load of luggage, Master.”“There’s much to prepare.”“Are you sure it’s alright?”

Ian gave a pat on Klaus’s shoulder before he made his way to the detached house, with no hesitation in his expression. His hand firmly gripped the iron handle of the box.

‘I wonder if she’s in the lab.’

Even with a fairly heavy box, Ian’s steps toward April’s location were infinitely light. He climbed up the stairs and knocked carefully on the lab’s door.

“Who is it?”“May I come in?”“Ah, yes!”

Her voice from inside suddenly rose up followed by a rustling sound. It seemed to be a bustle of what had been left untidy. Ian opened the door and entered only when the sound became a little lower.

“You’re back?”“It smells nice in here.”“That’s a relief, then.”

Ian said while looking around the room as April smiled back. Then she placed a small bottle in Ian’s hand. One-third of the thumb-sized bottle was filled with something light pink. The incense seemed to be coming from there.

“It’s the scent I was hoping to make that’d make you feel relaxed.”“Ah, a perfume.”“Yes. It’s still a prototype, so it’s only a small amount, but it’ll work. If I had more time, I would have completed it.”

Ian gazed at her newly created solution. Due to Ian, who had to leave for the East, she had locked herself in the lab these few days to work on it.

It really felt like he could feel her energy from the vial. He wanted to make it into a necklace and carry it with him all the time.

[TL/N: Now, I was reading some of the comments where some of you may have gotten confused about Ian’s condition.

When Ian felt attracted to April whenever she was around before the imprint, his sickness would break out, in which he would need April to subdue it. However, once the so-called imprint was done, he could control his sickness and therefore not need April all the time to subdue it, which means he could also get near her without worrying about his condition.]

“Have a safe journey. Be careful not to get hurt. Contact me if something happens there, okay? And…..”

She looked up to think as if to see if she had anything more to ask him. Ian, who was gazing down at her, held back his laughter before holding out the box he had brought from the tailor to April.

“What is this?”

She looked inside the box before looking up at Ian for clarification about the clothes.

“The Northeast is much colder than the capital at this time.”“Pardon?”“I wanted you to come with me. To the Eastern annex.”

His fingers fiddled with the vial absent-mindedly. After he listened to April’s story, he had finally gathered up his courage to say this after a week’s thought. As soon as she heard it, she couldn’t hide her beaming smile.

“Thank you, Ian! This way, I’d also be able to finish the solution.”“All you think is about research. I was expecting something different.”

He reached out and touched April’s earlobe. When his skin touched the sensitive spot, she shivered slightly. He gazed at her red face with an endless tenderness.

“And, I’m sorry you wouldn’t be able to travel with me. I’ll have a tight schedule once I arrive in the East. I’ve arranged for you to follow in a week or so.”“Yes. I’m fine with it!”

She nodded vigorously. Unable to stay stiff at such an April, he laughed. Then, he threw his arms around her, pulling her into a hug.

“I’m going to miss you. April.”

His arm tightened around her with the words, and he buried his face into her neck.

It tickled when his warm breath touched her skin. April slowly reached out and patted his broad back.

With his departure only being 10 days away, it was saddening to express it with all his might. She was becoming a routine that he didn’t want to miss.

***

Ian wanted to spend as much time with April as possible until the day he was leaving for the East, but the tasks he had to deal with did not leave him alone.

Even April was too busy studying to give him time.

The two, who spent their time in the morning in their respective seats, could only spend time together when the day was over.

“April?”

Ian, who had returned from washing up after April, looked at her lying in bed and sniffing at something.

She was so focused that she didn’t even know he was out until he called her by her name. She covered her notebook.

“Ah, Ian. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were out. I’ll wrap it up.”

She put aside her fountain pen and notebook before going under the covers.

“That’s okay. Were you studying?”“No. I was just thinking a little about the next steps I should take.”

In recent years, April had found herself to be lost in thought several times a day. Then, her concerns used to be only about Carleva.

“The period will be over soon. If I pay this amount in full before I turn twenty-five, they’d consider moving some properties under my ownership.”

She unfolded the note again and held it out to Ian. He took it and skimmed through the parchment all the way down.

The amount written there was about the same Ian offered April when he first signed the contract with her.

But it was not a good thing. It’d only give her very few scales of properties in return.

“You’re not getting this much of the mansion back?”“I think they’ve done it supposedly. If I don’t find it, it’ll become a land without an owner, and some of it will be auctioned off.”“Hmm……”“Anyway, this is what I’ve planned so far.”

She grabbed her notebook again and immediately opened the page pinned with her fountain pen. Then she pointed to the list she wrote down there. Ian turned his eyes.

“Access to Elise Witzer’s library and ownership to all her documents?”“This should be more than enough within the amount.”

He looked at her sideways. She was leaning on his shoulder, still staring at what Ian had just seen. When she felt his gaze, she immediately looked up.

“You weren’t interested in the property from the start.”“Well, I didn’t want to look like that to anyone else.”“Even to me?”“Not now though. At first, I wanted you to see me as someone who only cares about money.”

She replied with a smile. Ian shook his head. Ian couldn’t imagine seeing her as an irresponsible individual, from the detached building of the Duchy to the day she wrote the contract.

“What? Didn’t it work from the beginning?”“Well, it doesn’t matter now.”

She was comfortable looking like a money ghost to everyone she’d encountered, but there were a few people who didn’t see her as such. Dalia, the family of Debussy, and now, Ian.

“There must be a lot of work to be done after I finish my business in the East, April.”“What……?”“We have to deal with the contract first. You’ve been very excellent at your work. And now, the time has come to finish it earlier than what I’d thought.”

He reached out to extinguish the light and lied down in the dark, hugging April. His warmth, adding to the soft texture of the blanket, was enough for her.

“Ian. For a second, I thought I didn’t want to end my contract.”“Hm?”“For the contract to be the only thing to bind us together.”

Ian also sympathized with April’s murmur with his eyes closed. There were times when both of them thought of the end and times when they were worried about certain feelings surfacing after the end.

For Ian, the feeling was regret or longing. Accompanied by his potentially explosive heart.

“We’ll stay the same even after the contract is over, right?”

Their relationship had already changed, but there was this sense of uneasiness that the contract, which seemed like a safe fence, would end. Ian glanced down at her trembling eyes that were staring at him and opened his mouth.

“You’ll always find me here if you wish to stay.”

His words were straightforward. She gently lowered her eyelids and dug further into him. She wanted to pin this moment in her mind, for he would leave for the East first at dawn.

Ian placed a light kiss on April’s forehead, forcing her to sleep, which never came.

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